Page 25 of The Dark Side

But the smile was removed forcefully by her conscience.

He is a monster, she reminded herself.

The problem was that Adrik was only showing his sweet side. He was showing her only what he wanted her to see. It was a great way to reel her in, but she wasn't stupid.

"Jolie!" Helina called as her father lifted her out of the water. Her little floaties kept her arms out as she rushed to her, landing in her lap, all wet. Jolie cackled, trying to weasel out of her hold while hugging her. Helina started going off in Russian, and Jolie just smiled, nodding, and searching for Adrik to interpret. He hung out in the pool, with his arms on the edge and his chin resting on them. He simply watched as if the scene was interesting to him.

Helina looked up at Jolie and waited for a response. Then she turned to her father and yelled at him.

Adrik replied in Russian, and it only pissed Helina off even more. She stomped her foot. But with a single sharp 'shh,' Helina stopped moving and stood with a giant pout. Adrik rolled his eyes and conceded. "She wants to invite you to our house."

"She does? How convenient."

Adrik smirked but said nothing in response.

Helina yelled at him one more time and waited.

Adrik reluctantly interpreted, "She thinks you look like a princess, and she wants to dress up."

Helina nodded."Printessa,"she repeated."Krasivyy."

"Krasivyy?"Jolie asked, looking at Adrik.

He paused as he met her gaze. "Beautiful."

Her cheeks heated, and she unconsciously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Jolie stroked Helina's arm. "You're so sweet. You'rekrasivyy." She touched her little round cheek. "But I can't come to your home. I have a busy weekend."

Helina looked back at her father, and he complied with a response. She bowed her head in sadness, and Jolie kissed the top of her head in apology.

Adrik directed Helina to go with her nanny, and they both watched her go with a depressed walk. "She's good." Jolie sat back, feeling the weight of guilt like a winter coat.

Adrik pushed against the wall, floating in the water. "Come in."

She knew what he was doing. His body was a masterpiece of well-tuned muscles and beautifully designed tattoos. There wasn't a spot on his body that wasn't taken care of. His arms were tight, his abs were plenty, and his thighs and calves were shaped like hardened clay. The number of hours he spent in the gym every week was commendable. It made her ashamed of all the days she'd missed because of the anxiousness he caused.

That was something to pay attention to.

I lived in horrible stress this week because of him.

Jolie stood. "I'm gonna leave."

Adrik popped up. "Wait."

She flipped about with frustration, unsure of what she should do. "I shouldn't be here."

Adrik swam to the stairs, rushing out of the water and snatching a towel from a pool attendant. He approached her as he dried his face, rubbing the towel through his hair, noticing how she would look everywhere else except on him. He waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of her eyes to discern why she fought the way she did. Women typically didn't have so much of a problem with him being in the Mafia.

But she isn't the kind of woman I typically deal with.

"Look at me."

"No," she replied with a nervous laugh.

"Why?"

"You're not gonna win me over with—this." She gestured to his wet body as she looked at the sky. "Whatever this is."

The comment made him feel like he was desperate, and it pissed him off. "Is that why you think you're here?"