I thought fast, letting my gut lead me and fill in the gaps. “You’re going with me as backup.”
His eyebrows seemed to rise to his hairline. “I am?”
“Of course. We’re going back to Elysium City today. I’ll contact Vieira in a few sols to arrange a meeting, and you can join us. You can step in if you think things are veering out of control or I’m over my head. Where will you be if I need you?”
I could tell he was still reeling. More so when I held out my hand for the holo-adapter and he gave it back without protest.
“Just shim me. I’ll be there wherever, whenever.” A pause, then, “I’ve just sent you my contact info.”
I felt my c-tex vibrate and I checked the new shim, verifying it was from him. I would have liked to say I was surprised he could so easily access my flat-file avatar after four years, but it didn’t seem appropriate.
“Great. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to pack and you need to leave.”
I waved at the clothing I’d strewn about the bed to illustrate my point. Then I grabbed the first thing I could lay my hands on, waded it up into a ball, and hurled it into my suitcase. Gods knew I needed to do something with my hands, and I didn’t want to have to face Brody and explain my actions. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could even explain them to myself. All I knew for certain was, now that I’d seen Brody again, my gut didn’t want me to lose the connection.
“Felicia, are you sure this is a good idea?” He stepped so close, I felt his warmth through my robe. “I don’t want to make things complicated for you with Alexei. I just want you safe.”
“I know,” I assured him, folding more clothes. “This is how you’re going to do it.”
He was silent for a long time. I knew he wanted me to look at him so I resolutely focused on packing. Finally I heard him sigh. “If this is what you want, I’ll do it. I was always terrible at saying no to you. Besides, maybe this will be fun. It’ll be like the old days. There’s been no woman in my life quite like you.”
I wasn’t sure how to reply. Did I say I was glad to see him too? Or tell him I wondered about him sometimes? Should I admit there were times when I imagined what a life with him might have been like? No, probably not a good idea. “I’ll shim you when I have the details,” I said instead.
Nervous energy kept me moving, knowing he watched as I made a mess of everything on the bed. I should tell him to get out, I decided. He needs to leave and I need to stop behaving like a hormonal teenager with her first crush.
When I felt I could finally risk looking at him, there was an amused expression on his face.
“What’s so damned funny?” I demanded.
“Are you aware you’re packing all the hotel’s towels in your luggage? Does Alexei know you steal from his hotels?”
I followed to where he pointed. In with my clothes, I’d thrown in most of the towels from the suite, even the wet ones. I swore under my breath, feeling stupid and like I’d been caught with all my feelings and thoughts out on display.
“The towels here are very nice,” I said lamely. “I was thinking of getting some for my bathroom back home.”
“I’m sure you were” was all he said. “I need to get back to whatever it is I need to be doing. I’ll see you around, Felicia.”
I watched him leave, waiting until I heard the echo of his footsteps outside the door fade before I let out the shuddering breath I’d been holding. Looked like I had a good news–bad news story on my hands. The good news: I had handled Brody and the conversation hadn’t been overly weird. Well, it was weird, but I’d managed. The bad news: I now had a date with him that he seemed to be looking forward to.
But the worst news? As I pulled the wet towels out of my suitcase, I knew that deep down, I was looking forward to seeing him again too. I wouldn’t be dealing with a waded-up ball of wrinkled and soggy clothing otherwise. If I wanted proof I was in for trouble, apparently all I needed to do was look at my laundry.
Chapter Nine
The trip back to Elysium City was quiet. Though I’d spent much of the past few sols asleep, I slept on the ride home too, lulled by the hum of the flight-limo engine and the growing darkness as night fell.
I woke to the sensation of being carried and the noise of fireworks exploding. When I lifted my head, arms tightened around me. I burrowed deeper into a hard chest and a cologne scent I recognized.
“Where are we?”
“We’re home. It’s Witching Time, hence the fireworks.”
“I hate fireworks,” I murmured, pressing my face against his shoulder to block out the brightness.
