Page 82 of A Devious Arrangement
She snuggles into me, my name soft on her lips the second I climb into bed. I kiss the top of her head and whisper,“I love you, Stasia.”
Chapter 38
Anastasia
It’s beentwo days since Bash told me he’d help me find the Kokoshnik Tiara, and I think the wait is making me go insane. He hasn’t let me out of his sight, instead spending every second glued to my side.
Which makes it doubly weird that he wasn’t home when I woke up this morning. Hope filled my chest when he sent a text letting me know he was meeting with his brothers.
I’m going to get the tiara back. Everything will work out fine,I reassure myself over and over.
I curl my feet under me as I wait for him to come home. When did I start thinking of this place like that? No matter how hard I resisted, there’s no use denying that I’ve fallen for him. I’m not sure how it happened, but he managed to snake his way into my closed-off heart. Now, I can’t imagine living a second away from him.
I’ve decided once we get the tiara back, I’m going to tell him how I feel and just hope for the best. From the way he’s been acting, it’s likely he feels the same, but there’s always the twisted possibility that this has all been a game to him. Something to keep him amused while passing the time.
I can’t exactly put it past him; it’s hard to know when he’s serious or not. Acid burns the back of my throat at the thought of him turning me down. No. I won’t believe that. I’m not sure how or why, but somehow, that devious bastard is made for me.
“Babe, I’m home!” Bash calls out as he strides through the front door.
My knees creak as I get off the floor, where I’ve been sitting in front of my laptop, not registering what’s happening in my show for the last several hours. Bash comes over and helps me to my feet, pulling me into his arms and kissing me.
His mouth is hot on mine, and I don’t hesitate to open for him. There’s no denying that my body craves him, and I’ve given up trying. The brush of his tongue, the stroke of his hand, the way my name falls from his lips all chip away at my sanity. Heat that only he can tame builds in my core, burning me from within. I grip his shirt and start to tug it over his head, and he chuckles.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“You’re turning me down.” I gasp.
“I think what he means is you have company,” Xander Everette says from the entry, where he’s looking everywhere other than at us.
The heat swirling in my stomach turns to nausea as mortification takes over. Bash wraps his arms around me, tugging me into his chest.
“Ignore him. I, for one, want you to greet me like that every day.” His hold tightens when I try to pull away, trapping me. “Never be embarrassed for wanting me, Anastasia. Nothing could make me happier.”
A thrill tingles in my nerves, buzzing under my skin.
Xander coughs, cutting in, and I’m once again delving into mortification.
“Let go of me before I headbutt you,” I whisper growl at Bash, fully reverting back to that little girl I once was, fighting with her brother. Oh, if he could see me now. Actually, he’d probably tell me to kick him in his balls…
“Oi, hey now.” Bash lets go, dropping his hands to cover where my knee nearly connected with his sensitive bits. “No need to be rough. Well…I could be into it, but we definitely need a safe word…I’m delicate.”
“You are fucking disgusting,” Xander says. “Now, stop thinking with your dick and remember why you brought me here in the first place.”
Bash stiffens, any playfulness vanishing. His brows pull in tight and low. “Xander has information you need to hear, Anastasia.”
I look at Xander, who’s standing awkwardly with his arms crossed over his chest, obviously not comfortable but also not leaving. Whatever it is, he thinks it’s worth waiting through all of this embarrassment to say it to me.
The hair on my neck lifts. “Alright. What is it?”
Bash’s wide palm splays over the small of my back as he guides me to the sofa. “You’re going to want to sit down.”
I take my seat and don’t miss the way Bash flutters around the room, fussing over me. He’s already brought me a glass of water and a blanket, which he proceeded to tuck around my legs. This big bad Lord has been reduced to a helicopter parent.
Xander raises a brow, looking from Bash to me. “What did you do to my brother?”
“I swear I had nothing to do with it. He wasn’t like this when he left this morning.”
“Another Everette bites the dust,” Xander mumbles as he pulls out a laptop and places it on the coffee table in front of me. “Anastasia, you are going to want to prepare yourself.”
