Chapter 5
I’m glad when he leaves. His personality stifles me and I’m on edge when he’s around. Mr. Romanov is a formidable man in every way, and I wish he wasn’t so distracting.
He is gorgeous.
From his imposing good looks to his formidable presence. He is a man who screams alpha and is extremely confusing. I’m almost scared to speak when he is around because it’s obvious he has little time for polite conversation. It’s probably just best to cooperate and hope he finds what he needs and then I can enjoy exploring this amazing home in peace.
I ease off the window ledge and glance around me in delight. I love this house. It’s everything I would have chosen for myself. It’s certainly grand but has a homey atmosphere that makes me welcome. Expensive objects merge with tatty ones that are here for sentimental reasons I expect and as I stare around in gleeful awe, my eye is drawn to the huge tapestry above the desk.
It’s stunning. Breathtaking even, and I stare in wonder at the depiction of wood nymphs frolicking in a green forest. The waterfall appears real, and I can almost hear the crashing water as it spills over the rock face. Wildflowers are beautifully orchestrated, and the faces of the nymphs are angelic in their happiness.
It is perfect for this house, and I could stare at it all day.
Now I’m alone, I slip out and begin my explorations without my surly companion and as I wander through many beautiful rooms, it’s a little eerie trespassing on a woman’s life who I didn’t even know.
I bypass the rest of the rooms downstairs because I don’t want to chance meeting that man or his companions and instead head up the staircase that rises majestically upward.
With every creak of the floorboards that I tread, my breath falters because it’s as if I shouldn’t be here. I imagine the eyes of the paintings on the walls following my progress and shaking their heads with disapproval.
For some reason, I keep on walking as if my feet are taking me somewhere they need me to be, and I ignore the allure of exploring the many bedrooms on the top floor and decide to take a small staircase set at the end of the hallway instead.
It’s almost as if it hides a secret because it winds around with bare stone steps rather than the opulence of the Wilton carpet that graces the rest of the house. Perhaps this was the servant’s quarters in the past. The house is certainly big enough for that and it intrigues me.
I make my way to the top of the house and the wooden door before me appears old and uncared for. There are deep grooves in it and a large rusty key that I turn with shaking fingers.
“What is inside?” I murmur out loud and as I shove the door open, the scent of stale air greets me as I edge inside the room.
I blink against the shadows and almost gag at the stench of musty ruin, and my fingers tremble as I search for a light switch to reveal exactly what’s inside.
My fingers dust against cobwebs and my heart flutters faster than is good for it, but I was right, and my search is rewarded when I flick a switch and a dull light reveals I’m in the attic.
It’s creepy as fuck up here because there are no windows, just endless cobwebs and what appear to be discarded objects and the odd piece of furniture. I’m not even sure why I’m here at all when the rest of the house is so enticing, but something is compelling me to venture inside.
I take a few awkward steps into the room and my foot brushes against something hard beneath my feet.
I glance down and notice a battered suitcase that lies open, with what appears to be old curtains inside. As I venture further into the gigantic space, I notice it extends the entire width of the house and I hate that I am so fascinated by it. There is so much history up here, it’s obvious and I doubt that anybody has been here for generations, judging by the thick untouched dust that is causing me to choke a little as I breathe it in.
I jump when I hear footsteps and turn toward the door, expecting to see Mr. Romanov glowering at me from the doorway.
I see nothing.
The footsteps are the only sound accompanied by my racing heart as I wait for the owner to reveal themselves. They slow down and a cool breeze touches my face as if icy fingers freeze my skin and then the footsteps melt away in a puff of the icy air. I shiver and my inner voice screams at me to leave. I shouldn’t be here; this is not a place that is good for me.
I back up a little, unsure whether to continue, and then a movement in the far corner causes me to turn and run like hell toward the open door.
As I spill out of the dark depressing attic, I waste no time in tearing down the stairs, only to meet a wall at the end of them.
Two hands reach out and imprison me in a wall of muscle and I scream, “Let me go!”
“Relax, it’s me.”
I pull back and stare up at my captor and, far from feeling relief, a cold shiver passes down my spine at the anger flashing in the eyes of the man holding me captive.
“What happened?”
His voice is cold, brittle even and I gulp, “I’m sorry. I freaked out a bit back there.”
“Why?”
He raises his eyes to the staircase, and I shiver. “It’s creepy as fuck up there; remind me not to return alone.”
He shakes his head. “Ladies don’t curse like sailors. Respect yourself or you won’t earn any from others.”
“Are you kidding me?” My eyes widen as my heart races, although I’m not certain it’s out of fear anymore. It hasn’t escaped my attention that he is still holding me very tightly and it’s stifling as fuck.
“You’re telling me how to speak now? What are you, my father?”
