by Bella Rose
Mikhail had to admit that Toby was correct. “I accused her of sleeping with Creighton once before,” he told Toby. “In my office. She stormed in yelling about revenge and her father’s company. Things got heated. We—uh, well, things happened.”
Toby’s eyes went wide. “Dude! You fucked her in your office? Right on!”
“I don’t know whether to give you a high five or deck you in the face,” Mikhail told him. “I don’t know what happened. One minute things were fine, and then Creighton was standing between us like a wall.”
“You’re jealous,” Toby guessed. “Admit it. You’re worried that she might actually like that dipshit.”
The idea was abhorrent, and yet there was a niggling doubt in Mikhail’s mind. What if Courtney did carry a torch for Creighton Kemper? That asshole wanted to use her in the worst way. Yet women sometimes didn’t see that sort of thing until it was far too late.
“I might suggest something a little more complicated actually,” Toby said in a tone that reeked of philosophical bullshit. “Maybe it’s easier for you to imagine Courtney has a thing for Creighton, because it means you don’t really have to entertain the notion that she wants you. If she does want you, especially now that there’s a kid involved, that’s a shitload of commitment all at once. It’s safer to think that she’ll wind up with Creighton, and you can be mad at her for being stupid.”
“I’m sorry, why didn’t you go to medical school and become a psychologist or some bullshit?” Mikhail griped.
“Because I am far better at business using my mega-mind psychobabble mumbo jumbo,” Toby teased. “There’s no money in the field of psychology.”
“So what you’re saying,” Mikhail began slowly, “is that I owe Courtney one big fat apology.”
“Yeah. Pretty much. I’d get some kneepads for the groveling.”
Mikhail grunted. “Fuck off.”
Chapter Fifteen
Courtney curled into the fetal position and faced the wall of Bella’s guest room. She’d opted to stay here instead of going back to her father’s place. Sooner or later—really sooner—she was going to have to get her living situation straightened out. But now that she had this pregnancy issue to deal with, everything was just that much more complicated. It was one thing to provide for herself; it was quite another to imagine she could raise a child all by herself.
She tossed and turned, rolling to her other side and stacking her hands beneath her cheek. The clinic doctor’s words about options kept running through her mind. How could she even imagine doing such a thing? Aborting her baby seemed like the worst possible option, and yet simultaneously it seemed like the easiest one. An abortion would allow her to continue along as she had been without all of the turmoil a baby would inevitably bring.
Courtney flopped onto her back and sighed. Who was she kidding anyway? Continue on as she had been? There was nothing to continue on with. Not really. Her life was a disaster. She was supposedly engaged to marry a complete tool, and she never intended to go through with the wedding she was currently planning. Her father had lost their business. She was secretly working for her best friend’s husband while trying to figure out if she had enough money and income to get her own place.
“Oh wait,” she whispered caustically to the darkness. “I’m actually having to grow up. No wonder this sucks.”
All her life she’d done what she was told and reaped the benefits of just being the good girl from a well-to-do, distinguished family. She hadn’t ever really had to sacrifice much. And she had never asked questions. Everything had been by the book. In fact Mikhail was almost the only thing she had ever done that could be considered reckless. Both when she was a silly infatuated fifteen-year-old, and now when she was a silly infatuated old-enough-to-know-better grown woman. What was wrong with her that she couldn’t just settle down and make good decisions? Why did she always have to go do something to mess things up? Or really, the question was, why couldn’t she seem to stay away from Mikhail? He was like her own personal kryptonite.
There was a noise at the door. She rolled over again and found herself staring at a dark shadow she knew to be Mikhail. Her anger at him had long fizzled out. She had sprung that whole pregnancy thing on him on purpose. Maybe she’d expected him to react differently, but she hadn’t really been fair about it. Especially not if the guy truly believed that he was sterile. But it rankled that he would believe her capable of sleeping with Creighton after everything she’d already told him about that jerk’s presence in her life.
