Irish Deception

Chapter Forty-Six

Blake

After spending the majority of the day as far away from the house as I could feasibly get when it starts to get dark I finally make the choice to head back after I feel like my head has somewhat cleared.

The house is quiet when I head in and I gather Stasia and the twin are probably together upstairs. It's just Hugh sat in the kitchen on his phone but I don't say anything as I head straight to the fridge and pull out a bottle of beer.

"Natalia's gone, they left a few hours ago" Hugh informs me from where he's sat and I can feel his eyes burning into the back of my head.

Instantly I feel like shit for not being here for Stasia during that, I know that can't have been easy for her at all. But the truth is I needed to clear my head before I said something I know I would end up regretting.

It's clear that whatever was said between Stasia and Vlad hit a nerve, brought up some kind of feelings in her and I'm not naive enough to assume they weren't to do with Irvin.

She may be make but everything about the way she was whilst she sat at that table said her head was elsewhere and the fact she's still wearing her engagement ring tells me that's where her head is.

"How did she take it?" I finally ask turning to face him.

"How'd you think" he grunts back arching an accusatory brow at me and he can fuck right off if he thinks he's in any position to attempt to call me out, with all the shit he's pulled he hasn't got a leg to stand on.

"I needed to get some air" I attempt to explain knowing it's a futile attempt at that.

"And she needed you here" he snaps and that gets my back up straight away. I already feel like a prick, I don't need him to highlight that right now.

"You sure it's not Volkov she needs? That she'd rather be back there with him right now" I scoff hating the words as they come out.

But it's not him that responds.

"What exactly are you trying to say Blake?" Stasia says from the doorway and when I look up she's standing there glaring at me, her shoulders squared as though she's ready for confrontation.

When I don't say anything she crosses her arms and arches a brow at me.

"The twins told me what you said, it took a lot to get it out of them but they've just told me how you think I was getting too cosy with Irvin" she accuses "so what exactly do you think I was doing?" she then snaps.

"We don't need to have this conversation right now" Hugh says clearly trying to defuse this before it gets going but I'm way to amped up for that right now.

"Yes we do" I snap slamming my beer down on the side causing it to bubble up and spill over the counter.

"Why are you still wearing the engagement ring Stas?" I ask keeping my eyes locked on hers but I don't miss how she slips her hand behind her back as if to hide the fact she's still fucking wearing it.

"Fuck sake" I hear Hugh sigh but I don't avert my eyes from her.

It takes a moment before she finally replies.

"Because I want to" she says and that admission has me almost staggering back.

Because she wants to.

What fucking kind of answer is that. She wants to keep it on.

"But why?" I ask now shouting my tone laced with desperation, a desperate need to fucking understand. "What fucking plausible reason could you have for wanting to keep that thing on?"