Chapter 9 - Diomid
Ever since she went back to her brother’s place, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
All I want, for reasons I’m not ready to admit, is to have her with me again.
I want her all to myself. That’s why I came up with the idea of taking her away from the city.
It’s just another way for me to steal her attention and be selfish with her.
The private jet doesn’t look like a jet at all inside.
It’s designed for comfort, style, and relaxation, no matter where you’re traveling.
It has a similar layout to an apartment. With a living area, comfortable sofas, a dining table, a small but luxurious bathroom, and a bedroom in case it’s a long flight and you want to rest.
The flight we’re taking today isn’t long, though.
Angelika steps onto the plane and looks around, impressed, but not for long enough to stop her insistent line of questioning that’s been going on for the entire drive here, and apparently, now it’s going to continue on the plane.
“Where are we going, though?” she asks for the hundredth time.
“I told you, just think of it as a surprise holiday.” I follow her onto the plane and take a seat on a sofa. She’s still looking around, taking it all in.
“What did Jaroslav say when you suggested this? Surely he didn’t agree so easily?”
“Actually, your brother thought it was a brilliant idea. He likes the idea of you being out of the city, away from the danger, until things are fully sorted.”
“How long is that?” she asks, sitting down on the sofa nearest the window and leaning toward it to peer out at the runway.
One of the hostesses walks in wearing a white uniformed dress and offers us drinks before we take off. She seems to catch Angelika’s attention for some reason. Her eyes trace up and down the air hostess.
“Thanks, Lilly, you can bring us the menu once we’re in the air. In the meantime, a bottle of champagne.”
Lilly nods, smiling at me.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Angelika rolling her eyes.
Once the hostess has left again, I turn to her with my eyes narrowed. “What was that about?” I ask as the pilot announces that we’re about to take off.
“Can you be any more cliché?” she scoffs. “Hot, blonde air hostess in a mini skirt. Do I even want to know what’s happened on these sofas?” She looks at the pillows next to her and pulls a face.
“Does it bother you, Angelika? To think that you weren’t the first woman I took home?” I laugh. “It’s not like you haven’t been with other guys before me, and—it’s not like there’s even anything going on between us.”
She bites her bottom lip, and her cheeks turn so red it confuses me. What a strange and intense reaction.
At that moment, Lilly returns with our champagne. She is about to pop the cork when I take it from her. She’s interrupting something important here. “Thanks, I’ll do this, you can go,” I tell her, wanting to find out what’s going on with Angelika.
Lilly leaves again, and the plane begins its takeoff.
I wait until we’re in the air. Angelika has still not said a word and is sheepishly keeping her eyes locked on the window to avoid looking at me. I find her amusing; her quiet, cheeky silence captivates me.
Grabbing two glasses, I pour the champagne, sussing out her vibe. Her cheeks are still glowing.
“Is there something you want to say, princess?” I ask, handing her a champagne.
“About what?” she huffs, biting at her lip again.
“Why are your cheeks turning seventeen shades of on fire?” I chuckle.
“It’s none of your business,” she scoffs.
“Actually, seeing as I am the person responsible for your life and keeping you safe, everything is my business.”
Especially when her cheeks turned that red when I spoke about the idea of nothing going on between us. Why would that bother her to the point of embarrassment? Why does it excite me to think she would want something to be happening between us?
“Is this about us?” I push her, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“No! … Yes. But no,” she stammers.
My laughter bursts out unfiltered. “Thanks so much for clarifying that,” I muse.
Angelika lifts the champagne glass to her lips and downs all of it in one go. She sets the empty glass on the table between us and glares at me, her eyes fierce and burning.
“I was a virgin. Ok. There. I said it. Your stupid comment about me having guys in the past… well, it’s void, because there weren’t any.” Her cheeks are even redder now.
And I’m staring in absolute disbelief.
My jaw drops open as I trip over my thoughts and search for the right thing to say.
But all I can think is this is fucking incredible.
I’m the only man she’s ever been with? She gave herself to me.
I wish I’d known on the night, but finding out now, like this, has my body raging with desire for her.
This knowledge shifts something inside me, awakening it. A new kind of desire for her, an urgency not only to be selfish with her attention, but also to claim her as my own.
