The Price of His Redemption

Actually, it was Daniil!

No, there was absolutely no such thing as playing it aloof where he was concerned. Libby answered the door before he had even knocked and as it opened Daniil, who was not looking forward to tonight, smiled at her effusive greeting.

‘You look amazing,’ Libby said, running her hands over his jacket simply to feel him. He was always immaculately dressed but tonight his black suit sat so beautifully on his shoulders and his crisp white shirt and gunmetal tie enhanced his beauty. Above his right eye was a small bruise and she ran a finger over it.

‘Fighting again,’ she commented, as she remembered the bruises on his chest the night they had met.

‘Maybe I walked into a door.’

‘Poor door,’ she said, and his smile made her melt because she could feel that he was pleased to see her, also.

Of course, his greeting wasn’t quite as over the top. ‘You look very nice, too,’ he said.

She would hope so!

‘It’s all new!’ She gave him a twirl to show off her lovely moss-green dress. He then watched as she picked up some black court shoes and peeled the labels off before putting them on her feet.

‘New shoes, too!’

‘I told you it’s all new.’ She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘Now I can reach you.’ His hands moved around her waist, stealing kisses between her words. ‘New toothbrush, new overnight bag...’

‘The loan went in, then?’

‘It did!’ Libby grinned again. ‘However, this was a necessary expenditure...’

‘Very necessary,’ he agreed, because had her flatmate not been standing scowling at them he’d have been asking which way her bedroom was.

She was just so scented and dressed up and excited to see him and Daniil had never stepped into a home and felt so welcome.

Not once.

His home was always his chosen venue and hotel rooms, however luxurious they were, were bland at best.

Home had never been where the heart was for him and yet he could tell that happiness resided here and he was being welcomed in.

‘Come through,’ Libby said. ‘This is Rachel.’

‘Hi, Daniil,’ Rachel said, and then looked straight at her friend. ‘I hate you.’

‘I know you do.’ Libby smiled and led him through a door. ‘This is the living room.’

He had a look around. They certainly did a lot of living in here—there were books and magazines and more things on every shelf space than he had ever seen.

The tour wasn’t over yet.

‘Kitchen.’ Libby gestured as they passed it, though didn’t stop to let him peek in. ‘And there’s the loo just in case you get lost in the dark at night.’

Oh, stop it, she told herself, but she could not contain her joy at having him there.

‘And this,’ Libby said, as they approached a door, ‘is my bedroom.’ As she went to open it he halted her hand.

‘I’m guessing there’s a theme,’ he said. ‘Pink?’

‘Nope,’ Libby said, and it was he who opened the door and stepped in.

There was no room for it to be pink.

He stepped into the chaos.

Usually he didn’t like clutter, he didn’t like anything out on display, and yet here in this room her whole life was on show.

There was a huge mirror where no doubt she exercised and there were endless pictures of her that had been taken through her dancing years. There were certificates on every wall—so much stuff he wondered how she ever found anything.

‘I’m such a narcissist,’ Libby said, as he looked closely at a huge framed photo of her.

‘You’re too nice to be one,’ he said. ‘Too thoughtful.’

‘Well, I did tidy up for you,’ Libby said.

‘Really?’

‘And I changed the sheets.’

‘Are they new, too?’

Libby nodded. ‘There was a selfish motive there, too, though...’

‘Come on.’ He smiled and released her. ‘We had better go.’

He made no attempt to kiss her, Libby thought. Instead, he picked up her overnight bag and they headed out to his car.

‘No driver?’

‘Not at weekends.’

Into the passenger side she went and sank into the leather seat. The traffic was quieter than Daniil had allowed for and they were soon pulling into the parking basement of his office.

‘Why are we here?’ Libby asked.

She really didn’t know anything about tonight.