Page 22 of Her Cruel Empire (The Devil’s Plaything #1)

Robin

I wake in darkness, disoriented and alone.

The bed is too soft, the sheets too expensive, the silence too complete. For a moment I forget where I am—then it all comes rushing back. The restaurant. The wine. Eva’s fingers intertwined with mine as we walked along the Seine.

But how did I get here? The last thing I remember is coming in here, Eva telling me she’d just be a moment, her hands cupping my face as she kissed my forehead. I’d felt so alive, so ready to give her everything I had to offer.

Instead, I apparently fell asleep.

My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I wanted last night to be different. I wanted to show her I could be the kind of woman she really enjoys, not some tourist who passes out after a few glasses of wine. And the space beside me is cold. Eva never came to bed at all, or if she did, she’s already gone.

I sit up, running my hands through my tangled hair. The suite is eerily quiet, no sound from the living area beyond the bedroom door. Maybe Eva’s still working, handling whatever mysterious business keeps her up at all hours.

Maybe she’s regretting bringing me here at all.

I slip out of bed, my bare feet silent on the thick carpet. I need to find her, to apologize, to... I don’t know. Show her I’m not the naive little girl she thinks I am.

I pull on the silk robe Eva bought me yesterday—everything she buys me is silk or cashmere or some other fabric that I’d never dream of buying back home. The mirror catches my reflection: flushed cheeks, hopeful eyes, hair mussed from sleep. I look young. Inexperienced.

Tonight, I decide, pushing my shoulders back, I will be bold. Tonight I’ll change her opinion of me.

I head to the darkened living area of our suite. The plan is simple: find Eva, apologize for falling asleep, and then?—

I freeze.

There’s a man on the couch.

A stranger. A stranger with black hair, sprawled across the velvet cushions with his shirt half-unbuttoned, expensive shoes kicked off and scattered near the door. His coat is flung carelessly over a chair, and he’s dead asleep, one arm dangling toward the floor.

My heart hammers against my ribs. I take an instinctive step backward, and knock into a side table. I whirl to grab the vase that’s rocking from my shove, but it’s too late.

The sound wakes him.

He sits up with a start, blinking groggily in my direction as he snaps on the nearest table lamp. “You’re not Eva,” he says, in what seems like an English accent. Then his face breaks into a grin that’s equal parts charming and wolfish. “Ah. You must be her latest.”

The casual way he says it makes my stomach clench. The latest. The latest in a long line of women Eva’s brought to Paris.

I clutch the silk robe tighter around myself, suddenly very aware that I’m practically naked in front of a complete stranger. “Who—who are you? How did you get in here?”

He swings his legs off the couch, still grinning.

He’s handsome in an effortless way that reminds me of old movie stars—all sharp cheekbones and lazy confidence.

“Dimitri Novak. Eva’s wayward cousin. I’m sorry if I startled you.

Leon let me in. I was planning to surprise my dear cousin in the morning, but.

..” He gestures vaguely at the couch. “I drank rather a lot last night and now here we are.”

Her cousin. That explains how he got past Leon, I guess.

He appraises me with blatant interest, his gaze traveling from my bare feet to my sleep-mussed hair. His amber eyes are the same shade as Eva’s. “You’re not my darling cousin’s usual type,” he muses.

I don’t know how to respond to that, so I just stand there, probably looking as mortified as I feel.

His grin widens. “Perhaps she’s finally maturing.”

“I should...” I start, gesturing vaguely toward the bedroom. “Eva doesn’t know you’re here.”

“Oh, she won’t thank you for waking her.” He stretches like a cat, completely unbothered by the awkwardness of the situation. “You look like you need a drink. Can I interest you in something from the bar?”

“No, thank you.”

Before he can say anything else, a voice cuts through the room. “Dimi. You were not expected.”

Eva stands in the doorway of her bedroom in silk pajamas, barefoot and beautiful and clearly displeased.

Dimi doesn’t seem fazed. If anything, his grin grows wider. “And yet here I am. Couldn’t stay away, cousin.”

Eva steps into the room, positioning herself subtly between Dimi and me. The movement is so smooth I almost miss it, but the protection—or is it possession?—sends a flutter through my chest.

“What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a man visit family without an ulterior motive?

” He stands, smoothing down his rumpled shirt.

“Though if you must know, I had a rather spectacular row with a certain princess. She’s gone home to Monaco in a huff, so I’ll have to chase her down.

Figured I’d stop by to check on you before I left.

Papa said you’d be here in Paris again. You haven’t missed much, I’m afraid.

” His eyes flick to me again. “But now I see what I’ve been missing. ”

Eva’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. “Go sleep off your drunken idiocy elsewhere.” The words are harsh, but her tone is mild.

Dimi clutches his chest in mock offense. “You speak to wound, Madam Novak. And here I thought I was your favorite cousin.”

“You’re my only cousin,” she returns. “And you scared Robin. Not very gentlemanly, Dimi.”

I watch the interplay between them, fascinated despite myself. There’s genuine affection beneath the barbs.

“Robin,” Dimi says, turning to me. “I offer my abject apologies.”

“It’s fine,” I say vaguely.

“It’s not fine,” Eva contradicts me. “And Leon should have known better than to let you in.”

Dimi grins. “He’s amused by me,” he says. “Always likes to hear my stories. I’m truly in love this time, though. I’m a changed man. You’ll find out for yourself one day. Love will change you, too, Eva.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The words snap out of Eva’s mouth like bullets, making me jump a little.

“Still the ice queen.” But there’s fondness in his voice, the kind reserved for family you’ve known your whole life.

“Some things never change.” He winks at me.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. She’ll treat you fairly, if nothing else.

And I apologize again for being such a brute as to fall asleep on your lounge. ”

Eva’s shoulders relax a fraction, and she actually looks at her cousin with something approaching warmth. “Will you stay for breakfast?”

Dimi snorts. “Certainly not. Why dine in a hotel when I could be getting serviced in a royal palace?” He retrieves his coat from the chair, shrugging it on. “See you around, cousin.”

He moves to Eva and kisses her on both cheeks in the European fashion, then turns to me with that same wolfish grin. “A pleasure meeting you, too, Robin.”

With that, he strolls out of the suite, whistling something that sounds vaguely like a waltz. Silence falls heavily in his wake.

“He’s very...” I search for the right word. “Charming.”

Eva rolls her eyes. “He likes to think so. Yes. I’m sure he only came here to get a look at you.”

That startles me as much as any other event of the night. “What do you mean?”

For perhaps the first time I’ve ever known her, Eva bites her lip. “Nothing,” she says quickly. “He’s just nosy. That’s all. What were you doing up at this time of night, anyway?”

“Oh, I…” With Dimitri’s invasion, my plan to be sexy and seductive now seems a little silly in the cold light of the overheads. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep earlier. I wanted—” I stop, not sure how to explain what I’d wanted without sounding desperate. “I’m sorry,” I say again.

Eva steps closer, close enough to make my pulse quicken. “No need to apologize. But you’ll have to make it up to me.”

My breath catches. “How?”

A wicked smile curves her lips, the kind that makes my knees weak and my heart race. “By coming back to bed, of course. Right now.”

She takes my hand, her fingers warm and sure, and leads me toward her own bedroom. As we cross the threshold, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the darkened window—flushed, eager, completely under her spell.

Maybe I’m not as inexperienced as I thought. As clumsy as my attempt might have felt, I’m still headed to bed with Eva Novak.

And no matter how many women might have come to Paris with her before me, I’m the one here with her now.

I’ll damn well make sure she remembers me, too.