Page 83 of Cruel Kiss

"What's on your mind?" he asks.

"Nothing. Just tired."

"I think you're forgetting how bad of a liar you are, Cali."

I don't answer.

"Calista."

"I'm fine."

"You keep saying that. I believe you less and less every time."

I turn from the window. "I don't care, okay? About Vera. If that's what you're fishing for. I don't care."

He's quiet for a second, eyes on the road. "I wasn't fishing for anything."

"Well, good, you don't have to. I don't care. I hope that's clear. I. Don't. Care."

"Okay."

"I mean it. It's ancient history. It's nothing. It doesn't bother me at all."

"Okay," he says again.

"Stop doing that," I snap before I can stop myself. I do a mean little impression of his voice. "Okay. Okay.Stop it. It's maddening."

He glances at me. "You want me to disagree with you?"

"I want you to fight with me. I want you to be a normal person for once and just—fight."

"About what?"

"About Vera!" I throw my hands up. "Some gorgeous woman came sashaying over in her silk and her pearls and put her hand on your face and reminded you and me and the whole room that she used to have you in her bed, and you barely did anything about it, and now, you're being allokay, okayabout it, and I want to scream."

He drives another block in silence. "So youdocare."

"No."

"You just said?—"

"I said I want you to fight with me. That's different."

"It's really not."

"It is completely different, and the fact that you don't see that is exactly the problem."

He signals and changes lanes. "Fine," he says. "You want a fight. Here's one. You want to talk about tonight? Let's talk about it."

"Great. Let's."

"I spent the entire night watching men look at you."

That stops me. "What?"

"Every man in that room gawked at you. Not because you're the pakhan's wife. Because of whoyouare. You walked in wearing that dress and you handled Marisha and you handled Vera and you looked like you belonged there more than any of them. They all noticed, and I watched them fall in love with you. I wanted to break each of their fingers one at a time."

I stare at him. "You did not."