Alina had arrived at The Stripe Club an hour before Eduardo’s phone call. Heck, she might have been there before he even left with her brother. Waking up alone had not been ideal, but she was a consummate professional and the show must go on.
Her body had been deliciously sore after the night she had shared with Eddie, her brain full of dreams. But when she looked in the mirror and saw the truth staring her in the face, she could not help the hurt that had risen.
She had been thoroughly loved, but was still unclaimed. Shame filled her, the hated emotion threatened to topple her, but that changed the second her mother had seen her.
“What is it, malyshka?”
“Oh, Mama, he does not want me,” she whispered, her heart breaking.
“Nonsense. I saw the Bear watching over you, Alina. His heart was lost the second he saw you. Now, you have the heart of a Tiger and a Bear. If you want him, get him, daughter,” Mama said.