Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ONE NIGHT SPAWNED into four days drowned with bonding activities from spa dates to movie nights where we basically munched on popcorn and watched old black and white movies that my mother loved so much.
Long after darkness and silence settled over the house, I spent those hours on the phone with Aleksei until I eventually fell asleep to the deep sound of his voice.
He wasn't totally pleased with the turnout of my visit, but he claimed to understand, assuring me several times that I didn't need to return early until I felt like I'd patched things enough with my mother.
On a FaceTime call three days ago, he'd said something that steeled my resolve to fix things with Matteo, no matter how long it took.
I don't want you having any regrets when it comes to your family. Trust me, it's never a pleasant feeling in the long run.
Of course, having the resolve was one thing. Actually fixing things was a whole other story, when Matteo didn't want to speak to me. Or anyone for that matter. He'd spent the last four days ignoring our calls, and neither was he in his penthouse. Enzo dropped by everyday to check, but each visit was fruitless, and so did my hope shrivel with it.
What if he really didn't want to fix things?
"Earth to Ari."
Drea snapped her fingers in front of my face, pulling me out of my inner turmoil.
"We are too behind our schedule for you to be spacing out like this." She pursed her lips, worry lines sinking between her brows. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I just didn't get enough sleep last night."
"After the three-day break you took, which by the way, is a crazy thing to do at a time like this? I think I might need to have a conversation with Aleksei about keeping his dick in his pants."
I laughed, looking at the design sheets sprawled all over my desk. "I wasn't with Aleksei. I haven't been with him for the last three nights now."
"Oh. Did you two have a fight? Do I need to hire a local gang to kick his ass?"
My brows furrowed with concern. "You have access to a local gang?"
She waved me off with an air of nonchalance. "One of my exes was friends with a gangbanger, but that's not important. Do I need to get in touch?"
"No!" I said firmly. "And for your sake, I hope you've cut off all contact with that ex of yours. He's dangerous."
"Girl, please." She burst into laughter. "Says the woman married to the head of the Russian mob."
"Do as I say, not as I do. And I didn't exactly have a choice. You do."
"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes. "That still doesn't answer my question. Did something happen between you two?"
