Page 15 of Deceptive Vows (Bound by Vows #3)

Chapter Fourteen

THEA

A week after the fire, I was trying to piece my life back together.

We hadn’t made official wedding plans yet, but with Thanksgiving behind us, I’d expected to start scheduling appointments—Sealed with a Kiss, the dress shop, the florist, the bakery.

The show was supposed to go on, but it'd ground to a halt.

Instead, I spent the time making calls and traipsing all over Chicago with Claire and Anna, tackling one painful government process at a time. The sheer number of hoops I had to jump through just to replace my license could’ve qualified me for a circus .

Conveniently, I wasn’t tasked with replacing everything I owned right away.

It was surprising the number of things stashed in drawers that I never even thought about—pain medicine, pens and pencils, phone charging cords—all the little things that were just there when I needed them.

Sprinkled throughout the endless list making and shopping was turning off all my utilities and beginning the process of replacing my wardrobe.

Just as Claire, Anna, and I exited my favorite clothing boutique, a dark SUV pulled up next to the curb and slowed to a stop. When I’d told Nazar where I was, I didn’t expect him to show up outside the store, but I knew it was him before the door even cracked.

The excitement I felt at the prospect of seeing him should have set off an alarm. Instead, the moment his face came into view, I was already moving, drawn to him before I even realized it.

Seven days of living in Nazar's world had shifted something in mine. I’d gone from being completely content returning to an empty house to my heart skipping a beat at the thought of seeing him at the end of each day.

“Hello, lover.” I smiled.

The way his eyes brightened, and his lips curved up the moment our eyes locked, sent a delight through me that made my entire body warm.

A dark blue vest covered his crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his incredibly toned arms. Taut veins bulged as he flexed his fingers and held a hand out to me.

“ Tyomnyy angel .” As soon as our hands touched, he pulled me flush against him. "I have missed you today.”

Butterflies stirred. The feeling was mutual. I’d missed him too. “You have?”

That first night, after the fire, had nearly ended with us kissing. Never in a million years would I have ever thought my sisters would rescue me, but they had. Another minute, and I’m sure we would've crossed a line that might have made everything even more complicated.

Perfect for me… His words from that night echoed in my head. The intensity in his eyes when he'd said it had startled me then, and the memory still sent a shiver down my spine.

We were in the middle of a game. A play. I shouldn't trust him or want to, but it was as if the logical, practical side of my brain was being held hostage by the part that wanted more out of life than blood and darkness.

It was a ridiculous thing to consider. We’d known each other for just over a week. Even if I believed in love at first sight or fate or whatever magic thing might pull two people together, eight days wasn’t nearly long enough to really know someone.

And yet here I was, standing on the busy sidewalk, securely in his arms, feeling like I’d finally found something I hadn’t even realized I was missing.

Still, no matter how conscious I was of that fact, as I’d tried to get to sleep the night before, I found myself wondering what it’d be like to be in his arms, his mouth on mine, and forgetting that the world around me was on fire.

He pressed his lips to my cheek. “Each minute without you feels endless.” His breath caressed my skin, and it took everything in me not to physically respond and lean into him.

His mouth hovered next to my ear. “You look beautiful today.”

“You told me this morning.” I also knew I looked exhausted.

“It needed repeating.”

I palmed his chest, forcing back a smile. “I’m sure I look exhausted.” At least I’d changed clothes and fixed my makeup.

He gave a slight shake of his head. “ Nyet . Always a vision of poise and grace.”

This was a ruse. I knew that was a fact with every fiber of my being… but more and more, I questioned the line we’d drawn. There was such confidence in his voice. Every word seemed to be infused with longing and desire. “Nazar…”

Leaning back, his eyes locked with mine. “How about we go home?”

The whispered sentence made me shiver.

“Um…” Claire’s voice broke through the bubble he’d instantly created. “I guess we’ll let you spend time with your fiancé.”

When I turned, I found her grinning like she’d won a trophy. Anna as well. The traitors.

Anna eyed Claire and rolled her lips in. “Since you’ve got your hands full dealing with the house, we’ll set up the appointments with the vendors. If that would be helpful.”

It sounded sweet enough, but I knew better. They were both meddling little rats. Worse, they actually believed this engagement was real, thought they’d witnessed something romantic and meaningful, not a carefully orchestrated farce.

“That would be wonderful.” Never. Never would I allow myself to lose a bet with Claire. “I appreciate that.”

Anna smiled. “You bet. Anything to make things easier on you. That way you can go home and relax.”

“Yes, how sweet.” I returned the grin and tilted my head. “We should visit Lake Michigan and have a picnic sometime. You know… I do have a… spot.”

Anna ducked her head, but I knew she was struggling not to laugh.

“Oh, that would be so wonderful. We should make it a double date,” Claire said. “Or a triple date. Right, Anna?”

My sisters were making me stabby.

I felt the tiny rumble in Nazar’s chest. Fine, it was amusing. But I still wanted to toss their bodies into the lake.

“Yes, delightful,” I said through my teeth.

Claire bounced on her toes. “Okay, I guess we’ll talk to you later.” She wiggled her fingers in a wave. “Have fun, you two.”

