Page 51 of Unstable

“But—” Aster made an agitated sound on the other end of the phone. “Seriously. How do you know Roman isn’t the one sending you these crazy letters, or involved somehow?”

Irina let out a laugh. “He had nothing to do with those letters.”

“But how do you know for sure?” she insisted. “He could kill you and take everything you own, and⁠—”

“He demanded a prenup,” Irina cut in. A stunned silence met her statement, and she continued. “Plus, I haven’t changed my will. I would never do anything rash like that without making absolutely sure it was for the best.”

Aster was silent for a long moment. “Irina…”

“Just… Trust me.” Irina didn’t bother to tell her they hadn’t followed through with the prenup, but the idea of Roman being her stalker was laughable. The man’s morals were more stringent than a nun’s. “Roman is… the best.”

On the other end, Aster let out a beleaguered breath. “Listen. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but just don’t get your hopes up, okay?”

Part of Irina longed to confide in Aster and spill the truth, but she couldn’t. She promised Knox that she wouldn’t speak a word to anyone, and she wouldn’t. All she could do was brace herself for Aster’s ‘I told you’ so six months from now when she and Roman had a very public breakup. “I appreciate it,” she said softly. “Thanks for everything.”

They said goodbye, then Irina ended the call and turned off the phone before slipping it back into her bag. She stood for several moments, arms wrapped around her waist, replaying Aster’s words. She knew there was something special between them—she just knew it.

But was he more open and flirty because he cared about her, or because she was convenient? The question plagued her as she curled up on the bed and hugged the pillow close, her heart aching.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Roman swiped his phone off the chaise lounge and answered it mid-ring, unable to read the screen in the blinding sunlight. “Incardona.”

“Busy?”

He immediately recognized Knox’s voice, and he swore under his breath. “Nope. Caught me in the middle of working out. Whatcha got for me?”

“Just touching base,” Knox replied. “I’m guessing no one has made her yet. No mention of any spottings on social media.”

That was good to hear and all, but it didn’t help Roman’s current situation. He glanced down at the hard-on pressing against the front of his shorts. All the blood in his body had flooded south, and it was taking his brain a while to catch up and come up with a suitable response.

“Ink?”

“Nope.” Throwing himself into the chair, he forced his attention back to Knox. “We’ve been out a couple times, but no one has recognized her, or, if they have, they haven’t said anything.”

“Keep it that way.” There was a long pause on Knox’s end, then— “Everything good?”

“Yeah, why?” Even he could hear the defensiveness in his voice, and Roman fought to dial it back.

He could practically hear the wheels turning in Knox’s head before he spoke, his tone both wary and curious. “This isn’t a typical situation. Just making sure you haven’t had any trouble.”

“No trouble here,” Roman said smoothly. Not the nefarious kind, anyway. Irina, though… The five-foot-five blonde bombshell in his care was the worst kind of trouble there was. She was the kind of woman a man would happily hand over his manhood to have.

He banged his head against the headrest of the chair. He couldn’t believe he’d let things get so out of hand, even if she was encouraging him. Another three seconds in the pool with her and he’d have kissed her. A minute more and they both probably would have been naked.

Knox hummed a little sound. “Police have a lead that they’re investigating. Phelps told me they’ve applied for the warrant and plan to bring him in for questioning today or tomorrow if everything goes well.”

Roman let out a measured breath. He had mixed feelings about the news Knox had just imparted. On the one hand, he was glad that the threats against Irina would stop. If the police had enough evidence to press for a warrant, they must be pretty certain the guy was responsible. On the other hand, it meant his time with Irina was almost up.

“Is it solid?” he asked.

“From what I understand,” Knox said slowly, “they’re pretty certain they’ve got the right guy. Up until just a couple days ago, he worked as a janitor in Stargazer’s studio.”

A tingly sensation rushed over Roman’s nerve endings. That meant the man had been in close contact with Irina, possibly for months. “Any news on the lock from Irina’s house? Fingerprints, anything tying him to the car?”

“The techs analyzed the lock and determined that the damage was only superficial. I would guess he used a key, but we’ll find out more once they question him. The guy also has a prior record for assaulting his ex-girlfriend.”