As if sensing her presence, he looked her way. The second they made eye contact, the world fell away. “This way.”
“Crap, wait. My shoe.”
Tionne was done waiting. With her gaze firmly centered on him, she began to make her way across the crowded room toward him. Misha didn’t join her, but he did hold out his hand and left it there without even caring that she was still people-deep from him. She knew from experience he would leave it there until she took it, then pull her into the safety of his arms.
“Hey, wait up.”
“Take your time,” she called over her shoulder to Kristyn. “I have someplace to be.”
In less time than it should have taken, Tionne made it to Misha. The second her hand touched his, she instantly fell at him. Despite the conversation going around them, he pulled her to him. They didn’t hug or kiss or really speak; they just stood and stared, letting their eyes do all the talking as they ran their gazes over each other, taking in all the changes that the time apart had brought.
Tionne would have been quite happy to stay there for the rest of the night and possibly for the rest of her life, if someone hadn’t taken that exact moment to bump into her and ruin the mood.
Misha released his hold on her and took a nice respectful step away from her and into the space of a very beautiful Middle Eastern woman, whose hand he took the second she was by his side.
What in the hot hell!
Tionne felt as if she was going to be sick. “Brought back a souvenir, I see.”
“Tionne,” he warned.
“Just saying, I don’t see a matching one for me, and you know I like presents.”
The pretty brunette laughed lightly, drawing Tionne’s attention to her. “You must be his ward. He said you were funny.”
Wonderful, even her voice was lyrical and beautiful. This bitch had to die. “Yes, I keep him in stitches.”
“I bet. I’m Asha. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you. But, by the way he talks about you, I was expecting to see a child of twelve instead of a full-grown woman.”
A twelve-year-old. That sounded about right. “Thank you. Unfortunately, Misha hasn’t been as chatty in regards to you.”
“We just met last week. It was all kinds of whirlwindish, but when he invited me to be his date, I couldn’t turn him down.” Smiling, she placed her hand on Misha’s chest. “He isn’t the type of person you say no to.”
Tionne was going to break every bone in Asha’s body. “So I hear.” Afraid of doing something illegal and extremely painful to the other woman, Tionne turned her irritation to Misha. “Looks as if you managed to survive in one piece.”
“I did. I was under strict instructions, after all.”
Tionne glanced over at Asha, then back at him. “I don’t think you followed those instructions to the letter.” Because she specifically recalled the
“back to me”
part of her spiel.
A warm arm slipped around her waist. “Little cousin’s not keen on doing things by the letter of law.”
“So I see.” Happy for the distraction, Tionne focused her attention on Nicholi and his date, Lauren. They’d been seeing each other for a month or so. Tionne liked her a lot, which was pretty amazing considering the other women Nicholi had dated in the past. “Hey, Lauren, I’m so happy you could make it.”
A large smile spread across the pretty woman’s face. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. You look very beautiful, by the way. I love that dress.”
“What there is of it,” Misha chimed in, his tone sounding far from pleased.
Good, at least she wasn’t the only one unhappy. “It’s floor length, Misha. What could it possibly be missing?”
“The back and half the front. Did it not come with a jacket or a shawl of some sort?”
“No. Want to give me yours?”
“Don’t think I’m not tempted,” he growled.
Asha’s laughter was a sharp reminder they had company. “Wow, Misha, you did say you were old-fashioned in a lot of ways.”
“That was putting it lightly. He’s pretty much a cavemen,” she warned Asha without taking her heated gaze away from the man in question. “He’s only two steps up the evolutionary chart from hijabs.”
“And you’re just two steps away from a spanking.”
Nicholi pulled his hand free and rang an invisible bell. “Back to your corners. Round one is over.”
“Good Lord, that took forever,” Kristyn said as she finally came up next to them. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” Tionne answered, holding Misha’s gaze the whole time. It was just getting started.
Chapter Seven
Normally, Misha rather enjoyed attending the formal dinner. Not only was it an important project he held dear to his heart, it was also a way of shining a light on a very worthy cause. But tonight, everything he usually looked forward to—the presentation, the speech, the schmoozing, the seven-course meal—seemed like such a hassle.
