Page 18 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride
I needed to be near her, even if it made me feel like I was losing my mind.
“Yes, of course.” I did my best to cover my disinterest in speaking with him before gesturing to the room connected to the suite. “Alex and the others are in there, if there’s anything else you need to discuss.”
Andrey nodded, letting go of my hand before making his way to the door. “Yes, I believe I have some details to work out with Alexander…I won’t be long.”
He spared a glance in Tia’s direction, who didn’t react either way, then left the two of us alone.
Immediately, the silence was deafening.
She didn’t have to say anything to let me know exactly how she was feeling. Not while the look in her eyes screamed every way she saw me as her enemy.
It wasn’t a surprise, and it didn’t faze me, either.
Still, her resentment was palpable, and her icy exterior stirred something in me.
My urges were going to be a problem. I did not doubt that.
With her eyes on mine, able to feel the growing irritation from her, I grinned faintly to myself.
“Please, sit down, Tia.”
She held my gaze for another moment, likely questioning if she should listen or attempt to bolt. Either way, she huffed a quiet breath and moved towards the windows.
“No…I don’t think I will.”
There it was. That rebellious nature I grew so fond of after only one conversation between us.
My grin pulled further, and I tucked my hands in my pockets with a chuckle. “Fine…do as you wish.”
Instead, I sat in one of the ornate armchairs and absently rubbed over my stubble while glancing in her direction.
Without even needing to see her face, I could still feel the way her presence commanded my attention. The light pouring in illuminated her silhouette in a way that made my mouth water.
Christ, she was beautiful…
Even while wearing a simple pair of high-waisted jeans and a black top that clung to her upper half, it seemed she could pull anything off. With her dirty-blond hair swept across one of her shoulders, I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through it.
More than anything, I wanted her eyes on me; I wanted to hold her gaze and witness everythingher. Unbridled. Uninterrupted.
But with her arms folded over her chest, staring out the window like she had just lost something precious to her, that notable rigidity in her frame wasn’t providing me with anything.
“You should relax a little, you know.”
She scoffed quietly. “Relax? That’s your suggestion?”
Something about her tone amused me. “Yes…it’s simple, really. Your shoulders might lock up if you keep them so tense.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she mumbled, obviously hating every moment of being left alone with me. “I’m fine.”
At the gala, she had been resistant, but with the arrangement in place, she was exponentially so.
“You sure?” I asked, testing the waters further while making no attempt to pull my eyes away from her. “You look like you’re hoping that glass might disappear, sweetheart.”
Tia glanced over her shoulder at me, eyes flashing with irritation. Her tone came out clipped. “I said I’m fine…and don’t call me that.”
“No? And here I was, thinking I was being nice.”
She made it too easy, too tempting. I couldn’t help but cross the line with her.
