Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (43 page)

The
dress was strapless. A crystal pave brooch gathered the fabric between the
breasts and cinched the material into an empire waist. The remaining fabric
fell in a beautiful cascade of silk all the way to the floor. “It’s beautiful,”
I breathed.

Shae
ran her hand over the silk. “It feels amazing.”

I
draped the dress over the desk and ducked inside the bathroom to touch up my
makeup and hair.

Shae
had changed into a black sheath dress and heels by the time I finished in the
bathroom. She let her hair down and disappeared into the bathroom to touch up
her makeup while I slipped into the lavender dress.

I
reached into the gift box to retrieve the strappy silver heels that Maxim had
included with the dress. I eyed the five inch heels. “What is it with these Ukrainians
and their five inch heels?” I muttered as I wound the straps around my ankles.

Shae
laughed when she saw the shoes. “Good luck walking in those!”

I
tugged the bangle bracelets Maxim had given me for the charity ball over my
wrist. “Do I look okay?” I took a few steps in the shoes.

“You
look beautiful, but you might want to practice walking in those shoes a bit
more before we tackle the stairs,” she responded teasingly.

I
rolled my eyes as I walked across the room again. I glanced at Shae as she
reached for her purse. “You look amazing in that dress. Do you know where
Konstantin is taking you?”

She
shook her head. “He said it’s a surprise.”

I
laughed as I followed her into the hallway. “That’s exactly what Maxim said.”

Maxim
and Konstantin rose from the couch when we entered the lobby. Maxim was wearing
a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a white tie. He looked annoyed to see
Brady and Ethan trailing after us, but his eyes softened when he looked at me.
“
Krasivo,
”
he breathed
as he gently kissed my cheek.

I
smiled as I smoothed my hands over his suit jacket. “You have exceptional taste
in clothes, Maxim. Thank you for the dress, the shoes, and the
Matryoshka
dolls. The children at the orphanage have really enjoyed your gifts.”

He
sifted my hair through his fingers. “Did you keep a doll for yourself?”

I
kissed his cheek. “Yes. I’ve kept one gift from each delivery you’ve sent to
the hotel. It’s a good thing I have an extra suitcase, now that I’ve given away
all of my training manuals.”

Shae
and Konstantin waved as they walked out the door.

Maxim
wrapped his arm around me as we followed them outside. A number of
photographers immediately snapped our picture. Maxim answered a few questions
before helping me into the car. I glanced at Brady, who had already climbed
into the back seat. “Where’s Ethan?”

He
looked up from his phone. “He’s planning to follow in our car.”

I
shifted my attention to Maxim when he slid into the driver’s seat. “I hope the
media loses interest when I go to Sevastopol.”

He
glanced at me as he backed the car out of the parking space. “Things should be
fairly quiet the first few days you’re there, but there could be some media
backlash when they start seeing you with Rafael… especially considering the rumors
about us getting married.”

I
studied Maxim’s face. It was surprisingly unreadable. “Are you going to miss
the publicity?”

He
shook his head. “I’m going to miss you.”

I
ran my fingers through the hair near his temple where it glimmered with the
tiniest bit of silver. A pained look fell over his face as he leaned into my
hand. I lowered my voice so it fell just above a whisper. “You do realize the
media and the vast majority of Ukrainian women are madly in love with you?”

He
looked at me pointedly, his skepticism clear.

I
laughed. “It’s true. I think every single one of my female students wants to
marry you.”

He
merged onto the highway. “They don’t want to marry me. They just want to be you.”

The
smile fell from my face. “I don’t like it when people say that.”

He
glanced at me in surprise. “Why?”

I
stared out the window at the darkening sky. “I’ve endured some really awful
things. I was beat for nine years, kidnapped twice, nearly raped, nearly
drowned, and I lost a baby when I miscarried from the drowning incident. I
wouldn’t wish my life on anyone.”

His
eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t understand how you can be as kind as you are when
you have been exposed to so much violence.”

I
shrugged. “If I let those experiences harden me, then the bad guys win.”

He
slowly nodded.

I
reached for his hand. “What drew you to the mafia, Maxim?”

A
cloud fell over his face. “I’m in the mafia because my father and my two older
brothers were in the mafia.”

I
twined my fingers with his. “Were?”

His
jaw clenched. “Every single one of my family members has been killed.”

My
breath caught. “Killed… like purposely murdered… not in an accident?”

He
nodded.

My
voice was barely a whisper. “Who killed your family?”

His
eyes met mine. “The KGB.”

I
shook my head. “I’m so sorry, Maxim.”

He
tried to shrug it off. “It was a long time ago.”

I
nodded in understanding. I could tell he didn’t want to discuss it any further,
so I changed the topic. “Have you ever been married?”

A
smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He shook his head. “No.”

I
laughed. “Let me guess. You’re a notorious playboy who goes through a different
woman every week.”

He
chuckled softly. “In all honesty, I’ve never met a woman who could hold my
attention, until you.”

I
rolled my eyes. “
Please.
I bet you say that to all the girls.”

He
frowned. “I’ve never said that to any other woman.”

I
glanced at him in surprise.

He
sighed. “Kristine, when I said I wanted you to move to Ukraine, to accept a
position at the university or with the foreign ministry, I wasn’t feeding you a
line. I was being completely honest.”

I
tried removing my hand from his, but he tightened his hold. My heart sank when
my eyes met his.

He
continued. “When the prime minister told me to marry you, I could see myself
married to you. I actually think it’s a very good idea.”

I
shook my head. “I’m not ready to get married… to anyone.”

He
nodded. “I know,
kotyonok
. I think I have Michael to thank for that. If
I ever have an opportunity to meet that guy, I’m going to wring his neck.”

