Page 48

Vuk shrugged.

“What happened?”

We’d passed the three-question mark. Given how private he was, I had no right to pry, and he had every right not to answer. But there was something about this moment—the rain falling outside, the cooling mugs of tea, the gentle hum of the dryer in the background—that created a sense of intimacy.

Or perhaps it was the sight of him in my kitchen, looking entirely at home amongst the alphabetized spices and gauzy curtains. He was too rough, too cold, too masculine—and yet, he fit perfectly.

An island of calm amidst a sea of uncertainty.

I got involved with the wrong crowd. I owed them money, and they weren’t the type of people you wanted to owe money to. When Jordan found out, he paid the full amount, no questions asked.Another shrug.The rest is history.

Considering Vuk’s usual reticence, he’d basically offered me a gold mine of information.

I tried to parse through it all.

Now I understood why Vuk was so loyal to Jordan despite their differences. He must feel indebted to him.

But what “wrong crowd” could Vuk have been involved with in college? A gang, the mafia, or some other criminal organization? Those were the most likely options. As scary as the IRS could be, they didn’t go around killing people who owed them money.

Vuk’s mouth curled at my prolonged silence.Ask me.

“Ask you what?”

Who I owed money to.

His eyes were chips of ice set in a face of stone.

It wasn’t hard to believe he’d been involved in questionable activities in his past, but it didn’t matter.

I shook my head. “No.”

Vuk’s eyes flared with surprise.

“If you want to tell me, you can,” I said. “But whatever happened, happened over a decade ago. It worked out in the end, and what’s past is past. It would be unfair of me to reopen old wounds unless you were comfortable discussing them.”

Those glacial eyes melted, giving me a glimpse of the man who’d laughed so beautifully and unexpectedly earlier. Compelling him to lower his guard was one of my greatest triumphs and not one I expected to repeat, but I missed the sincerity of that moment all the same.

If this is reverse psychology, it won’t work. I won’t tell you if you don’t ask.

I snorted, torn between laughter and exasperation. “I don’t expect you to—I meant what I said. But I appreciate how manipulative youthinkI am.” I threw that last part in for jest.

You’re a lot of things, Ayana. Manipulative isn’t one of them.

My amusement died as quickly as it’d bloomed.

It was strange, how clearly I heard his voice when he’d never uttered a word to me.

My hand curled on the counter. My engagement ring felt unbearably heavy, and I wanted nothing more than to yank it off. One moment of freedom. That was all I needed.

Vuk’s gaze dropped to the diamond. A noticeable chill swept through the air.

When his eyes returned to mine, the weight of the ring doubled.

I lived in front of cameras for a living. Everywhere I went, eyes followed. Watching, dissecting, judging. I molded myself into what other people wanted me to be because that was my job, and I was used to being the object of scrutiny.

But no crowd or camera made me feel the way Vuk did—like I was myself again. Like I wasseen.

A loud beep dragged our eyes away from each other.