Page 43 of Darkest Game

“Because you keep calling me innocent. I wasn’t sure if you see me like a little girl.”

His eyes quickly rake over me before returning to the road. “Trust me, Irina. I don’t see you as a little girl. You’re a woman.”

“Sometimes I don’t feel like it. With how sheltered I was kept growing up. And then again with my uncle.”

“Well, this is your chance to live a little. Once all of this calms down and I can figure out a way to return you to your family without putting either of us at risk.”

“So you really are going to return me to my family?”

He shrugs. “I mean, neither of us asked for this marriage. It only makes sense.” There’s a tightness to his voice.

“Of course.” I want nothing more than to see my sisters again and yet… I can’t deny the slight disappointment in my gut at the thought of never seeing Liam again.

And why does it sound like he feels the same way?

We pull up to a cheap motel for the night.

“We’re still a few hours away from the city and I don’t want to travel at night,” Liam explains. “Elaine will know about the businesses I own. She’ll be watching them to get back at us. I need to make a few calls so this motel will have to do for the night.”

“You have money?”

“Just enough in my wallet to pay for this. Let’s go.”

The only room available is a single bed. Liam buys it without hesitation even though I’m unsure. Can I really sleep next to Liam for the night?

Turns out, I don’t have to worry about it. He tells me to get some sleep while he’s going outside to call a few of his men.

My wedding dress is itchy and compressing having been in it for the entire day. It’s covered in blood and sweat and dirt. But I have nothing else to wear and the last thing I’m going to do is get naked before Liam.

I try to fall asleep but my mind is racing from the day. The fact that I was almost raped twice. The fact that I could have died. The fact that Liam, who initially wanted nothing to do with me, is now trying to save my life.

He comes back in after about thirty minutes. “You’re still awake.”

“I can’t sleep. I’m too frazzled.”

“I hear that.” He sits down at the end of the bed, on the very edge, like he doesn’t want to get too close to me. Is he repulsed by me? Or does he not want to make me uncomfortable?

“You can sit more on the bed,” I offer.

“I’m good.” He clenches his hands into fists.

“Did I do something wrong?”

He glances at me with a shocked expression before shaking his head. “No. It’s more that… it’s more that I don’t want to do something I’ll regret.”

“What could you regret?”

“Getting too close to you.”

His admission catches me off guard. “Like… hurt me? Like Jack tried to do?”

“No. But… fuck. Irina. I’m not even sure you realize how desirable you actually are.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Fuck. I can’t want you. I have to find a way to return you to your family. I like knowing that Nico and Mikhail are probably freaking out right now. It’s what they deserve after Nico killed Cillian and after Mikhail stole a lot of power from me. But… I also don’t want to get killed for something I didn’t do. Jack was the one who wanted to bring war down on Nico and Mikhail. I can’t get more involved.”

“More involved how? You’re already involved. You’re my husband.” The word catches in my throat. My husband. In all the craziness, it never fully dawned on me that I have an actual husband.