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Not only had Ruslan spoken freely to Kirill in my presence while we were in the car, but he’d given me access to the Inner Sanctum? To the untrained eye, they may have seemed like small gestures, but I know how significant they are. He’s sending me a message with those gestures.
He’s choosing to let me into his life.
He’s letting down his walls bit by bit.
He’s telling me he trusts me.
Andthisis the place I’m gonna have to tell him that I’ve fucked it all up. That, soon, the world will know about our dirty contract. That my dumb ass has gone and pressed the self-destruct button without even realizing it.
I leave the entry gallery and venture towards the stunning views that overlook Central Park. The furniture is minimalistic, but I love every piece I see, including the curved white sofa that takes up an entire side of the living room. It looks like he plucked a literal cloud right out of the sky.
I follow his scent around the apartment. Most of the rooms look untouched. The master bedroom is the only one that feels like it’s truly finished. I note a desk next to the bed, a pair of shoes tossed casually aside, a few of Ruslan’s shirts strewn over the divan.
I recognize the baby blue shirt that he wore just yesterday. I pick it up and bring it to my nose, inhaling sharply. Like an addict taking a hit for the first time in years.
If only I could bottle that smell…
I’m gonna want to remember it once this all blows up in my face.
I end up stripping down to my underwear. Then I pull the baby blue shirt on and crawl into his bed. There’s that smell again, clinging to the bedsheets. I lie in the middle of the mattress, curled up into a ball. I just stare up at the ceiling and do my best not to think of anything at all.
After I’ve spent an hour spacing out, I check my phone to make sure he hasn’t tried calling or checking.
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
I’m not sure if I’m waiting for him to return—or dreading it.
I’m on the verge of falling asleep when I finally hear a sound from beyond the room. I jerk upright instantly, wide awake all of a sudden. Before I can go investigate, Ruslan strides in. He’s already discarded his coat somewhere and he’s unbuttoning the front of his shirt.
He doesn’t acknowledge me apart from a small nod in my direction. His eyes are hollowed-in, dark circles circling them and making his sharp cheekbones even sharper. I’ve never seen him like this before.
Angry? Of course.
Frustrated? Definitely.
Annoyed? More times than I can count.
Buttired? The kind of tired that sits on your shoulders and drags you down toward the earth? Never. Not even once.
“Ruslan—”
I’m on my way out of the bed when he holds up a hand to stop me. “No. Stay right there.”
He strips his shirt off, then his pants. He discards both on the floor and climbs into bed with me. He lies on his back, his face aimed at the ceiling just like mine was a moment ago, and closes his eyes. Only after a few minutes of silent breathing does he finally speak.
“Fuck.”
I scoot a little closer and balance myself on one elbow as I look down at him. “What happened?”
He doesn’t open his eyes. “We had to shut down the launch and send everyone home. It was the worst thing that could have happened. And of course, Sergey has disappeared into thin air and I have no clue if he was taken or he chose to run.”
I’m surprised that he’s talking about it at all. I start tracing my fingers along his arm. “Who’s Sergey? And why would he choose to run?”
“He’s my lead chemist. He has complete control over my formula. If he chose to alter it before the launch…”
“But why would he do that?”
“Because someone offered him more money than I did.”
