The Agreement (Darkest Lies Trilogy Book 1) by Bethany-Kris (motivational books for men .TXT) 📕

didn’t like that. Turning away from the windows, and forcing her stare up from the shiny black marble under her feet to meet his gaze, she couldn’t allow herself to get carried away. Not in anything. Not even in him until she had an answer. “You didn’t want to take me with you, did you? You were forced to.”

If he was shocked at what she asked, Roman didn’t show it. Lucky for him that he didn’t have to answer her question, either, because the approaching footsteps from the entry they had just come from had Roman turning away.

Masha didn’t seem at all aware that she had interrupted them. Karine hated to admit that she was relieved at the sight of her—she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear what Roman’s response would be.

She had a habit of doing that. Asking, but not wanting to know.

Karine was fine to let Roman busy himself with showing Masha where things were and disappearing with her down a back hallway where he said one of three bedrooms and the main bathroom could be found.

She remained standing where she was—quiet by the glass wall where she could see the hustle of a city. Where she really didn’t have to think.

Of course, she still did.

Overthinking.

Entirely numb.

Who was Roman?

Who was he really?

Despite being told to explore, she didn’t do much as Roman and Masha’s voice carried out from the back hall. She did marvel a bit at the touchscreen panel on a pane of the glass that controlled everything from the automatic blinds covering the glass dome-shaped walls to the massive, curved flatscreen television next to the oversized, squared leather sectional. There was even a full-fledged bar at the corner of the living space, melding between there and the dining space.

The apartment seemed fit for a man who had priorities for a good time, and few responsibilities. A bachelor’s life. There she was, ready to disrupt it all.

She still couldn’t come up with a single good reason why he would have willingly done this—taken her.

“Hey.”

Roman’s firm, but not unkind tone, had Karine jumping in her skin. She hadn’t heard him come back into the room. Spinning around, she found him standing at the entry of the hall, his shoulder pressed into another one of those black marble pillars as he looked her over.

Masha was nowhere in sight, clearly having chosen to stay out of focus. Maybe wisely.

Karine licked nervously at her bottom lip, determined not to blurt her thoughts, and making a conscious effort to keep the words inside the longer he stared and said nothing.

“What?” she eventually asked.

A little too sharply.

Roman still gave her a crooked smile—it was just as tempting as everything else. Then, he told her, “Just because I was forced in to taking you doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to.”

She hadn’t expected that.

“Why?” she asked.

Seconds ticked on as he took in a deep breath, and his shoulders rose and fell from the effort. His reply wasn’t what she was looking for, “I don’t really have an answer for that, Karine.”

“That’s a lie.”

If he could say he wanted something, then he should be able to say why. Besides, everything else about her life was a lie. It wouldn’t even hurt her feelings if he lied about this, too.

“The real question is whether you want to know the truth,” Roman returned just as fast, never once breaking her stare. “Because that requires accepting certain things, you know? I think we’ve both established you have—just a bit—of a problem doing that in different aspects. Think about it.”

That truth was cold.

He also wasn’t wrong.

Karine chose not to reply, and that time, it wasn’t hard to keep the prattle of words induced by her anxiety and fears inside. Maybe he knew her better than she was willing to admit.

She still thought he shouldn’t.

XO,

BK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The author of too many novels to count, Bethany-Kris is a Canadian, lover of much, and mother to four sons, a glaring of cats, and a pack of dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, a snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a spouse calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something ... when she can find the time.

Find where to follow BK and keep up to date with all her book news at her:

WEBSITE

OTHER BOOKS

The Darkest Lies Trilogy

The Agreement

The Promise

The Marriage

After Another Trilogy

One Step After Another

One Breath After Another

One Second After Another

Boykov Bratva

Fractured Ties

Essence of Fear

The Guzzi Legacy

Corrado

Alessio

Chris

Beni

Bene

Marcus

The Firsts: A Guzzi Legacy Companion Novel

The Guzzi Legacy: Vol 1

The Guzzi Legacy: Vol 2

Renzo + Lucia

Privilege

Harbor

Contempt

Forever

Cusp

Renzo + Lucia: The Complete Trilogy

Andino + Haven

Duty

Vow

One Last Time

Andino + Haven: The Complete Duet

John + Siena

Loyalty

Disgrace

John + Siena: The Complete Duet

John + Siena: Extended

Cross + Catherine

Always

Revere

Unruly

The Companion

Naz & Roz

Guzzi Duet

Unraveled, Book One

Entangled, Book Two

Cara & Gian: The Complete Duet

DeLuca Duet

Waste of Worth: Part One

Worth of Waste: Part Two

Standalone Titles

Pink

Pretty Lies

Dirty Pool

Effortless

Inflict

Cozen

Captivated

Dishonored

Donati Bloodlines

Thin Lies

Thin Lines

Thin Lives

Behind the Bloodlines

The Complete Trilogy

Filthy Marcellos

Antony

Lucian

Giovanni

Dante

Legacy

A Very Marcello Christmas

The Complete Collection

Seasons of Betrayal

Where the Sun Hides

Where the Snow Falls

Where the Wind Whispers

Seasons: The Complete Seasons of Betrayal Series

Gun Moll Trilogy

Gun Moll

Gangster Moll

Madame Moll

The Chicago War

Deathless & Divided

Reckless & Ruined

Scarless & Sacred

Breathless & Bloodstained

The Complete Series

Maldives & Mistletoe

The Russian Guns

The Arrangement

The Life

The Score

Demyan & Ana

Shattered

The Jersey Vignettes

FANTASY ROMANCE

The Hunted: A 9INE REALMS Novel

Find more on Bethany-Kris’s website at www.bethanykris.com.

Copyright © 2021 by Bethany-Kris. All Rights Reserved.

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted material is illegal and punishable by law. No parts of this work may be reproduced, copied, used, or printed without expressed written consent from the publisher/author. Exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in reviews.

eISBN 13: 978-1-989658-39-0

Editor: Eli Peters

Proofreaders: Tracy A., Mia S., and Felicia F.

Cover Design © Mignon Mykel

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, organizations, corporations, locales and so forth are a product of the author’s imagination, or if real, used fictitiously. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.