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So I allow myself to find comfort in his words. It doesn’t mean I feel sure on a fundamental level, but right now, he’s here and staying. And that’s more than I’d ever dared to dream of.
His eyes search my features as if making sure the message has sunk in. Then he gives a brief nod as if satisfied that it has and continues on to the next subject. “How is your day tomorrow? Will you miss anything important if you stay home?”
“I can’t stay home. It’s the first day of a new program.”
“And what is going to happen on that first day?”
“Just some introduction stuff.”
“So, nothing crucial?”
I shrug. “I guess not.”
He shifts me onto the bed and gets up. “You’re staying home then.”
“I don’t like skipping classes.” I’ve always felt like this. Guess it’s part of my pleaser instinct, wanting to do things by the rules.
He stops and turns on his way to the kitchen area. “Was that a question?”
I shake my head and watch him disappear behind the curtain that separates the kitchen area from the bed. No matter how much my moral compass tells me not to skip class, Grigory’s word is law. And as he rustles with plates and pizza boxes, I realize how relieved I am to be staying here tomorrow. I wouldn’t have been able to make that decision on my own, but his order has relieved me of the choice and the burden of starting something I’m not ready for.
— CHAPTER 3 —
CLARA
After eating pizza, we spend an hour in bed, closely entwined while both of us read. It’s so peaceful I start drifting off, my hand with my Kindle drooping on Grigory’s chest as I blink my heavy eyes.
“Don’t fall asleep,devochka,” he says. “I don’t want you to lie awake all night because you’ve slept too much.”
Another thing Markus has told him?That I can’t sleep if I nap too much during the day.
“I’m just resting for a minute,” I murmur.
Grigory strokes my hair, and I release a contented sigh, not ever wanting to break this perfect moment. He must feel the peace too because he doesn’t say more for a while. It’s only when my breathing deepens that he breaks the silence. “You need to do something that will wake you up.”
I mutter a small protest and curl my arm around his waist like holding on will help anything.
“Up you go.” Grabbing me under the arms, Grigory all but shoves me out of bed.
I rub my eyes and glance around the room. It’s surreal being here with Grigory. And surprisingly easy—despite him forcing me out of bed. But he’s right. I do need to find something to keep the sleepiness at bay, or I’ll be tossing and turning all night.
“Go take a shower,” he says. “See if that helps.”
A shower proves to be just what I need. The hot water works wonders on my drowsiness, and when I shut it off, I feel somewhat revitalized.
After patting myself dry, I wrap a towel around my body and go to the hall to find something to wear. Grigory might have seen me naked more than once, but his authority is still too unnerving to leave myself in such a vulnerable position.
Glancing into the main room, I catch a glimpse of the mighty man. He’s fully dressed again and has made himself comfortable in the brown swivel chair in front of the window with a tablet in his lap. Not even the tiny space around him will do anything to lessen the constant air of control radiating from him.
It’s a heady sight, and I quickly turn to the closet to find a cute summer dress I think he’ll like and a set of black lingerie. I bring it all back to the bathroom to put it on.
The clothes provide some much-needed confidence when I go back to face Grigory. But when he looks up from his tablet, honing his observant gaze in on me, I might as well be naked. He sees everything. Every little twitch of uncertainty and every nuance of rosiness in my cheeks.
“Did the shower help?” he asks.
I clear my throat and gather my hands in front of me. “It did.”
His eyes rake over my body, and I’m swaying nervously back andforth on the balls of my feet when they come back up.
