Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 93463 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93463 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
I’ve never been out like this before, not without a bodyguard trailing close behind.
Even at school, someone was always watching. Nobody dared approach the Kopolov family’s precious little princess. They knew if anyone tried anything, my brothers would kill them.
Literally.
No one took the risk. So I stood alone at school dances while the shadows of my guards hovered nearby like grim sentinels. I went shopping alone, to the bookstore alone, and spent more than my fair share at restaurants, eating solitary meals.
I was lucky to have one friend outside of my family. Just one. Mia, the only one who’s ever helped me bend the rules.
“Zoya?” Mia’s voice hisses from just ahead.
“I’m here,” I whisper back.
My heart pounds. I rub my clammy palms against the thighs of my fitted jeans. I’m nervous tonight, more than usual. But I’m also resolved.
Tonight, I’m doing something that would make my brothers lose their ever-loving minds.
I’m going to a club.
I’m going to have a drink.
Unsupervised.
And god help me, I’m going to get kissed. I’ve already made it my mission.
“You ready, baby?” My best friend Mia grins as she peeks around the corner of the tall hedges. Her eyes widen when she takes me in.
“Zoya… you look gorgeous,” she praises. “No one would ever know who you are.”
Tonight? I’ve pulled out all the stops.
I’m wearing a fitted, low-cut, red halter top with a vee that dips nearly to my navel. The color pops against my pale skin, bringing out my blue eyes and dark-brown hair. My jeans hug every curve. Red heels give me just enough height to feel bold, and a tiny clutch completes the look. I’ve practiced walking, practiced my smile.
I give her a small, nervous grin as hope surges in my chest. I sigh. How I wish I could live my life without anyone knowing who I am. My name, the title, the connections, the weight of all that entails… I’m over it. I need something more.
With a deep breath, I step out through the hedges, just as I rehearsed. They’re covered in ivy and nestled into the old stone wall behind the estate. Hidden. Secret. Though it’s not my first attempt at escape, this is the first one that feels real.
The dusky air wraps around me. Moonlight filters through the trees, and the buzz of crickets fills the silence. For a moment, I feel like Cinderella on her way to the ball.
And then… I’m free.
I’m shaking with nerves as Mia chatters in the driver’s seat of her hand-me-down car about some guy she’s meeting tonight.
“Are you sure your cousin isn’t coming?” she teases with a wink.
“Matvei?” I snort. “Are you serious? He’s terrifying. Unhinged.”
“And the only one of them who’s single,” she replies, waggling her eyebrows. “Your brothers are so hot.”
“Ew. Gross, Mia. Stop.”
She laughs, and I shake my head, still filled with nerves. But I’m not turning back now.
She parks her car alongside the curb in the way back. Her nondescript black Kia doesn’t catch attention like my brothers’ flashy, sleek cars. I like that.
Still, I feel exposed. Unprotected.
I remind myself, I need to try. I have to try.
With a deep breath, I follow behind Mia, well aware of the eyes of the men following the line of my cleavage and the sway of my ass as I walk in.
Mia orders me something that’s like dessert in a glass over ice, creamy and sweet, and it goes down real easy.
I’m cautious. I don’t accept anything from strangers, and I don’t leave my drink unattended. I’m not stupid. So I just tentatively sip, like I belong here.
I let my gaze wander, with one eye glancing at the door as if expecting Rafail to storm in here and drag me home.
But no one comes.
No texts even ping my phone.
I let out a breath.
I’m getting away with it.
My eyes settle on a man at the bar. Attractive. Older than I am. Longish dark hair curls around his ears. Warm brown eyes. A dimple flashes when he gives me a wolfish grin. A warning bell clangs in my head, but I tell myself I’m just nervous about being discovered.
“Hello, beautiful,” he says in a low voice. “Don’t you look stunning tonight? Let me buy you a drink.”
I smile shyly. “Thank you.”
Mia’s already in the corner, tangled up in someone else’s arms and tongue. God. Seriously? She’s left me all alone. I signal to her, but she doesn’t even look my way.
I think of the house, imagine curling into my favorite chair with a hot cup of tea and a book.
That actually sounds better than this. Is that lame?
“Are you alone?” the man asks.
Is that a normal pickup line, or should I be worried?
I shrug, noncommittal, and let the conversation carry us forward. He’s friendly and easy to talk to. Probably in his mid-twenties, so younger than I thought but older than I am.