Chapter 11 - Katie

I leaned against the doorframe, as winded as if I'd run a mile at full speed, as if someone was chasing me. And someone kind of was. But I was pleased to see I'd finally wiped the smug arrogance off of Aleks's much too handsome face with my announcement. This was the end now. Any second, he would ask me to leave. And not a moment too soon.

In this luxurious apartment, about to be locked in the prettiest bedroom I'd ever seen, all pale blue and cream, with the highly polished antique princess bed and fine art in gilded frames, and being relentlessly wooed by the man I had pined for since I was fourteen, I almost wavered.

I was exhausted. Not just from being up since five in the morning and working my ass off all day, but from the constant, endless worry about money, my sister's future, which I was determined was going to be far brighter than mine, and now, Aunt Marjorie's health. I already lied about the treatment cost being no problem, but it would be a huge problem. An insurmountable one when the bills started rolling in.

As tired as I was, it didn't matter because I had to get up again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that and do it all over again. All the days of my life, in hopes I could keep up, maybe one day, I could eke ahead a tiny little bit.

The man of my dreams laid out something so much better, with him included in the bargain, and I couldn't pounce at the offer. He was always busy with work, but it seemed like he really never took a good look at me all the times I was underfoot at his house. Never clicked that he'd met me before countless times. I finally had to spell it out for him.

He continued to stare at me in open-mouthed horror for a long moment, then finally shook his head.

"Impossible," he said. "You graduated from a public school, not the academy my daughter went to."

So he'd been looking into me and still didn't snap to the truth? And he'd also just accused me of lying, but that was hardly the issue just then. "Yes, St. Ambrose," I said, watching him falter in what he thought he knew to be true about me. "And before that, we both went to Rhodes Children's School. I lived only a few miles from your place in the hills. My parents died in a private plane crash when I was sixteen."

Before he could ask the same infuriating questions about why we still didn't live the way we used to, I told him the rest. Every last humiliating bit. "My father had been embezzling from the investment firm at which he was one of the founders. Everyone trusted him, but he was nothing more than a thief under all his charm. He'd also scammed dozens of families out of millions. My sister and I were lucky we had the clothes on our backs by the time everything was repossessed or taken in the settlements. Because of his deceit and corruption, we lost everything. So, yes, I had to leave St. Ambrose and enroll in public school. I had to get a job that year, too. The first of many."

My hands were clenched at my sides, and I burned with anger at having to rehash everything. And it still didn't look like he fully believed me underneath the dreaded pity in his eyes. I would have rather seen anything else there than that.

With a sigh, I held out my hand for my phone. He'd plucked it out of my pocket after he bundled me into his car. After he handed it to me, I scrolled back through my messages with Nat to the most recent selfie she sent me in front of a fountain in Milan, then held it up to his face.

He frowned at it. "My daughter posts pictures like that all over the internet."

I bit back a swear word and dug through for an old picture of us together in our St. Ambrose uniforms. Another of us grinning by the pool at his mansion in the hills. Then I looked him in the eyes to see he believed me fully now. He was pale under his tan.

"Can your driver take me home now?" I asked, completely defeated by his silence.

Did I wish he didn't care that Nat and I were still close? Did I want him to keep fighting for me? It was silly, but I had been impressed with the levels he'd go to in order to keep me in his life. I felt special, cared for, and wanted, feelings that were so far out of my recent experience that they may have been beaming in from outer space. The fact it was Aleks, the subject of so many daydreams, was making it harder.

"Or I'll just call a ride," I said when he still remained silent.

"No," he said after what seemed forever. Ample time to just walk out, but I couldn't. Not until he told me this was well and truly over. I looked up at him, but his face was inscrutable. "It's late," he continued. "Spend the night. Just get some rest. And I have guards posted this time, so don't think about running off again."

He gently nudged me back into the room and shut the door on me, leaving me alone. It was like a smack in the face, and I stood there staring at the glossy paneled door until my vision blurred and I swayed on my feet.

The exhaustion quickly caught up to me, and that glorious bed, piled high with pillows, was calling to me. I shrugged out of my dirty chef coat and swept back the satin cover to reveal the softest cotton sheets I'd ever run a hand across. Crawling in with the rest of my clothes still on, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the downy pillow.

It seemed like no time at all had passed when I woke up to a knock at the door. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings as Aleks walked into the room, holding a covered tray. I stretched, breathing in the delicious smells that wafted from the tray, feeling more rested than I had in ages.

He covered the big room in a few quick strides, laying the platter on the bed next to me and pulling up a chair to sit down. I had on a tank top, and my bra strap was hanging down one shoulder, the band biting into my back. I slid under the covers and straightened it out, trying to smooth my hair before I popped back out.

