Page 8

8

OLEG

Two days and she’s completely hijacked my life in Nassau.

She made fast friends with my caretaker, Jesse. She won over Jesse’s son, Teo, with nothing more than a smile.

The three of them have taken to strolling the gardens in the evening while they plan changes in the landscaping.

Every room I walk into holds her scent.

Every meal tastes like something she had a hand in.

Every sound that carries over to me sparkles with her laugh.

She’s avoided me diligently the whole time.

Which is fair, considering I might be doing a little avoidance of my own.

I can’t afford to make the same mistake again. Even if she didn’t conspire with her ex to bring me down, her connection to him and Paul Lipovsky is still troubling.

She’s a little too close to a few too many people who might be working for my enemies.

Then there’s the question of paternity.

Who is the father of her baby?

If it turns out to be me, then that will, once again, change the nature of my relationship with Sutton. I will have to tolerate her presence in my life, no matter how inconvenient I might find it.

On the upside—I’ll finally have an heir and a reason to put my uncle out of power once and for all.

I’m contemplating that very thing as I walk through the gardens, hunting for a little solitude and clarity.

But as usual, I catch her voice instead. Then a peal of laughter that echoes through the trees.

Like a moth drawn to the light of a flame, I find myself following the sound instead of sprinting away from it.

So much for solitude and clarity.

Sutton’s laughter is coming from Jesse’s cottage. It sits on the mansion’s perimeter, in the middle of the gardens so that she and Teo would be comfortable and have a little privacy at the same time.

As I approach the picket fence that cordons off the cottage from the rest of the property, I’m hit in the face by a smattering of…

… pink bubbles?

What the hell?

“Oops, we got the wrong target, Teo!” Sutton cries, walking out from behind the cottage with a bubble gun in hand.

She descends into giggles as Teo races forward with a bubble contraption of his own, launching a full-scale attack on me.

Bubbles cloud my vision, their soapy scent clinging to the air as they swirl around my head.

“See?” Teo says excitedly. “You have to press down hard. Then you get more bubbles.”

Sutton moves towards the fence and aims her bubble gun at me. “You don’t say…”

I raise my eyebrows. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Her face splits into a mischievous grin. Then she pulls the trigger, sending a firestorm of bubbles hurtling towards me.

“Yes!” Teo cries, more boy than toddler now. “That’s it! You did it.”

“It’s bad manners to attack an unarmed man,” I point out, tousling Teo’s hair. He giggles before placing his bubble gun on the floor.

“That’s true,” Sutton acknowledges. “How about I get you a weapon of your own? You can join us.”

The “yes” is on the tip of my tongue before I stop myself just in time.

Isn’t this exactly what I’m trying to avoid? I need to establish boundaries between myself and Sutton. I need to keep my distance.

I can’t let myself be lured in, seduced by her eyes, her smile, her body, her charm.

I need structure and discipline and a clear set of rules to adhere to.

And rule number one has to be to never, ever let my guard down.

“Aw, please, Mr. Oleg?” Teo wheedles, grabbing my arm and pulling me over the fence. “Come play with us. We need a monster to fight.”

“Teo!” Jesse scolds, coming around the corner. “Leave Mr. Pavlov be. He’s not here for your amusement.”

“B-but… he always plays with me,” Teo insists, looking towards me like I’ll break his heart if I turn him down.

My gaze slips to Sutton, who’s wearing that soft smile of hers.

“Not today, kid,” I say curtly, shaking him off my hand. “I have important matters I need to attend to.”

“But Mr. Oleg?—”

“Teo, what did I say?” Jesse snaps.

“Oh, come on,” Sutton tries on Teo’s behalf. “One game for the kid’s sake. It won’t hurt.”

But that’s the thing—it will hurt the more we act like we’re something we’re not.

Playing pretend has never been my strong suit.

“I said no,” I snap, harshly enough that Teo drops my hand and Sutton steps back.

Teo runs over to his mom, his chin trembling.

Sutton glares at me, her eyes pinched together at the corners.

“There was no need to be an asshole,” she chides.

“In case you’ve forgotten, I am an asshole. And this asshole needs to speak to you about something,” I inform her gruffly. “Meet me in my office in half an hour.”

She shows up at my office in a bikini.

“I’m here,” she announces unnecessarily. “As you commanded.”

“Take a seat.”

She sits down, cocking her legs prettily and giving me an eyeful of milky white thigh. Ignoring my racing heart rate, I try to keep my gaze from slipping below her neck.

But I can’t help getting a shot in. “Should I turn down the air conditioning, considering what you’re wearing?”

Her chin juts out, defiant and beautiful. “I was just on my way to the pool. I figured I’d stop in here first, get this over with, and continue on to join Teo poolside. I’m perfectly comfortable.”

“Yes, you seem to be very comfortable taking your clothes off in the most inappropriate places.”

Her cheeks flush with color. She straightens in her seat. “Am I making you uncomfortable, Oleg?”

“Not at all,” I say. “Just concerned for your health.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m fine.”

She certainly is , the teenage boy inside me quips.

Unlike me, he has no desire to battle away his erection.

Horny little bastard.

“Alright then, let’s move on to what I called you here to discuss.”

She fakes a smile. “I can hardly wait.” Her breasts are practically spilling over in that damn bikini top.

“I’ve been speaking to my attorneys.”

She tenses. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Obviously, the contract between us is null and void.” She flinches but says nothing. “But considering the situation, we have to consider some sort of… alternate agreement between us.”

“What do you mean?”

“You will forfeit the million dollars you were promised. There will be no marriage. But you will get a monthly allowance. And of course, there will be a custody agreement.”

She swallows, vibrating with tension from head to toe. I’m guessing she’s regretting walking in here in a bikini.

This is the kind of conversation that requires a full-on hazmat suit.

“Of course, all this is contingent on the baby being mine. A doctor is coming this evening to conduct a paternity test. That should give you enough time to have your swim with Teo and be ready for him.”

She jumps to her feet. An angry red flush has traveled from her cheeks all the way to the tops of her breasts.

“You can order all the damn tests you want but you’re forgetting something.” She places one hand protectively over her flat stomach. “This is my baby, too. And this is my body. Which means it’s my decision how and when and where I’m tested. I will take your stupid paternity test, but I’ll do it on my own terms, with the doctor that I choose.”

I nod calmly instead of saying all the things I want to say. “If you want to make more work for yourself, tracking down a suitable doctor, then go right ahead. I won’t dispute where, how, and with whom you take the test, as long as it’s from a reputable clinic.”

“You’ll cancel the doctor coming this evening?”

“If you insist.”

She nods. “Fine. Then I’ll make arrangements for myself.”

She twists around and walks to the door, shaking her perfect ass in my face.

I don’t bother telling her the obvious truth.

She’s the one who’s managed to get the last word in.

As per fucking usual.