Sofi´a frowned. “What do you mean?”
“A woman, of course. A nasty piece of work he could have done without.” Stella made a face. “Rather than risk Nik’s ire at divulging his secrets, I won’t get into the whole sordid story. Suffice it to say he has reasons to be as cynical as he is. Give him some time, some latitude. He’s worth it.”
She closed her eyes as Stella engulfed her in a cloud of hair spray. If only she could confide in her future sister-in-law as to the lows her and Nik’s relationship had hit. How they were hardly talking. How his mistrust of her was killing them. But as warm as her and Stella’s relationship had gotten, Stella was still Nik’s sister and she wasn’t about to go there.
With Katharine busy running the boutique, she would have only her mother and Benetio, her fiancé, by her side tonight.
“Stop frowning,” Stella murmured, fussing with one last wayward curl. “Don’t you know frown lines never go away?”
Frown lines didn’t happen to be her biggest concern at the moment. Faking she and Nik were supremely happy in front of the world was. The only thing that kept her from a full-on pity party was the knowledge that Nik had placed himself on enemy territory today in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution with Carnelia. It made her stomach churn every time she thought of him meeting with that madman.
What if Idas tried something? Surely he wouldn’t do anything provocative, the rational side of her brain proclaimed. The pulse pounding at the base of her neck suggested she’d be fine once he was back here all in one piece. Which was really rather traitorous behavior on her part because she hated him for thinking the worst of her. Hated he thought she could be so duplicitous as to trap him into marriage.
Stella made an approving sound and stepped back. “Oriste. You look spectacular.”
“Indeed she does.”
Both of them whirled around at the sound of Nik’s deep, resonant voice. Sofi´a’s pulse took off at a dead run. Not only was he in one heart-stoppingly gorgeous suit, there was a triumphant glitter in his eyes, an aura of power about him that did something crazy to her insides.
“What happened?” Stella demanded.
Nik shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a chair. “Idas has agreed to back off while we discuss an economic renewal plan for Carnelia that Akathinia will help facilitate.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I hope not,” he said drily. “I was looking forward to giving the council some good news.”
“And so you shall.” Stella flew toward him and gave him a hug. “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that meeting.”
Nik loosened his tie. “It doesn’t mean the threat is gone. Idas is dangerous. But this gives us some time to build up our forces in case negotiations fall through.”
Stella nodded. Glanced at her watch. “Good heavens, it’s almost six. I need to get dressed.”
Nik’s sister whipped out of the room, promising to meet them downstairs in an hour. Sofi´a got to her feet, her knees a bit weak with relief. “Congratulations. I’m sure that must take a weight off your shoulders.”
“For now.” He crossed over to her until he stood mere inches from her. It was the closest they’d been to each other since the night of their big blowout and it set her heart thrumming in her chest. “Thank you for what you said to me that night on the terrace,” he said quietly. “I needed to hear it. I needed the perspective.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “If we’re a team, that’s what we should be doing for each other.”
His gaze held hers. “Yes, we should. I want us to have a fresh start, Sofi´a. We need to end this impasse between us. We need to make this relationship work, for our sake and for our child’s. Things may not have begun under the most ideal of circumstances, but we decide where our relationship goes from here. I want it to be a good one.”
She pursed her lips. “But you still don’t believe me about the pregnancy?”
“Sofi´a,” he growled. “Let it go. The point is we need to move on. You said you want me to open up to you, to learn how to be in a relationship. I’m willing to do that. I’m willing to open up to you and learn to trust each other.”
“To a point,” she bit out. “That one thing will always sit there between us festering.” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him. “What’s your ulterior motive here, Nik? Do you want to fix us so you can move on with more important things?”