Page 162

I can't live without her…

Heat creeps up my cheeks as I realize I wasn't just crying. I was fucking sobbing.

"Motherfucker," I mutter under my breath.

"Sounds familiar?" She quirks a brow, knowing she got me.

"When was that?" Sisi frowns, looking at me questioningly.

"When I sent you away," I mumble, "I might have experimented with some narcotics,"a lot of narcotics"but I don't remember it very well."

"And you were criticizing me," Bianca chimes in, and I'm getting increasingly pissed at her.

Did she really have to embarrass me so thoroughly in front of Sisi?

But I don't have time for that now. Not when I need to make it clear to Sisi that I'm not a drug addict.

"It was one moment of weakness." I turn to Sisi, grabbing her hands in mine and urging her to look me in the eye. "And it was a one time thing. I swear," I tell her, needing her to know I'm not secretly shooting up.

She purses her lips, narrowing her eyes at me.

The others are talking in hushed voices, or at least that's what it sounds like, because all of my attention is focused on Sisi and her reaction. I don't want her to think I have a drug problem on top ofallthe other problems I have.

"That doesn't sound like one time," she replies skeptically, and I curse out.

"Okay, maybe it was a few days. One week tops," I amend, cringing at my own explanation. "But I haven't touched it in months, hell girl. I swear to you." I give her my pinkie so she can see I'm in earnest.

She doesn't look convinced, but she does lace her pinkie with mine.

"Fine. You're off the hook," she says and I breathe out, relieved. "But only because you sound so damn cute crying about me," she leans in to whisper.

"Sisi," I groan. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'mnotcute." Because how can any self-respecting man be cute? "You can call me anything else. Like sexy, handsome…" I pause to think, "Fierce?"

"Of course," she readily agrees. Almosttooreadily. "You're fiercely cute," she continues, thereby ending me.

But as she raises herself on her tip-toes, brushing her lips against my earlobe, I can't help the way I become hypnotized by her.

"Don't forget that blue is my favorite color," she whispers, her voice husky and sexy and doing weird things to my heart.

"Cut it out, love birds," Marcello's voice ruins the moment as he all but snatches Sisi from my side. "I may accept that you're together," he motions between us, almost in disgust, "but that doesn't mean that you get to rub it in my face," he says before promptly placing himself between the two of us.

A smile threatens to pull at my lips and I look at Sisi to see the same reaction.

"Damn, 'Cello, but you're taking the overprotective brother to a whole different level," I drawl, sneaking my hand behind his back and grabbing Sisi's pinkie once more. She can barely contain her amusement as she looks up at her brother.

"That's right, Marcello," she nods, "I thought we'd agreed I'm an adult and I can decide for myself. Besides, we're already married."

I feel a surge of satisfaction in my chest as I hear her defend our relationship, and as I catch her eye, I can't help but wink at her.

"Look at you being all sappy," Bianca interjects as she comes forward, hand in hand with Adrian.

As if she should talk. She forgets how much sappiness I've had to endure from her for years.

"I have to say I'd never thought I'd see this day, Kuznetsov," Adrian chuckles. "You, hitched?" He shakes his head, as if it's the most preposterous thing. "Gotta say, for a long time I thought you were in the closet." He shrugs, lazily looking at Bianca with an adoring look.

I roll my eyes at them. Since when has my sexual orientation become such a hot topic? But I don't reply, because it wouldn'tbe fair to call myself straight either. Not when theonlyobject of my attention isher.If anything, I'massisied. And if that's not a term, then I'm making it one.

Circumventing Marcello's rather unyielding form, I swoop Sisi up in my arms, a little tired of this little game he has going.