Page 50 of Unstable

“Right…” Aster sounded worried. “Well, as long as you’re okay.”

“I’m good,” Irina reassured her. “I was kind of just calling to check in, see how everything’s going.”

“People are losing their minds over here,” Aster replied. “Your social media has been going crazy, with everyone wanting all the details.”

“Thanks for taking care of that,” Irina said. “I know everything happened kind of suddenly.”

“It’s fine,” Aster said. “I’m just glad to hear from you and know you’re okay.”

“I’m great.”

Aster must have heard the hesitation in Irina’s voice, because her tone turned contemplative. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

Irina shrugged one shoulder as she sank onto the corner of the bed. “It’s been kind of boring, honestly. We’ve only gone out once since we’ve been here.”

Aster let out a crack of laughter. “Have you been stuck in bed the whole time?”

Irina’s cheeks burned at the implication, and her gaze slid to the pillows just a few feet away. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t imagined what it would be like between them, especially after the past few days. He’d shown her a side of himself she hadn’t known existed, and for the first time since she met him, she really believed there might be a possibility of something more.

She must have waited too long to answer, because Aster laughed again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Irina rolled her eyes, mentally slapping away the image of him in bed next to her, all sweaty and sexy. “Just been hanging around,” she said, trying to keep the details to a minimum. “Swimming, walking on the beach. It’s been fun.”

“You never take a vacation,” Aster cut in. “You should enjoy it while it lasts.”

“I know.” Irina threw herself back onto the bed with a sigh. “But Roman says it’s not safe yet.”

“Roman is with you?” Aster asked.

“Well, yeah.” Irina rolled her eyes. “Who else?”

“But I thought you were on your honeymoon?”

Aster’s question caused Irina to bolt upright. Her mind raced to come up with an acceptable excuse but failed.

“Wait a second,” Aster said. “Are we talking about the same person? As in Roman Incardona—your bodyguard?”

“Um…” Irina licked her lips, debating whether she could lie her way out of this. Aster was going to find out eventually anyway, so she gave in. “Yeah. We’re… together.”

“You married him?”

Incredulity saturated Aster’s tone, and Irina bristled. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Aster snapped. “Maybe because you guys have been at each other’s throats since he came to work for you.” She huffed a mirthless little laugh. “Wow. He moved fast.”

There was no concealing the derision in Aster’s tone this time. “It’s not like that,” Irina bit out. “He’s a good guy.”

Ten whole seconds of silence ensued, then a sigh filtered through the speaker. “Do you love him?”

The question hit Irina like a ton of bricks to the chest. “Enough to marry him,” she said softly, realizing how true the words were.

“Are you sure he’s not taking advantage of the situation?”

Irina had to laugh. If either of them was taking advantage of anyone, it was her. “Definitely not,” she said.

Aster persisted. “Seriously, though. How long have you known this guy? How can you be sure?”

“Because he’s nice to me. Because he treats me like a human being instead of tabloid fodder.”