A Reputation For Revenge by Jennie Lucas Read Free Book Online

‘Destroyer of the Peace.’“ She was chattering, something she often did when she was nervous. “Very different from the meaning of your brother’s…”
Uh-oh.
That topic wouldn’t end well. She closed her mouth with a snap. “Sorry,” she said weakly. “Never mind.”
    “Fascinating.” His body was very still on the other side of the table, his voice cold again. “Go on. Tell me more.”
    She shrugged. “I’ve worked as a housekeeper for hotels for years, since I turned eighteen, and I listen to audio books from the library while I clean. It’s amazing what you can learn,” she mumbled. She gave him a bright smile. “Like about… um… botany, for instance. Did you know that there are only three types of orchid native to Hawaii? Everyone always thinks tons of orchids grow here in the rain forest, while the truth is that another place I once lived, Nevada, which is nothing but dry desert, has
twelve
different wild orchids in two distinct varieties. There was this, um, flower that…”
    But Kasimir hadn’t moved. He sat across from her beneaththe hot Hawaiian sunshine, his arms folded as the water’s reflection from the pool left patterns of light on his black suit. “You were telling me about the meaning of my brother’s name.”
    She gulped. There was no help for it. “Vladimir. Well. Some people think it means ‘He on the Side of Peace,’ but most of the etymology seems to indicate the root
mir
is older still, from the Gothic, meaning ‘Great in His Power.’ And Vladimir is…” She hesitated.
    Kasimir’s eyes were hard now. She took a deep breath.
    “‘The Master of All,’“ she whispered.
    Hands clenched at his sides, Kasimir rose to his feet. Frightened by the fierce look in his eyes, she involuntarily shrank back in her chair. His hands abruptly relaxed.
    “My brother is not all-powerful,” he said simply. “And he will know it. Very soon.”
    “Wait.” As he started to turn away, she jumped to her feet, grabbing his arm. “I’m sorry. I’m so stupid, always letting my mouth get ahead of my brain. My sister always says I need to be more careful.”
    “I’m not offended.” Looking down at her, he gave her a smile that didn’t quite meet his blue eyes. “You shouldn’t listen to your sister. I respect a woman who speaks the truth without fear far more than one who uses silence to cover her lies.”
    “But I told you—she’s not like that. Not anymore.” With a weak laugh, she looked away. “If she were, we’d be rich right now, instead of poor. But she gave up gambling and con games to give me an honest, respectable life. And just look at the trouble I’ve caused her.” She looked down at the floor. “I gambled at that poker game, and she had to sacrifice herself for me. Again.”
    He touched her cheek, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Josie.” His eyes were deep and dark as a winter storm on a midnightsea. “The choice she made to sacrifice herself to my brother was not your fault. It was never your fault.”
    “Not my fault?” she repeated as, involuntarily, her eyes fell to his sensual lips. He seemed to lean towards her, and her own lips tingled, sizzling down her nerve endings with a strange, intense need. Somewhere in her rational mind, she heard a warning that she couldn’t quite hear; her brain had lost all power over her body. Her traitorous heart went thump, thump in her chest. Still staring at his cruelly sensual mouth, she whispered, “How can you say it’s not my fault?”
    “Because I know your sister. And I know you.” Cupping her face, he tilted her head back. “And other than my mother, who died long ago, I think perhaps you are the only truly decent woman I’ve known. And not just decent,” he said softly. “But incredibly beautiful.”
    Josie’s mouth fell open as she looked up. Her? Beautiful?
    Was he—cripes—was it possible he was
flirting
with her?
    Don’t be ridiculous,
she told herself savagely.
He’s being courteous.