Chapter 11 - Daniil
God, Paisley was gorgeous with snow in her hair.
And funny. And mildly annoying. Why was she holding back?
There was no way I was imagining the chemistry between us, no way what we experienced that night wasn’t the best fucking time she’d ever had.
Not when it was all I could think about and I was far more experienced.
“I’ll be succeeding soon enough,” I called after her jibe about me just trying to get her back into bed.
She nearly tripped, she went so stiff as soon as she heard me.
That was fun, if also somewhat frustrating, but she was long gone and she’d bite my head off if I followed her.
As much as she tried to get herself under control, she was clearly rattled about something when I walked up.
Who was she talking to? Could I find them and break their neck for upsetting her?
With a sigh, I headed back in as well, the initially slight flurries of snow coming down harder.
The hardcore winter sports fans must have been ecstatic, and after getting bit by the snowboarding bug myself, I could see why now.
I wanted to see Paisley in action. It was clear she had skill, and I wanted to see her totally unfettered, not plodding along after the kids.
Right now, I probably should stop thinking up ways to get my cousins’ nanny alone and get to work on that new list of businesses added to what I’d been able to find through my own intel.
Besides me, it was only Mat, CJ, and Masha who seemed to remember what we were up against and hadn’t given in completely to the festive holiday atmosphere that permeated every inch of the lodge.
It was rubbing off on me or I was truly frustrated about Paisley because I was dragging my feet getting back to my desk.
I needed to get out of this old folks’ home and find something to get my mind off of her and work wasn’t it.
Even my steadfast brother Rurik, who could always be counted on at any time of the day or night, was playing cards with a few of my other cousins.
“Care to join us?” Lev called. “I’m beating the hell out of your brother.”
“I owe him ten grand already,” Rurik said, not at all concerned. “Come and help me drain his bank account.”
“No thanks,” I said. It was barely ten o’clock at night and he was hunched over with our married cousins like he was eighty years old. “How about you come into town with me? There’s a great bar in the resort I stayed at the other night.”
“Nah, I’ll pass. I can’t admit defeat yet.”
I left them snickering and pouring themselves a night cap while I admitted my own defeat.
There was no alternative but to get to work.
I headed upstairs somewhat bitterly, but not motivated enough to go out on my own.
It wasn’t that I hated flying solo, I did it plenty of times.
It was more that I knew nothing waited for me at any of the clubs in the city.
Nothing I wanted as much as the angry little nanny hiding out in her own room.
I transferred my bitterness to my brother.
Rurik and I, along with our much younger cousin Lilia, were the only single ones left.
I would bet everything I owned that shy and introverted Lilia wouldn’t go into town with me.
She was probably curled up in bed with one of her favorite books already, lost in an adventure that only took place on the pages.
She balked at real life adventure, and besides, if she did go to a club with me, I’d only spend the entire night keeping the men away from her and having no fun myself.
So, no prowling the clubs with my brother, no late night, starlit walk with Paisley, definitely no losing my shirt to my card shark cousins. Cross referencing corporations and trying to find ties to the Collective was all I had left to try to take my mind off of Paisley.
Much to my discontent, that didn’t work either, and I scrapped the task, going to bed before midnight.