Alexei chuckled softly. “I know. Just sleep. I’ve got you.”
Which may have been the most reassuring thing I’d ever heard because I knew it was true—whatever happened, he would look after me. How stupid could I be to jeopardize that? Why would I ever want anyone else?
My clothes and shoes were removed before I was tucked into a bed which didn’t really feel or smell like mine. The room was in shadow, lit only by light from the hallway, making it difficult to tell where I was. Still, it felt nice. I had this vague worry that I hadn’t brushed my teeth, and must have said something because I heard more soft laughter.
“I think you’ll be fine if you skip this one time,” he said, kissing the top of my head before pulling away.
“Stay until I fall back to sleep.”
I felt the bed dip as he slipped in behind me. I rolled over, turning in to him, pressing my face to the curve of his neck and shoulder and tucking my arms so my hands rested on his chest. His arms went around me and brought me flush against him. Then he threw a leg over mine until I was completely surrounded. It wouldn’t be long before I overheated, but for right then, it was perfect. I’d fallen asleep in this position on more than one occasion, and it felt so normal to settle in like this, I sighed.
“Are we okay?” I whispered. “The cards…What you saw…It doesn’t mean anything.”
A beat of silence before he answered. “I’m sorry for yesterday. It scared me to realize anything could come between us. I don’t want to lose this.”
“You won’t.” Then, in Russian, “Ya lyublyu tebya.”
“Were you practicing?” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“A little.”
“It was perfect. I love you too.”
Naturally, he was naked as we had this conversation but I was too tired to react as I normally might. Still, I couldn’t help but note his erection pressing insistently against my stomach.
“Can I deal with that in the morning?” I murmured into his skin, my eyes drifting closed.
Again, the soft laughter. “Ignore it. It will go away.”
It didn’t, but I fell asleep anyway. In that moment I knew with certainty I wanted to be with him forever. I would do anything to keep things like this as long as I could, gut feeling be damned.
I woke alone, though that wasn’t surprising. Alexei didn’t need much sleep and was always up hours before me. When I discovered I was in his bed, that wasn’t surprising either. However, what blew me away was opening the closet, asking the AI for a robe from among the few items I kept at Alexei’s, and finding my entire wardrobe on offer. All of it—every single stitch of clothing I owned—was there. What the hell?
I crossed the bedroom with its enormous bed and ornate headboard, oversized furniture, thick carpeting, all done in dark, rich colors that made me feel like I’d wandered into some medieval lord’s sexual playroom—which wasn’t far off the mark. My next stop was the bathroom, which continued the same decorating theme with dark marble floors, heavy gold hardware, a claw-foot tub you could swim in, and the most elaborate, decadent shower I’d ever experienced. I opened a few drawers and found them full of my toiletries. I stared at the contents, wondering how I should feel as I floated simultaneously between surprise, panic, and anger.
Since I was there, I brushed my teeth and washed my face, all the while counting to 100 in my head to avoid a complet
e and utter meltdown. Once finished, I padded barefoot down the tiled hall, opening doors along the way. When I reached the room at the end near the staircase, I found something worth seeing.
In the center of the room was my card table Eleat. Against one wall, the cabinet where I kept my Tarot decks. Another wall, my desk. All were from my condo, set up and ready to use. The walls were set to the muted lavender color of a sky at sunset I liked so much. There were also a couple of plush chairs, more comfortable than anything I’d had before. Sliding doors led to a balcony with a breathtaking view of the Utopian Ocean. I could even see the space elevator in the distance.
The room was perfect. Too perfect. I had a sinking feeling that if I went through the house—because of course he had a house palatial in size with a sprawling property requiring an army of staff to see to its upkeep—I would find my things scattered throughout, waiting for me.
