Page 51 of Gilded in Blood

“A few.”

“Hmm.” I tap my chin dramatically. “You’re making this very difficult.”

His eyebrow lifts.

“What exactly are you doing?”

“Getting to know you.”

“And?”

“And so far I’ve learned you’re boring.”

A quiet huff escapes him. It’s almost a laugh.

“You know how they say some people just… don’t look like their names?”

He gives me a puzzled look. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “Sometimes you meet someone and think, Nope. You’re definitely not a Ben. You’re a Daniel.”

He huffs a quiet laugh. “So you’ve been renaming strangers?”

“Only in my head.”

I study him for a moment, letting my gaze roam over his face as though I’m trying to solve a puzzle.

“You don’t really look like an Ilya.”

His shoulders tense ever so slightly, and his eyes lock onto mine. “No?”

“No.” I shake my head. “You look more like a Kirill.”

His hand tightens visibly on the towel for a split second. His posture shifts, just slightly.

His gaze doesn’t leave mine.

“That’s… oddly specific.”

I shrug, forcing myself to look casual.

“Is it?”

“Most people would’ve said Alex. Or Ivan. Something common.”

“Maybe.” I smile. “But you don’t strike me as common.”

If he had a relative named Kirill… or even a friend… this would have been the perfect opportunity to say so.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he simply watches me, his expression unreadable.

Maybe I’m overthinking it.

Then again, Ilya has never been the type to volunteer information about himself. Every little thing I know about him, I’ve had to drag out of him one question at a time.

I decide not to push my luck. If I keep digging, he’ll start wondering why I’m so interested in the name.