He didn’t want to be here. In fact he would have rather been anywhere else in the world than at the large table with a muted Tionne on his right and an animated Asha on his left. Asha was the distraction he was sorely in need of, but her very presence only served as a bitter reminder of the one person he couldn’t have.
Even though Asha was lovely and kind, she wasn’t his woman. There was no there,
there
. Nothing, not even a zing of interest other than friendship. And although Misha was more than sure with just a subtle suggestion Asha would be very willing to venture into a more horizontal and pleasing position, the idea left him feeling cold and empty. After tonight, he would thank her for a lovely evening and charter a plane home for her, because the wall he wanted her to build between him and Tionne hadn’t gotten past the planning stages.
Misha picked up a glass and took a sip, eyeing Tionne over the rim. She was facing away from him, giving him the perfect opportunity to look his fill, and what he saw irritated him greatly.
She was upset. She was trying to hide it, but she couldn’t do that with him. He knew her too well. And no matter how many times she smiled at something Nicholi said, or chatted animatedly with Kristyn, underneath she was unhappy. Even when he tried to do the right thing, it still somehow ended up wrong.
Misha tipped his glass back and finished off the whiskey in one big gulp. It was harsh going down, but the pain did not diminish his desire for more. “I’ll be back,” he said suddenly, causing every eye at the table to look his way.
“Where are you going?” Nicholi asked.
Misha wiggled his empty glass in lieu of replying.
“They do have these fancy things called waiters here,” Nicholi ribbed. “I’m sure they don’t mind doing their job.”
“Just as I don’t mind standing. Besides, I could use the exercise. My legs are still stiff from the plane.”
Asha took hold of his free hand. “Would you like me to go with you?”
From the corner of his eye, Misha could see the sour expression Tionne shot her way. “No, thank you,” he replied, more out of desire for Asha’s head to remain attached to her body and not become a centerpiece at their table than him simply wanting to be alone.
Without another word, he made his way over to the bar, where he waited in line already several people deep. One would think the man hosting the party of the year would be able to cut in, but apparently the patrons hadn’t received that memo. Just as he placed his order, he felt someone touch his arm.
Annoyed, Misha looked down at the hand gripping him, then up at Kristyn, who was standing next to him. He arched a brow and waited until she took the hint and removed her hand. “Thank you.”
“I keep forgetting you’re not a fan of PDA.”
“Only in regards to certain people.”
As usual, Kristyn didn’t let his obvious lack of interest stop her from pressing on. “Buy a lady a drink?”
“Sure.” He kept his tone as dry and uninteresting as he found her. “As soon as a lady shows up, I will.”
“Still so mean after all this time.”
“And yet you keep coming back.”
“Maybe I like pain.”
“Maybe I don’t.”
“I don’t believe that at all. Otherwise why would you continuously play this cat-and-mouse game with Tionne?”
“I don’t believe I care what you think.”
“Tionne cares what I think.”
“That’s because she’s young and naive and isn’t as used to dealing with snakes as I am.”
“So now I’m a snake. I think the last time we talked, you called me a filthy whore. One might say you’re warming up to me.”
“I don’t feel anything for you. Warm or cold.”
“Now you’re lying.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, because if you were as ambivalent about me as you say you are, then you wouldn’t try so hard to keep me and Tionne apart.”
Misha couldn’t help himself. He laughed.
“What?”
“Was ambivalent your calendar word of the day?”
She flushed. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Just as you obviously don’t know what ambivalent means.” The bartender took that moment to bring him his drink. Still laughing, Misha paid for his order and moved away from the bar. Unfortunately Kristyn took this as a sign to follow.
“I know what it means.”
“You really don’t. The word you’re going for here is apathetic, meaning uncaring and disinterested. Ambivalent means contradictory opinions or feelings about something.”
“You are such a dick.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I know. Which is why I’m so surprised when people still seek me out. Like yourself, for instance. What is it you want from me?”
“I don’t want anything.”
“Everybody wants something from me.”
