Chapter Nine

Ilya

I was distracted when I could not afford to be distracted and it was all Brooke's fault. Opening weekend for Club Envy had not only gone off without a hitch, but we sold more booze than we anticipated and all the who's who of the city showed up to party with the famous and the infamous. It couldn't have gone better, especially the underground gaming room where everyone wanted to lose their cash. I should have celebrated after a successful weekend like that. There were plenty of gorgeous women and I could have taken my pick.

But none of them aroused my interest—or any other part of me.

Because of Brooke.

I could not get the scent of her out of my mind, couldn't get the taste of her off my tongue. I had her black lace panties as a trophy and each time I thought back to that quick fuck in my office, my cock stirred to life and wanted more.

On Saturday, I woke up hard and it was her name that spilled from my lips after a quick shower jerk off. It was her face I saw the moment I stepped inside my office to go over the gaming cash with Dmitri, flashes of her spread out on my desk. And again, when I went to scrub the video footage inside my office from the server, it was Brooke on my mind, but for an entirely different reason. I thought I would get to relive that unexpected but wholly enjoyable quickie with the girl I'd been fascinated with when I was younger. Instead, what I saw shocked me. It was Brooke, crying in my office after I left.

What I couldn't figure out, was why? What did she want from me? I understood enough to know that she'd been upset with my behavior back in college, but what had she expected? It's not as if we could have had a relationship, given we were thousands of miles apart. So many years had passed that it seemed strange she still held onto her anger.

As for what happened in my office, she clearly wanted me as much as I had wanted her, so she couldn't have been upset about the sex. Sometimes I had to resign myself to the fact that women were a mystery. Since the incident in my office, she replied to every one of my calls with a polite email or text message. It was clear that she was trying to avoid talking to me, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I had done wrong.

And that explained why I was at my Winter Valley home helping the movers unload boxes from the truck instead of in the city working. The movers were more than capable, but I needed to burn off some of the tension that made it impossible to focus on anything but the green-eyed woman who confused the fuck out of me.

"You are making the movers nervous," Dmitri said, breaking into my thoughts.

I frowned. "Why? I'm helping."

Dmitri sighed. "If you need to work something out, there will soon be a gym in the basement."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you, my shrink now?"

Dmitri smiled, but it was grim. "Do you need me to be?"

"No. I'm fine. In fact, I think I'll go get lunch for everyone."

"You don't want to wait for the interior designer first?"

"No. I've told her what I want, and I expect exactly that." It was rare that people failed to fulfill their promises to me, so I wasn't as concerned as Dmitri. "I'll talk to you later."

"I will head back to check on things once the truck is unloaded."

"Perfect. Thanks."

Dmitri snorted and I gave him a quizzical look. "You sound more like an American each day."

I grinned. "Sounds like a compliment," I said, and headed to my car, which was parked on the street to make room for the moving truck.

Not much had changed in Winter Valley in eight years. Some of the older shops and restaurants had updated their look, while the new places stood out among the old ones. One thing I was sure was still the same, was that Winter Valley Pies still made the best pizza in town. It was early afternoon and there were a few diners inside while the buzz of activity from the kitchen said they did a good delivery business.

I looked around and smiled when I saw a familiar figure ahead of me in line. Three people separated us, and I couldn't take my eyes off her in those jeans that hugged her thighs and ass. They were well-worn and so snug I wanted to slide one hand into her back pocket. I had questions and this was my chance to get some answers.

She was oblivious as I made my way to her side, gasping when I put a hand on her shoulder. "Brooke."

Her gaze narrowed at me, and she shook off my touch. "Ilya."

"Good to see you again," I said just soft enough that she could hear me.

She advanced to the counter and placed her order, acting as though I didn't exist. She then moved away and took a seat at one of the tables, working hard to ignore me. I wasn't used to being ignored by beautiful women,

"How are you?" Her face remained stony, so I kept up the conversation with myself, "Me? I'm good, thank you for asking."

I caught the start of a smile, but then it was replaced with a blank look. "What is it that you want, Ilya?" Her eyes were suspiciously glassy, which put me on edge.

"For starters, I would like to know what I've done wrong? We both wanted what happened." On that much I was clear. Her reaction to me was undeniable and had, in fact, shocked me that she submitted so easily. So quickly.

Her nostrils flared angrily, and her face turned a bright shade of red as she leaned in. "You got the fuck you wanted, so do you really care?"

Her anger shocked me. "Is this about what happened back in college?"

She looked down and started playing with the zipper on her purse.

"What is it you expect from me?" I asked.

She snorted. "I no longer expect anything of you, Ilya. Walk away, the way you always do."

"Brooke." The teenager behind the counter called out her name, and she jumped up from her seat, grabbed the order, and rushed out of the restaurant.

"Brooke," I called after her, following when she didn't slow down. "What is it that I've done? Explain yourself."

"I don't owe you a damn thing. Just go away." She set the boxes on the floor in front of the passenger seat and slammed the door, rushing around to the driver's side and away from me.

"You regret it," I realized as the words fled from my mouth. "Is there a man in your life? Is that why you're angry?" She wouldn't be the first woman to blame a man for her disloyalty.

She grunted. "If there was, I wouldn't have been so easy."

"Then what is the fucking problem?"

She whirled on me and once again tears swam in her eyes. "There is no problem. I don't want or need anything from you either. Like you said, we both got what we wanted, so let's just chalk it up to a terrible mistake. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Enjoy your evening, Mr. Kuznetsov."

"That mister shit is pissing me off."

"That's your name," she shot back, and slipped behind the steering wheel. "Given our professional relationship, that's what I'll call you." She moved to slam her car door, to shut me out and I grabbed the door before she could. "Let go."

"I can't."

"You did once. I'm sure you can do it again."

My brows dipped in confusion. "Seriously? You are still pissed off about something that happened years ago that was beyond my control. We're adults, not stupid kids anymore. I live here in Winter Valley now and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." That was the plan now, anyway.

"Don't count on it. I'm not the girl I used to be, so desperate to belong and fit in that I was willing to believe your lies." She took advantage of my shock and snatched the door from my grip, slamming it shut before she peeled out of the parking lot with a thunderous expression on her face.

I smiled despite her furious expression. It's clear she was holding a grudge, well that was a minor inconvenience. But I was sure that in time she would forgive me.

Of that, I was sure.