He turned, eyes narrowing. But before he could speak, she took a step toward him, her gaze once again bold, and spirited. Valenti hated the loosening of clenched muscles that felt absurdly like relief because she was no longer freezing him out.
It wasso muchworse than she’d thought.
He was revered royalty. Second in line to the throne of Cartana. Surely, she hadn’t been ludicrous in thinking the cabin he’d referred to would be more substantial than one, granted large, room with a well-stocked kitchen, a short corridor leading to a small office, and wooden stairs leading to the one and only bedroom and bathroom?
Hell, she could sprint from one end of the structure to the other in three seconds flat.
‘This is… I can’t…’ She stopped, scrambled for her composure. ‘Look, this isn’t going to work.’
‘Too bad,’ he bit out with zero mercy.
Gritting her teeth, she prayed for calm and tried again. ‘I will stay here, on one condition.’
He went very still, in the way that completely disarmed her, made her very much aware not just of the deadly predator he was but how much of a prey she was. How he could easily overwhelm her with just his silence.
She’d heard enough rumours of Valenti’s background, and what Helga had divulged in the far too few occasions her sister had had time to spare from her busy life. Lotte knew he’d been in a special branch of the Cartana military, the part not spoken out loud in social gatherings. She knew that scar slashing his right eyebrow had come from being injured in one of those clandestine missions.
Furiously, she fought the urge to fidget. To show weakness. To remember with a sinking bleakness in her belly that Gunnar had told her Valenti had been drawn to Helga initially because of her brilliant medical acumen but also because of her sister’s bold and fearless outlook on life, especially in helping those in need. That she’d used her platform as a renowned doctor to broadcasther outspoken stance on human rights issues, a stance that had drawn the attention of eager acolytes and benign institutions, but also, eventually, dangerous, heartless enemies.
Did it upset her that she’d had to learn all these things about her own sister from articles and online posts alongside conflicting and secondhand speculation about how she’d died? Yes. Helga had been far too busy to share the ins and outs of her life with her little sister. And after her death, her brother had found every excuse not to talk about the sister they’d both idolised, his grief too overwhelming. The result was that Lotte was still in the dark as to what really happened to rip her sister away. The few times she’d attempted to broach the subject with Valenti, he’d shut her down.
Lotte knew that in his eyes she didn’t measure up to her illustrious sister. Wasn’t that why his geniality had gradually cooled as she got older? Why for the last three years he’d all but pretended she didn’t exist? Why he even now deemed her insignificant when she was standing two feet in front of him?
Lotte swallowed the building lump in her throat and ferociously blanked her expression as he responded.
‘You’ll probably be wasting your time and mine, but sure, let’s hear it.’
She clenched her fist, utterly disarmed by the need to slap his face. She, who abhorred violence, promoted peace and kindness at the beginning and end of every post because it was the very opposite thing that’d wrenched her sister from her?
Shaking her head inwardly, she tried to regain her composure. To remember that speaking to Valenti in the same robotlike manner gained her more ground than throwing about emotional pleas and heated protests. Those he batted away like irritating nuisances.
‘I’ll stay in your cabin…for a reasonable amount of time to be discussed between us like rational adults, if you leave and let your security team take over my protection.’
For the longest time she held her breath as he studied her like a science project under a microscope. Then he slowly strode back to where she stood.
Paused long enough to give her a one-word response. ‘No.’
By morning, Lotte was convinced she was on the brink of insanity.
Besides using the bathroom upstairs she’d had no choice but to remain in the living room, subjected to his overwhelming presence every second.
The only other room besides the open living and kitchen area was the tiny office that contained a desk and chair, and one wall filled with books.
At any other time she would have found this place absolutely darling.
Not today.
Valenti’s point-blank refusal to leave her with his bodyguards unsettled her more than she was willing to admit. The possibility had dominated her mind when he’d eventually divulged their destination. Her every dread unfolding had her dragging her fingers through her hair, resisting the urge to pace the living room. Because on top of not knowing vital details about her sister’s life, she also hadn’t been able to verify if Helga and Valenti were an item. And the last thing she wanted—even though her mind and body had different ideas—was to have feelings for her sister’s ex.
Are you sure?
She slammed down the taunting whisper.Hard.
‘If you’re in search of something to do, you can come over here and help.’
That her senses instantly jumped at his voice sent her spiralling faster.
He’d come down the stairs ten minutes ago, taken one tight-lipped look at her curled in the corner of the sofa she hadn’t bothered to pull out into a proper bed, and sauntered past to the kitchen to start putting together their meal.