“I owe you an apology.” Mikhail’s low voice floated across the room. “I just wanted to say that before I go home.”
There was something a little off about the way he spoke. “You sound drunk.”
“I’ve had some brandy, if that’s what you’re referring to. But I assure you I’m perfectly capable of owning my words and actions.”
“Is that right?” She couldn’t help but smile. He was throwing his hand around as he spoke, and Mikhail didn’t traditionally make a lot of gestures. He was a rather closed individual.
“Hell yes!” He staggered into the bedroom, catching himself on the four-poster bed to keep upright. “I know I hurt your feelings when I told you that there was no way I was the father of your kid.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “It hurt because you were calling me a liar. I’m not.”
“I know that.”
He seemed to be searching his brain for the words he wanted to say. In the dim light barely spilling into the room from the hall, he looked like one handsome devil come to tempt her in the night. Of course, he also smelled like a liquor cabinet.
Courtney sat up in the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around and rested her chin on top. “Why are you here?”
“Because I don’t want you to think badly of me.”
She drew back, surprised. “Well, that was candid.”
“You asked,” he grunted. “I’m just telling you what pops into my head.”
“Certainly not the norm for you, is it?” Courtney wondered if this was the time to get some of her questions answered. “You really didn’t have sex with me just to get back at my father?”
“Woman, I’m not sure if you’re just having trouble believing you’re desirable without additional incentive, or if you truly believe I’m that much of a jackass. Which is it?” He was practically glowering down at her.
“Gee. You just look so encouraging that I’m sure you’re making me feel like your motives are pure as the driven snow.” She didn’t bother to temper the sarcasm in her voice. “Now get your drunk backside out of my room before I scream and tell Toby to throw you out.”
To her shock, he flopped down onto her bed. “No. I think I’ll hang around a bit.”
“What? I thought you said you were getting a ride home?” She was feeling a little panicky without even knowing why. “You can’t sleep in here with me.”
“Why not? This isn’t even your bedroom,” he pointed out.
“Ugh!” She tried to kick at him with her feet. “Get off!”
Mikhail started laughing. Not just a chuckle but a big belly laugh that made her smile in spite of herself. She hated to imagine what he found that funny. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to tell her, though.
“Get off,” he guffawed. “I’d love to. Just put your hand in my pants and give my dick a tug, sweetness.”
Courtney’s mouth popped open in shock. Then she couldn’t help it. She dissolved into a fit of giggles that had tears clinging to her eyelashes. The man was insufferable and disgustingly arrogant among other things, and yet he was inexplicably charming all at the same time. Life was so complicated sometimes.
* * *
Mikhail came to slowly. He was lying on something soft in a very quiet room that was unfamiliar to him. Tiny streaks of light were just filtering through the blinds on the windows as dawn approached with steady certainty.
His head was pounding like a freight train.
He was almost certain that he had done something stupid the night before. He could remember going to Toby’s penthouse in an effort to understand what the hell was going on with his life. He remembered finding Courtney there. She’d accused him of something.
A baby.
Mikhail sat bolt upright in the bed. That was about the time he realized that he wasn’t alone. There was a warm soft body tucked in beside him. The sweet familiar scent told him that it was Courtney lying beside him, but he couldn’t imagine for the life of him how that had happened. He was almost certain that she hated him at the moment. A woman tended to do that after a man called her a liar and accused her of sleeping with someone that she hated.
God, he was an idiot!
Rubbing his hands over his face, he tried to get the bass drum in his brain to stop thumping. Unfortunately every single move he made only seemed to make it worse. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. He nearly fell on his ass as his head began to spin like a top.
He gripped the bedpost and sucked in huge draughts of air as he tried to get his stomach to calm down. Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried to stop the world from spinning out of control. It wouldn’t do him any good to throw up right here in the middle of the bed. In fact he was pretty sure that Courtney would take great exception to being woken up in such a way. The thought actually made him smile.