I
laughed. “I doubt you will cross paths with Michael any time soon. Rafael… yes.
Michael… no.”

He
smiled as he gently kissed my hand. “We’re here.”

I
studied the building sitting at the end of the parking lot. “Where is here?”

Maxim
and Brady stepped from the car. Maxim opened my door. “The Crimean Philharmonic
Hall. The prime minister and his wife invited us to join them for the
symphony.” He reached for my hand as he helped me from the car.

I
placed my hand in his. “He’s going to personally offer me that job at the
foreign ministry, isn’t he?”

Maxim
laughed. “I’m quite certain he’ll be encouraging you to take that job.”

My
stomach attempted a round-off back handspring before disappearing somewhere in
the vicinity of my toes. My brain slid into overdrive as I sifted through
excuses for turning down the job.

Maxim
wrapped his arm around me as we began walking toward the building. We stopped
in front of a beautifully lit fountain. Maxim motioned for Ethan and Brady to
back away as he encouraged me to sit next to him on the ledge. He shoved his
hand in his pocket as he turned to face me. “I have one last gift for you,
Kristine. You should know that I will be hurt if you decline it or if you attempt
to give it away. This gift is for you…
only you
… and before you start
worrying… it’s not what you think.” He pulled a small black velvet box from his
pocket and set it in the palm of my hand. His hand folded over mine as he wrapped
my fingers around the box.

My
eyes filled with tears. “Maxim,” I whispered pleadingly. “You’ve already done
far too much.”

His
eyes captured and held mine. “
Kotyonok,
please.
”

I
gently caressed his face. “How will I ever say goodbye to you?”

He
closed his eyes. “Don’t.”

I
softly kissed each of his cheeks. “I’ll never forget you Maxim Markov.”

His
eyes met mine as my lips hesitated over his mouth. He pulled me in for a
passionate kiss. Maxim steadied me on the ledge when he finally released me.
“The gift,” he encouraged softly.

My
gaze shifted to the little black box. I slowly opened the lid. The air rushed
from my lungs when I saw the ring tucked inside. The ring shimmered, then
blurred as tears spilled from my eyes. “What is it?” I finally asked.

He
took the ring from the box. “This is an alexandrite. Genuine alexandrite stones
are extremely rare.” His eyes met mine. “Much like you. I want you to consider
this a promise ring.”

I
sat spellbound as he slipped the fiery purple and green stone onto my finger.
The alexandrite was completely surrounded by diamonds, which ran down both
sides of the ring. Two heart shaped diamonds were nestled on either side of the
center stone. “A promise? For what?”

Maxim
looked surprisingly shy. “I’ll promise not to push you to marry me before you
leave, and I’ll back off while Rafael is here, if you promise to return to me
when your relationship with him fails.”

I
sighed. “You’re assuming it will fail.”

He
nodded. “I know it will fail. There is no way you can marry that man when you
are in love with his brother… and I know you will never take Michael back. He
has caused you far too much pain. I hear it in your voice every time you talk
about him.”

I
looked down at the ring, which sat sparkling against my right hand. “There is
another man who believes we were meant to be together.”

He
shrugged. “If you were in love with him, you’d be with him now. You’re not,
which means your heart is fair game for me.”

I
shook my head. “I could never live in Ukraine.”

His
head tilted as he studied me. “What if I quit working for the mafia and moved
to the United States?”

My
head shot up in surprise. “You could do that?”

He
nodded. “I would certainly consider it if that were the only thing standing
between the two of us.”

“A
promise,” I murmured uncertainly.

Maxim
reached for my chin. “You do realize that I have fallen completely, hopelessly,
and irrevocably in love with you?”

My
heart tripped. A single tear stole silently down my cheek. Our lips hovered,
suspended in time, until they met in an earth shattering kiss.

I
sat in silent contemplation during the drive to Sevastopol. Ethan was driving, Brady
was sitting next to him in the front seat, and I was sitting by myself in the back.
Shae, Sammi, and Cory were in Konstantin’s car. Konstantin had insisted on
overseeing our security until Maxim could join us in Sevastopol tomorrow
afternoon. Maxim had lined up a number of other men from Sevastopol to meet up
with us when we arrived.

I
felt conflicted about Maxim coming to Sevastopol. I wasn’t convinced that Maxim
would temper his advances with Rafael around. I didn’t even want to think about
how he might respond to Rafael touching me, and Rafael wasn’t likely to hold
back. Rafael wasn’t going to tolerate the kind of touching or kissing that
Maxim had grown accustomed to, either.

I
studied the ring on my finger. How would the media react to seeing me with
another man? The press had ensured my relationship with Maxim was larger than
life. That strategy may have ensured my safety in Simferopol, but once the
media got wind of the fact that I was with Rafael in Sevastopol, I knew there
would be hell to pay. Never in a million years had I imagined I could get into
so much trouble on a peace-building trip.

I
sighed miserably as I stared out the window. I really missed Rafael. We talked
on the phone for over an hour last night, after I returned from the symphony. I
was both anxious and terrified to see him tomorrow. I glanced at my watch. Rafael’s
plane would soon be landing in Paris. He would be speaking with Michael in just
a few hours.

I
thought about Maxim’s comments. I couldn’t understand why he thought I was still
in love with Michael. I shook my head. A part of me would always love Michael,
but I wasn’t in love with him… not anymore.

But
what if Maxim was right? What if my relationship with Rafael was doomed to fail
because of my relationship with Michael? What if Michael asked Rafael to end
his relationship with me? Would Rafael continue dating me if he knew it would
cost him a relationship with his brother?