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As the stewardess runs through takeoff instructions, he looks at me.
As the pilot chirps our itinerary over the intercom, he looks at me.
As the engines roar to life and the wheels begin to turn and we accelerate down the runway, faster and faster, lifting off into the air, he looks at me.
Until at last, we break out over the sea of sun-dappled clouds. Only then does he look away, but when he does, it’s just to glance down at the cupholder of my seat. Confused, I follow his gaze—and there, I see a lemon soda waiting for me, still cool and slick with condensation.
I wish I had a word for how that makes me feel.
26
KOLYA
“I have something for you.”
June recoils as though I just told her to strip naked and dance. Her hazel eyes shine with suspicion. “You have… something… for me?”
I reach under the seat and withdraw a sleek back briefcase. Just small enough to be innocuous, at least in my opinion. Looking at June’s face suggests a whole other story. I offer it out to her.
She wrinkles her brows. “I don’t smell poison. Or rotting body parts.”
“What an asset that nose of yours is,” I say dryly.
She takes a deep breath, sets the case in her lap, and clicks open the silver clasps. Then she opens it gingerly.
“Oh my God,” she blurts, looking up at me slowly. “This is—There’s a diamond necklace in here. Why are you giving this to me?”
“It’s a gift. If you show up on my arm, you’re going to have to look the part. That requires diamonds.”
Her gaze falls back to the jewels. “They’re beautiful.”
“That's why I picked them.”
She looks at me with a perplexed expression. “You’re a very confusing man, Kolya,” she says softly. “You realize that, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t read too much into it. In my world, gifts are transactional, not emotional.”
I fucking despise having to say them, but my words have their intended effect. Any sign of happiness in her face dissipates instantly. She falls back into her seat. Her eyes veer towards the window and she seems to forget I’m there at all.
It’s probably best that way. The two of us alone together for any length of time is dangerous. I’d been naïve about that before, but I’m smart enough to pay heed to the warning signs now that I’ve collected a fair few.
She closes her eyes somewhere in the middle of the flight, and then she sleeps through the rest of it. I don’t know how to feel about that. The only thing more infuriating than talking to her is not talking to her. The only thing harder than being with her is being away from her.
If that’s not a warning sign, I don’t know what is.
* * *
“Whoa…”
I glance at her face. The wide eyes, the stunned expression. I’ve seen this kind of glitz and luxury so many times before that it’s lost the power to leave me awed.
But now, I can see it all through her eyes. It’s like being born again.
She marvels at every detail she sees as we make our way through the hotel. Corinthian columns pave the way to the suites. Gilded portraits shimmer on every wall. The carpet underfoot is lush enough to drown in.
Two butlers stand outside our doors. As we approach, they open the room for us in unison.
“You gotta be kidding me,” I hear her mutter under her breath. “This is unreal.”
