Chapter 6 - Katerina
His mansion is magnificent. I’m still in disbelief that he carved these pieces himself, but what do I know about him? Nothing. So whether he’s lying or not, the bottom line is that he has excellent taste. This place is a dream home, straight out of the pages of a glossy magazine.
It’s the type of place movie producers would want to rent for luxurious scenes with a star-studded cast.
While we explore, I look for a way out. But through every window out to the garden, all I see is security. This place is a fortress, even though it looks like paradise.
“You said there would be fresh clothes for me?” I ask, biting at my cheek.
“Yes, come on, I’ll show you the bedroom and ensuite.”
Yulian leads me upstairs to a massive bedroom. It’s just as bright as the rest of the house, with natural light flooding in from massive windows and green plants framing the sliding doors leading out onto a balcony overlooking the garden.
“Wow,” I mutter for the tenth time.
“The bathroom is through there.” He gestures towards an open door, then opens the closet. “Your clothes are in here.”
Looking around, I scrunch my nose. “This room is really big,” I remark.
“Well, it’s the main bedroom, I wanted a lot of space. I don’t like to feel suffocated.”
“This is your room?” I blurt out, horrified.
“Yes, we’ll have to share it while we’re here.”
“I’m not sharing a room with you. This is a mansion. There must be a hundred other rooms.”
He chuckles, that beautiful, sexy laugh that makes my body tingle.
“Katerina, this is the only room that’s finished. The others aren’t even furnished yet. The bed is big enough for both of us.” He waves his hand casually over the bed, as though the size of it is the issue.
“I’m not sharing a bed with you,” I stomp my foot to emphasize my point.
His grin grows wider. “Because you’re afraid you can’t resist me?” His voice is low and husky as he takes a step towards me.
My heart bursts into unrestrained rhythm. Beating too fast. Too hard.
“N—no. That’s not the reason,” I murmur, stepping away from him. Already, heat is building between my legs as I think about how he moved over me. How he thrust into me.
I swallow hard, an audible gulp.
His smile is sexy, mischievous.
“It’s okay, Katerina. If you are worried that you won’t be able to keep your hands off me, just tell me. Temptation can be a real problem. Maybe if I tied your hands, it would help…?” he keeps moving closer to me. Teasing me. Provoking me.
The erotic images that flood my mind are darkly delicious. The idea of him binding me, doing whatever he wants to me, it’s almost too much to bear.
“I’m not sharing your bed!” I shout, shoving him hard in the chest, pushing him away from me. But he doesn’t move.
His eyes flare. Not angry. Not upset.
Challenged.
He likes this game. He likes pushing me to my limits. He likes my fierce reaction.
I try to push him again, but he’s like a brick wall, immovable and solid. He grabs my wrist and tugs me against his chest. His body is pressing into me. I can feel his muscles. His warmth. His breathing is heavy as he looks down at me.
A low rumbling growl rolls through him, reminding me of the night we shared.
His eyes are on my lips, and unconsciously, I take in a sharp breath, opening my mouth, waiting to feel his against mine.
Anger spikes through me again. Anger that he’s put me in this position. That he’s pushing me. Tempting me. That he has any power over me at all.
I tug my wrist away so suddenly that he doesn’t have a chance to stop me. Free from his grasp, I stagger backwards and glare at him with malice.
“I don’t give a shit about sleeping next to you. Or in the same room. You don’t make me feel anything but disgust.” My heart is racing as I say the lie. The flicker of amusement over his face tells me he isn’t buying it.
Frustrated, I need to put space between us, so I storm into the bathroom and slam the door behind myself, turning on the shower and sitting on the edge of the bath with my head in my hands, trying to even out my breathing and calm my pulse rate.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself. This is so bad. Everything he does turns me on, and now he wants me to share a bed with him.
I can’t stay here. Guards or no guards, when he’s not looking, I’m making a break for it.
That night, after dinner, Yulian excuses himself to go shower while I’m sitting in the living room watching a series that I wasn’t really paying attention to.
I’ve been watching the guards, counting the time between each patrol passing the window. It’s a long shot, but I’m going to take it.
I wait a few minutes after Yulian leaves. Then a few more just to be sure.
The sliding door key is in the lock. I turn it, and it opens silently. A cool breeze brushes over my skin and sprinkles goosebumps over my arms.
