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“Glad to hear it,” I said, but wondered how long it might last. I could only keep my secret for so long, and then how would she feel?
She chattered on about different styles, eventually popping up off the bed and trying to drag the sheet with her to cover herself.
“No, leave it,” I said. “I like looking at you. You’re a goddess to me.”
She blushed, but danced across the room, stark naked and making me swell with readiness again. Also easily making the dark shadow of reality recede for a bit longer. Whatever happened, I was glad I kept her all to myself and didn’t give my brothers a chance to talk me out of my rash decision. It turned out to be the right one because she was absolutely perfect.
“Okay, so what do you think about moving this over to the other wall and putting a vanity here? I like the light wood, but it’s just so simple. A big mirror would make the room seem less empty and sterile.” She smiled at me, shaking her head as she slid open one of the drawers. “Do you even have any clothes in here?”
“Not many,” I admitted.
She reached out and pulled out my passport, which I’d tossed on top of some forgotten t-shirts. “Are you just as handsome in pictures as in real life?”
I snorted while reveling in her flattery, waving for her to check for herself. I was so caught up in watching her have fun, all while flaunting that gorgeous body, that I didn’t think. Until her face fell as she perused my information.
She looked up at me in confusion. “It says Lev Fokin, not Volkov.”
“That’s my mother’s maiden name. I started using it about a year ago as a business strategy.” Maybe she wouldn’t ask what kind of strategy. Of course, she did, all the while narrowing her eyes at me.
“Is that a really common Russian name?” she asked. “My sister married someone with…” She trailed off. I wasn’t expecting this to happen so quickly, but it had to happen eventually. “How many brothers did you say you had?”
Now, I regretted regaling her with stories of my childhood at our dinner. I’d given too much away. “Five,” I said.
“And a younger sister?”
I wished I could have enjoyed our honeymoon a little longer, but the puzzle was clearly falling together in her mind.
I sighed, holding up a hand to stop her. “It was probably foolish to think I could keep it a secret for long, but yes, I’m your sister’s brother-in-law.”
The bright light in her eyes slowly extinguished, and she looked around wildly, finally grabbing the extra blanket at the foot of the bed and wrapping it around herself.
“But why?” she asked, completely stunned. “Why lie about your name? And who you were?”
“The name change wasn’t for deceptive reasons,” I explained. “It was to set me apart from my family while I gained a foothold up here.”
“Did you know all along who I was?”
“Yes,” I said flatly, hating the confusion in her voice. “I saw you at the Christmas gathering but was called away before we met. I was instantly enamored with you, and I didn’t think it would go over well with Aleks and your sister, but I had to have you.”
Instead of softening, she shook her head in disbelief. “So you lied?”
“You never asked if Katie’s husband was my brother,” I said. Wrong tactic. This turned her pale face red with fury in an instant.
“Why in the world would I ever ask something like that?” She slapped her hand against her thigh, turning away. “Oh my God, and you actually look so much like him, too. I’m such a freaking idiot.”
“Stop that,” I told her. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have bent the truth.” I got up and went to her, smoothing my hands down her arms. “Come back to bed, Jenna. We can talk about this more tomorrow. For now, we’re still on our honeymoon.”
Thinking I could kiss her anger away was also a wrong move. She whirled on me, jerking away from my touch. “No, there’s still more to talk about. Plenty more.”
“Fine,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed and crossing my arms. “Ask me anything.”
“So you can lie some more?”
“I’ll answer all your questions honestly from now on,” I said.
She pulled the blanket tighter around her. “I actually only have one more. The most important one.”
“Go ahead.”
