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CHARLOTTE
This is pure heaven. Whoever owns this home is the luckiest man on earth, and that’s official. Why does he even leave? It doesn’t make sense and I waste no time when Ivan leaves and strip naked in seconds and flick on the hot tub, sinking back against the cushioned sides as the warm water bubbles away my troubles. I only wish Rochelle was here with me. She would love this and as I gaze out over an amazing view, my thoughts return to what I’ve left behind.
I wonder if the school called the police when they discovered I was gone. Did they imagine I’d run or guess I was taken? It makes me anxious when I think of my mother worrying about my safety. Then there’s my father. Does he really owe the Bratva money, or did Ivan just say that to disguise the real reason behind my abduction?
The pain that I’ve tried so hard to ignore is stabbing me on repeat as I consider what Ivan told me. My father isn’t the man I always believed he was. Who is this man everyone fears? The mafia boss we are running from. Just the idea of meeting him makes my soul quiver in fright. This whole situation is so scary I should be crying—permanently. But somehow Ivan has become my only hope. I’m safe with him. He is the only person I trust, which is ironic when he was the man who dropped me into this mess in the first place.
I can’t help my attraction to him. When he kissed me in the car, it was as if I had died and gone to heaven. The way my body reacted shocked me a little. It was as if it had a will of its own and I was devastated when he pulled away. It’s as if I’m on a quest to discover the woman inside me and shake off the girl who ran from Rose Hall Academy. I am on an adventure of the most dangerous kind—in every way and it’s as if I’m floating above the girl I once was and yearning to experience what everyone else takes for granted.
I sigh in delight as the water jets caress my body and ease away the tension. Do people really live this way? I never knew homes like this existed and I wonder how long we will get to enjoy this one. Hopefully longer than the few hours we spent in Russia. I shiver when I remember that place and whoever poisoned us did us a favor because it brought us here.
I hear a movement behind me, and my heart jumps a mile high and as I turn, I look away quickly when an extremely naked savage approaches and I say in a high-pitched voice, “What are you doing?”
“The same as you.”
He sounds weary and says roughly, “Room for one more.”
To be honest, there’s room for ten people in this tub, so I scoot to the other side and shamelessly watch him step inside, my eyes salivating over his body that looks as if it was sculpted by the gods.
A shiver passes through me as I imagine what pleasure I could have with this man and his cocky smirk tells me he knows how to bloody well read minds to add to his talents.
As he sinks back on the cushioned side, he groans. “Fuck me, I need this.”
“It is rather splendid, isn’t it?” He opens one eye and the look on his face makes me laugh as he repeats what I said, mimicking my accent. “Splendid.”
His low laugh makes me smile and I lie back and close my eyes, murmuring, “Everything we went through was worth this moment. Do people really live like this?”
“It’s impressive. I’ll give you that.”
Opening my eyes, I stare across at him and note the weariness of the man who has done everything to keep us safe and I say softly, “Tell me again why we’re here. I have so many questions and, quite frankly, you owe me the answers. It’s the least you can do.”
A deep sigh is my answer, and he shakes his head. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“But tomorrow may never come.”
The sadness in my voice causes him to open his eyes, and he says softly, “Why?”
“Because it hasn’t escaped my attention that we are being chased and what if they turn up and override the security system? We could be in danger and, well, I may be sleeping in a different place tomorrow. I need to know the facts, so I’m prepared. You owe me that, at least.”
Ivan sits up and the water cascades down his body, causing me to openly stare. He runs his fingers through his hair, looking agitated.
“Fuck, Charlotte, why did you have to bring that shit into the tub? I was trying to take a break from all this.”
“Because I deserve answers, you moron.” I raise my voice because this man frustrates me in every way possible and I glare at him through flashing eyes, which causes him to stop and stare. For a moment, he looks a little lost and then he says through gritted teeth. “Fine. But not here.”
“Why not here? Here is the perfect place.”
“Because you’re fucking naked, and I can’t see past that. Here is not an option because I am trying to cleanse the dirty thoughts running through my head right now and here is never going to happen all the time I am staring temptation in the face and buckling under it.”
He glares at me, and I stare back in shock as he reveals that he is feeling the same as me. It’s an aching need inside my heart to be close to him. Physically and mentally, and it shocks me because I’ve never experienced this yearning before. It’s as if Ivan is familiar; a homecoming if you like and the thought of walking away from him toward a stranger is an extremely frightening one indeed.
He stands and I gasp as I get the full-frontal view and I almost groan out loud at the rush of need that flows through my body. He obviously isn’t feeling it too because he snaps, “Get dressed. We will deal with this shit now, so I can finally get some peace.”
As he storms out of the tub, I’m a little nervous now because there is obviously something I’m not going to like heading my way. Briefly, I wonder whether I should be making my own escape plan because suddenly home is looking a lot more attractive to me and now I’m worried that I will never see it again.
CHAPTER20
IVAN
