Chapter 19 Sera
SERA
I wake before my alarm, my body still heavy with yesterday’s emotion. For a few disoriented seconds, panic is my first thought—He’s going to want to talk about what I revealed.
But the universe gives me a small mercy. Liev is still asleep, breathing evenly on his bed.
With one arm flung over his head and dark hair falling across his forehead, he looks unarmed, maybe for the first time since I’ve met him. My gaze drifts, taking in the solid lines of him, the broad shoulders, the slow rise and fall of his chest, the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.
Temptation slides through me, warm and reckless. The urge to cross the room, crawl into his bed, and press my mouth to the place where his neck meets his shoulder is sharp enough to make my fingers curl into the sheet.
But I don’t.
We’re working. Yesterday was an aberration. We got carried away.
And you told him all of your secrets.
I check the clock next to the bed. It’s early. Too early for Keke to be up if she did take a sleeping pill. Decision made, I slide out of bed and change quietly into workout clothes, tugging my hair into a loose knot.
I cross the room and stop at the edge of his bed.
For a second, I just watch him sleep then reach out and give his shoulder a gentle shake.
“Liev—”
It happens too fast to process.
One second my hand is on his shoulder, the next his arm whips up, fingers closing around the back of my neck.
The world flips. My back hits the mattress as he rolls, his knee pinning one arm to my side, and trapping the other above my head.
His weight cages me in, breath hot against my face, eyes dark and lethal.
My body locks, and my lungs forget how to work. Every muscle goes rigid even as my heart slams against my ribs.
He’s off me instantly. One blink and the pressure is gone. My arms are free, and the weight is removed. Liev’s standing at the foot of the bed, horror and regret written across his face.
“I’m sorry,” he rasps. “I was sleeping… It’s instinct… I don’t sleep with other people in the room… I didn’t…” He drags a hand down his face, pacing a few steps before stopping, eyes locked on me. “Malyshka.” His voice is raw. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know,” I say quickly. “It’s fine. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have—”
It’s true. I know Liev didn’t mean it. I know he stopped the second he registered it was me.
My rational brain knows it. My body doesn’t care.
It stays tight, every breath shallow, my nerves humming like angry bees.
I sit up slowly, then push myself to my feet.
“I was just going to tell you I’m heading down to the gym.” Thankfully, my voice is steady. “For an hour. When I get back, you can go, if you want.”
He doesn’t answer right away. I look away from his stricken eyes.
I want to joke. To make him feel better. But even knowing he would never hurt me… I can’t. I need to get out of this room before I do something that makes everything worse—like give in to the tears threatening.
I grab my water bottle and keys, and offer him a small, reassuring smile I don’t feel. “I’m okay,” I insist.
I’m not sure which of us I’m trying harder to convince.
Thankfully, the hotel gym is empty.
I set the treadmill faster than normal.
Sweat slicks my spine and soaks my hairline, but I keep going, until my mind finally quiets. Until I no longer hear the voices in my head telling me that I’m weak and broken.
I bend forward, bracing my palms on the rail, breathing hard.
Everything is going to be fine.
Liev is sitting in the chair by the window, when I return. He’s changed into athletic shorts and a sleeveless shirt, making the tension twitching his inked shoulders easy to see.
He looks up the second the door closes.
“We’re fine,” I blurt out. “Promise. But I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?”
His dark eyes study my face. His jaw tightens, and for a second, it looks like he’s going to argue.
“Okay.”
“Go get your workout,” I say lightly. “I’ll shower and keep an ear out.”
He hesitates, then his shoulders drop before he reaches for his room key and… leaves.
I close my eyes.
Please don’t let me have ruined it.
The thought lands like a blow.
He has to see it now—how fucked up I am. If last night wasn’t enough, my reaction this morning must be a flashing neon sign.
Whatever he thought he was getting out of this, it can’t possibly be worth the hassle.
No one signs up for this long-term.
I force the tears back, and press the heel of my hand hard into my sternum
Get it together. This isn’t new.
This is just… reality.
Keke is up earlier than I expected and already throwing a wrench in the day’s logistics when I hear the door to our adjoining room thud. Liev’s back.
Thirty minutes later, there’s a knock on the cracked adjoining door. I open it further, a finger to my lips and a phone pressed to my ear.
“Yes… no windows and just the one egress.”
Vincent agrees the change of venue is satisfactory, and I end the call and step into our hotel room.
Liev crosses his arms across his chest, and I momentarily forget what I was about to say. Wearing a black button-down shirt and dark jeans, he looks… delicious.
I school my face into something neutral, even as my body betrays me with a rush of remembered sensation.
Damn it.
“What’s going on?”
“Keke doesn’t want to do the interviews in her room anymore,” I explain. “I’ve secured one of the smaller conference rooms downstairs.”
As the day goes on, I watch Keke cycle through four different interviewers. I can’t lie, it’s not what I’d call a good time, but with Liev stationed outside the door, it means I am able to put off any awkward conversation with him.
While Keke answers questions, I check my texts. There are several from Hannah from the night before and this morning. Each makes me more concerned. Her ex-boyfriend showed up last night at her door, and when she didn’t answer, he made so much noise the police were called.
Me: Are you safe?
Hannah: Yeah. He took off before the cops got here. I just feel kind of bad. He was crying.
My lips press into a firm line as I type.
Me: He’s manipulating you.
Hannah: I know.
Hannah: I couldn’t find that picture of you again. Sorry.
