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“Hell, woman! You’re like a rabbit. All skittish,” he teased.
“Maybe it’s because a big, bad predator snuck into my den.”
There was another deep, bone-shivering laugh. “Touché.”
I picked up the cup of coffee and blew across the top before taking a long sip. As the strong, black liquid ran down my throat, I considered how to play this. I swam naked in the ocean with Viktor not even ten hours ago. He was friendly and fun here, and dammit, we were in paradise.Why the hell am I fighting this so hard?
The answer was obvious, and stubborn ass that I was, it was enough of a deterrent to keep me questioning it at every turn. This setup was all temporary. Was falling down the lust-filled rabbit hole a good enough reason to continue? Have fun now and hope I could go back to normal life when it was over? I sighed, the sound soft enough that the giant didn’t hear. I didn’t know if things could go back to the way they were once this was over. And if I was being honest with myself, that scared me the most. It was why I fought whatever this was at every turn.
“Are we really going to a waterfall?” I asked Viktor, taking another long hit of the glorious, fresh-roasted caffeine.
“Yep, and I grabbed you a pair of good hiking boots, so you have no excuses.”
I gaped at him. “How did you find those here, let alone in the middle of the night?!”
He shrugged; such a carefree and sexy gesture. “I know a guy.”
“Of course, you do,” I muttered.
“What does that mean?” He snatched a piece of papaya out of my fruit bowl.
“Hey! Get your own!” I tried to smack his hand. The tray jolted violently again.
He arched a dark brow. “I just did.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Answer the question,” he demanded, and I caught the hard edge to his voice.
I lifted my shoulders. “It’s just that you look like a member of organized crime or a biker boy,” I explained. “Those characters always ‘know a guy’ in the movies.”
“Hmm.”
I stabbed my fork into the eggs, aware I’d killed the mood but not sure how. After a few mouthfuls, I tried to move the subject back to happier trails. “This is delicious. Thanks.”
A slow, lazy smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Good.”
I ate, conscious of his gaze the entire time. I didn’t usually eat this much in the morning, preferring to engage in intermittent fasting. But, without knowing what craziness this Russian bear had in mind for the day, it made sense to follow his instructions.
I flicked a cautious glance at him—and noticed the split skin across his knuckles. I pointed at his hands. “What the hell is that?”
Then, before he could answer, I set the tray aside and grabbed his chin. The smooth skin of his jaw felt distorted under my thumb, and when I tipped his head, I found ugly red marks marring the beautiful ink on his throat. “What the literal fuck, Viktor?”
He pulled my hand away, pausing to press a kiss against the pulse in my wrist. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet my gaze. “I made some friends, then came back to take a cold shower—where I thought of this incredibly hot woman—before I slept.” Viktor’s voice was low, seductive.
Heat grew between my legs. I snatched my fingers back. “Good evasion.”
“Lawyer tactic 101.”
“Indeed.”
~*~
Following my breakfast, we stepped out the front door of the resort.
“They haven’t brought the car around,” I remarked, turning to look back at the reception desk on the other side of the double doors.
“Why would they have brought a car around?” Viktor asked.
