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I kissed him, breathing him in, tracing my hands over his heated skin, committing him to memory. He tucked me into bed, then shed his own clothes, pulling me flush against him.
I fell asleep once again, tucked tightly into his side.
And when I woke after my nap, he took me out for dinner.
Deliberately misleading him was becoming a burden too heavy to bear. But the only way out was to leave. Which seemed impossible. Not only because “till death do you part” was the only way out in our world, but also because I was falling fast and hard for the man I’d hated only a few short weeks ago.
* * *
“Vanna, it’s so good to see you.”
Caspar engulfed me in a tight hug. A hug that I used to settle into and cherish. A hug I used to crave. But it was now a hug that I pulled back from.
“Hey, Caspar. Come in.”
He stepped inside, his neck craning back, looking at the crystal chandelier I couldn’t decide if I should get rid of it or not.
He was wearing jeans and a shirt that emphasized his muscular arms and wide shoulders. His body had clearly changed from the gangly eighteen-year-old I remembered. But the friend I once had a crush on was now a man I didn’t know.
Caspar turned his attention back to me, holding up a bunch of flowers. “These are for you. I wasn’t sure if you still liked sunflowers.”
He handed me the sunflowers that I used to love so much as a kid. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.” Turning in the kitchen’s direction, I waved for him to follow me. “I hope you still like steak.”
I led him into the kitchen, where Cleo had set up plates and cutlery on the bar. Using the table had seemed too formal.
“Of course, I do. But we both know I’m not here for the food. I’m here for you.”
I ignored the way his statement could be interpreted and walked up to Cleo. “Caspar, this is my friend and housekeeper, Cleo. Cleo, this is my friend Caspar.”
Cleo held out her hand in greeting and Caspar clasped it in his own. They sized each other up before releasing their hold again and stepping back.
I couldn’t read either of their expressions, but Cleo hadn’t immediately offered him food, which wasn’t a good sign.
Indicating to the empty bar stools, I made my way around the kitchen island. “Take a seat. I’ll put these in water and be right there.”
Shooting a glance at Cleo who had turned around and was busy plating our lunch, I put the flowers on the counter before climbing up on it and getting a vase from the top shelf.
When I jumped back down, warm hands engulfed my waist. I startled at the contact, craning my neck to see who’d lifted me down.
Caspar was grinning down at me, and I immediately twisted out of his grasp.
I busied myself with filling the vase with water, ignoring Cleo’s pointed stare.
Once we sat down, Cleo went over to one of the many living rooms and started folding laundry she’d dumped on the couch. She had a clear view of where we were sitting and looked at us in between picking up clothes.
The guard Gabriel had insisted on staying in the house was positioned near the door, watching Caspar’s every move.
Caspar didn’t seem to notice or was simply better at ignoring them than I was, because he dug into his food, chatting to me as if we’d seen each other last week. “Mama couldn’t believe it when I told her I saw you. She said one day you were at the house, and the next you were gone. She didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
Aleksándr liked to make sure everyone knew he was in control. Making me leave early in the morning before Marina had gotten to the house was only one of the many ways he’d shown me he controlled every aspect of my life.
“I’d love to see her.”
“She’d love that too. I’ll organize something.”
A smile stole over my face. “That would be amazing. I’ve missed her so much.”
We finished our dinner while talking about the things we’d been up to since we last saw each other. Despite my wedding and moving out of Aleksándr’s house, I didn’t have much to report.