I frown. I’d forgotten about the picture.
Me: Nothing to apologize for.
Hannah: Maybe when you get back you can teach me some of your secret ninja stuff, so I don’t have to worry about my ex anymore either.
I stare at the smiley face emoji she included at the end. I know she doesn’t mean anything by it, but it makes me uncomfortable that she thinks I have the answer to dealing with abusive assholes. I’m going to let her down. Because I wasn’t the one who had solved my problem.
Tuning out Keke rhapsodizing about her favorite green juice, I search for a picture of our event in New York. I come across several of Keke, at least one that has my arm in it, but none of Liev.
Where could Hannah have seen it?
I sigh.
What were you going to do? Moon over his picture because you’re too chicken to talk to him about what happened?
The only breaks come between journalists, as they shuffle in and out with cameras and ring lights and false enthusiasm. Because I have to accompany Keke to the public restroom in the lobby, there’s never a moment to speak to Liev. I’m grateful.
Each time I pass him, he tries to catch my eye, but Keke is an excellent buffer. I’m still not sure how I’ll handle it if things are… different between us now. If he’s decided he wants to stop.
I know he’s going to make me talk about it.
Who would’ve thought gangsters are so into healthy communication?
Standing like wallpaper all day gives my thoughts plenty of time to drift toward what I’d hoped something more with Liev might have looked like. With every hour that passes, sadness tightens around my ribs in a slow relentless squeeze.
By the time we’re back in Keke’s room—so she can film her sponsor shots with, in her words, the golden hour light—I’m done. Mentally and emotionally wrung out.
Marco holds the phone videoing, while Keke poses with different products, delivering short, sugary blurbs about why each one is something she absolutely cannot live without. I hover near the door, watching the clock.
“If you don’t need us for this, we’ll head back to our room,” I say sweetly. “I’d hate for us to make a noise in the background and ruin one of your videos.”
Keke gives me a sly smile.
I think about how I heard Liev return this morning. Had she heard us last night? Kissing? Talking?
Fear clenches hard in my gut.
“Yes, you should go.” She points at Liev. “But he stays.” Before either of us can object, she flicks her hand toward Marco. “He’s here to chaperone.”
Liev looks at me.
I search for a legitimate reason to say no—and come up empty. She’s the client.
I turn to the door.
“Oh,” Keke adds. “Don’t forget, we’re going out to dinner tonight. Wear something a little less… that.” She wrinkles her nose and gestures vaguely at my slacks and top.
I give her a tight smile and keep my mouth shut as I leave, the door clicking softly behind me.
I slip my earbuds in and try one of the relaxation meditations Dr. Swan suggested.
It’s not working.
Staring at my clothes, I try to decide which top is the least frumpy to go with my black pants and blazer.
My wardrobe is seriously limited by functionality on the job.
I settle on a fitted green top. At least I can have cleavage while hiding my gun.
I’ve just finished changing when I hear Keke’s outer door closing. Marco must have left.
But Liev doesn’t come back.
Five minutes tick by. Then ten.
Why isn’t he coming back?
I stare at the closed door between the rooms, ears straining to make out the muted voices. I knock only once before opening the door.
And freeze.
Keke is naked.
Okay, she’s not totally naked, but she might as well be. She’s clad in a purple lace bra and thong that are essentially see through. Dresses are strewn across the bed in careless piles.
Seated on the chair in the corner, Liev turns an implacable face to me.
“Oh goodie, she’s back,” Keke drawls sarcastically.
I’m going to kill this bitch.
And then maybe him.
“What do you think?” She picks up two dresses, holding them up against her bare body. “Which one is better?”
“Outside of my job description,” I say through clenched teeth.
“What about you, Luscious Liev?” Keke purrs. “Which one do you think would look better on me?”
I can’t bear to look in his direction. To see how he might be assessing Keke’s perfect, flawless body. Instead, I indulge myself in a lovely fantasy of ripping out her long glossy hair extensions—I know they aren’t extensions and that just makes it worse—and then strangling her with them.
“Both are nice.” Liev’s voice is polite, which only pisses me off further.
“You have to prefer one.”
“Nope.”
“This one is sexier.” I see her shake the red micro-dress in my periphery. “But I want to dance tonight.”
My gaze involuntarily goes to her, and my stomach drops. She’s staring at him as if he’s her favorite treat.
Keke’s expression shifts to something more cunning. “I’m likely to flash my pussy though if I wear this one, since I won’t be wearing anything underneath.”
I jolt at her use of the word, but Liev’s expression doesn’t change.
Is she for real?
“Then you should probably wear the other one.” He gets to his feet. “I’ll leave you to decide. I need to change before we go out.”
When Liev reaches me, he’s not subtle about the push he gives me toward the door.
When it’s closed behind us, I cross my arms over my chest. “You know that’s exactly why her manager wanted me here. You should have left.”
I ignore the pit in my stomach. My concern is purely professional.
“I’m not interested in her.”
Why does he sound irritated?
“Bull shit. She’s hot. She literally gets paid because people want to look at her.”
He closes the distance between us with an almost angry expression on his face, then dips his lips close enough to my ear to send shivers down my spine.
“I don’t care if she was dancing stark fucking naked in front of me. I don’t want to look at her.” His teeth nip my earlobe hard for a split second before releasing. “And for the record,” he growls in my ear, “the only pussy I’m interested in seeing is yours.”
I think I stop breathing when he stares at me for a heated moment before disappearing into the bathroom.