Feeling shaky, he turned and let go of the bedpost. He made an effort to walk to the door. Then he made a further effort to head for the kitchen. It felt like miles. When he arrived, Bella was already making coffee. She was wearing fluffy bunny slippers and a blue robe. Her hair was piled atop her head, and she looked as if she had just rolled out of bed herself.
“Hey,” she grunted. Apparently she wasn’t conversational in the morning. That suited Mikhail just fine. Then she turned and saw his attire. “You slept in your clothes?”
“Apparently.”
“Does this have anything to do with the reason Toby came to bed so late last night? The two of you must have been up until the wee hours of the morning!” she accused. “You shouldn’t keep him up like that, you know. He needs his rest.”
“I’ll keep that in mind next time he makes such a concerted effort to get me drunk in order to make certain I don’t run off and do something idiotic,” Mikhail assured her.
“Idiotic,” Bella muttered. “You mean like accusing my best friend of sleeping with Creighton Kemper? Do you have any idea how horrible that man is to her?”
“Yes.”
“He hits her!” Bella snarled. “And you sat there all smug and tried to say that he was the one who fathered her child! Of all the nerve.” Bella was truly muttering to herself by now. She put her coffee mug to her lips and sipped the hot brew without offering him any.
“Can I get some coffee?” he finally asked.
“No.” She glared at him. “My coffee is for nice people.”
“Come on, Bella,” Mikhail begged. “My head is pounding, and I feel like my insides are pickled. I needs a caffeine pick-me-up.”
Toby came striding into the kitchen then, looking disgustingly put together and almost perky. “Hey! There’s the man who downed almost my entire bottle of brandy on his own.”
“Is that what his problem is?” Bella looked at Mikhail with open scorn. “He’s demanding coffee.”
“Give him some, sweetie. Have a heart. All right?” Toby leaned over and nuzzled her neck before kissing her lips. “He’s really not a bad guy. I think we established this last night.”
“Wait.” Bella looked suspicious. “Are you going to admit that you’re the baby’s father?”
Mikhail wasn’t used to people being so blunt with him. “Uh. Yes?”
“Then I suppose I might be willing to give you just a little coffee.” She pulled out a miniscule thimble-sized coffee cup. “I think an espresso cup will do.”
“Come on, Bella,” Mikhail whined. Then he turned to Toby. “Your woman is vindictive as hell.”
“We call that loyalty,” Toby shot back. “And you did behave like an ass.”
“I think we have all established that.” Mikhail was feeling distinctly grumpy and out of sorts. His suit was rumpled and twisted into a mess. He could feel the shadowy stubble of his beard, and his mouth felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton and then doused with crap. “And since I have a ten o’clock meeting this morning about the merger with Pierson Security, I really need to get some coffee and get moving.” He gave Bella a pointed glance. “If you don’t mind.”
Just then, Courtney came breezing into the kitchen. “I’m so late!” she gasped. “I have to go, Bella. Thank you so much for letting me crash here last night.”
Courtney smooched Bella on the cheek and went dashing out the door without sparing Mikhail even one teensy glance. The look of satisfaction on Bella’s face burned Mikhail like acid.
He sighed. “I suppose you’re happy now that she put me in my place?”
Bella’s only response was to pass him a regular-sized cup of coffee. Yep. Mikhail had some work to do if he was going to repair the damage he had done to Courtney’s opinion of him. The trouble was he didn’t know exactly how far he wanted to go with that project at the moment. What did he really want, and how did Courtney and this hypothetical child actually fit into all of that?
Chapter Sixteen
Why did Mikhail Krachenko have to be so likeable? It was the question that plagued Courtney throughout the rest of her morning. She sat in her cubicle and tried not to remember what it felt like to hear him lightly snoring beside her during the night. He hadn’t been in any sort of condition to be physical, but he had been surprisingly affectionate.
“Probably just a side effect of the liquor,” she muttered.