Not five steps away, they began cackling. Yes. Lake Michigan was getting two more permanent residents. I went to pull away, but Nazar held me still.

“I like them.”

“I’d love… to kill them.” I kept my eyes on them as I said it, watching as they disappeared into the crowd of holiday shoppers bustling along the street.

Taking my chin, Nazar forced me to look at him. “My tyomnyy angel , let’s go home.” He kissed my cheek. “We’ll plot their demise over dinner.” A glint of humor and mischief danced in his eyes.

I still wondered what that Russian phrase meant—dark angel, maybe? I should have already looked it up, but I hadn’t.

For now, I chuckled. “With gruesome detail?”

“It’ll be a horror movie.”

“When you put it like that… take me home.”

He helped me inside the car, his hand lingering on my lower back as I slid onto the leather seat. The city lights were just starting to come on as the late afternoon shadows lengthened across the skyline.

We spent the ride peppering each other with questions about our days. It was enjoyable. I liked his nearness. He was warm and intelligent and comfortable. It felt like I’d known him for a lifetime.

He kept his word, at least my gut told me he had, about keeping me informed on Marco. But what stood out more was how he spoke to me like an equal. Most men treated me like I didn’t have a clue.

Even in meetings with my brothers, I’d seen the way others ignored me, surprised whenever I had insight to offer, as if a competent woman was a novelty.

When we reached the penthouse, a sense of peace rolled over me that I would have never thought I’d feel in another person’s space. I spent my life thinking that living with someone in a romantic sense would be chaos. When I considered Nazar, the thought brought me happiness.

After the last few days of going nonstop it hit me once again—I no longer had a home. All day, I’d moved on autopilot, thinking I’d eventually head back, order something in, maybe take a bath while I waited. But that wasn’t possible. Not anymore.

Even now, it felt surreal—like I was watching it happen to someone else. Like the fire, the loss, the emptiness… belonged to another life. But it was mine. I was homeless.

Again.

My fingers went cold at the edges, that familiar numbness creeping in from my childhood. Taking a deep breath, I eased down on the edge of the couch.

“Are you okay?” Nazar asked.

“Of course.” I lifted my gaze to his and smiled, the expression stiff on my face. “I’m always okay.”

His eyes narrowed as he approached me. “You don’t have to be.”

I waved him off. “Really, I’m fine.”

“ Nyet .” He parked on the coffee table across from me. “You’re pale.”

“It was a long day. That’s all.”

His gaze swept over my face like he was opening my book and reading it with hunger. “You spent your childhood homeless, and now you’ve lost the home you considered your sanctuary. Your heart is broken.”

As hard as I could, I fought back tears. This man had aimed an arrow and landed it in the bullseye. How? Denying it would be pointless. It was easy to tie my time on the streets to the present.

“Yes.” I breathed the word.

“I’m sorry. It doesn’t bring your home back, and I know that, but I am devastated for you.” His voice was soft and sweet. “Are you hungry?”

I nodded. “Yes. We had lunch, but I mostly picked at mine. I’m actually starving.”

He stood and held out his hand. “Come.”

I knitted my eyebrows together. “What?”

“Trust me.”

Instead of speaking, I slipped my hand into his and let him pull me to my feet. He led me through the penthouse to my room and into my bathroom. He started the water in the tub, and turned to me. “I’m guessing you like it a degree below molten lava?”

“Two.”

His lips curved up as he quickly adjusted the water. Steam rose in wispy tendrils. “While you take a bath, I’ll take care of dinner. There’s no hurry. Okay?”

I’m not sure what came over me, but I stepped up to him and hugged him around the waist. His arms curled around me, his cheek set against mine. We stood there with only the sound of the water running. No prodding. No pushing. He just held me.

Maybe in the back of my mind, I needed it.

The moment the thought floated through my mind, he squeezed as if to press me together with a strength I lacked.

It was more comforting than anything I’d experienced since becoming an adult.

A wholly different feeling than I’d ever shared with a man. A feeling of being complete.

I leaned back, and our eyes met. “Thank you.”

An innumerable array of emotions played on his face in what seemed like seconds. It was as if I’d watched a debate I wasn’t privy to. His eyes dipped to my lips, and his head inclined.

He was going to kiss me, and with the intensity in his eyes, it wouldn’t be a kiss I’d forget.

My breath caught, body tensing in anticipation.

Imagine my disappointment when his target changed and his lips touched my neck, ran up the side, and pressed a kiss next to my ear.

It wasn’t until that moment I realized how desperate I was to feel his lips on mine.

How had I gone from cautious pretense to craving his kiss in mere days?

When he straightened, internally, I felt a hollow ache that rivaled the emptiness of standing before my burned home. “I’ll see you in a little bit. Enjoy your bath.” He smiled.

“Okay,” I whispered as he pulled away.

His absence chilled me more than it should have. That realization sobered me.

How did I walk this tightrope I’d found myself on? Despite the need for a quick answer, none came. I’d known the mission was dangerous, possibly deadly. I never thought the victim would be me or my heart.