Chapter 6 - Nikita
I slip off my bed, putting the book down on my nightstand. I want a cup of coffee.
I keep thinking about last night. Making pizza was unexpectedly fun.
I went to help him because I was bored, but then I ended up really enjoying myself.
I know it doesn't matter. None of it does. I'm just biding my time until I get rescued. Or until I can get away. Besides, being stuck in a cabin with the hottest guy I've ever seen in my life can't be all bad.
I giggle to myself at the thought. Silly girl. As long as I don't let that distract me, I'll be fine. He's good eye candy. But he's still my kidnapper.
It's late morning, and there is a chill in the air. I'm wearing a hoodie for the first time in a long time, enjoying being able to snuggle into the warmth and comfort of it.
This morning, Bardil mentioned that there was a weather warning for this area. I snapped back that I wouldn't know, because someone took my phone.
It's fun being sassy with him. I don't get to be sassy with my brothers. They get so easily offended when I give them attitude. Bardil doesn't seem to care. In fact, he pushes me to make me sassy, and I've noticed how he grins, even though he tries to hide it.
Most people don't understand that it's just part of my sense of humor. I can't even help it.
And really, most of the time, I don't mean any harm. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. It's just for fun.
Maybe Bardil doesn't have a heart, so he can't feel anything, and that's why he doesn't mind.
I scoff, amusing myself.
Wandering through the living room, headed for the kitchen, my heart leaps into my throat when I spot the front door slightly ajar. Light spills from outside through the long crack in the opening.
It's too good to be true. It must be a trap.
Where is Bardil?
I tiptoe to the door, my eyes darting all over the inside of the cabin.
Leaning close to the door, I peak through the crack, pushing it quietly. It opens more and more light spills inside.
No one jumps out to stop me, so I take a tentative step through the doorway, out into the fresh, crisp air.
This place is gorgeous. Bardil doesn't seem to notice how beautiful it is. All he does over and over again is tell me how dangerous it is. Obviously, it's just a deterrent to stop me from leaving. But fear never stopped me from doing anything.
Bravery isn't the absence of fear. It's doing the thing that scares you, even though you're scared while you're doing it.
I think about that often. I'm thinking about it now as I walk away from the cottage, toward the edge of the forest.
My heart is racing.
Suddenly, a loud cracking sound and a heavy grunt have me spinning around in fright.
With his back to me, just around the corner of the cabin, Bardil is chopping wood.
Shirtless, covered in a glowing layer of sweat, his muscles are taut across his back and shoulders, and his skin is tanned.
His body is etched with tattoos. The one from his neck curves over his shoulder and down his back. A tiger, done in Japanese style, with iconic waves around the feet of the wild cat.
It's not his only tattoo. And for a moment, I am utterly absorbed by the sight of him.
Dangerous. Bad boy. The most beautiful body I've ever seen. Each muscle is a carefully crafted piece of him that moves and taunts my vision.
My body hums quietly, momentum building and heat spilling through me.
I gasp when he slams the axe down and spits another piece of wood. Pressing my hand to my chest, I breathe with my lips parted. Every inch of me wants to know what it feels like to have Bardil pressed against me. To feel the heat of his skin. To lick the sweat from the curve of his neck.
Oh, for fuck sakes, what the fuck am I doing!?
Snapping out of the trance, I take a hurried step backward, away from him.
He hasn't seen me yet, and there is still time to escape if I can stop these pathetic, raging hormones and make a run for it. You silly girl. I told you not to let his sex appeal distract you!
Angry with myself, I give myself a silent lecture as I run as quietly as I can toward the woods.
My heart races faster when I make it to the tree line.
I keep running at a steady pace. My Nike sneakers are quiet against the soft, damp earth.
I run for five minutes, then pause, tilting my head to the side to listen.
Birds call to each other above me.
A rustle nearby makes me spin toward it, but it's something small and insignificant digging in the bushes. A rabbit, maybe. A mouse.
The point is… I don't hear him.
I don't hear anyone following me.
Good. Oh my word. This is going great.
I made it out. I've officially escaped.
Not wanting to get too excited, I set off running again. Moving at a steady pace, my breathing is even but heavy. It's been a while since I did this amount of cardio. But it feels good.
I run until I need to take a breather.
I have no idea how far I've gone, but I think it's a good time to assess the situation and start moving in a more planned-out direction, toward a road or something.
Taking deep, slow breaths to try soothe my racing heart, I spin in a slow circle.
My eyes search every inch of the thick wooded forest around me. I can hear water flowing somewhere in the distance. If I can find the stream, I can follow it. But that's a last resort. I'd rather listen for signs of life. Human life.
There is nothing but nature.
The scents, the sounds, the richness of it. It suddenly becomes overwhelmingly real.
To my left is a crop of boulders. Everywhere else, there are trees, trees, and more trees.
As I spin, I realize I don't even know what direction I came through. If I started walking now, I wouldn't know if I was heading back to the cabin or away from it.
"Fuck!" I cry out, suddenly spiked with panic.
In a move of sheer desperation, I start climbing a tree. I climb as high as I can, trying to get a vantage point so that I can see where to go.
But getting to the top of the highest branch only makes me dizzy with more panic.
There isn't anything.
No road. No other cabins. No people. No little restaurants or stores, or hotels, or holiday sites. Nothing but nature. Massive stretches of wilderness.
