Chapter 6 - Angelika
Two days I’ve been stuck here with him with no end in sight. I want to go home. And I know for a fact that there is more to this stupid ploy than he’s letting on. I’d be perfectly safe with my brothers. They have a whole team of guards, and they could hire more.
Guilt tingles again, pulsing through my thoughts.
What if those men do come looking for me, though? I couldn’t live with myself if they hurt my family.
But this… I look around the safe house and groan miserably. This is far worse than any overprotective bullshit my brothers have done to me in the past. The walls are closing in. This place is too small for two people. Especially two people who hate each other.
Looking around the room I’ve claimed as my own and done my best to make cozy…
I bite my lip, lost in thought. I’m desperate to get out of here.
I want to get away from Diomid and his intense stares and those bright, sharp eyes.
And dammit. I want to get away from the stupid fact that I still think he’s so freaking hot.
It’s midafternoon when I drag myself off the bed, dropping the boring book I can’t seem to focus on down onto the bedside table, and marching downstairs to find Diomid.
I’m over this.
Whatever he’s trying to do by keeping me here—it ends now.
Diomid is downstairs, in a backroom that’s been made into a small gym. He’s shirtless and wearing dark grey sweatpants that leave hardly anything to the imagination.
As I walk in, I forget what I wanted to say or do.
He drops the weights on the ground and turns toward me. Sweat glistens over his tight muscles, freshly worked, flexing across his torso and arms.
“Did you need something?” he asks, amused by my expression.
I snap my mouth closed and drag my eyes off his tanned, perfect skin, away from the tattoo snaking over his hip and rib cage.
“I, um. I need your phone.”
“Is that a fact?” he asks, picking up another weight. No, don’t do that. Oh damn, that’s hot.
Dammit, Angelika, focus.
“I want to call my brother.”
A slight scowl replaces his amused smile.
“For what?”
“To say hello. What? Are you the police now? Well, officer, I want my one phone call,” I huff, folding my arms across my chest and jutting my hip out.
He chuckles.
Diomid walks over to a shelf and picks up his phone. He flicks through it, then places it back on the shelf, the ring tone chiming on speaker phone.
“There you go. Your brother,” he smiles.
So much for a private conversation. Oh well.
“Diomid, how are things going, man?” Jaroslav asks, his voice loud in the small gym room.
I glare at Diomid. He cocks his head to the side and gestures toward the phone.
“Jaro, it’s me,” I say.
“Hi, kiddo. How are you?” he replies cheerfully.
“I’m ok, but I really want to come now. Can I come home?” I ask quietly, turning my back toward Diomid, whose eyes are piercing into me.
“Angelika, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Diomid was right about the guys looking for you. Word on the street is that they’re really pissed off and want revenge,” he says.
“They want revenge because they kidnapped me and tried to sell me? Are you serious? This can’t be happening. I just want to come home,” I sound whiny. It’s the frustration.
“I know you’ve been through a lot, Angelika, but please. You need to stay with Diomid for a bit longer. Until this all blows over. For now, they don’t even seem to know who was responsible for your rescue, so they don’t know who to go after. Sit tight there.”
“Jaro, I’m going crazy here. I need…”
“You never told me what actually happened,” he interrupts me. “I didn’t ask before because I’m sure you needed some time to process. But how did they get to you?”
My heart somersaults three times and then slams into the pit of my stomach.
My throat closes, and my eyes flare in horror.
“What happened?” I stammer, my mind racing. “Um.”
Shit, shit, shit. Why didn’t I prepare for this question? Obviously, it was inevitable. I was so focused on being annoyed with Diomid, I didn’t even think about what I’d say.
“Angelika?” Jaroslav says, testing to see if the line is still connected.
Desperation floods me like a tidal wave. My heart races faster, and my head begins to spin.
To my surprise, Diomid steps closer to the phone. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, man. I don’t think Bardil even planned it. I think it was an opportunity he saw and took. This was his fault. Not Angelika’s. She just got unlucky.”
My eyes lock onto his, and my heart beats slow. He covered for me. Why did he do that? He could have ratted me out or said I went clubbing. By now, he knows I snuck out and my brothers would kill me for it.
“Yeah, I imagine that snake would grab at any chance he could,” Jaroslav sighs.
Guilt knots in my stomach. I was reckless. And Diomid is now protecting me from my own mistakes.
Jaroslav is still chatting. “We’re just glad you’re safe, Angelika.
We’re all sending our love. Call if you need anything, ok.
But Diomid is right—you must stay hidden.
Use this time to rest as well. I’m sure he’ll make sure you are comfortable.
And most importantly, safe. I’ve got to run, guys, but call again soon, ok? ”
“I will,” I say. “Good-bye. I love you guys.” My voice breaks a little as I hang up. The weight of my own stupidity sits heavy on my shoulders. A soft sadness glimmers through me, and I bite at my lip to fight it.
When I look up at Diomid, his eyes are gentle and tender as he watches me.
For a moment, I’m lost in his beautiful face, making me remember how he made me lose myself in pleasure only a few nights ago. How he stole my breath and took my virginity.
Wow, it feels like a lifetime ago.
