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I jumped out of bed and into the shower, then rummaged around in the kitchen to make breakfast for her, as a peace offering of sorts. As I carried the tray to the bedroom, I steeled myself for whatever she might throw at me, figuratively or literally.
It was time to face my furious bride.
Chapter 14 - Jenna
It shouldn’t have been possible that I fell asleep at all, or even less likely that I had fantastic dreams about Lev all night long, but I woke up the next day completely rested and starfished across the big, luxurious bed.
Bright sunlight beamed in through one of the windows, which would have been a nice surprise and put a smile on my face if I didn’t instantly remember being held captive by my new husband.
Kicking aside the sheets, I jumped up to see if Lev had come to his senses and unlocked the door. The sound of it clicking and the door handle turning had me flinging myself back into bed and pretending to be asleep. Maybe he was just checking in on me, and after he left, he’d forget to lock me in again. Then I could… what? He’d already made it clear he’d go after me if I ran, and now that I knew he was part of the powerful Fokin family, his reach would follow me wherever I tried to hide.
And I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding. I wanted freedom from this terrible mistake, and the only way to do that was to stay. Pretend, bide my time, and strike as soon as I had anything I could use to bring him down.
With my head under the covers, I heard Lev come in, and smelled the delicious aroma of bacon and eggs. If I stayed still, he’d leave it, and I wouldn’t have to face him yet. My stomach growled.
“I heard that,” he said.
Fine. I shot up with a scowl to see him carrying a tray loaded with half a loaf of bread, toasted and stacked beside a plate piled high with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. Mystomach growled again, and he gave me a big smile as if he’d done nothing wrong.
His smiles transformed his face from merely handsome to earth-shatteringly gorgeous, and this one shook me a little. I was fresh from those dreams of him, and I could still feel the remnants of his hands on my body, before everything went so wrong. I gathered my anger around me like armor and noticed his hands were bruised when he set the tray down on the bed beside me.
“Is that normal?” I asked. “Did you go beat up a bunch of your enemies last night while I was locked in here all alone?”
He chuckled, sending a shockwave through me, along with memories of him making that same sound when his mouth was working its way down my body. Damn it.
“Not this time,” he said. “Just a hard workout. And I never left.” His face softened as he sat next to the tray. “I might have let the truth slip to the wayside because I wanted you so badly, but now I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. All you need to do is ask.”
I grumbled, prickled again by his audacity in trying to tell me that we were in this predicament because I never bothered to ask if he was related to my sister’s husband.
“I could stand to punch something, too,” I muttered.
He laughed, way too cheerful. It was threatening to rub off on me, because I’d always had a terrible time holding a grudge. He held out a piece of toast, grinning from ear to ear.
“Eat up and get changed. I’ll teach you how to spar if you want to hit something. And now that you’re married to me, learning some self-defense moves is a smart idea.”
That snapped me out of any threat of a good mood. One look at him told me he wasn’t the danger, but what about all his myriad enemies? Didn’t Katie herself admit that her life had been put in danger somehow? She’d been wise not to share too many details because, by then, I was furious at her for staying with Aleks even after she learned he was in the Russian mafia. Now, I was in the same position.
“Are you flat-out admitting I’m in danger because of you?” I asked.
He shrugged. “San Francisco is a big city. Everyone who lives here is always in at least a little bit of danger.”
His eyes told a different story, though, full of concern I wished I could ignore. It would be so much easier if he didn’t bring me breakfast with a huge smile. I didn’t think he was faking his good mood, and the offer of self-defense lessons seemed to come from a sincere desire to keep me protected. Maybe even spend time with me. Sitting here with me now, he seemed to enjoy my company.
I took a bite of toast and then accepted the slice of bacon he held out. His attention was intoxicating, making me remember all the good things about the night before. It was making me want to push the tray aside and reenact our honeymoon night, which was cut way too short. My anger was slipping away fast.
This would all be way easier if he acted like a tyrant and locked me in again.
But then I wouldn’t be able to find out his secrets. Nothing could shake me from my goal. I had to find out whatever I could in order to get out. And not just get out but bring him down. Revenge at all costs for putting me in this position.
I used to love spy novels when I had more time to read for fun. Now, I got to be the femme fatale, using my wiles to meet my objective. Keeping my eyes on the food because looking at Lev was too distracting, I remembered that Katie was wrapped up in this as well. Guilt nearly had me dropping my glass of orange juice, because if I exposed Lev to the authorities, his whole family would surely get caught up as well. And that included Katie now.
Well, she shouldn’t have helped instill such a strong sense of right and wrong in me. Something she also used to have. No matter what Lev said about dirty politicians, I wasn’t going to join their ranks. I’d achieve my dreams my own way and have nothing to hide.
I hurriedly ate up and then shocked him by agreeing to the sparring match.
“Really?” he asked.
“Why not? It sounds fun.” There. Step one, stay on his good side. Let him think I had a change of heart.
