Page 49 of Mistaken Prejudice

“I wish I didn’t,” he said. Already dressed and ready to go, Andrei leaned forward to kiss my head as I zipped my pants. I pouted my lips as I tried to make him feel guilty for leaving so early. We actually spent the whole afternoon and evening together, but I still considered it not enough.

“Come on, Zaychik, we’ll see each other on Monday.” He cupped my face in his hands.

“Remind me again why we can’t meet tomorrow?”

He tilted his head to the side. “’Cause you have practice, and I got work.” He let go of my face only to grab my hand.

“Come on, show me the way out. Your house is insanely huge.”

I pretended to be unimpressed by pulling my shoulders. “Eh, it’s okay,” I mumbled, and it earned me a smack on the butt. “Hey!” I turned around to face him as I continued to walk backward. “Keep your hands to yourself, mister!”

He laughed before charging at me, and we ended up running, with him chasing me, until we reached the door.

“Okay, okay,” I panted with my hand resting on the doorframe. “No more playing catch. I ride horses, don’t run marathons.”

“I can’t wait to see your riding skills.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I could feel my face burning at the image of me using his dick as a saddle.

Yes, please. What a shame I couldn’t take him back to my room right now and show him how much of a good rider I was. He kissed me on the cheek and moved to open the door but stopped with his hand around the handle. The uneasy way he moved his mouth made it obvious that he had something to say but was unsure how.

“What is it?” I decided to help him out. His eyes moved to find my own, and he twisted his lips.

“It’s about Shay-Lee.”

Shay-Lee? I thought I’d already explained what he did in my house. Not only that, but I also made sure he knew I wasn’t the one to invite him.

“More like his dad.” His voice jolted me back, and I was surprised. What did Christian have to do with anything? Perhaps he was also a fan?

“Isn’t he so much more handsome in person?” I chuckled, mainly because it was the truth. Chris was so much more handsome in reality.

“Yeah, I guess,” he mumbled, and I assumed his odd behavior was due to his embarrassment about meeting a celebrity, so I decided to encourage him.

“It’s the most embarrassing secret ever, but I used to be in love with him when I was little.” I laughed as memories of seven-year-old me asking him to marry me flooded my mind. “I even asked him to marry me. Shay-Lee wasn’t happy about the idea. He threw such a tantrum and even tried to hit Chris.” Rather than amusement, his expression hardened.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and moved his balance from one foot to the other. “Wasn’t Shay-Lee’s reaction to his dad odd?”

That came out of nowhere.

“Odd?” I asked, twisting my lips. “I agree that Shay-Lee is completely different around his dad, but it’s only because he adores him so much.” I guessed I wasn’t the only one to notice this about them.

“It didn’t look like adoration to me.” Andrei’s face went blank, and I was confused.

“So, what did it look like to you?”

“Like he was terrified.” He laid such heavy claims with such ease that I was shocked. Why would he even assume that about Christian?

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I rubbed the back of my head as I tried not to sound patronizing. “It’s just that they have a different relationship, okay? Ever since Shay-Lee’s mom passed away, their dynamic changed.” Something did shift inside Shay-Lee after his mom died, but how could you blame him for that? Her death was tragic. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like to lose a parent. Andrei, on the other hand, did know. Perhaps that explained the way he looked at me right now.

“Listen, all I’m saying is that I know what a victim of abuse looks like. I live with two. So trust me when I say I can recognize the red flags.”

Hold on, hold on. Abuse? Was he serious?

I took a step toward him and rested my hands on his hips. “I don’t want you to think that I’m dismissing your concern or that I doubt what you know, and it pains me that your brothers went through something so horrible, but trust me when I say that’s not the case here.” I made sure to look him in the eyes so he’d know my words were honest. “Christian is one of the most admirable men I’ve ever met, and he loves his son deeply. You don’t know them the way I do.”

Andrei took a deep breath before nodding.

“Okay.” He wrapped his hands around mine and pulled me close for a gentle kiss. “I didn’t mean to overstep,” he spoke over my mouth once our lips parted. I raised my hand and caressed his cheek with my thumb.

“It’s okay. If anything, I’m impressed you found it in yourself to care for Shay-Lee. I know he’s been giving you a hard time.”