Tony watched as Ginny practically ran to get away from him.

Fuck.

Was she caught up on the fact that he used to be engaged to her sister? That had ended four years ago, and it had been a mistake to begin with.

And now he was making another one.

“Shit.” He took off at a run in the direction she’d gone, pushing open the double doors she’d just disappeared through. The hallway was empty. Where the hell could she have gone? In those shoes, it wasn’t like she could have gotten anywhere fast. He retraced their steps, even checking the family restroom, but she was nowhere.

That couldn’t be true. She had to be somewhere. She must have made it back to the ballroom already. Unless she’d left?

Damn it.

He hightailed it to the front entrance to see if she was waiting for her car, but all he found was the valet leaning against a column, smoking something that smelled suspiciously of weed.

The skinny valet, who barely looked old enough to drive, quickly straightened and put out his cigarette. “Can I help you, sir?”

“Did a woman come by here?”

The valet shook his head. “No one’s been out here for the last half hour.”

Tony nodded and headed back toward the ballroom, feeling reasonably secure he’d find her there. It was stupid. Asinine. He’d only spent twenty minutes with her. But damn, something had clicked inside him. It was like he suddenly knew what was missing from his life.

And what’s more, there was something between them. He’d felt it, and he knew she did too. This wasn’t one-sided. When he’d kissed her, she’d melted into him. It had made sense and was bat-shit crazy at the same time.

Because this was Ginny. Veronica’s little sister. He’d always felt a pull toward her, but he’d always denied it.

Until he’d learned Veronica had cheated on him and Ginny confronted him. When she told him the attraction between them wasn’t one-sided—it wasn’t just in his head, then kissed him. It was explosive.

He closed his eyes, getting lost in the memory for a moment. He’d never forget what she’d said to him—“You’re more than this.”

He hadn’t needed to ask what she meant—more than the person he was with Veronica, more than the slacker rich boy who talked about dreams but never acted on them, more than what he’d let himself become.

She’d been right about everything. But he wasn’t ready to admit it—especially about the attraction between them—so he’d run out on her like she’d just done to him. Dammit.

Karma was a motherfucker.

But he wouldn’t be able to ignore it this time. To pretend it never happened.

Even if it turned out to be nothing, they owed it to themselves to explore whatever the hell this thing was that had reignited between them.

He returned to the ballroom with a purpose and cruised around the room, trying to blend in and not to look like the stalker he felt like. After circling the large room twice, he acknowledged that she might have somehow slipped past him. In a crowd this size, it wouldn’t be hard.

Tony rejoined his grandmother, who had found a seat along the back wall. She wouldn’t admit it, but these functions took it out of her. Too bad, because she actually enjoyed them.

“Where did you disappear to?” She sipped her champagne.

He grimaced and checked his watch. Shit. He’d left her alone nearly an hour. He was such an asshole.

“Sorry,” Tony replied, knowing that was inadequate. “I ran into an old friend.”

“Oh? Anyone I know?”

He ground his teeth. Yeah, Nonna knew her. Nonna had loved Ginny. Always liked her better than Veronica, but hadn’t said so until after he and Veronica called it quits.

The older woman had always been a good judge of character.

Tony was saved from responding when the string quartet stopped playing and a man took to the microphone.

“I want to thank everyone for being here tonight. As you know, all of the proceeds will go toward Relay for Life and the new cancer wing at our very own Holbright Memorial Hospital.”

Tony took a closer look at the speaker. Hell, it was Daniel Frazier, Ginny’s father. The man looked like he’d aged a decade in the three years since he’d seen him last. Daniel was a nice man and had seemed pleased by the match between Tony and Veronica. When they’d split, Daniel was probably more upset about it than Veronica.

“I hope you will all join us tomorrow morning for the 5k run,” Daniel continued. “Pledge sheets are available in the lobby.”

Tony almost snorted. Not likely. This crowd was great for pulling out their checkbooks when there was a buffet and an open bar, but they weren’t the marathoning sort.

“I promise I won’t take up too much of your time, but for those of you who aren’t morning people and don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow—” he paused while the audience chuckled, “you can still make a huge difference tonight. All of the donations made tonight and tomorrow will be matched dollar for dollar.”

Light clapping sprinkled through the crowd along with a low murmur.

Daniel put his hand up for silence. “I know. I was as surprised as you, but it’s true. We have a donor pledged to match your wallets with his. You might already know him, but I’d like to formally introduce my future son-in-law, Fedor Barkov.”

Tony frowned. Veronica was already engaged again?

