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Kova’s lips formed a thin, flat line. He nodded subtly, his face softened like he appreciated someone understood him. He was the result of a rape, and his poor mother had been molested on countless occasions.
"It was a cousin, right?" I asked. I thought about my cousins and shuddered with repulsion. I couldn't imagine such a thing.
A shadow appeared in his eyes, and he looked away. "I lied to you that day." Oh, God. My stomach dropped and I waited. Another lie. "It was not her cousin. It had been her uncle, her father's brother."
That was somehow worse, but it all made sense why her parents hadn't believed her and had kicked her out once she was pregnant.
Kova might lack morals, and his ethics were downright questionable at times, but he was undoubtedly a man with a good—yet slightly twisted—heart.
The tips of my fingers slid along the dark hair around his neck and up his jaw. "I'm sorry I've made things difficult for you since I came to World Cup. I've made your life so much harder." I pulled my hand back and looked away, unable to hold his gaze.
Kova tugged me to him, gripping me with a little shake. "Look at me." When I didn't, he guided my face toward him. "Ria, pozhaluysta, look at me."
He knew that would get my attention, and a tiny smile pulled at his mouth.
"Pozhaluysta," I repeated the best I could, then whispered the sentence under my breath. "Please?" I asked.
"It can mean please, or you are welcome. Though, I did not place the word in the correct structure, I said it in a way you would understand." He paused and reached for my wrists. Bringing my hands to his mouth, he placed a gentle kiss to the center of each of my palms. My skin tingled where he pressed his lips, little flickers of desire trickled down my arms. With our bodies pressed together and the friction mounting between us, my emotions were on overdrive.
"You have not made my life harder, if anything, you have made it brighter. Pozhaluysta, do not doubt that for one minute."
"What else is on your mind?" I asked, trying to change the subject, and hopefully dousing the glow between us before it turned into something more.
"Has your mother always been so… What is the right word? Abrasive toward you?"
I looked far away over his shoulder. Kova gently tapped my temple with his index finger.
"What is going on inside that head of yours?"
Quietly, I said, "I thought I sensed you in the room." He dipped his head to the side to meet my gaze and regarded me with a look like he thought it was a strange thing to say. I chuckled, fingering the buttons on his shirt. "Haven't you ever gotten the feeling someone was watching you? Or you sensed a presence but didn't know where it was coming from?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's what happened. I sensed you were there, I just didn't know where you were."
Kova wrapped his arms around me again. I loved the warmth he exuded.
"That is a scary thought, you know, to feel another person like that, to know who it is, but not see them."
My stomach flipped. "Yeah, it is. Has it ever happened to you?"
His eyes bore into mine. "Yes."
I took a deep breath, my chest expanded against his.
"I saw your mom with you. Though she smiled, I could tell she was hurting you, and it killed me that I could not do anything to stop her."
I shook it off. "It's nothing I'm not used to from her. My brother is pretty protective and laid into her right before that happened."
Kova lifted my arm and inspected the half-moon marks. His fingers brushed over the indentations. He looked downright ready to murder someone.
"I was looking for your father when I heard another voice raise from his study. I realized it was Xavier. Tell me, what did she say to you that had him so riled up?"
My brows furrowed as voices from the party guests picked up and carried around the corner. I strained to listen. The band in the background announced the ball would be dropping and it was time to tune into the television. A roar of excitement erupted. It was then that I realized how long we'd been gone. At least forty minutes, give or take. A torrent of unease rushed through me. My knees shook and I pulled away, dropping Kova's coat onto a cushioned chair on the balcony. I wondered if my friends were looking for me.
"We have to go."
I wasn't sure how much time was left, but we needed to leave immediately. The guests and band grew louder. I figured we had less than five minutes. As I moved to walk away, Kova placed a hand on my arm.
