Page 91 of The Arrangement

“Don’t apologize,” he said quietly.

Relief washed over her. “I know I was supposed to get something set up here, but it just slipped my mind. I thought I’d have time.”

“Stop.”

“What?”

Anton exhaled through his nose. “Just … stop. When did you figure it out?”

“This morning. I was trying to work out the dates for the rehearsal and all that … then it clicked. I should have started my cycle two days ago. I’m pretty damned regular. Most girls don’t even get their period on the shot.”

“We fucked last night. We’ve fucked every night for the last week.” A nod answered him back. That was about all she could give. Viviana didn’t need a verbal reminder of just how often they had sex; she was more than aware. “So, even if nothing shows up, it might still …”

“Yeah.”

The silence that answered back was almost painful. Anton’s gaze had turned to the wall behind her. Viviana finished making their bed and tossing the pillows back up in place before she grabbed her purse from the couch. She didn’t have time for him to let it sink in. The appointment was in thirty minutes and she would just make it in time.

She bit her lip and shrugged. “It’s more than likely that nothing is going to come up. Chances are pretty slim. The shot is weird like that.” Even she didn’t believe what she was saying. “Anyway, we can talk about it tonight. I have to go, Anton.”

With a nod, he stepped to the side and let her leave the bedroom. Viviana had just made it to the stairwell when she heard him clear his throat.

“Wait …”

Viviana turned to find him staring down at the floor where the phone had dropped. “Yeah?”

“Do you not want to be?”

“At all, or at this moment?” she asked back. “We talked about my feelings when it came to kids.”

“No, I know. I just meant—”

“Yes, eventually that’d be awesome. And even right now, if you were okay with it. There’s also the issue of smoking up and drinking. That kind of stuff isn’t okay when you’re …” Oh God, she couldn’t even force the word out. “It’s just not okay, Anton.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She understood the confusion he must have felt, because turmoil had wrapped her heart all morning.

“It’s a bad time,” Viviana said, waving like that was the best explanation she could give. “It’s great Daniil and Sasha want to go home and that you’re allowing it. I’ve asked you repeatedly to make accommodations for us to leave here and move into the Oceana house, but you refused. That tells me you don’t think it’s safe at all.”

Anton swallowed, his fists dropping into his pockets as he looked up to the ceiling. “It isn’t. I haven’t been talking about it, but there’s a good chance Sonny dropped off the radar because something’s about to go down and he doesn’t want to be found after it happens.”

“I don’t care.”

Exasperation wrote lines over his face as he stared back. “This would be even more of a reason to stay here where security is in place.”

Viviana pointed at a door three feet away that had been locked the entire duration of their stay. “What’s behind there?”

“Nothing.” Anton cringed, eyeing the door before he corrected himself, “Nothing that’s for you to bother with.”

“Don’t lie to me. There are two other rooms in this house that I can’t enter, too. Do not shovel bullshit at me. Sure, when we leave this place it will go to the Bratva and it’ll be out of our hands, but right now, it’s not. I want to go home. If you want to get serious about this …” she muttered, waving at her midsection because the word just didn’t feel okay to say, “then talk to me about going home.”

Scooping up the phone off the floor, he dropped it into his pocket, and made his way down the hall. It didn’t matter now that she was likely going to be late for the appointment, not with the soft smile that played on his face filling her sight. Coming to stop beside her, a single finger found its way under her chin. His lips pressed softly to her cheek.

“Okay, we’ll talk about going home.”

“Just talk?”

Grazing his thumb along her bottom lip, Anton said, “No, we’ll figure it out.”

“I can’t get the shot today … in case, you know. We’ll have to wait a little while.”