That…fucker! While we were away, he’d moved everything into his house! I’d only just agreed to live with him and now all my things were there! Gods, he’d probably made arrangements to move me the minute I’d said yes. Never mind if I got cold feet or wanted to do it myself. And maybe I didn’t want to live in his house. Maybe I wanted some place we could pick together, although gods knew I hated moving. As a child, my family was always moving from one place to the next. And it was nice to have a house with a yard where I could go outside rather than a tiny strip of condo balcony that overlooked someone else’s bathroom.
No, I was getting sidetracked. Maybe this was exactly what I wanted and maybe it seemed like he knew me better than I did myself, but he could at least talk to me first. I wasn’t a child for him to coddle. Or was I getting mad for the sake of getting mad? I had agreed to live with him, and this did make things easier, but…
I couldn’t decide whether I was pleased by his thoughtfulness, pissed at his arrogant high-handedness, or terrified because it happened so fast. Or maybe what really bothered me was it seemed too good to be true and I was terrified it would fall apart. As much as I fought it, my gut was pushing me, but it wasn’t in this direction.
“I see you’ve noticed the changes.”
I yelped in surprise as Alexei materialized behind me. I whirled on him, swiping my hair out of my eyes so nothing could get in the way of my furious glare.
“You moved me in while we were in Apolli!” I accused.
“Seems that way,” he agreed, looking from the room back to me, unconcerned.
He held out a mug of coffee that smelled like heaven, and I suspected was made just the way I liked. I took it from him and had a sip. It was perfect. Gods, he was using my need for caffeine to manipulate me. I started counting to 100 in my head again.
He merely gazed down at me, wearing loose pants and a fitted black T-shirt that clearly showed the definition in his shoulders and chest, and left his chiseled biceps bare so I could admire them while he drank from his own mug. I bet I could even touch them if I wanted—which felt like more manipulation. He knew how much I loved running my hands over him and feeling the hard swell of muscle. His black hair was damp and slicked back from his face, just skimming his shoulders. He looked so damn hot, his blue eyes glittering and his expression smug, knowing I liked the coffee and couldn’t come up with a legitimately good reason to argue with what he’d done that didn’t make me sound like a crazy bitch. Worse, I felt like I might spontaneously combust from looking at him, and he probably knew that too.
“I’m really mad at you right now,” I told him between sips of coffee.
“I see that.”
“And we’re going to fight later.”
“Probably,” he agreed.
“And if I’m not happy with where my things are, you’re going to move everything wherever I want it.”
“I have nothing else planned for today except taking care of what you need.”
“Good. I’m glad we sorted that out.” Then I eyed him up and down, because really I just couldn’t help myself. I was starting to feel flushed and turned on as I ogled my own boyfriend.
“Anything else you wanted?”
“Nope. Can’t think of a thing.”
“You’re certain?” The cocky bastard was grinning into his mug.
“Alright, fine,” I groused. “You know I’m dying to get my hands on you.”
He took my coffee and set both our mugs on the desk. “You know I’m always happy to take care of whatever urges you have, whenever you have them.”
Then he grabbed me around the waist, hoisted me over his shoulder, and carried me to the bedroom. My gasp became a shriek when he had the nerve to slap my ass like some damn Neanderthal. A few seconds later, I found myself tossed on a bed with a very large and very aroused Russian on top of me. Needless to say, the furniture didn’t get moved—well, not the furniture I wanted moved. Still by the time we were done, I’d worked out my initial irritation. I decided moving in with him had more benefits than I’d originally anticipated. For now, I could live with that.
I was in my new office, sorting through the endless array of card decks I collected the way other women did knickknacks and tchotchkes, when I felt my bracelet flutter on my wrist. It was late, almost ten in the evening. First glance showed it was a face-chat shim, meaning family. Yup—Celeste’s avatar appeared on the display. I hit the jewels and up popped the face-chat shim.
There was Celeste, looking relieved. “Finally! You are the absolute worst at returning shims.”
“I am not the worst. I’ve just been busy. Hey, Celeste, it’s good to see you,” I answered, settling into one of my new chairs. I propped my wrist on my knee so I wouldn’t have to hold up my arm to see her image.
