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“It’s my family’s vineyard.”
She scrunches her nose at me. “I see.”
Frowning, I wander down the path created by heavy wagons. “Nadia will appreciate it.”
“You want to send her wine?” she asks flatly.
I pause in the middle of a thicket of vines. The leaves would brush my ankles if the vineyard weren’t tended to with precision to keep the paths clear. Nothing taller than my knee stretches for miles around, allowing a gorgeous view of the blue waters of the Adriatic Sea.
“Pick a vintage from the barrels in that building down there, any one you like, and I’ll ship it to Nadia as an apology on your behalf.”
She rubs her upper arms like she’s cold in spite of the warm sun. “I …”
Crouching, I cradle a handful of the plump grapes. “I can help you choose. I’ll narrow it down for you. You don’t have to be worried about picking a wine she won’t like.”
“I don’t want to pick a wine!”
“Are you afraid it’s too much, Kitty Cat?” Her eyes dart away at my question. “To me, this seems like exactly the sort of gift that’ll paper over your absence.”
“No it isn’t,” she says tersely.
What is the matter with her? “I thought you wanted to apologize to her.”
“I do!” She winds her arms around herself ever tighter. “But sending Nadia a barrel of wine seems … inappropriate.”
I stand quickly, my back muscles twitching from a flare of annoyance. “I don’t understand.”
“You think you can solve everything with money?” Emily lifts her hands.
Now it’s my turn to be annoyed. Her reaction baffles me. It’s like she’s insulting me on purpose. “What’s the matter with you?” I ask harshly.
It feels like I’ve swallowed a mouthful of butterflies. The fluttering sensation moves in my guts, settling in my veins until it feeds right into my heart. I touch my chest to make sure I’m not imagining how hard it’s rattling.
Her shoulders bunch upward in a shrug. “Nothing …”
The ground crunches under my shoes. I stand over her, searching her eyes for a hint of … anything. Anything other than this stoic attitude.
“Emily, talk to me.” I whisper. “What’s wrong?”
She turns away, her gaze focusing on nothing in particular. There’s nothing to see except the grapevines and clouds. There aren’t even any workers around now that evening is fast approaching. Soon, the sun will be dipping behind the horizon.
Finally, she turns around. “Am Iyourwife? Or am I the pakhan’s wife?”
I take her chin and tilt her gaze back to me. “Why do you ask?”
She flinches, and suspicion overtakes me.
“Forget it,” she says.
A draft from the nearby sea tugs at my shirt. It claws at her dress next, making me jealous with the way it openly caresses her chest. The current of air teases the fabric open, exposing more of her throat. The hem flutters until her right thigh is in the sun.I’ve seen her naked, yet the sight of her clothed is driving me mad. It leaves me aching for more.
“Don’t hide things from me, Kitty Cat.”
At those words, Emily flinches again, and her hand drifts to her forearm. It’s the same one that Alla grabbed after we rode to the wedding venue.
Anger and suspicion surges through me.
“Emily.”