Her cubicle neighbor popped up over the wall almost immediately. “What?”
“Oh nothing,” Courtney said quickly. “I was just thinking about a problem a friend of mine is having. Nothing big.”
“Nothing big?” To Courtney’s horror, Janie gave a sly smile and nodded her head. “Yeah, I bet it’s nothing. Is that why you neglected to tell us that you’re engaged to Creighton Kemper?”
“What?” Courtney felt like a deer caught in the proverbial headlights. “Who told you that?”
“Well, my friend Iris works in Human Resources, you know?” Janie sounded obscenely eager. “She told us that you’re really Courtney Piers-Cameron. Not just Courtney Cameron.”
“So?” Courtney said lamely. “I don’t like to hyphenate my name.”
Janie rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows that Courtney Piers-Cameron is mega-rich and about to marry Creighton Kemper. It’s all over the society page.”
“It’s what?” Courtney shot to her feet. “What society page?”
Janie disappeared for a moment and then waved a newspaper over the barrier between their desks. Courtney snatched it up and saw with horror that the woman was absolutely correct. Someone had pasted a huge photograph of her and Creighton on the main society page. The headline touted a huge merger of old distinguished families. It was all Courtney could do not to start screaming. She wanted to sit in a corner somewhere and stick her fingers in her ears and pretend that none of this was happening.
“This isn’t me,” Courtney said quietly. She shoved the paper back at Janie. “I wouldn’t marry that bastard if he paid me a million dollars.”
“Well, this says that he is.” Janie’s smug look of disdain was almost more than Courtney could handle.
“Papers lie.” Courtney threw the words over her shoulder as she picked up her purse and bolted from her cubicle.
She could not stay one more second and pretend that everything was all right when nothing was right. It was all wrong. Very. Very. Wrong.
* * *
Mikhail couldn’t seem to focus on his work. Everything was bothering him. Frank had put a report on his desk that suggested that there was really nothing going on with the Russians. They were quiet. Everything was quiet. To
o quiet. Then he saw a ridiculous story in the society pages about the upcoming nuptials between Creighton Kemper and Courtney Piers-Cameron.
“Dammit to hell!”
Mikhail wadded up the newspaper and lobbed it across the room. He began pacing energetic circles around his office. He had woken up beside Courtney this morning. The woman was carrying his child. He didn’t know what he wanted to do about it, but he damn well knew he didn’t want Creighton Kemper involved. And what idiot would run that story in the society pages anyway? It made no sense! Kemper knew that deal was bust. Piers-Cameron might wish his daughter would marry Kemper and pull his backside out of the fire, but he couldn’t really be that stupid. Could he?
Mikhail stomped to his desk and pushed the page button that would connect him to Frank’s cell phone. It took the man two seconds to respond. Mikhail didn’t even let him speak. “Find out who ran that idiotic story in the paper about Kemper and Courtney.”
“Yes, boss.”
Was it Mikhail’s imagination, or did the man sound amused? Mikhail shook it off. That didn’t matter. “Are you guys watching Courtney? I want someone on her at all times.”
“She’s actually fairly good at ditching our guys,” Frank mused. “I’ll double the tail, but I’m not sure how well we can continue to protect her without actually telling her what we’re doing.”
“Just do it.”
“What’s eating you?” Frank wanted to know.
“I don’t know!” Mikhail shoved his fingers through his hair. “It’s too quiet. And then there is this ridiculous article. It’s like someone wants us to be complacent.”
“And you think the Russians are behind this?” Frank sounded dubious. “Are you sure you’re not just feeling paranoid?”
That word! Mikhail hadn’t felt this paranoid in years. He’d been out of the mafia. He wasn’t a part of that world anymore. He didn’t want to be like his father, and he sure as hell didn’t want to have to dredge up the past any more than was absolutely necessary. He had put that life behind him. That man was no more. He was a legitimate businessman. That was all that mattered.
