Page 48

“Don’t do me any favors,” I mutter.

I pick up the wooden knife the deli supplied me with and aggressively smear brie on a beetroot cracker. I pop it in my mouth and experience instant regret. That is not a combination I enjoy. I swallow it anyway because I’m damned if I’m spitting food out in front of Piotr.

“It’s not a favor.” Piotr steals one of my grapes and eats it. “My wife deserves some of my time and I want to give it to her.”

“And that makes you think you deserve to share my lunch?” I ask as he helps himself to some of the incredible ham from theplatter. Having grown up with five brothers, I’m a bit territorial with food and there’s only enough here for one person. I wasn’t expecting him, and my bodyguards ate cheeseburgers in the car like a bunch of heathens before we hit the deli. I swear, if Piotr tries to eat my chocolate éclair, I’ll ram this wooden knife through his heart.

He sticks out his bottom lip in a futile attempt to look sad. “You wouldn’t want me to starve.”

“No, that would be a terrible way to die.” I grin as wicked thoughts run through my mind. “I wouldn’t object to you getting run over by a bus, though.”

Piotr sighs. “You’re still angry with me.”

I shake my head. “Not really. It’s just, there’s something about you that makes me want to say mean things.”

“It’s desire. You want me, but don’t know how to express it yet, so you try to provoke me.”

Though he’s hit the nail on the head, I don’t acknowledge it. Instead, I throw my head back and laugh.

“You’re impossible to stay mad at, Mr. Reznov.”

“It’s my boyish charm.” He takes a piece of garlic sausage and eats it. That probably cancels out the effect of my stinky breath, but I’m still not sure I want him to kiss me.

“You don’t possess any charm, boyish or otherwise.”

It’s a lie. Despite his reputation for coldness, Piotr does have endearing qualities. He’s shown me a playful side that few people get to witness. I guess that alone should make me feel special.

“So, what was wrong this morning?” Piotr asks, surprising me. I didn’t think he’d care.

“I was feeling neglected.” That’s as much as I’ll admit. I’m not going to tell him I have hopes he’ll fall in love with me one day. At some point in my life, I want someone to cherish me and since I’m now married to Piotr, it’s going to have to be him.

I’ve always wanted someone to lavish affection on me. My mother isn’t a terrible parent, but she values her sons more than me. Antonio, as the oldest, has always been special in her eyes, and Alessandro is her clear favorite. I come at the bottom of her list. My father never had time for me either. He was busy ensuring his boys would grow up to be men he could be proud of. Though he called me his princess and lavished gifts upon me, he never once tucked me in at night or attended one of my dance recitals.

Matteo and Jimmy are the people I’ve been closest to, but my brother has a new wife to focus on and my bodyguard, well, I know one day he’ll get sick of this life and move on. Besides, it’s not the same. As sweet as Jimmy can be sometimes, he doesn’t love me the way someone like Piotr could.

“I’m a busy man,” Piotr says, as if this is news to me. “But I’ll give you as much time as I can.”

Reaching over, he cups my cheek and caresses my face with his thumb. I can’t hold in my surprise. “Huh!”

“What’s that for?” he asks.

“I thought you didn’t like public displays of affection.”

“I don’t dislike them. It’s nice to feel connected sometimes.”

“Physically, you mean?”

“Sure, and on a deeper level, too.”

“You mean emotions? I didn’t know you felt them.” I never thought he was a sociopath, in the strictest sense of the word, but he is known for his ice-cold demeanor.

“Of course I do. Anger, lust, hatred, love. I feel them. I just don’t show my hand very often.”

“Okay, I get that, but it’s hard not knowing how you feel about me.”

“I like you, Olivia. I want to possess every part of you. Protecting you from the world and even from yourself is the most important task on my mind.” He steals another grape. “But if you’re asking if I love you, then my answer is no. We’ve only been married for two days.”

“Most people fall in love before they get married.”