Chapter 8 – Kolya
I never slept past dawn. Yet the brilliant light piercing through the backs of my eyes could only have one possible source. I peeled my lids open, sending out trickles of awareness to my other senses. The stirring on my lap had my heart jumping to a full beat.
Those weren’t my feet resting on my thighs.
It took less than a minute to realize who was snoozing on the couch, body curled cozily into the cushions. I used the silence to piece together last night. Dinner at the Landing was firmly embedded in my memories. Coming back here and lying down around seven thirty were also fixed images. No other evidence presented itself between closing my eyes and opening them just now.
Fuck.
It happened again. I blacked out.
Only right now, it was a thousand times worse. Harley was here. Best case scenario was that she’d come for swimming lessons, seen me on the couch, and fallen asleep.
But that made little to no sense. I’d established boundaries with this woman. Even though I sometimes had the trickling sense that she would like to try something more, I kept her firmly at arm’s length. I could look but never touch. Harley wasn’t from my world. The life of organized crime was frightening enough; she couldn’t know what kind of monster I really was. Couldn’t know the demons I spent my days hunting.
But saints! She was temptation incarnate. Just look at that face. How was a smart, driven, sexy woman like her still single? Men around here must be idiots. If I was a normal, all-American, good old boy, I would move heaven and earth to make her mine.
Selfishly, I stole this time to stare at her as she slept. Her steady breathing, the flush on her cheeks, hell, even the way her eyes roved under the lids indicated a restful snooze. Careful not to wake her, I reached out and brushed the pad of my thumb over the curve of her lip. What did that taste like? While something hot and desperate—like sinking my teeth into the pillowy flesh or better yet, seeing them sliding over me as I pounded into that full mouth—would be nice, I would be content with the smallest, barest of kisses.
Knowing what that felt like would stay with me for the rest of my life.
I leaned forward, about to give in to the temptation.
Harley moaned and rolled over. That sound was nothing short of intoxicating. I brushed back the lock of hair that slid across her forehead, obstructing my view. She was here, right in front of me. I only had to pull her in, bring us closer, and bridge those last few inches of separation—
She came over while I was out of it.
My fist curled reflexively. Anger, hot and volatile, surged through my veins. This beautiful, talented woman, who was going back to school this fall to take on a second career as a veterinarian, had been in danger.
Because of me.
The muscles in my jaw clenched tight.
The periods of unconsciousness—where my body had mobility, but my mind was absent with no recollection of events—started to happen while I was in the service. I was thrown in a blast. My brain was knocked about and shrapnel nicked a key nerve line. While the wounds healed, insomnia set in place. The trauma morphed into chronic fatigue, a blanket medical term to describe my symptoms. The result was an honorable discharge. While my superiors were loath to lose one of their elite soldiers, the periods of lost consciousness that replaced REM sleep produced an unstable and therefore unreliable state of being. They’d had no choice but to put me to pasture.
The episodes didn’t start with violent tendencies. But the various lowlifes in my uncle’s criminal organization thought it would be funny to mess with me during the zombie periods. They didn’t live long after making that fatal decision.
Not wanting anything to happen to his eldest son, my father took precautions, finding the best neurologists in the city. They couldn’t do anything for me, other than draw the conclusion that the periods of lost consciousness were linked to sleep deprivation and high stress—two things that were oh-so-easy to cure. I could stare at the ceiling for hours and not sleep. Days went by without silencing my mind, until my body took over and zoned out. Drugs didn’t help. Therapy was useless.
I was doomed to this curse.
Here, alone in this huge house with a big enough property to keep the neighbors away, it shouldn’t have been a problem if I blacked out.
Clearly, that wasn’t the case.
“What am I going to do with you?” I rasped, tugging the blanket around her toes.
Rising, I went to the kitchen and pulled my laptop from the top shelf in a cupboard where I’d stored it for safekeeping. Checking the encrypted server was a much-needed distraction to keep me from reaching out and touching what I shouldn’t.
The email that opened on the screen was a welcome change.
To the hunter known as Wraith,
It has come to our attention that you are making headway against the problems plaguing our city. While our group is new, we have resources that might interest you. The next time you’re in Chicago, perhaps we could share a cup of coffee and discuss our mutual enemies.
Sincerely,
The Cyber Ops
There were very few places they could have found my contact information. I drummed my fingers against the counter. It was likely my cousin Kazimir or one of his techies. While Kaz’s foster brother was a computer wizard, it was his wife, Ellie, who ruled the cyber world with sharp intellect and therefore was the true force to be reckoned with. She knew my cover missions best. Hell, she’d been the one to set up my channels on the dark web. But Kazimir would have messaged to alert me if someone was looking to speak to me.
On the couch, Harley shifted—then jumped upright. “What time is it?”
I studied her, waiting to see what she would say when she realized where she was.
“Kole?” When I didn’t answer, she lunged off the couch and reached for a black, slim stick. The universal remote. Stabbing at the buttons, the lights on the ridiculous TV flickered.
“Oh, thank heavens,” she sighed dramatically. “Plenty of time.”
Harley dropped back onto the cushions, keeping the blanket wrapped around her like a safety net. She looked so cozy, snuggled into the big couch. Hell, she made the opulent space feel normal. Almost homey.
The primal need to keep her here with me buzzed through my veins.
“You can’t come over anymore,” I clipped out, before I could succumb to temptation.
Harley stilled. That steady brown gaze shifted to squint at me. “Excuse me?”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Her tone turned icy. “We had a business deal. Are you reneging?”
The mental image of her poured into that bathing suit flashed through my mind. Heat roused my groin. So I snapped, “What were you thinking? Coming over last night?”
“Hey!” Harley pointed an accusatory finger at me, not backing down because of my outburst. “I was out on the water, doing some night fishing, when I realized you had all your damn lights on. I made my way over to find you wandering near the water—unresponsive, I might add! You’re welcome for not letting you drown.”
With that, she jumped up and stormed toward the back door.
I shot up after her.
Wait! Don’t go.
Harley was already outside by the time I caught up with her. She snatched two fishing poles from the side of the house but paused to point them at me. “I thought you were different. But you’re just a douche like all the other cidiots.”
“Harley.” I grabbed the poles but didn’t yank. “About last night.”
She stilled, watching me expectantly.
Words jumbled and blended on the way from my head to my mouth. The right ones never made it to my tongue. I let out a breath that didn’t catch any sound on its exit. My jaw slammed closed, and the molars threatened to crack under the force. My mind spun with chaos.
The corner of Harley’s mouth quirked. “Hey, it’s okay, big guy.”
The morning air filled the silence between us. Birds gossiped and sang, greeting one another with chirps of excitement. A steady breeze rose from the water, bringing that strange scent of lake, both clean and fresh, but also muddy and damp.
Any further response was pushed aside when Harley’s stomach growled.
She clapped her hands over the offending organ. Her cheeks turned pink. “You did not hear that.”
Humor made my lips twitch. “Hungry?”
Harley shrugged. The simple gesture brought my immediate attention to the fact that she was in a button-up shirt that was sleek and shiny. The black color was lightened with pink dots. The matching sleeper shorts might as well have been underwear there was so little to them.
My dick went from roused to fully alert.
“Want food?” I jerked a thumb behind me.
Harley arched a brow. “Are you asking me to breakfast or letting me know there is fresh game in your cave?”
“I don’t understand,” I ground out.
A short laugh escaped her. “Never mind, gargoyle. Yes, I’m hungry. But if you want your swimming lesson, we have to hurry so we have the full hour before I leave, and—”
“Come. Eat.” I stepped back, ushering her with a sweep of my hand toward the interior.