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4: In Which She Gives Him a Taste

4: In Which She Gives Him a Taste

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Nikolai took his sweet time to tear his lips away from mine but I didn’t push him off because I was frozen. I’d always thought that that was a ridiculous exaggerated figure of speech but in that moment, it certainly felt like I was an ice sculpture.

“Yes, Inga?” Nikolai said expectantly, running a thumb across my kiss-swollen lower lip.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, Dyadya.” Inga’s casual voice was what thawed me.

I turned around, wincing when I saw the open curiosity in her moss-green eyes.

“You didn’t interrupt anything, Inga,” I told her, forcing that same casualness in my voice. “Are you heading back to the castle?”

“Inga, please drop the uncle thing,” Nikolai grumbled from beside me. “I’m not that old.”

“It’s only respectful,” Inga said softly, “and yes, Ophelia, I’m returning to the castle. There are a few wedding arrangements that need my attention.”

“Great. I’ll, um, come with you.”

“You don’t have to…if you’re busy,” she said slyly, giving me a slow wink. “I didn’t mean to interrupt but you are in the middle of the path.”

“I’m not busy.” I practically grabbed her hand and tugged her away from an amused Nikolai.

When I was sure we were out of earshot, I implored, “Please don’t tell anyone.”

Inga slanted a look at me. “Tell anyone what?”

I liked Inga, don’t get me wrong, but just right then, she was pissing me off with her faux ignorance. She’d just caught me making out (did people my age even use that term?) with her uncle-in-law-to-be and she wanted me to spell it out for her.

“What you saw back there…was just a one-time thing,” I faltered, receiving a girlish laugh at my weak explanation.

“It’s fine, Ophelia. I know how that man gets,” she said, waving a flippant hand. She glanced at me. “It’s just…you know Mikhail has always thought of you as a baby sister, right?”

No, I didn’t know that. That kind of info would’ve come in handy when I was eighteen and trying to seduce him.

“I guess so,” I mumbled.

“You were homeschooled all through elementary, right?”

What is this? Some kind of episode of This is Your Life?

“Yeah.”

“And when you were packed off to boarding school with Sav, Misha was one of the first people you got tight with?” She waited for my affirmative. “Well, you two have a timeless history but Nikolai – he’s a nice guy, to some extent –will hurt you. He just can’t help it. I don’t want Misha to lose one of his oldest friends because of his womanising uncle.”

“I think you're making a hell of a lot of assumptions here, Inga,” I declared, flushing beet red. “For starters, what you saw was a kiss. He kissed me. That’s it. Sure, he’s a flirt but that doesn’t mean I’m the kind of girl that spreads her legs because of a few sexy words thrown her way.” I bit my lip. “Furthermore, if I happened to sleep with the guy, it would be just that – sex. No promises, no broken hearts. I’m not some young, dumb thing here.”

Inga halted beside me. I stopped as well, meeting her eye. She was grinning.

“What? Did I say something funny?” I snapped.