Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Irina's heart slammed against her ribcage, and she dragged in an unsteady breath as she pressed one hand over her chest and leaned against the door. While Roman took the phone call, she used the opportunity to slip inside and put some distance between them. She needed a second to herself to process everything that had happened—and everything that hadn’t.
She swore he was about to kiss her before his phone rang, breaking the moment. She couldn’t figure him out. One minute he was the big, bad bodyguard, keeping her locked away in the ivory tower. The next, he was laughing and smiling, joking like they’d known each other forever.
Despite the innocent flirting over the past few days, she felt a real spark with him.
He made her feel giddy, like she was walking on air, but she had no idea if he felt the same way.
Their past was so riddled with drama that she didn’t know how to reconcile his recent behavior.
The hard ridge she’d felt through the thin material of his shorts told her it was more than just friendly banter, but she had no idea if he would ever let himself feel more for her.
Not for the first time, she wished she had someone to talk to other than Roman. Since he was currently the subject of her speculation, he was the last person she could turn to. A rash desperation took hold, and she scrabbled through her bag, looking for her cell phone.
Roman had given it back a few days ago, once things between them had smoothed over a bit. She’d thrown it back in her purse, and now she snatched it up. While she waited for it to turn on, she stripped out of her soaked sports bra and shorts, then slipped into dry clothes.
As soon as her phone powered up, her screen was bombarded with hundreds of notifications that had come in through email and text message over the last week. Ignoring all of them, she pulled up her phone log and quickly tapped Aster’s number, then waited impatiently for it to connect.
Aster didn’t even bother with a hello. “Irina, please tell me that’s you!”
“Of course it’s me,” she laughed. “Who else would it be?”
“Thank God! I was starting to worry about you.”
Irina smiled at Aster’s overprotective reaction. She could be super paranoid sometimes, but she loved her to death. “I thought Louis told you I was headed out of town.”
“Yeah,” Aster huffed. “But you never know. The whole thing just sounded sketchy with your elopement and everything. You never even told me you were seeing anyone.”
Irina could hear the accusation in Aster’s voice, but Knox’s strict instructions came back to her, and she smoothly ignored the unspoken question. “I know, I’m sorry. Everything happened so fast, and we wanted it to be a surprise…”
Ha. Wasn’t that the understatement of the year? Getting married had sure surprised out of her.
“Right…” Aster sounded worried. “Well, as long as you’re okay.”
“I’m good,” Irina reassured her. “I was kind of just calling to check in, see how everything’s going.”
“People are losing their minds over here,” Aster replied. “Your social media has been going crazy, with everyone wanting all the details.”
“Thanks for taking care of that,” Irina said. “I know everything happened kind of suddenly.”
“It’s fine,” Aster said. “I’m just glad to hear from you and know you’re okay.”
“I’m great.”
Aster must have heard the hesitation in Irina’s voice, because her tone turned contemplative. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Irina shrugged one shoulder as she sank onto the corner of the bed. “It’s been kind of boring, honestly. We’ve only gone out once since we’ve been here.”
Aster let out a crack of laughter. “Have you been stuck in bed the whole time?”
Irina’s cheeks burned at the implication, and her gaze slid to the pillows just a few feet away.
She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t imagined what it would be like between them, especially after the past few days.
He’d shown her a side of himself she hadn’t known existed, and for the first time since she met him, she really believed there might be a possibility of something more.
She must have waited too long to answer, because Aster laughed again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Irina rolled her eyes, mentally slapping away the image of him in bed next to her, all sweaty and sexy. “Just been hanging around,” she said, trying to keep the details to a minimum. “Swimming, walking on the beach. It’s been fun.”
“You never take a vacation,” Aster cut in. “You should enjoy it while it lasts.”
“I know.” Irina threw herself back onto the bed with a sigh. “But Roman says it’s not safe yet.”
“Roman is with you?” Aster asked.
“Well, yeah.” Irina rolled her eyes. “Who else?”
“But I thought you were on your honeymoon?”
Aster’s question caused Irina to bolt upright. Her mind raced to come up with an acceptable excuse but failed.
“Wait a second,” Aster said. “Are we talking about the same person? As in Roman Incardona—your bodyguard?”
“Um…” Irina licked her lips, debating whether she could lie her way out of this. Aster was going to find out eventually anyway, so she gave in. “Yeah. We’re… together.”
“You married him?”
Incredulity saturated Aster’s tone, and Irina bristled. “Why do you say it like that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Aster snapped. “Maybe because you guys have been at each other’s throats since he came to work for you.” She huffed a mirthless little laugh. “Wow. He moved fast.”
There was no concealing the derision in Aster’s tone this time. “It’s not like that,” Irina bit out. “He’s a good guy.”
Ten whole seconds of silence ensued, then a sigh filtered through the speaker. “Do you love him?”
The question hit Irina like a ton of bricks to the chest. “Enough to marry him,” she said softly, realizing how true the words were.
“Are you sure he’s not taking advantage of the situation?”
Irina had to laugh. If either of them was taking advantage of anyone, it was her. “Definitely not,” she said.
Aster persisted. “Seriously, though. How long have you known this guy? How can you be sure?”
“Because he’s nice to me. Because he treats me like a human being instead of tabloid fodder.”
“But—” Aster made an agitated sound on the other end of the phone. “Seriously. How do you know Roman isn’t the one sending you these crazy letters, or involved somehow?”
Irina let out a laugh. “He had nothing to do with those letters.”
“But how do you know for sure?” she insisted. “He could kill you and take everything you own, and—”
“He demanded a prenup,” Irina cut in. A stunned silence met her statement, and she continued. “Plus, I haven’t changed my will. I would never do anything rash like that without making absolutely sure it was for the best.”
Aster was silent for a long moment. “Irina…”
“Just… Trust me.” Irina didn’t bother to tell her they hadn’t followed through with the prenup, but the idea of Roman being her stalker was laughable. The man’s morals were more stringent than a nun’s. “Roman is… the best.”
On the other end, Aster let out a beleaguered breath. “Listen. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but just don’t get your hopes up, okay?”
Part of Irina longed to confide in Aster and spill the truth, but she couldn’t.
She promised Knox that she wouldn’t speak a word to anyone, and she wouldn’t.
All she could do was brace herself for Aster’s ‘I told you’ so six months from now when she and Roman had a very public breakup.
“I appreciate it,” she said softly. “Thanks for everything.”
They said goodbye, then Irina ended the call and turned off the phone before slipping it back into her bag. She stood for several moments, arms wrapped around her waist, replaying Aster’s words. She knew there was something special between them—she just knew it.
But was he more open and flirty because he cared about her, or because she was convenient? The question plagued her as she curled up on the bed and hugged the pillow close, her heart aching.