Page 143 of Wicked Proposal

Only then can I finally let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

44

MIA

The whole ride, I rack my brain for a way to turn down Yulian’s offer.

It’s too much. I don’t deserve it—and he certainly doesn’t have the responsibility to fix my messes.

He’s my employer. My side-boss. He’s…

Kind. He’s being kind to you, dummy.

The engine purrs under me. I sink into the warm leather seats, Yulian’s touch still buzzing under my skin. He’s in the driver’s seat now, having sent Maksim off to hold down the fort for him—whether the company fort or the shadow fort, I’m not certain. Some things are better off staying mysteries.

Except the mystery of why Yulian’s doing this.

It can’t be to sleep with me. One, because he’s already slept with me plenty; two, because by now, he’s probably aware he doesn’t need to wine and dine me to sleep with me at all; three, because you can’t really get frisky with a kid on the road. Hyperactivefour-year-olds with a habit of crawling into bed with Mommy don’t exactly qualify as aphrodisiacs.

Which leaves me with only one possible explanation.

He cares.

I shake my head. I’m not ready to accept that. Because, if I let myself be lulled by this, I’ll fall into something much worse than a false sense of security.

I’llfall, period.

And I can’t have that. Not with Mr. Hot-and-Cold here, not with anyone.

Because Brad will find out.

And when he does, it won’t just be me who pays the price.

The car slows to a stop. Upper East Side greenery greets me wherever I look, reminding myself of how different two worlds can be.

Mine and Yulian’s, for instance. They should never have touched, but here we are, a fluke of fate that’s unlikely to repeat itself. Unlikely to last.

But he came for you.

Yes. He did.

And I have no idea what that means.

“Mommy!”

I’m startled out of my thoughts by a small, happy voice. The only voice in the world that can make all my burdens melt away.

“Hey, munchkin.” I smile, getting out of Yulian’s car and walking up to Eli at the school gate, where a teacher stands off to the side, supervising the pick-up.

Eli’s eyes widen at the sight of the Maybach. “Is thatours?”

It drags a laugh out of me. “Nope. Bit too big for our parking space.”

“You should listen to your mom,” a deep voice rumbles from the driver’s seat. “She knows all about tow trucks.”

“Yulian! You’re here!” He doesn’t quite crash into Yulian’s knees, but it’s a close thing. “Are we getting pizza again?”

“If you want,” Yulian says. He has this way of speaking to Eli, like he’s a slightly tinier adult, that Eli seems to absolutely adore. No baby speak, no cooing, no beating around the bush. It warms my heart to see it—how unexpectedly good Yulian can be with kids. Withmykid. “But first, how’d you like to go on a mission?”