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I fully expected him to return and finish his breakfast when his call ended, but he never did. Never even walked through the kitchen again. I dropped my toast onto the plate, mildly irritated that he didn’t give me the chance to apologize for kicking his ass. I wasn’t even sure I was the one who should be apologizing.
I had to fight the almost overwhelming urge to seek him out and force him to listen to my apology, but decided not to rock the boat. It was a massive house but I figured we’d have to cross paths again eventually. I spent half the day poking around in the different rooms, loving most of the decor, but making a few mental notes about things that I’d eventually want to change. The library, stocked from floor to ceiling with all my favorite books and ones I hoped to read soon, was definitely going to be a favorite place. It struck me I didn’t even know if Roman liked to read at all, let alone if we had the same taste in books.
I was just settling into one of the comfy leather couches with a classic in my hands when I heard him out in the hallway. Bracing myself for whatever happened, I strolled out, trying to make it look like it was a coincidence we were meeting.
“Oh, hello,” I said, cringing at the awkwardness that dripped from those two words.
“I’m going out for work,” he grunted, pulling a jacket from the closet in the foyer.
I followed him toward the front door. “I thought you took time off for our honeymoon,” I said. Taking calls was one thing, but was he really leaving me already? For the office of all things?
He stopped, turning to raise an eyebrow at me, then gave me a long look that sent one of those frighteningly delicious shivers down my spine.
“Are we on our honeymoon?” he asked expectantly, voice full of challenge.
My throat closed up. “I guess do whatever you have to do,” I squeaked, holding my breath. Not sure what I’d do if he reached for me, but hoping he would. Then we could start over and quit being so weird.
Talk about uncomfortable. There was a tense moment of silence before he shrugged and left. Just swung open the door and walked out.
“When will you be back?” I called, unable to stop myself and hating how desperate I sounded.
“Why do you care?” he tossed over his shoulder, not looking back and continuing out the door.
Chapter 5 - Roman
Waking up alone with a sore face the day after my wedding wasn’t part of the plan, but I rolled with it. I still had work to do with my own business and went downstairs and made myself some scrambled eggs, wondering if the noise I was making by clattering the pans around and the smell of the food would get Karine to come downstairs.
When she didn’t, I settled in to eat, trying not to stew on the complete mess that was last night. Setting up my tablet to the current stock market exchange, I hungrily shoveled in a big bite of eggs. Then grimaced. My jaw was still tender from where she decked me, not to mention my other parts. Even through the pain I had to chuckle.
Karine wasn’t at all what I expected or assumed, based on our few dates. So she had some fire under all that ice, after all. Good. Now that I knew it was there, it would make it all the sweeter to break that wild spirit of hers when I had crushed her father under my heel.
Halfway through my breakfast, I got on a call with one of my business associates, a man who’d been with Sergei and me almost since the beginning, and who would have understood if I hung up on him abruptly. Which I was fully prepared to do when Karine finally slunk into the kitchen, wearing denim shorts and a top that shouldn’t have drawn my eyes directly to the curves of her breasts under the flowy fabric, but it did. I knew far too much about that body of hers, and wanted to know much more.
Since she’d apologized the night before for being mildly snippy, I fully expected her to apologize again for getting the jump on me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her gaze skate over me, and she closed her arms protectively around her middle, looking away. So she was deliberately going to ignore me? Two could play that game, then.
Instead of ending my call, I kept my eye on her for a second, still giving her a chance to make a movement, a slight smile, any sign. Of course, I could have done the same, but I wasn’t the one who’d kicked me in the nuts last night, was I?
She continued to curl in around herself as she edged toward the refrigerator, as if I was a snake about to strike.
Fine. I got up and went outside, never faltering in my phone conversation. Was I trying to make her feel more comfortable? And if so, why? Besides the obvious fact that watching her tight little ass sway in those shorts was driving me crazy with lust that I didn’t want her to notice. I finished up my few business calls while wandering around the vast property, ducking under palm fronds and following the pebble path that led around the perimeter and ending up back at the pool. Our pool wasn’t quite as extravagant as Feliks’s, but it still had a waterfall with a hidden grotto behind it.
Actually, jumping into the inviting water with my clothes on and doing about thirty hard laps might be just the thing to get out all my pent-up frustration. That, or go back inside and confront my wife. It wasn’t hellishly hot under all the shade from the dozens of trees on the property, so I spent the rest of the morning outside. Because I liked the scent of all the jasmine and magnolia flowers, or because I was avoiding Karine? I had to admit I might not be able to completely control myself around her, warring between wanting to pick another fight to ignite that hidden fire, or pull her against me again so I could feel her melt.
By the time I got back in the house, she was no longer in the kitchen and the few dishes, along with the pan I’d used for the eggs, were washed and stacked in the wire rack, a towel neatly folded underneath it to protect the granite.
Oh hell no. I wasn’t going to feel a stab of guilt. So she was a dutiful homemaker. Maybe she was just a neat freak. It had nothing to do with me, and with how worked up I was with the constant visions of her body in her slinky honeymoon nightgown, it was imperative I continue to stay away from her, at least for the rest of the day.
It turned out she must have had the same idea, if not for the same reasons, because she wasn’t in our room, or the one she’d hid out in. I packed up my laptop to head over to my apartment, which I’d kept since I still hadn’t gone looking for a proper office yet. I made a racket in the front hall, pretending to look for an umbrella in the foyer closet, still not sure why I was trying to flush her out when we’d both seemed to somehow agree that ignoring each other for the rest of the day was for the best.
She flung herself out of the library, blinking in surprise to see me getting ready to go out, then quickly tried to casually pretend she was just on her way upstairs. It was actually kind of cute. My eyes skated down her body, her smooth, bare legs seeming to go on forever, her toes painted a soft pink.
“I’m going out for work,” I snapped, my fingers itching to reach for her.
She frowned and asked why, reminding me we were on our honeymoon. That was hilarious. I took a step toward her, ready to reach for her waist to sink my fingers into her soft, inviting flesh.
“Arewe on our honeymoon?” I asked. Challenging her, and hopeful as hell. Yes, I had plenty more calls to make and reports I could look over. But if she was offering, I was going to take it. And keep taking.
Her pretty face blanched and she closed off, telling me I should do what I had to do. Shaking my head, I stormed out, laughing under my breath when she had the nerve to ask when I’d be back.
