AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No,” I said, voice cracking. “It’s over. He dumped me.”
“Do not say myfatherdumped you like you’re both in high school. You had a fling, and now it’s over, and you had no reason to—damn it, are you crying?”
I was. I was sobbing. Sitting on the floor and bawling my eyes out. It was bad enough I had to get over Mikhail. But another stupid decision had cost me one of the most important people in my life.
“I’m sorry,” I choked. “I’m sorry I told you. But I needed a friend because everything hurts.”
Silence again. “I’m still your friend,” she said. A bit tersely, but she said it.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not going to lose it again. Just start from the beginning and tell me everything, and don’t take it personally if you hear me gag.”
I laughed and rubbed away my tears. I hadn’t lost Kristina after all. I started from the beginning, yes, all the way back to when we first met. I had to find a charger and sit by the outlet as I kept telling her everything, all my feelings for Mikhail, all the reasons I thought we were right for each other. Everything up to the point my dad started bashing his face in.
“Holy crap, your dad knows?”
“Yes. It sucks. Everything sucks.”
“And my dad just walked away?” She sounded indignant on my behalf, and I had to admit it felt good. “Do I need to talk to him?”
“Oh God, no. Please don’t. It’s just nice to talk to you about it, that’s all.”
We finally moved on to other subjects, and after two hours, my throat was raw from all the talking. I promised to call her again as soon as I was back in New York, which would hopefully be soon.
I was so happy Kristina didn’t hate me, and I wouldn’t have to hide such an important part of my life from her. It was short-lived, but I’d never forget my time with Mikhail.
It was late, but I was so amped up from my total domination of the Novikoffs and coming clean to Kristina that I knew I’d never get to sleep. I was still too pissed off at my dad to go talk to him, and positive Mikhail would turn me away if I sought him out.
What was left? I sat at my desk and amused myself, watching the surveillance cameras I still had control over. The Novikoffs were going nuts trying and failing to get a handle on things, which was a small ray of sunshine.
When I looked up a short while later, I was surprised to see Mikhail standing in the doorway, watching me with a look I couldn’t decipher. His bruises looked awful, but he was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen. They gave him a rugged, bad-boy air. God, I was pathetic.
“Are you drunk?” I asked.
“Why would you say that?”
I nodded to the bottle in his hand. “Half empty bottle of vodka, that’s why.”
“This is not all my doing,” he said, entering the office and putting the bottle on my desk. “And yes, I’m slightly drunk. But I’ve never been so clear.” He held up his phone. “I’m wondering if you can tell me why I got a cryptic text from my daughter telling me she just wants me to be happy?”
I looked away, worried he was going to get mad at me. Then I shrugged. So what if he was mad? He had no claim on who I talked to or what I said. “I told Kristina,” I admitted.
He didn’t look angry, just perplexed. “Why do that? Why upend everything for a fling?”
Oh, talk about angry. The fury hit me harder than the punches he took to the face earlier. I didn’t owe him an answer and was too mad to be able to formulate one. I stormed past him before I added to his collection of bruises.
At the door, he caught up to me and grabbed my hand, reaching past me to shut the door. I jerked my hand out of his, and he pushed me against the door, caging me in with a hand on each side of my shoulder. “Why turn everything inside out for a fling?” he repeated.
More than anything, I wished I hated him so I could slap or kick him, but all I wanted was for him to kiss me. I knew I could make him, but I was sick to death of the heartache I’d have tomorrow when he refused to see how great we were together and acted full of regret.
I tipped my chin up defiantly. “You tell me why you think I did it.”
His brows nearly met over his dark eyes. “Do you love me, Evelina?”
“Answer that question yourself,” I demanded. “Because you know me. Just like I know you.”
Our lips were inches apart, our bodies so close together a breath would have brought his chest to mine.
