Page 54 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

“Are you sure?” he stepped closer. “You can tell me. Hell, I might be able to even give you some pretty good advice.”

“I don’t need your advice.”

“Oh, so youdohave a secret little lover—”

“No,” Mikko cut in. “I don’tneedyour advice because there is no admirer, crush, whatever you want to label it as!”

Cris smiled. Mikko was lying his ass off right now. Usually work never got him this fired up which meant it wasn’t work related at all. The only other time he’d seen him like this was with Samantha and Ellie; two of his serious relationships that had gone wrong years ago. “I don’t know, you’re getting pretty flustered about this. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Mikko. Who is she?”

“Cristiano.”

Oh, fuck,he thought,I know that tone.While he could push his friend more than most, he still had a limit.

“There isn’t anyone, and even if therewas,I wouldn’t be coming to you for dating advice.”

Mikko’s stern look made Cristiano hesitate, but his brain was unable to stop the words falling from his mouth. “I think the reviews I’ve gotten from some past lovers might change your mind, besides who said anything about dating? I was going to—”

“Cristiano.”

“Yes?”

“Get out.”

The way Mikko was sitting there, his discomfort palpable, had a grin threatening to stretch across his face. Stifling it, he nodded and slowly backed out of Mikko’s office with his hands up in mock surrender.Someonehad gotten under his friend’s skin, and Cristiano wasn’t sure if he was excited or terrified.

Maybe both.

“My offer still stands,” Cristiano tacked on as he slipped through the door. The only response he got was Mikko flipping him off. As he closed the door, a chuckle burst free from his lips, and he didn’t stop laughing until he got all the way back downstairs to his Mercedes parked along the curb.

* * *

LATER THAT EVENING, Cristiano was debating between going out with a few acquaintances or staying in.

My couch does lookawfullycomfy…

Unlike Mikko, who was a natural born recluse—a surprising fact to many since he was the CEO of Romanov Real Estate—Cristiano tried to fill his time with noise. Being alone wasn’t an issue, it was the thoughts plaguing him that were. He’d learned that the hard way growing up.

So now, as an adult, he liked to use what little free time he had forhimself. And that meant mingling with whoever was available. No one would understand him like Mikko, that was a once in a lifetime friendship, but on nights like these, that didn’t matter. Cristiano needed a distraction. Both from Ivan’s case and whatever Mikko wasn’t telling him. He knew he’d come around eventually, but it still stung to be kept in the dark. Cris told himself it was a by-product of Mikko being Alek’s son.

His fingertip brushed across the clothing in his closet as his mind weighed his options for each outfit idea—

Ring!

“Speaking of distractions,” he muttered as he turned back to his bed, phone screen alight with Mikko’s photo and number.

“Finally cave and decide to ask me for relationship advice?” Cristiano said, unable to help himself.

“Sometimes I could slap you.” Mikko’s voice was humorous, but there was an underlying shortness; something was wrong.

“Hey,sometimesviolence isn’t the answer. Remember how you gave me this job because you liked me and wanted me close and needed an extrovert to help you through all your clumsy interactions—”

“Cristiano.”It was the third time in one day he’d been scolded by Mikko. He was toeing a dangerous line.

“Sorry, boss.” He wasn’t, but he was more concerned with Mikko’s unusual tone than joking anymore. “What’d ya call me for?”

“How long have you known that Levi has been texting one of our clients?”

“Umm, I didn’t know. Why? Is there a problem?” It wasn’t unheard of for realtors and other employees at Romanov to text clients.