Natasha
He bought me chocolates.
Not just a few pieces. The guy literally must’ve bought out the whole store.
Maybe it was out of guilt-it sounds like he was worried I’d felt forced. As if I hadn’t been the one to drop to my knees and unbutton his jeans.
He revealed so much about himself this morning. Not just the conversation saying he couldn’t have a relationship. I already surmised that much. And yes, I’m kicking myself for not asking why. I didn’t want to show any disappointment or hurt, so I just swallowed the statement and let it sit in the pit of my stomach, making it impossible to finish my breakfast.
But the purchase of the chocolates, the checking in with me-those actions prove that he is the guy I thought he was. He may be acting like a grumpy bastard right now, but he’s safe. He’s kind.
And I still want him.
Am I an idiot for setting my targets on a guy who tells me he’s unavailable?
Most certainly.
But he’s also admitted he likes me a lot.
And I like him a lot.
And none of that is even about the off-the-charts sex we’ve had. Last night was life-changing for me. I found out things about myself I never knew, and I will never be able to approach sex the same way again. To think, we haven’t even gone all the way yet! If we’re this good in an office and a kitchen, I can’t imagine how explosive we could be in a bedroom.
But the best thing is that I don’t even need that.
Dima feels right to me.
When I’m with him, I feel like I can be myself. I suppose that’s why I could give myself over sexually-I didn’t hold back or edit myself. I let go, and the entire world exploded.
Dima feels like mine. Like we belong together. There’s an ease between us-like we’re an energetic match. That’s what I’d felt with him from the first day we met. I’d made a note to myself that if I ever was in trouble, he was the bratva member I’d go to for help. He was the one I knew I could trust.
Then things got weird, but now, I know what that was about.
He recognizes what we have, too. And for some reason that I need to discover, he thinks we can’t be together.
Well, I’m not going to stop pushing. Or tempting. And if he wants to punish me-well, we both know how that will end.
With a whole lot of sexual satisfaction on both our parts.
I’m not giving up. I’m seeing this thing through.
Dima is worth fighting for.
Dima
I wake in the night to the sound of something outside the cabin. I leap out of bed and palm the Glock on the bedroom dresser. I’m in the master bedroom where Nikolai’s recovering. Even though he seems like he’s doing okay, I’m not willing to sleep in a separate bedroom. Like he might stop breathing just because it’s night or something.
I hear another sound-right outside the French doors that open to the deck.
I silently turn the lock on them, twist the handle, and nudge the door open, all the while I’m on an internal rampage against myself for not having figured out Alex’s every secret. Because it seems there must be something more to him than a trigger-happy Federal agent.
Something feels off. Very off.
The door opens silently-it’s solid and well-built. All the glass in this place is bullet-proof, so me opening the door might not be my brightest move. But fuck, my brother is lying half-dead in the bedroom, and I have an innocent female upstairs to protect.
A light splash of water draws my attention to the sunken hot tub a few paces from the French doors.
Blyad.’
The innocent female I thought was sleeping upstairs is in my hot tub.
Naked.
Moonlight glints off her pale skin.
“You nearly got your head shot off, amerikanka,” I say softly, putting the safety back on the Glock.
I should go back inside and leave her to her soak, but I can’t seem to make my body turn around. Instead, I walk past her, careful not to look, and stand at the deck, facing out. I place the Glock on the railing.
“You wouldn’t shoot me.” Her answer is just as soft. She didn’t seem startled-like she expected me to come.
Is she playing games again? Moonbathing nude where I’m sure to find her?
Probably.
Fuck.
I definitely need to turn around and go back inside.
Get the upper hand and show her I won’t be manipulated.
But I don’t move. I promise myself not to look at her. I saw nothing but her bare shoulders from the back. I won’t let myself turn and drink in the perfection of her youthful breasts. Because I’m sure they are as perfect as that pretty pink pussy I had my tongue on last night.
“Did you know there was a hot tub out here?” Her voice sounds a little rusty.
“Yeah.” I won’t look at her. I will not turn around.
“It’s so perfect-to soak in total luxury surrounded by nature. The smell of pine and earth. The moonlight. I’ll bet it’s a dream in the winter, too.”
I never considered the hot tub anything other than another amenity Ravil put in because he has money to burn. We have one on the roof of the Kremlin, too. I’ve been in it a few times, but I don’t make it a practice. I don’t really pay attention to shit like that.
I have to swallow back the offer on the tip of my tongue to bring her back here in winter.
I won’t be seeing her in winter. I’m not seeing her now. I need to make that clearer.
“Why did Ravil send us here?” she asks.