“Even your precious Tionne.”
Intrigued, Misha tilted his head to the side a bit and studied her. “How do you do it?”
“What?”
“Hide that much hatred inside you when you’re around her. It must be so hard to keep it all at bay.”
“I’m her friend.”
Kristyn was many things, but Tionne’s friend wasn’t one of them. “Generally, people don’t hate their friends.”
“And generally, guardians don’t want to fuck their wards.” He stiffened at her callous words. “Yet here we are.”
“Is there a point to this conversation?”
“You blew it.”
“Blew what?”
“Your chance with me. I met someone tonight, a banker who looks like his pockets are very deep. He asked me to go away with him this weekend. I think I’m going to take him up on it.”
Misha went over the list of men he’d seen Kristyn talking to tonight. “You mean Grammly.”
“Yes.” She smiled smugly.
“Good luck with that.” Grammly was rich, all right, but he took frugal to an entirely different level and was rumored to be a bit of a jerk. Seemed like a match made in hell to him, and it couldn’t happen to two nicer people. “I mean it. I wish you nothing but the best.”
Her bitter smile slipped down a notch or two. “Really?”
“Sure, why not.”
“You just don’t get it. I’ve been waiting around, hanging out with Tionne all this time hoping you would finally wake up and notice, but you’re never going to, and it’s a real shame. Because with just a word, you could have had me. I would have done anything to be with you, sexual things you can only imagine, things I know virginal Tionne would never do, and you blew it, all for Ms. Purity Ring. And I wasted all that time with her for nothing.”
“I think you’re the one who doesn’t get it.”
“Really?”
“There’s no ‘could have’ here. If I wanted you, I could still have you. New guy or not, you could be in his bed and all I would have to do is gesture for you to come to me, and we both know you would instantly run to my side. But that’s never going to happen, because I. Don’t. Want. You. And that’s what really eats you up inside, doesn’t it?”
“You’re such an asshole.”
“Funny,” Tionne said from behind them. “I was thinking the exact same thing about you, Kristyn.”
Misha closed his eyes for a second and cursed the gods for her having heard that conversation. If he could have, he would have spared her the entire exchange. When he opened his eyes again, Tionne had moved from behind them to beside him and was facing off with her former best friend. “I guess it’s true—people who eavesdrop don’t hear nice things about themselves.”
“Let me explain,” Kristyn tried. “You didn’t hear the entire thing.”
“I heard enough, dear friend, to know you’ve only been hanging out with me to get to him.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. He was pushing my buttons.”
Tionne shrugged. “Yeah, he does that.”
“Right, you know how he is.”
“And now I know how you are,” Tionne said calmly. “Good-bye, Kristyn.”
The redhead stared at Tionne silently for a second, as if she were trying to figure a way out of the mess she’d gotten herself into. After several long and painful moments of silence, she turned and walked away, leaving the two of them staring in her wake.
“Are you okay?” Misha asked after a few seconds.
“How long?”
Misha sighed. This was the part he dreaded. “Moja draga.”
She held up her hand and cut off his words. “How long, Misha?”
“Since the first day you introduced her to me.”
Tionne dropped her hand and shook her head sadly. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“There wasn’t a point. I never wanted her, but you did as a friend, so I stayed silent.”
“Great plan.”
“Seemed like it was at the time.”
“There you guys are,” Asha said as she came up next to them. “Everyone at the table split, leaving me sitting there all by my lonesome. I was beginning to take it personally.”
“Don’t.” Tionne smiled falsely. “We had to drop some deadweight.”
“Deadweight?”
“Yes, apparently my date was trying to run off with your date.”
“Really?” Asha’s eyes widened. “That was rude of her.”
“Tell me about it.”
Kindness filled Asha’s eyes. “At least you know what sort of friend she is now. No need wasting your time on people unworthy of you.”
“You are right. I see why Misha likes you so much. Thank you for that. Now if you two will excuse me, I think I’ll go outside and grab a little air.”
“Tionne.” Misha reached out to her, only to have her back away.
“I need a moment. Please.”