It makes me laugh incredulously and for a second, I detect a twinkle in his eye before he shuts it firmly down.
“Come.”
He makes toward the stairs, and I say fearfully, “You can if you like, but I’m not going up there for all the tea in China.”
“Tea in China?”
He grins, and it stuns me a little as it completely transforms him from the usual surly arsehole into someone who is almost human.
“Yes.” I take a deep breath. “I think it’s haunted and I’m not about to test that theory even with, um, company.”
“You’re scared of ghosts?”
He shakes his head. “They are a figment of your overactive imagination, and there is no concrete factual evidence that they exist.”
He jerks his head toward the stairs.
“Come. Face your fears and they become irrelevant.”
I’m surprised when he extends his hand and winks, and I hesitate before taking it and as his strong hand closes around mine, for some reason it gives me much needed courage.
I follow him up the staircase and my heart thumps as we head through the open door that I neglected to close and as we step inside the rotten space, he sighs heavily. “What the fuck is this? Do people really allow this to happen?”
“What are you talking about?”
I keep close to him as we stare around the darkened space and he huffs, “This is a disgrace. If you don’t want to keep things, throw them out, not allow them to rot like corpses above your head.”
“Don’t you have attics where you come from?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Of course not and if we did, they would be clean white spaces with everything labeled in boxes. Why keep broken items that have no use anymore and old furnishings that will never grace a room again?”
“Sentiment perhaps.” I shrug. “Perhaps these items held value as such. Possibly Aunt Veronica was keeping them because she couldn’t bear to part with them.”
“And toss them in an open grave and leave them to rot with the rats and spiders. I don’t see the point of that.”
“Rats!” I stare at him in horror, and he smirks.
“Of course. The evidence is all around you.”
“Where?” My voice raises an octave as I glance around furtively, and he chuckles as he points to the floor.
“Rat droppings if I’m not mistaken, and there is a hole chewed in that fabric spilling from the case.”
“Oh my God!”
I make to leave immediately, and his grip tightens as he teases, “You’re scared of ghosts and rats? You really should deal with that.”
“Not today.” I try to wrench my hand from his. “Not tomorrow either, and definitely not next week. I’m leaving.”
Rather than let me go, he tugs me closer to him and, as his arm slides around my waist, his voice wraps around my soul like a snake.
“Face your fears, malyshka. Face them head on and they will respect you.”
My heart is pounding as he tightens his hold, and then he grips my face and forces me to stare at the floor.
“You are stronger than any animal in this space. You have the power to eradicate, to conquer, and to dominate. This is your domain, and you have every right to be here. They do not. With one step from your boot, you could crush them into non-existence. With one sweep of your hand, you could discard them like the trash they are. They cannot hurt you because you are the ruler of them.”
His voice is soft like satin steel and his sexy accent is scrambling my senses. He whispers his strong words that waft through my mind like well-guarded secrets that only I can discover, and it transports me from the dusty attic onto a battlefield.
The light bulb flickers overhead and his face is inches away from mine as he whispers, “You are a strong, beautiful woman and you could own the world if you tried. Never be afraid of the shadows again, malyshka, because the shadows that surround you now are yours to own.”
His lips hover close to mine as he whispers words that wrap around my heart. It’s as if he is hypnotizing me and I can only focus on him. The dark scratch of his jaw as he brushes it against my skin. His strong fingers pressing into my tender flesh and his strength that is propping me up when all I want to do is run.
“What is your name?” I whisper, my voice loud in the silent space, and he whispers against my lips, “Valentin Romanov.”
“Valentin Romanov.” I repeat his name, loving how it sounds out loud through my trembling lips.
“You are Pollyanna Scott-Stanley, and you are fearless.” He growls and my breath hitches as he hisses, “Say it.”
“Um–”
His hold tightens and I say in a stronger voice. “I am Pollyanna Scott-Stanley, and I am…” I gulp as his breath dances with mine in the dirty, stale air.
“Fearless.”
I gasp when his lips claim mine in a brutal kiss, his tongue plunging deep inside my mouth and tangling with mine. His strong fingers grip my face as he takes his fill of me and as I kiss him back, it’s with a raw energy I have never felt before.
I want this.
I need this and as my arms wrap around his neck, I pull him in tighter and kiss him with a ferocity that should make me ashamed of myself.
He fists my hair and tears the binding away, allowing it to fall freely so he can grip it tighter while he punishes my mouth.
I am delirious with need because there is something so incredibly sexy about this moment. We are hidden away from normal life, indulging in a dangerous liaison surrounded by rats and ghosts. Probably rat ghosts for all I know and yet this is the perfect place to do something out of the ordinary on a day that pushes ordinary out of my life forever.