Free Liars and Tigers by Breanna Hayse Page B

rag.
    When Alex didn't answer,
Misha changed the subject again. "I'm going to miss those pups when
they're gone. Are you sure you have to sell them?"
    "I promised them to a
reputable breeder, hon. He shows mastiffs and studded Kena. Sorry."
    "At least we have
Rodin. He's so happy."
    Alex didn't miss the word
'we'. He touched her hand. "Yes, but are you?"
    "Am I what?"
    "Are you happy?"
He looked at her with warmth in his eyes.
    She pulled her hand away.
"I have nothing to complain about."
    "But are you
happy?" he asked again. She didn't answer. Alex sighed. Does she even know how to be happy? "I got you a present. It's a belated Welcome gift. Kena thought of
it."
    "Why did you do
that?" Misha asked sharply, taken aback.
    Alex studied her for a
moment. "Hasn't anyone ever given you a present? Just because? Oh My Lord,
are you serious?" he asked, as she shook her head. "Well, my sweet
Tiger, that will be changing. I hope you like it. And no arguing. Kena did a
lot of thinking to come up with this idea."
    "Well, I can't exactly
say no to Kena, can I?" Misha said sullenly, as she pulled the cub onto
her lap. She stuck her finger into his mouth and started playing with his
tongue and gums, telling him 'no' when he bit too hard.
    "Do you realize that
you do the same thing to me as you do to that cat?"
    "What do you
mean?"
    "Every time I start to
get too close to you and you feel uncomfortable, you tell me no."
    "I do not."
    "Yeah, you do. At least
you don't flick me on the nose. I'll be right back. Wait here and no
peeking."
    Misha was extending the
claws of Rodin's paw when Alex returned with a very large bundle in his arms.
He set it upon the table with a smile. "Go ahead, unwrap it. Be
honest."
    Misha's discomfort was
plastered across her face. With a slight frown, she removed the cloth covering
the bronze Rodin reproduction of The Danaid. She gasped, her hands covering her
mouth, seeing the artist's signature on the woman's right thigh.
    "You said Rodin was
your favorite artist. I didn't know which one was your favorite piece. I looked
around at different renderings from different artists and found this one. I
thought it was beautiful because, well, it looks so much like you. Misha?
Mish!" Alex called, as she fled into the house and slammed the house
behind her. What did he do wrong?

Chapter 8
     
    Misha held back her sobs
until she was safe, alone in her room. How
did he know? What gave me away? Who tipped him off? She thought of the
statue; the beautiful graceful flow of the woman lying on the ground, her naked
body raised to expose every luscious curve and every delightful crevice. Hidden
in the ground was the face, and it remained unseen. Misha cried into her hands,
ignoring the tapping at her door.
    Alex walked inside and
placed Rodin on the floor. The cub immediately jumped on the bed, and mewed
plaintively as Misha cried into her arms. Alex sat next to her and touched her
shoulder.
    "Mish? What's wrong?
Please talk to me."
    "Just go away! How
could you do that to me?!"
    Alex leaned toward her and
began to stroke her trembling back. "Do what? Give you a gift? I'm sorry,
I didn't know which one you would like, so I just picked the one that reminded
me of you. I didn't mean anything negative by it."
    "Are you telling me you
just randomly chose one of the statues from a random artist and ordered
it?" Misha demanded, glaring at him through wet, red eyes.
    Alex nodded. "Actually,
yeah. That's the truth. I looked at a bunch of different ones but I kept coming
back to this one. I'm sorry you hate it…"
    "Hate it? Oh my God, I
don't hate it. I love it. It is one of the most intimate things that anyone has
ever done for me. But, oh shit, Alex, I'm a big fat liar. You're going to lose
all respect for me," Misha sniffed, placing Rodin over her shoulder.
    Alex looked confused.
"I think you need to start from the beginning. And leave nothing out. I
want the truth," he said firmly.
    Misha nodded shamefully and
began her