“It’s hard to miss.”
There’s a beat of silence. I become painfully aware that we’re alone in the corridor, and that he smells so good it’s making it difficult to think clearly.
God. What is wrong with me?
I’m engaged. To his brother.
I straighten slightly, trying to pull myself together. “I didn’t realize Dmitri had family in town.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, I regret them. Because it sounds childish. Defensive.
“You’re mistaken. I’m the furthest thing from his family.”
I study him more carefully now.
Dmitri is handsome in an obvious way. Easy smile, expensive suits, effortless charm. Women notice him because he wants them to.
Yaromir is different.
Nothing about him asks for attention. He simply takes up space like he expects the world to adjust around him.
And worse?—
I think he knows exactly what he’s doing to me right now.
Heat creeps higher into my face at the thought.
“You’re staring,” he says.
Mortification crashes into me. “I’m not.”
“You are.” His tone stays calm, but there’s the faintest hint of amusement underneath now.
I hate that I like hearing it.
I fold my arms. “Maybe your ego is bigger than your reputation.”
His eyes hold mine for a second longer than necessary, and the air between us suddenly feels too tight, too warm.
Then voices sound somewhere down the corridor, and the moment breaks.
Yaromir steps aside first, giving me room to pass. “Congratulations on the engagement,” he says.
The words are polite. The tone isn’t.
I move past him before I can embarrass myself further.
But as I walk back toward the terrace, my skin still feels hot.
By the time I get home, my heels are killing me and I’m already exhausted from pretending I enjoyed the afternoon.
The Sokolov house sits on the edge of the older district near the river, tucked between larger estates owned by men more important than my father will ever be. The gates are rusting in places. The marble near the entrance is cracked. One of the garden lights flickers every few seconds because Sergei refuses to replace it.
He likes appearances.
Only from a distance.
Inside, the house smells faintly of cigarette smoke and old leather. Familiar. Heavy. I drop my purse onto the console tableand immediately feel my shoulders loosen for the first time all day.