He looked at me with an amused expression on his face. "You're always beautiful, Katie."

My cheeks burned, and I pretended to be engrossed by what was under the silver cover on the breakfast platter. I lifted it to reveal fluffy scrambled eggs, two triangles of golden toast with squares of butter melting in their centers, and two strips of bacon. A little crispier than I preferred, but my stomach still growled.

"This is very nice, thank you," I said, awkward as all heck. Yes, a very lovely sendoff, indeed.

"It doesn't matter," he told me.

My head shot up from where I'd trained my gaze on the bacon to avoid looking at him. His eyes caught mine and wouldn't let them go. "What?" I asked, completely confused. The kind gesture of offering me breakfast before kicking me out didn't matter? "What doesn't?"

"That you were friends with Nataliye."

"I still am," I corrected with a snort. "And I think it does."

Aleks shook his head, eyes sure. "You're marrying me. It's what I want, and I think you want it, too. Keep looking me in the eyes and tell me I'm wrong."

I was never much good at lying, so I looked down, pretending to be engrossed with the food. I took a small bite of toast, hoping I wasn't giving away just how much I did want it. But it was ridiculous. Nataliye would never speak to me again, and she might end up cutting Aleks off completely. She adored her father; he was her hero, but her temper was no joke. I would be responsible for destroying their strong bond.

But…

I could still feel him watching me; it was as tempting as a caress. I found myself leaning toward him even though he hadn't made a single move since sitting down. He was waiting patiently for me to combust.

"Marry me," he said quietly, still as a marble statue. "Have my baby."

His low, rumbling voice set me alight. The things he said lit up my imagination. He couldn't honestly be serious. This was his way of playing house for a while, right? Couldn't I live out my fantasies with him for just a little while? But what if he was serious?

My mind was in overdrive as I nibbled on the burnt edge of a bacon strip. Even if he was serious, weddings took months to plan. Someone with Aleks's standing would have to have a huge society wedding. He'd want one of the best venues, that I knew from experience were always booked solid, and he'd want me in a custom designer gown, so it might even take a year before it actually happened.

I could spend all that time with him. Nat would never have to know. He might not even be furious when I inevitably broke it off, because surely he'd tire of me. He couldn't seriously want to spend the rest of his life with me after a one-night stand.

A fantastic, mind-blowing, perfect one night stand, but, still. It wasn't like he was the one pining over me for the last seven years.

A side glance told me he was still watching me intently and I eased back into the soft mountain of pillows behind my back. Living like this, being taken care of by Aleks, spending time with him, even for a finite amount of time, would be such a nice vacation from my life. Memories to hold onto in the empty days and nights after it was all over.

I set down the bacon strip I'd been clinging to like a lifeline and turned to him. His face never wavered, except for the slightest lift of his brows. He made a move, reaching to take my hand in his.

"Marry me, Katie. Tell me what I need to hear."

His voice was low and earnest, his touch feather-light. My heart raced, everything in me yearned to do what he told me to do.

The heartbreak at the end was going to kill me, though, so I had to make it worthwhile.

"I have some things…" I started.

He gently squeezed my hand. "Tell me."

I took a breath and let it out. All of it. "A trip to DC for my sister, and her tuition paid in full through the time she graduates. My aunt is sick and needs treatment, so all of those medical bills taken care of. And the mortgage on her house in Florida paid off, so she doesn't have to work until she's better again." I closed my eyes and waited for the sound of his laughter at my exorbitant demands.

He did laugh, pulling me closer to him. When I opened my eyes, his face was inches away, and his eyes were full of mirth. "Is that all? You didn't ask for anything for yourself."

He leaned back as I stammered, unable to get any more words out. Raising my hand to his lips, he kissed my knuckles, as charming and old-world as the opulent decorations in that room.

"Don't worry," he said. "You'll have all of that and more. Clearly, you don't remember how rich I am, so I'll just have to show you. I only want to hear your answer."

"Ask me again," I whispered, heart beating out of my chest. Was this happening, or was I still asleep?

"Marry me, Katie," he said. "Tell me what I need to hear."

He turned his hand to twine his fingers with mine, and I marveled at how big, strong, and bronzed it was compared to mine, pale with small burn scars from all the years I'd worked in the kitchen. He promised to take care of me and give me whatever I wanted. To live out my dreams of being with him, even if it was only going to be for a short time. I pushed away all thoughts of the coming heartache and lifted my chin to smile as much as my rattled nerves would allow.

"Yes."