AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because he’s one of Misha’s Vors.” She swallows hard. “He can’t know about this, Paige. You can’t tell him anything.”
“Why? He’s not going to care if you—”
“Please!”
I see the desperation on her face and sigh. “Alright. If you’d rather he not know, then I won’t say a word.”
“Thank you.”
“But you still have to tellmeeverything. How did this happen? How’d it start?”
She slumps back in the lounge chair. “He joined the Bratva only a year or so before Maksim died, and Misha kept him on. We’d run into each other sporadically, but we really started talking the night of your first party.”
“Sothat’swhere you were all night! I assumed that you were just avoiding people, but you were with him.”
Cyrille nods miserably, but I don’t miss the subtle tremor of excitement floating beneath her fear. “It happened by accident. I was taking a breather because I really did want to avoid a few people. He happened to walk into the same room and… I don’t know. Everything was different. I wasn’t the don’s wife and he wasn’t the Vor who worked for him. We were just… normal people.” She glances at me through her eyelashes. “One thing led to another and… we kissed.”
“Was it a good kiss?”
She sighs longingly. “It was a very, very good kiss.”
I clap my hands together. “Then this is a good thing, Cyrille.”
She looks like she’s still not sure, though. “I thought it was just a fling. I thought it would play itself out, and I could go back to my life.”
“But…?”
“He seems interested in turning it into something more,” she admits. “He’s been calling me for weeks, but I haven’t picked up. Until today, he called again, and I wasn’t looking, so I answered, and then I heard his voice and realized what I’d done and I justfroze,and then he asked me that question—”
“What question?” I practically scream.
“He… he asked if I want to go to dinner with him.”
I’m about ready to jump out of my chair now. I have to force myself to be patient and comforting. “And do you want to go? Is that something you’re interested in trying?”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to date just yet. That’s why I’m so hesitant about this whole thing. I was happy to just have a fling. But a relationship? I’m not sure.”
“If you’re feeling guilty, then I’m sorry about that. But that’s not a good enough reason to turn this guy down, is it?”
“It’s not just the guilt,” she explains. “I’m still a widow. I still think about Maksim every single day. Is it fair to get involved with anyone in that state?”
“Okay, I see your point. But—”
“Selfishly, I want to see Pavel again,” she blurts. “I’m just not sure I can give him what he wants.”
I cup her hand between mine. “Listen to me: for the moment, he just wants to have dinner with you. I think you may be overthinking this, Cyrille. He’s asking you to dinner, not to marry him. Take things one date at a time.”
She considers that for a moment, then sighs and nods. “Yeah. You’re probably right.” She fidgets with her bracelets before looking up at me again and smiling shyly. “He’s really cute. Blonde hair, really blue eyes, the kind of jaw that makes you want to take a bite out of him. Wears the hell out of a suit.”
I laugh. “Now, I remember. Has the one dimple when he smiles. Definitely cute.”
“Bingo. And he seems genuinely interested in me and my life,” she adds. “He opened up first, though. He told me about his parents, his brother, all this shit from his childhood. I guess it made me open up a little about my life in return. Ilya, Misha… you.”
“Me?”
“I just told him about you. About how you’re such a huge part of our lives now. I can’t imagine not having you as a sister-in-law.”
“Aw, Cyrille, stop. You’re gonna make me cry now.”
