AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She hated that she sincerely wasn’t certain that he wouldn’t, but she did doubt it. Gregor was such a pathetic little weasel. Her father rarely paid those types of men the time of day. His silence on the matter of their bonding was more likely to do with how little he valued her choice.
If he’d only said something.
But that wasn’t Semyon Kumarin’s style.
She got to her feet, heading over to the closet, finding a nice floor-length nightgown on a hanger. Lilac silk. Matching the room. Classy.
There was an en suit, and because she felt dirty from the events of the evening, though she had to admit to herself the feeling mostly related to the spots of her skin where Gregor had touched her for the last time, she decided to slip into the shower. The scalding hot water felt fitting. She ducked her head into the steady stream, let it wash over her, relieved at the distraction.
Though, green eyes lingered.
The thought came of them watching her through the glass walls of the shower. That he’d come to the room to speak with her again and was standing in the bathroom doorway, unable to keep away.
She drew a slight breath, eyes opening to look over at the doorway.
The door remained shut. She was alone.
“What the hell?” she swore at herself.
What the hellwas right. What had that even been about? He was obviously attractive in the most devastating sort of masculine way. Strong jawline, high cheekbones, thick eyebrows, a shade of stubble. And those damn eyes that looked at her as though he was desperate to find out all her secrets.
She just wasn’t convinced he’d keep them if she told them to him.
Somehow that thought still sent a soft thrill to her. The thought of whispering all the things she’d never told anyone else to him with their heads on the pillows of that big bed just on the other side of the bathroom door.
Oh, fuck. This wasn’t great, was it? How was she supposed to trust herself to make an informed decision if she was seriously thirsting for him?
Was she thirsting?
She thought about his hands sliding over her skin as he stepped into the shower with her, and as her body began to throb with expectation, she concluded that, yes, she was. How had he managed to find his way into her head in less than three hours of conversation? Or was this her vengeful side, wanting to get the touch of Gregor off her with more than scalding hot water?
Gregor’s betrayal had clearly shaken her more than she’d gleaned. Here was the proof. She was ready to go to bed with a Kuznetsov.
Then again, the name didn’t seem as venomous as it once had.
She dried herself off, wrapped her hair in the towel, slipped the nightgown on. It fit her perfectly, like wearing air. Would he like it better than the pajamas?
She smiled at the thought of the face he’d made when he asked if those were cats. Then she caught sight of the smile in the mirror and killed it immediately. This wasn’t meant to be friendly; this wasn’t meant to already have fond memories attached. Jesus Christ, what was she even doing?
“Tomorrow,” she told her reflection. “Find a phone.”
It was a plan. At least it was better than nothing.
When she stepped out of the bathroom there was a soft knock at the bedroom door. She swallowed down her apprehension, quickly grabbed a robe she’d spotted in the closet to cover up the barely decent nightgown and opened the door a crack.
“Hi,” Dmitri said. “Sorry to bother you, but… Oh, you showered. Good. Is everything… all right?”
“Spit it out,” she said, widening the crack into a gap, almost letting the robe slide open when she caught his eyes drifting down over her only to quickly find her eyes again.
“It’s my father,” he said. “He would like to meet you.”
“What? Now?” she asked.
By the apologetic look on his face, she took it the answer was in the affirmative.
“I don’t…” she said, looking down at herself. “I mean, I don’t have anything else to put on so… should I wear the pajamas?”
To meet Vasili Kuznetsov. They both smiled at the question, her eyes lingering on his for the most deliciously drawn-out second.