“You too,” she said, before launching into a one-woman gossip-fest where she proceeded to give me the rundown on everything family.
Unlike most of the Sevigny clan, her shoulder-length hair was blond rather than black or dark brown. Her eyes were hazel, also unusual. Still she looked fantastic at sixty-one thanks to her Renew treatments. That was the one thing I’d always found hypocritical about my family—they were anti-tech, but I couldn’t name a single one who’d skipped a Renew treatment. It made me curious about what else they protested yet indulged in on the down-low.
I also suspected Celeste hadn’t inherited the luck gene since she never talked about gut feelings the way most of us did. She had a pretty good life regardless. Happily married for over thirty years, her son Kacey had turned out well enough—I mean, he had a steady job for the most part, and she got along with everyone. She was vying for the position of matriarch, the same way Granny G had once been the center of the clan. Granny G’s death had left a void we were all trying to fill. Grandmother, Granny G’s daughter and only child, just couldn’t cut it—too cold, too aloof, too positive we should be crawling to her. Even Granny G’s siblings, and she’d come from a family of ten, couldn’t pass muster. Yes, ten—three boys, seven girls—but that was before the Shared Hope program and explained why I had so many third, fourth, and even fifth cousins underfoot.
“You haven’t replied to my invite. I’m saying it’s a picnic potluck, but it’s really an engagement party for Kacey and his fiancée. I need to confirm numbers for registration with the local One Gov bureau,” she said.
“Sorry, but I can’t make it.”
“Everyone will be there! We need your potato salad, and the cards. Didn’t Lotus tell you how important this was? Having you there will be like having Granny G in spirit.”
Oh boy, that was a new angle. “See that’s the thing, Celeste. Sometimes it seems like the only reason I’m there is because of the cards.”
“Well, no one can read them like you and this is for the new couple. We want to know they’ll have a happy future together. Or if it’s bad news, how they can get around it. It’s a family tradition. And you know you’re the only one with Granny G’s potato salad recipe.”
“That’s bullshit. She shimmed it to everyone before she died.”
“But yours
has something extra. Everyone knows that,” Celeste wheedled.
I laughed despite myself. “Must be because it’s made with so much damn love.”
“You’re coming then?”
I groaned. If I said no, I’d be dead woman walking to the rest of the family. “I don’t know. It’s just—”
“Lotus says you’re seeing someone. This would be the perfect opportunity to introduce him,” Celeste continued, plowing forward. “Unless you don’t want us to meet him. Are you ashamed of us?”
“Of course not! It’s not like that at all.”
“Is there something wrong with him? Does he come from a bad family? Too hopped up on t-mods? Although I’m not sure that matters. Look at Helena’s boyfriend. He’s a complete tech-head, but he seems nice.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s because he’s the only one who likes your cabbage casserole. He was so zoned out last time, I don’t think he knew he was eating.”
“It would still be nice for us all to be together. We could meet your mystery man, and there would be less pressure on you with the cards. I’m expecting fifty-eight. You and your boyfriend would make sixty.”
Just the thought of Alexei and my family together had me cringing. They would so not approve of him with his obvious amped-up MH Factor, never mind that he was head of the Tsarist Consortium. They’d probably ask him to invest in at least a dozen half-baked schemes before dinner. Someone that powerful with that much wealth, suspected of being a criminal by half the tri-system—they wouldn’t be able to resist.
“He works a lot. I don’t know if he’d be available.”
“Felicia Sevigny, what would Granny G say about avoiding family?”
“I’m not avoiding family. He’s just busy.”
“How about this: We’ll start slow. You could come for dinner some night, and Hamilton and I could suss him out.”
“You live in a trailer that’s never in the same place for more than a few weeks. We can’t just come over for dinner.”
“Sure you can. Shim me next week and we’ll arrange something.”
The Chaos of Luck Page 12