I shove the thought from my mind as my body tinges with desire.
Now is hardly the time to be thinking of such things.
But still, my eyes drift over him again, my heart rate spiking, my body heating at the sight of his post-gym flex.
I clear my throat loudly and try to push away the inappropriate memories flickering through my mind.
Angry with myself and the situation that I put myself in, I lash out at Diomid.
“You can’t keep me any safer than my brothers can at home, and you know it,” I snarl.
He doesn’t even try and hide the smirk that lights his gorgeous mouth.
One corner of his lip curves upward, and I notice the shine in his eyes right away.
“Is this funny?” I snap harshly.
My cheeks are flushed red from frustration. I can feel them burning.
He cocks his head to the side.
“It’s for your own safety, Angelika. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” he muses.
“You’ll make sure…” I say in disbelief. “This is a nightmare. This can’t be real.”
“I think what you’re trying to say is thank you?” he offers, still smiling.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I set my jaw.
He’s right. I’m angry at myself. Not at him.
He just saved me a world of trouble by covering for me when my brother asked what happened.
Imagine if he found out I snuck out, went clubbing, and then ended up in bed with a total stranger.
It would be a nightmare worse than anything I could imagine.
When I eventually got home, they would never let me out in public again.
And they would never trust me again. Ever. My life would be over.
It takes me a moment to process reality, to accept that I actually owe Diomid a great deal for what he has done, and to open my eyes and face him in a more humble state.
When I look up at him again, he’s waiting patiently, one arm reaching out and leaning against the wall. He looks casual, relaxed, and confident that he’s the one in control.
Because he is.
He has a secret about me that he could use against me at any time he chooses. But he chose not to.
“Why didn’t you tell my brother where I really was?” I ask, my tone subdued.
He shrugs.
I roll my eyes. “Well, thank you for keeping that from him. I appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem,” he says, smiling.
“I’ll stay with you till this is all over. The kidnapping commotion, the auction, and everything else. No more arguing… from me.”
“That’s good to hear. It’ll probably be a lot more pleasant around here,” he teases me.
Shaking my head, I can’t let him get away with it entirely. “You weren’t exactly in the right either, though. You should have told me who you were at the club. You kept it from me,” I huff, in an attempt to try and turn it around so it’s not all on me.
“Princess, you didn’t tell me who you were, remember. Don’t point fingers when you were doing exactly the same thing.”
Shit. He’s right again.
Diomid pushes off the wall and throws me a genuine smile. “Don’t stress any of this, Angelika. I was at the club to let loose and have a good time. I was just having some fun. You were the first girl I saw, so it just happened to be with you. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
Oh. I bite the inside of my cheek, scrunching my nose at his confession. Was that really how it went down? I thought… I thought we had a connection. I actually got the feeling that I was more than just a random choice from a crowded club. Clearly, I’m wrong, though.
It just didn’t feel random to me.
Watching his face, I read the calmness in his eyes. He means what he said. It really was just random to him.
This truth stings me, but I smile tightly to try and hide my emotions. “Good, ok, then we don’t need to talk about it again,” I nod.
“Sure,” he agrees. “What do you want for dinner? I’ve been craving pizza. I’ll get one of the guards to stop at the shops for us and grab us some ingredients.”
“Sure, I like bacon and mushrooms and feta. Avocado, if they have. Definitely spinach. No pineapple, though. Oh, I like a sprinkle of almond nut slices too. It adds a nice crunch.”
“No pineapple?” he says, pressing his hand to his chest and throwing me a look of horror.
“Don’t tell me you eat pineapple on pizza. It’s so wrong. It’s way too sweet,” I argue. “If you like pineapple, we can maybe put it on half the pizza? Or maybe we should just make something else for dinner?” I blabber on.
“I’m kidding. I hate pineapple on pizza,” he grins, then winks at me.
My body responds immediately, my heart fluttering at his charm.
Dammit, Angelika. Stop this.
“Good, we almost had a problem there,” I sass at him, trying to hide my grin. Don’t flirt back! He already made it clear you weren’t anything special that night.
Unable to look at his gorgeous body or handle his subtle charm for a second longer, I spin on my heels and march out of the little gym. I wanted to call my brother to get out of here. But after the call and the brief conversation with Diomid, even though I won’t be going home, I do feel better.
We’ve reached some sort of truce, and he’s right, things should be a little more pleasant around here with me not being so angry all the time.
Halfway up the stairs, headed back to the bedroom, I realize that I’m stuck here, and I should at least try to be nice to him.
My heart flickers with disappointment when I remember his words. You just happened to be the first girl I saw.
Ouch.
And I gave him my virginity.
Well, even though he’s clearly an asshole when it comes to women, at least he gave me an amazing first-time experience. He’s an asshole who knows how to please a woman.
A shiver of jealousy runs down my spine when I think about him with someone else, and I shove it away.
I don’t have time for stupid, pointless, jealous thoughts about a man who chose me at complete random from a club full of girls.
And I don’t have time to be so drawn to him either. His stupid charm and his stupid gorgeousness.
Pizza. That’s all I want.
And to survive however long I’m stuck here with him for.