Page 18 of The Arrangement

“Thank you for getting these. I don’t mind your shirts,” she said tugging on the end of the one she wore with a grin. “But, they’re a little big.”

“I couldn’t keep the stuff you arrived in. They needed to be destroyed, so I hope you weren’t attached to anything in particular. The guys managed to do one thing right when they packed you a bag. It’s in my closet, but anything else you need, we can buy. Your dorm was … ruined.”

Viviana coughed nervously. “And?”

“You were seen entering your dorm the night before with a friend, distraught and in a hurry. A family emergency called you back to the States. In your rush, you left a small space heater turned on, which set a blanket on fire the next afternoon and then burned down half the wing. At least that’s what the report will say. Damages will be paid in full. The university won’t want to speak with you as you’ll be … indisposed … due to said family issues, and you’re not expected to return there.”

Anton checked his watch before continuing. “Also, you’ll have a short interview over the phone with a fire marshal named Dick Stevens, and an RCMP officer by the name of Ronnie McCloud with the usual questions, approximate times, and whatever other nonsense they feel like handling. During the interview, you’ll be properly distressed over what happened, make several apologies for the recorder to hear, and show an appropriate level of guilt in regards to your irresponsible actions.”

“Okay,” she said, turning to grab the clothes.

“Just okay?” He was surprised she’d take that all so easily. Anton moved to Viviana’s side, wanting to be closer. His hand curved around her arm as his thumb swept a line back and forth at the crease of her elbow. Heat bloomed at the touch, saturating his senses with an onslaught of memories and need. “You don’t have any questions?”

Automatically, like second nature or an extension of his mind’s desires, she covered his hand with her own to calm the clear apprehension in his voice. At her touch, Anton stiffened, his thumb stopping its movements against Viviana’s skin. Despite having his hands on her bare legs the night before, this was different. Much, much different. It was intimate, so familiar in how neither of the two hesitated in wanting to reassure the other. As if they’d done this before … maybe.

Old souls …

She seemed to struggle to breathe as they both stared down at their connected hands. “Yes, just okay. I’ll do the interviews when I need to, act how you suggested, and give whatever answers they need to hear. Nothing happened, right? A friend, a family emergency, and my forgetful self somehow managed to leave a heater running. How terrible, but nothing more than a mistake. I can handle that, Anton. I can.”

“Why?” he murmured, fingers squeezing lightly at the question. She shrugged, clearly confused at what he was asking. Anton moved closer still, lips finding her temple as his free arm wrapped around her waist. With her close to his side, he felt at home. “Why are you agreeing to marry me when last night you wanted me to let you go?”

Turning in his embrace, Viviana faced him. With no men around to see where his weakness truly lay, Anton knew there was an honest vulnerability written in the way he held her tighter. If he didn’t hold on, she might disappear. Ridiculous, yes, but he’d waited so fucking long for this girl.

“You were right … I knew I wasn’t safe—that I probably wouldn’t ever be,” she replied quietly. “Like tied down, you know? I felt trapped, so I got to this point where I didn’t have to think about it. I was just trying to get from point A to point B without worrying about who was following behind.”

“That’s still not an answer, Viviana.”

She poked his chest with a finger. “Remember that night in Barbados?”

The corner of his mouth quirked up into a small smile, heat rushing through his blood. “Of course I do, can’t forget it. Sweet sixteen, tanned legs, and you made me yours so fast …” Anton trailed off with a low whistle. “One of my very best memories.”

“I’ve never been serious with someone.” Viviana released his hand and covered the mark on her neck with a frown. While he didn’t have room to judge her on those choices, he hated the position she put herself in with that bodyguard. “I’ve done things—”

Anton’s dismissive sound interrupted her. No way was he going to let her feel badly. “Me, too. Who came after and the in-betweens didn’t matter. I told you that, and I meant it.”

“Two meetings in all those years; that’s all we got. We weren’t allowed to see each other or keep contact in between. You were just a short drive away. There didn’t have to be other people at all.”

Two meetings, yes, but there were reasons for that. And one of those meetings had been when they were just children.

“It wasn’t safe,” he reminded gently. “Once the arrangement was out in the open, you witnessed how dangerous it turned for your father.”

“Regardless, I still felt tethered to something that I knew was out there, but just wasn’t with me yet. That’s why I couldn’t keep someone close to me, or bother going farther than just the bedroom.”

“I’m sorry?”

Anton’s confusion only led to amusement glittering in the beautiful brown eyes looking up at him. Oh God, those eyes … so familiar, yet so new. Already, he was reconsidering old promises he’d made to dead men.

“Tied down again, tethered to you.” She pointed at his chest, smiling as she said, “As if you were exactly where I was always supposed to end up someday. A moth and a flame, that’s how I felt—drawn to you. Even after my family was buried and I was told this wouldn’t happen, I still couldn’t manage to keep a relationship because it wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t even know you, not really, but all I’d ever been told was that you were going to be mine. It never felt arranged, Anton, not once.”

Her fingers traced the vines drawing up his arm before crossing the black rose that covered his right pec. He was so enjoying the silky feeling of her touch when Viviana added, “And clearly I’ve always been yours, too.”

Maybe his cold heart stuttered just a bit—missing, skipping beats when he grasped her jaw and tilted her head back up to look her in the eyes. “Always, Viviana.”

“I’m scared,” she confessed softly. “This was intended to be an easy transition for me. Instead, I watched your men shoot my bodyguard, kidnap me, and now I’m in hiding. That’s not how this was supposed to happen.”

“That excuse for a bull was nothing more than a ruse,” Anton muttered unhappily. “I won’t regret that choice.”

“Nobody likes to off a woman, right? Especially if that woman is Roman’s daughter.”