The Innocent Behind The Scandal - Abby Green Page 0,51

existed for her outside of all this...fantasy.

She’d almost forgotten that this wasn’t normal. When she’d woken at first, before she’d opened her eyes and seen Maks in all his naked glory, she’d been feeling such a sense of contentment. And peace and safety.

A brief fantastical illusion.

Hard to forget, though, when the after-effects of Maks’s body moving over hers, in hers, still lingered.

A cold finger traced down her spine. She hadn’t felt that sense of happiness or safety in a long time—not since before her world had been torn apart and she’d lost everything she’d loved and known.

She heard Maks’s voice in the suite, low. Her pulse throbbed in reaction even as she realised that this was her wake-up call. She’d allowed no one close enough to hurt her—not even Dean, who she’d known and believed she trusted.

She threw on some clothes, a knot in her belly at the thought of facing Maks. But for a moment, before she walked into the main room of the suite, she was gripped by a fantasy.

Maybe she was being paranoid. Skittish. Maybe Maks wasn’t really that annoyed about the photos and maybe he was even now making arrangements to reschedule his work so they could spend another day together... And maybe she was safe. Maybe he hadn’t got so close that he would burn her alive.

But when she entered the main room and saw Maks pacing back and forth, his cell phone clamped to his ear, dressed in a three-piece suit, she knew something had broken.

He was remote, barely glancing at her. Speaking Italian. He gestured to where breakfast was laid out on the table. Fresh coffee, pastries, fruit, cereal. But Zoe wasn’t hungry.

Newspapers. Something caught her eye in one paper and she picked it up, her blood running cold. There was a picture of her and Maks at the ballet in St Petersburg. And another of them at the fashion event. And one from yesterday, here in Venice. She was holding his hand and looking up at him, smiling. No, laughing.

Zoe sank down into a chair. She felt sick to see herself plastered across the newspapers. But she’d been incredibly naive not to expect this. She recalled seeing those pictures of Maks’s brother’s new wife—Maggie?—in the papers. She’d had a similar deer-in-the-headlights look.

Maks terminated his conversation. Zoe looked at him. He had a stern expression on his face. One she hadn’t seen for some time.

She put down the paper. ‘Is everything okay?’

Maks put his phone in his pocket. ‘Not exactly, no.’

Zoe stood up again, trepidation prickling over her skin. ‘What is it? Did something happen?’

Maks ran a hand through his hair, making it messy. Which only made him look sexier.

He gestured to the papers. ‘I should have warned you what might happen.’

Zoe looked down again. ‘It’s a bit of a shock to see myself in a national newspaper...but it’s not the end of the world, is it?’

‘Of course it’s not. But it won’t happen again.’

Zoe looked at Maks. He stood only a few feet away, but he couldn’t have been more remote. The little fantasy she’d entertained that he might be rearranging his day so they could spend time together mocked her now.

‘What do you mean?’

Maks’s grey gaze looked silver in the light. Impenetrable.

‘What I mean is that this ends here and now, Zoe. It’s not fair to string it out...generating more pictures and headlines...for what? The sake of another few days? Weeks? I have to go to New York today for a meeting with my brother Sharif,’ he continued. ‘I can arrange for you to get back to London, or wherever you want to go.’

Something like desperation filled Zoe’s gut. ‘Maks, I’m sorry I took those photos. I can delete them—’

He waved a hand. ‘This isn’t about that. It’s just...time for this to end. Like I said, I’ll make sure you’re taken wherever you want to go.’

Zoe felt cold. ‘I can make my own way back.’

Maks said, ‘You should call Pierre Gardin, the photographer from the shoot in St Petersburg. He doesn’t encourage people to get in touch unless he rates them. He liked you. I know he’s not a particularly pleasant person, but this is an opportunity for you to get into the business.’

Zoe was too stunned to respond straight away.

Maks looked at his watch. ‘I have to go. My plane leaves within the hour. I’ll leave instructions for the hotel to arrange your onward transport. Please let them take care of you, Zoe.’

He came closer, and for a second Zoe