With one deep breath, I slip through the door into the darkness outside. There are small patches of light, lit by the garden lamps, spread through the bushes and trees. I avoid those as I dart towards the gate in the distance, keeping low, trying to stay hidden.
But I don’t get far at all.
The guard is so polite when he catches me, it almost makes me laugh.
“I’m sorry, miss, but I don’t believe you are allowed to escape,” he says, his hand resting on the gun, still strapped into his belt.
“I guess I’m not, no. But I mean, there was no harm in trying, right?” I huff.
“Of course not, good try. But please let me escort you back inside the mansion. It’s going to be cold tonight, and I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable in there than hiding in a bush out here.”
I giggle and shake my head. “Thanks, I know my way back,” I sigh.
“The whole garden has motion detectors. You can’t take two steps out here without triggering one of them,” he smiles. “Just letting you know. You’re wasting your time. Unless you enjoyed our chat and wanted to try again tomorrow?”
“Who knows. Maybe I will,” I smirk at him. “Um, we don’t have to tell Yulian about this…do we?” I try, smiling as sweetly as I can.
“Sleep well, Miss Katerina,” he grins, standing firm and watching me as I head back into the mansion.
Giving in to the inevitable, I head upstairs to the bedroom. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’m exhausted. Clearly, I’m not escaping tonight, and I refuse to let Yulian get the better of me.
He’s still in the shower, so I grab some sweatpants from my side of the closet and get changed quickly, keeping an eye on the door in case he comes in.
But I’m already tucked in bed with my back turned to his side when he comes out of the bathroom.
I try to control my breathing so that I look like I’m already asleep.
The aroma of his body wash and hot steam quickly fills the bedroom. A fresh shower. His masculine scent. My body begins to hum with desire.
Nope. Nope, we are not doing that, I lecture myself, squeezing my eyes shut, waiting to feel the bed move when he climbs into it. I doubt I’m going to get any sleep tonight, either. As much as I hate to admit it, he was right—I am so freaking turned on by him I can’t focus.
But he doesn’t climb into the bed. Instead, I hear a grunt as he flops down onto the massive sofa in the corner of the room. I prop myself up on my elbow and squint at him.
He’s pulling a blanket over himself and getting comfortable on the sofa.
Wow.
That’s a lot more respectful than I expected.
I flop back down onto my pillow. Why does it annoy me more that he’s sleeping there? Like, I don’t want to view him as a decent guy. Or is it that I wanted him to sleep next to me?
Dammit, Katerina, your head is a mess.
I thought I’d sleep better with him further away from me, but I was wrong. I’m still so aware of him. I can still hear his breathing and smell him. I can’t relax.
It’s late in the night, or very early in the morning, when I do finally drift off to sleep.
As the days pass, I explore the inside of the mansion, even the parts that aren’t finished yet. I avoid Yulian and try to stay busy because I’m going a little crazy locked up in here.
It’s no different from my brother’s place, though.
There have been a thousand rules since we moved here, each of them stricter than the last. It was almost impossible for me to go anywhere without an entourage of guards—useless guards, apparently.
And I wasn't allowed out after sunset. And my brother had to know where I was and whom I was with at all times.
It was annoying and smothering and, oddly, more claustrophobic than this place.
It’s quiet here. And so beautiful. He has a love for lush green plants and bright light. It makes my soul smile to wander around this place.
But…it’s boring. By day three, I’ve seen enough. I want to leave. I want to see other people. I want to read a book or walk through a mall or freaking anywhere.
I wonder if he has books somewhere? Just not unpacked yet, because the shelf he’s building isn’t finished?
Maybe he has storage outside? Everyone has books. I just need one. Something to distract me from the monotony of nothing.
The guards don’t mind me walking around the garden. They greet me with friendly smiles. As long as I don’t go near the gate, they have no issue with me.
Yesterday, I sat with my feet in the pool. It’s too cold to swim, but the sun was nice and warm, and it was pleasant to enjoy the cold bite on my toes.
Today, I walk past the pool towards a building I’ve been eyeing near the back of the house. I’m assuming it’s a storage space.
As I walk closer, I hear the sound of hammering. I pause, tilting my head to the side. What in the world?