I don’t realize that, being trapped in my thoughts, I’ve failed to respond to her.
“See what I mean. It has nothing to do with you,” she snaps when I’ve been silent for too long.
I sigh, trying to push the inappropriate images from my mind and rein in the renewed lust burning through me. “Angel, why didn’t you tell me on the night? Or… why did you even go home with me? You didn’t know me.”
She shakes her head, swallowing hard, and she gestures for me to pour her another champagne.
I fill her glass and wait.
This one she sips, pulling an annoyed face at me.
“Unlike you, I don’t just pick people by ‘choosing the first girl I see and taking her home because it’s easy’—I, uh, I thought we had a connection that night.
Don’t get weird about it. I have, since then, obviously realized I was wrong.
It was the shooters or something. But at the time, I believed it.
I have no regrets, and I’m not trying to make a big deal out of it.
That’s why I never told you. It was never meant to be a thing. ”
She shrugs and twirls the champagne in her glass.
My thoughts are running wild.
She’s never been with another man.
And she’ll never be with anyone else but me.
What? Why would I think that? Nothing is going on between us.
I clear my throat and smile. “Then we won’t make a thing of it,” I say, making light of it to ease her tension. Except I am making something of it. She looks up at me, relieved, nodding. Despite the topic not entering our conversation for the rest of the flight, I can’t stop thinking about it.
It’s making me obsess over her and replay our night together over and over again.
This girl is full of surprises and has captivated me in very unexpected ways.
Why else would you be taking her on this holiday, Diomid? Stop denying the obvious.
When we fly over the Caribbean Islands, Angelika is pressed against the window. “It’s absolutely stunning!” she exclaims.
“We’re landing over there, in Barbados. A small island with a beautiful little city of friendly people and colorful traditions.”
She furrows her brows in curiosity. “Why Barbados? What’s there?” she asks.
“Because it’s my favorite place to come when I feel overwhelmed by the Bratva world. It’s not overly popular with tourists, so it doesn’t get crazy, but it’s bubbly and energetic and has a way of refreshing your soul when you need it the most.”
The truth is, it’s a place I felt the need to share with her. It’s special to me, and I figured she might enjoy it as much as I do.
She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind, her brows raised and a look of disbelief on her face. “That’s very poetic, Diomid.” She begins to giggle.
“Oh, shush, I can be poetic,” I laugh too as the plane makes a slow arching turn and heads toward the runway to land.
As we walk down the stairs onto the runway, Angelika’s eyes are wide with excitement and curiosity.
Driving to the beach villa I own on the shore, she is glued to the window. “There is so much color. Every little villa is painted so brightly,” she exclaims.
“We can walk around after we’ve unpacked. There’s so much to see here. And the beaches are all beautiful. I’ve got snorkeling gear in the villa if you feel up to it?”
“I’ve never snorkeled before,” she says, scrunching her nose and stealing her eyes away from the view to glance at me.
“Are you too scared?” I tease, already knowing her well enough to know that she won’t be able to back off.
Her eyes flare at the challenge. “No, of course not!” she says, horrified that I would think so.
After a brief moment of silence, she turns back to me and asks, “Are there sharks?”
I laugh, “No, not really, only in the deeper waters. Sightings are rare. We’re going to Carlisle Bay and will explore the shipwreck, see some turtles, colorful fish…”
“I wasn’t scared of the sharks, I was just asking,” she sasses.
“Of course, I knew that,” I grin, enjoying the cheeky glimmer in her eyes and thinking to myself, there's something really special about this girl.
***
My villa is situated on a secluded piece of land, offering a little privacy from the rest of the beach.
It’s a luxurious little getaway that comfortably provides everything I need when I come here for my escapes.
We arrive at the villa a few hours before sunset, and after carrying our luggage inside, I tell Angelika to get dressed so we can go exploring.
“It’s really hot here,” she says, fanning her face with a brochure she found on the kitchen counter.
“I’ll turn on the AC, and the place will be fresh and cool when we get back.
Wait till you see the views from the bedrooms upstairs, though.
It’s going to take your breath away in the morning when the sun rises right into your bedroom. ”
“This place is already taking my breath away. It’s magical. And it’s nothing like home.”
I glance at her comfortable travel clothes. No wonder she’s overheating.