Page 9 of Forced Mafia Bride
“I’m surprised by a woman like you.”
“A woman like me?” She appeared flustered. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You’re bolder than the lot I’ve met. A woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t hesitate to go for it. I like that because I don’t hesitate. If I believe it’s mine, then it is, and nothing,no one, can stop me from having it.”
She lightly tapped the window like a woodpecker would a tree. I flipped my head to the side long enough to catch the distant look in her eyes. In that sliver of time, she wasn’t the audacious bidder battling for a piece of art in an auction. The glimmer in her eyes dulled, and the smile on her lips wobbled.
“I don’t know much about that.” She huffed, and before long, the façade was back. “We’re here.”
We drove into a quiet estate, and I parked the car on the pavement by the front porch of a perfectly designed craftsman house with a touch of twenty-first-century modern style.
I killed the engine, but neither of us made a move out of the car. Her fingers played with the fabric of her gown, and I gazed ahead at the long stretch of the empty road brightly lit by the white street lamps under the vast blanket of the starless night sky.
My fingers tapped the wheel to get her attention. “My intuition is sharper than most.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
I eyed her. “Our meeting tonight was not a coincidence. You don’t look foolish either; you know who I am, and I know who you are. But why would you be willing to throw your money away as the price to pay for my attention? That is what I am yet to find out. Which leaves me curious about your intentions, Ms. Gallagher.”
Another sigh left her lips, weighing more than her words expressed. She flashed a dainty smile and opened the car door.
“Then, it’s going to be a long conversation.” A glimmer fleeted past her eyes when she glanced at the house and back at me. “Care to join me for a glass of wine?”
An invite.
A simple,seeminglyharmless invite into her secret house to talk about her mission for seeking me out.
And yet, as I looked at the fullness of her small pink mouth and the tempting flick of her tongue while she awaited my response, it sounded like so much more.
I unbuckled the seat belt and smiled at her.
Enemy or not, I didn’t deny my insane attraction to this woman or my curiosity to discover her motive.
Surely, she didn’t expect me to say no?
****
“This is the only thing he didn’t steal from me after my father died. This place. It became my solitude,” she was saying after shutting the door behind her and turning on the lights.
I had a good guess at who she referred to but didn’t ask. Sooner or later, the cat would be out of the bag.
She kicked off her fluffy flip-flops, and I followed after her, taking a brisk look around before settling on the couch in the small but spacey living room. I watched the curves of her hips swish from left to right as she walked over to the mini bar in the kitchen with her fingers in her hair, gently loosening the braided ponytail.
Long red hair fell over her shoulders and framed her face when she reached forward for a bottle of red wine and glasses. My eyes dropped to her bare feet and nude toenails when she crossed over from the kitchen island to sit in the living room with me.
She dropped the glasses and bottle on the mahogany centerpiece table and tucked her right leg under her left thigh, looking more content and sadder than I’d ever seen on anyone.Massaging the back of her neck with one hand, she threw the other arm over the couch, watching me with a guarded mask over her expression.
“Mr. Yezhov—”
“Nikolai, please.” I reached for the bottle at the center and read the label, pleased at her taste selection. When I lifted my eyes, her brows were raised. I released a sigh and relaxed on the seat, taking my time to ease off the wine cork. “Time is of the essence, Ms. Gallagher—”
“Rosalyn, please. Since we are becoming…familiar.”
I smirked but didn’t hold it for long. Touché. Clearly disturbed, but still maintained her feistiness.
“Fine. Rosalyn. What is it that you want from me?”
Her eyes twinkled, and she flipped her hair with the back of her hand. “Your company?”