slipped into his dimly lit room to say goodbye. What he’d seen between her and Liev was just what he had needed to see and very different from the reality. But he must have sensed something because he’d warned her about denying herself love.
With a frustrated sigh, she dragged her mind back to the present and as far away from Liev Dragunov as possible. She was just a week away from the launch and should be focused and alert, but she wasn’t. If it wasn’t the worry of her grandfather and still not being able to give him the bracelet filling her mind, it was that one night with Liev, in his arms as if nothing else had mattered, that haunted her. He took over her mind during the day and infused her dreams at night.
That one night was such a contrast to what had happened since they’d returned from the photoshoot exclusive. He’d dropped her off at her apartment after honouring his word of visiting her family home and meeting her grandfather as planned. The car journey from her Long Island family home had been tense, and each time she’d looked at him, he’d been stern, anger in every move he made, every word he’d said. He’d coolly bid her goodbye, as if they hadn’t shared even a kiss before, and as the week had progressed, his silence had lengthened and she’d begun to wonder what had gone so wrong. And worse—if she would ever get the bracelet.
He hadn’t even contacted her when their engagement exclusive hit the news stands. That photo of him about to kiss her as she’d looked adoringly into his eyes was just about everywhere she went. She thought the saying was that the camera never lied, but it did. They looked so in love, so blissfully happy in that photo, but the reality was so far removed from that loving image it made her feel sick.
She paced her apartment, replaying every word, every touch, and each time the humiliation increased. What kind of fool was she? No longer able to stay inside, she grabbed her purse and left. A walk in the sunshine would help, as would being among the families and couples who would be enjoying Central Park on a sunny Saturday afternoon. When she came back she would be more composed and would send Liev an email request for the bracelet. She didn’t think she could talk to him on the phone and much less face-to-face.
As the elevator doors swished open, her heart thudded to an abrupt stop, her breath caught in her throat, and all she could do was stand and stare. Standing there in all his magnificence was the man she’d unwittingly given her heart to. How should she greet him? What should she say to the man who’d woken the woman within her, then virtually abandoned her?
‘We need to talk.’ His tone was stern, his expression hard, and a lump of dread filled her throat.
‘Is the feature not to your liking?’ She hurled her tart words at him as she moved past him and into the lobby, vaguely aware of the doorman’s curious glance, the first person to witness discord between New York’s latest celebrity lovers. That discord would pave the way for their eventual separation.
Before he could reply, she pushed open the door and walked onto the bustle of the street, hailing a taxi. If he wanted to talk to her, he’d just have to come with her. As if he’d read her mind, he was beside her in the taxi before she could say anything. She glared at him, not sure whether to be angry or pleased he’d followed her.
‘Central Park. Seventy-second Street.’ She had no intention of asking Liev where he’d like to go. She was going to do what she’d planned—a walk to Bethesda Fountain, where she could find some shade to relax in and try to stop thinking about last weekend, the way it had changed her life and how nothing could ever be the same again. At least that had been her original plan.
The taxi moved through the afternoon traffic and the silence stretched between her and Liev, as it had done all week, but she wasn’t going to be the one to break it. She wasn’t going to be needy and ask him why he hadn’t called her. She was only his fake fiancée, after all. What rights did she have? If you were his fake fiancée, you should never have gone to bed with him. The mocking voice in her mind intensified as her anger increased. She’d been such a fool. It was worse than her prom night because she’d wanted it to happen, wanted to be his, even for one night. She’d been swept away by the passion of being whisked off from everyday life to an idyllic island setting. Had that been his intention all along?
As soon as the taxi pulled over, Liev got out, settling the fare before she had a chance. She stepped out into the sunshine; her earlier bravado, brought on by the shock of seeing him standing there when the elevator doors opened, vanished.
‘Shall we walk?’ He gestured to the wide path which led into the park, and the self-assured expression on his face was almost too much.
‘It’s what I came here for.’ She didn’t wait to see if he was following, but moments later she knew he’d fallen into step beside her; even if she hadn’t glanced at him, she would have known. The tingle which shimmied down her spine told her he was close. It also warned her that her body hadn’t forgotten his yet.
‘The engagement feature has done all it was expected to—and more.’ He dropped the words between her, but she stopped, not able to concentrate on walking and thinking of that photo. The one where she’d looked so happy, so in love. Had he noticed that too?
‘So my job is done?’ She looked up at him, his expression serious as she studied his face, looking for any hint that he felt something for her. He looked down into her eyes, the grey of his stone-like. Was that what he’d come here to say? That her job was done and their fake engagement was now over?
She didn’t want to hear that. She didn’t know if she could say goodbye to the man she loved, but she was far too proud to tell him or even hint at deeper feelings. She thought again of the love letter, of those words written in beautiful flowing handwriting, from one lover to another. It was all she’d ever wanted—to be loved like that.
As Liev’s expression hardened, she knew that would never be possible. Everything about him was cold and severe. His challenging stance as they stood in the sunshine of the afternoon, the sounds of the park all around them, told her all she needed to know. He didn’t want her for anything other than forging his way into society. Now that had been achieved, she was surplus to requirements.
‘It is, yes.’ His lips set in a firm line and she could see his jaw clenching. Whatever had come to life between them on the island was now gone. If she was honest with herself, she’d accepted it had died the minute a new day had dawned.
* * *
Liev watched Bianca nod as they stood there, couples and families moving around them, seemingly oblivious to the tension which stretched almost to breaking point between them. She barely had any make-up on. Her hair, normally sleekly styled, was loose around her face. She looked so vulnerable, so emotionally exposed, it stabbed at him, plunging into his conscience and his heart. He’d done this to her; he was responsible for breaking her, for taking a fiery and passionate woman and destroying her.
He savagely pushed that guilt aside. She was the one who’d sold her body, bargained with her virginity, just to get a bracelet. He would never have asked that of her, never have taken it, had he known. She was as driven to achieve her goal as he was. But what exactly was that goal? Why was the bracelet that important?
He’d been seeking revenge for his parents, for his lost childhood. She should have just been an instrument to gain access to the man who’d offered his father that dubious deal, but instead he’d hurt her in the worst possible way, forced her to do something she’d never have done if it hadn’t been the only way.
‘Bianca,’ he began, but she swiftly cut him off.
‘Don’t, Liev.’
‘Don’t what?’ Guilt cut
