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And as I break into a sprint, my foot connects with something large and warm and soft.
I cry out as I tumble onto the floor for the second time in a matter of seconds, my hands slapping the hard wood just in time to stop my face from colliding with the ground. And I roll, the world spinning around me and disorienting me as I hear a deep grunt.
The sound confuses me, and though my body screams for me to run, I turn to look behind me. Pyotr’s inscrutable gray eyes study me from his place on the floor. He looks as though he’s been there for a while. In truth, he seems as dazed and confused as I feel.
Then it hits me. I wasn’t in the card room. I don’t need to run from my attackers because they’re already dead. I was safe in my bedroom at the Veles estate. I must have been having a nightmare. A very horribly vivid nightmare.
Tears pool in my eyes as all the terrible events of the night come crashing back down on me.
And Pyotr, why is he here? Shouldn’t he be sleeping?
“Are you alright?” he asks, his voice husky with fatigue.
He reaches for me, then seems to change his mind and withdraws his hand. But his eyes study me with what I can only interpret as deep concern.
“I just… I had a bad dream,” I murmur, brushing my tears away angrily.
“You want to talk about it?” he asks softly, sitting up slowly.
I shake my head, dropping my eyes to the ground.
Silence falls between us as I try to collect myself.
“Wait, didn’t I fall over you? Why were you on the ground?” I ask, withdrawing from my thundercloud of emotion to focus on the oddity of what just happened. I look up to meet Pyotr’s gaze again as my eyebrows furrow.
To my utter astonishment, he almost looks bashful.
“I, uh…” He rubs the back of his neck self-consciously, and it makes me wonder where my foot connected with him and just how hard I kicked. “I didn’t feel comfortable leaving you unattended, so I thought I’d sleep outside your door. You know, to ensure no one else disturbed you.”
Baffled by his explanation, I stare at him openly.Rather than sending one of his men to stand guard, he chose to spend the night on a hardwood floor?I don’t know what to make of that.
Not a single one of his signals makes sense to me. After we slept together, it almost seemed like he was mad at me. He made it clear he doesn’t want to be with me. All but said it when he told me that having sex with me had been a mistake.
And yet here he is, sleeping on the floor outside my door to keep me safe.
He’s so protective of me, and yet, he doesn’t seem to want me at all. It must be territorial. After what happened in the card room, he probably worries that another drunken guest might stumble upon me while looking for a room to crash in for the night. And since I belong to him, no one else can have me–even if he’s decided he doesn’t want me either.
Or maybe, he’s worried I’ll try to run away again.
After what happened last time, I wouldn’t dare. But I won’t tell him that. Regardless of his reasons, it still gives me comfort to know he’s standing guard.
“You, uh… sure you don’t want to talk?” he asks, discomfort evident on his face.
He’s trying to be nice but is clearly at a loss. And only now do I realize how long I’ve been staring at him. I don’t think I ever responded to his explanation.
“No, that’s okay. Now that I’m awake, I’m fine.” I collect my legs beneath me, ready to stand.
Pyotr’s on his feet in an instant, rising from the floor with catlike grace. He offers me his hand, and I hesitantly take it. Ripples of electricity course up my arm to my heart, making it flutter, and I swallow hard.
Why do I have to be so ridiculously attracted to him?It’s making his rejection that much more agonizing.
He pulls me gently to my feet, then reaches around my door frame to flick on the light in my room. For a moment, he hovers dangerously close as he reaches for the switch, and I hold my breath.
A shiver runs down my spine, and I shudder.
“Sorry,” Pyotr grunts, seeming to notice how close he got. He quickly puts space between us, dropping my hand as he does.
“Thank you,” I breathe, fighting the inexplicable tears stinging the back of my eyes.