Then his heart plummeted to his toes as he watched Barkov step forward.

With Ginny right beside him.

* * *

Bile rose in Ginny’s throat as she stood with Fedor. Hopefully her smile looked genuine and not like she was choking on her own vomit.

You’re doing this for your family. You can do it.

Those words had become her mantra as of late—her internal chorus and the only thing propelling her to put one foot in front of the other.

The polite clapping of the attendees as her engagement was formally announced reminded her she had an audience. She needed to look the part.

So she plastered on a huge smile and even managed a blush as Fedor slipped a huge, gaudy engagement ring on her finger.

Moving closer to Fedor, she tilted her head so that it rested on his shoulder. It was solid. He’d been a boxer in his youth, and though it’d been years since he trained, he still looked the part with his stocky, muscular build. She gazed up at him, in what she hoped was an adoring manner. His nose was flattened, like it had been broken one too many times. He wore his dark hair, specked with silver, slicked back. His face was clean-shaven.

It was his eyes, though, that unnerved her. They were dark, almost black, and always had an air of menace in them. Even now, when he looked down at her with a smile, it didn’t reach his eyes.

Ginny averted her gaze, forcing herself not to shudder.

She’d make herself look like the happiest damn bride-to-be there ever was. Her father smiled at her. Even he was fooled.

Her father was a great man. Kind and generous with his family, but a little naïve. A dreamer rather than a businessman. Her grandfather would roll over in his grave if he could see the state of the investment firm that he’d built from the ground up. When she’d started helping out at the office and doing the books, she’d never seen so much red. Poor Daddy. He meant well, but business sense had skipped a generation.

But Fedor’s sizable fortune would help bring her family back into the black, even if that meant Ginny’s happiness would be forfeit.

As if he could read her thoughts, Fedor looked down at her and his lips stretched into a smile, revealing his blindingly white teeth, recently bleached to remove the unsightly nicotine stains. She smiled up at him and ran a hand along his arm.

She wouldn’t be able to keep up the façade forever. And anyway, Fedor must know it was fake.

Blackmailing a woman into marrying didn’t exactly make for a blushing bride.

Once the string quartet started playing again and they had made their way off the platform at the front of the room, Ginny disentangled herself from Fedor. “I’m tired. I think I’m going to call it a night.”

“So early?”

“I have the 5k in the morning.”

“Ah, yes.” Fedor smiled. “And would you like a personal donation for that as well, my dear?” His tone was condescending, and she hated him for it. The arrangement between them had been his idea, so it irritated her when he held his money over her head.

“No, I have my own donors.”

Although, she should take him up on his offer. The more money they could milk out of him for the cause, the better. When her father mentioned he was chairman for the local Relay for Life 5k and gala for the new hospital wing, Fedor had proposed matching all donations for this event. On the surface, it seemed like a generous offer, but Ginny knew what it really was—Fedor’s attempt to buy his way into the good graces of their friends and colleagues. He didn’t give two shits about the organization. All he cared about was himself.

Ginny wasn’t entirely sure how Fedor had earned most of his money, but she knew enough to know it was probably better to stay unenlightened.

“Would you like my driver to take you home?” Fedor asked.

Ginny shook her head. “I have my car.”

Fedor was always offering things like that to let her know that his privileges were at her disposal. If she had wanted to, she could have already moved into his mansion instead of staying in her crappy apartment that had seven minutes of continuous hot water at best.

She supposed it was sweet that he wanted to take care of her, but she couldn’t help but suspect he had ulterior motives. Men like Fedor didn’t do anything for free. They expected something in return.

She dreaded the day when she’d have to pay that debt.

“In that case, good night, luybov moya.” He touched his lips to her cheek in a chaste kiss, and her cheeks flushed as she remembered her kiss from earlier this evening.

Kissing Tony was anything but chaste.

“Good night,” she said hurriedly, wanting to escape Fedor’s presence. Thinking about the kiss with Tony in Fedor’s shadow somehow sullied the memory.

She shouldn’t have let it happen. What if Fedor had seen? Or one of his minions? Then their deal would be off, which would be unthinkable. Though her relationship with Fedor was anything but romantic, he would not tolerate being made a fool of.

As she walked to her car, she ran her fingertips along her lips. The taste of Tony was faint and growing weaker by the minute. But the tingles in her belly were still strong.

It wasn’t too late. She hadn’t actually married Fedor yet. There was still time for her to escape.

She scrubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, removing any lingering traces of the kiss. No. She was fully committed. So much more than the family business was riding on her fiancé.

So she’d just have to forget Tony.

Again.