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“It’s okay, bella. I didn’t bring it upbecauseof what happened that day. I’ve been figuring out how to confess that I didn’t just wake up the morning I met with your father, made my coffee, and thought,I think I’ll offer Gabe millions of dollars for his daughter today. You were carefully curated. And part of that came from my desire when I saw you.Reallysaw you.” His confession floors me.
I’m stunned into silence. I wish I could say the same. I never bothered looking at Kieran or Alexei Koslov that way. I trusted my mother had a different plan for me.
Eyeing that delicious cut of beef of his, I change the subject. “Are you going to offer me a bite?”
“I’m waiting for you to open your mouth.”
“A lady doesn’t sit here with her mouth open.”
Kieran grunts a laugh. “Always the brat.” He holds out his fork. “Have a taste, bella.”
Smiling, I lean in and let him slide the beef all the way into my mouth. The savory flavor explodes on my tongue. “That’s so good.”
“Wait till you taste what I put in your mouth later.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Isabella
KieranlistensasItell him more stories about my mother. His eyes on me suggest he’s not only listening but hanging on to every word I say. Like he really wants to get to know me. I’ve been in his bed every night, but we still feel like strangers in a way.
I finish my dinner, which isn’t a feat. It’s the hottest new Italian restaurant in the city, even if the portions are small. One waiter takes our plates, and another one changes out our tablecloth even though it’s not dirty.
“Espresso, dessert?” he asks.
“I’d love an espresso. Double shot, please,” I order without Kieran asking me.
“Cream or lemon, ma’am?”
“Lemon.”
“A rebel,” Kieran says, sitting back with a grin. “The Louis XIII cognac. And just a few biscotti.”
“Very good, sir.”
The waiter leaves, and the way Kieran looks at me, so open and trusting, I push out the question that’s been plaguing me for hours. “What happened to Christian?”
He drags in a breath through pursed lips. “Don’t worry about what happened to him.”
The ice-cold response guts me. “That terrifies me for two reasons. One, I told you, Ibeggedyou not to punish him for something I did.”
“Isabella—”
“Let me finish.” I fear this full explanation is too late. Bodyguards came and went in my father’s world. I hate that I never paid attention. What I did to Christian feels different. Maybe I’m growing up. “I thought you’d be out all night. I didn’t know you wanted me with you at the fundraiser.” When he opens his mouth, I hold up my hand. “We addressed that part. But because I didn’t think you’d be looking for me, I planned to call Christian and tell him where I was. The note was for his plausible deniability.”
“He was in charge of protecting you, and he failed.”
“How? Nothing happened to me.”
“You were almost attacked in that club!”The potency of his voice sends chills through me, but I hold firm.
“True.” I nod. “But, let’s just say you allowed me to go there. You allowed me to go to the coffee bar. Let’s say someonetherejumped me or hurt me. A bodyguard can’t protect me every second unless they are on top of me. I get I was Christian’s responsibility. Butyou’remy husband.” I’m practically yelling too at this point. I’m so wrecked over this. “Aren’t you responsible for me, too?”
Kieran’s face turns to stone as he flips his phone over and over on the table. He sits back in the chair, looking down, like he’s thinking.
“Shit happens, Kieran. I don’t blame you for someone getting handsy with me. I really don’t. My mother had three guards, and she…” I squeeze my eyes closed. When I open them, Kieran’s kneeling at my feet.
“I hear what you’re saying, bella.”