I can't even see the cabin I escaped from.
I climb down, suddenly terrified.
"Calm down, Kit. It's ok. You're still free. You can just start walking, and it has to take you somewhere. And being out here is still better than being trapped in there with a kidnapper. Isn't it?" I wish it felt that way. But out here I feel small and very exposed.
To my left, I hear something—something big, digging against wet earth. My instincts scream at me not to move, but I have to see what it is.
Turning slowly, I find myself staring right at a bear.
It's maybe fifty feet from me. Closer than I ever want to be to a wild bear.
I can barely breathe as it lifts its head and stares directly at me. My eyes drift down to its massive paws. The thick, sharp claws spiked from its feet.
"Oh shit," I squeal in a soft whisper, choked in the back of my throat.
I don't really want to die being malled by a bear. I don't really think it sounds adventurous.
Suddenly, a hand clamps over my mouth, and strong arms pull me backward against a thick, muscular chest.
I yelp in fright, and even though it's muffled beneath his hand, it causes the bear to look at us with more curiosity than before. It takes a step toward us.
Bardil lifts me and, with his hands beneath my ass, he pushes me right up a tree. "Climb," he demands. "Now!"
I climb like my life depends on it because I honestly think it might at this point. He's right behind me, climbing until we're pressed together, wrapped around the thick trunk, our feet perched on random branches as we both stare down at the curious bear scratching at the soil beneath us.
"It's a young bear," he whispers, his breath hot against my ear.
"It's massive," I argue.
"They aren't very aggressive. Technically, it should get bored and leave."
"What if it doesn't?" I ask, terrified.
"I have the axe tucked into my belt."
His arms are wrapped protectively around me, pushing me harder against the tree.
At first, all I can think about is the bear.
But now it no longer seems interested in us, and rather more focused on a rotting fallen tree, scratching its long claws into the soft wood and pulling out grub to nibble on.
My fear is slowly being replaced with hyper awareness of how close he is to me.
I can actually feel every curve of his body—even the bulge of his cock, pressed against my ass as he holds me tightly in place. I can smell the masculine scent of his sweat and feel the roughness of his short beard against my cheek when he moves to look past me.
"You ok?" he whispers.
"Mmhmm," I mutter.
"Then stop wiggling," he complains tightly.
"Sorry," I murmur, blushing and grateful he can't see my face.
"You're ok, I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispers huskily, reassuring me. But the words seem to spike desire in me instead of calming me. They make my heart race in a different way.
We stay in the tree, far too close together, for a full twenty minutes before that damn bear moves along. By the time Bardil says, "I think it's safe now," I've almost completely lost my mind. And I'm mortified.
It's a weakness. One that I don't seem to have any control over.
I don't want to be so turned on by him, but clearly my body has a mind of its own and doesn't give a shit what I do and don't want.
"Are you ok?" he asks gently as he lifts me off the last branch with his hands wrapped around my waist.
"Totally fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I snap.
I'm still in shock about the bear, but I'm also embarrassed that Bardil had such an intense effect on me.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into an embrace that feels safe and comforting. This annoys me even more.
"It's ok to be scared, Nikita. That was a wild animal. You could have been badly hurt."
I press my lips together and bite back the sarcastic comment I want to make. All I would be doing is deflecting my own agitation, and this man did just save my life. I was frozen in place. I had no idea what to do.
He's right. I could have been badly hurt.
I hate the fact that he was right all along. This place is a wild and unforgiving landscape.
Bardil steps away from and when he looks down at me, his bright green eyes are tender and caring.
I sigh softly. "Do you know how to get back to the cabin?" I ask.
"West," he replies.
I sigh again, this time louder. "And which way is West?" I snap.
He snorts a short laugh and gestures with a tilt of his chin. "Come on. It's time for lunch anyway," he says.
Defeated, embarrassed, and wondering what the hell is wrong with my uncontrollable hormones, I follow him as he makes his way between trees and over fallen branches as though he knows every inch of this place by heart.
While we walk, I try to guess which way he'll turn to get us back to the cabin, and pretty much every time, I'm wrong. I hate to admit it, but I would die out here.
And this stupid little escapade has only taught me that I definitely can't escape by running into the wilderness alone.
I'm more dependent on Bardil than I thought. And definitely more dependent on him than I want to be.
With him walking ahead of me, my thoughts wander over the events that just took place.
He was quick to protect me. And he isn't teasing me or making me feel shitty about being so scared.
He also hasn't mentioned my escape attempt.
His only priority was to keep me safe, and he did that very effectively.
I've never had a man be so protective of me before.
Oh, stop it, Kit. He's only protecting his assets. He's protecting the tool he's using to negotiate whatever he wants from your family.
The weather has changed drastically since I left the cabin. Above is the sky is dark grey and keeps rumbling with threatening growls.
I jump when lightning flashes across the sky, a piercing light in the dim grey afternoon.
When we get back to the cabin, he's quiet, his eyes darker than they were earlier.
He pushes the door open and gestures for me to go inside.
"Go shower. I'll have lunch ready when you get down."
He sounds tense. I don't argue.
"Ok," I mutter quietly, not in a sassy mood at all.
I owe him my life. I need to say thank you, but I sense that this conversation is far from over.