Claire’s POV
For the length of several loud, pounding heartbeats, I was at an utter loss for words. Ivan always looked serious, but there was something about the way he was staring at me now, like there was more to this question than a hypothetical.
I had no clue how to answer.
He didn’t wait for me to figure it out. He blinked and whatever moment had been building was lost.
A small hint of relief filled me.
“You don’t want to be entangled with Gideon again anyway, do you? So what does it matter if he believes we are a couple,” Ivan said. “Perhaps it might even be better if we just pretended. That might give you more leverage against him.”
“It would be a lie,” I said.
“So?”
I liked Ivan a lot as a friend. I might have even loved him as one. But it was because of those friendly affe
