Chapter 12 #2
“Understood, Dante.” He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. I’d yet to be able to take full control of either the situation or my mind given the way the lovely doctor had made her reappearance in my life.
Nodding, Dante jumped out, moving to the back of the SUV while I seethed. Somehow, I needed to get her out of my system.
My guest had packed light, her determination to return to her life evident in every action and every word.
I’d yet to determine how to handle her absence, although I’d forced her to call in sick for the shift she had later in the afternoon.
Within a couple of days, questions would start.
I’d need to know what I was dealing with long before.
She would talk to me.
One way or another.
By the time I climbed out, Vivian had disappeared around the corner of the house.
The day was surprisingly warm for October, enough that I was glad to only be wearing the thin material of the doctor’s uniform.
When I reached behind me to ensure the gun remained lodged against my back, pain tore through my shoulder.
I gritted my teeth, hissing until it passed.
Vivian was right in that the area around the injury was sore to the touch, a deep ache providing more pain than I would have believed.
I was surprised at the backyard, the grounds as manicured as they were in the front.
With a massive garden area including a fountain as well as a pool and outbuilding, the appearance was even more luxurious than the house.
With a stone patio and outdoor kitchen, the area was perfect for entertaining.
Completely different than the house I owed in Moscow. I could almost see myself relaxing here, especially since the entire backyard was surrounded by dense foliage.
She wasn’t visible from where I stood on the patio. Was it possible she’d tried to escape? Absolutely. I’d already learned the hard way, including a sore jaw, not to put anything past her.
Yet I felt her presence. In admitting something that would ordinarily seem ridiculous to me, I’d come to understand in a few short days that there were people you met in your life that you were destined to feel connected to.
Even if hundreds or thousands of miles apart.
Vivian was one of those people and whether she liked it or not, we had an intense connection.
Which was why I had a sense I’d find her in the tiki bar. I was right. The partially open complex also housed an outdoor kitchen complete with a full-size refrigerator and bathroom. There was a seating and eating area, everything nestled under a roof with huge salt-treated pillars.
She stood staring out at the pool, which remained open. Another surprise.
When she noticed my approach, she glanced at me flatly, as if my appearance was that of a gardener or pool boy.
With her actions methodical, she turned, opening the refrigerator.
When she pulled out two beers, I was surprised, trying to keep from smiling.
I was certain that wouldn’t win me any points.
She searched the drawers, becoming aggravated when she couldn’t find what she was looking for. When she did, she snatched the bottle opener into her hand, her mouth twisted in a crooked line. As she slid the open bottle across the granite island toward me, she shook her head.
“No vodka. I already checked.”
Laughing, I took the bottle. She made certain to snatch her hand away, worried a single touch would provide the same jolt of current we’d experienced before. I could tell in her eyes. There was such contempt and if I had to guess, I’d say with herself more than anything.
She was upset she’d gone with me. More than that, she’d encouraged the roughness, a dark passion that had threatened to consume us both. In truth, I’d been shocked at her reaction, her needs rivaling my own.
I’d risked both our safety because of an uncontrollable need.
“I don’t mind slumming it from time to time.”
She peered at me, the look completely clinical. “For a Russian, you’re well versed in American colloquialisms. You’re also highly educated.”
“You say that as if I’m supposed to be a barbarian.
” In studying her facial features, with every move she made, I was reminded of the very reason I was so attracted to the woman.
Her fine curves. She’d refused to change, remaining in her bloody scrubs for the ride to the house.
Perhaps she believed the baggy outfit would keep me from finding her blissfully attractive. She was wrong.
The lovely woman could wear a feed sack and I’d find her stunning. When she moved from around the edge of the bar, keeping her distance, I was given a delicious look at her rounded bottom. My dick ached from the thought of fucking her in the ass all over again.
She noticed my fallen gaze and her glare become venomous. “You are. That’s obvious in every action you take.”
“You didn’t seem to mind my savagery only an hour ago.”
“That’s what I mean. You’re a callous asshole with no respect for women.”
“I adore women.”
“To fuck them. Not to treat them with dignity or as your equal.”
Her tart demeanor should infuriate me but as hard as she’d tried, it wasn’t working. “Is that what you want, Vivian? To become my equal?”
Her laugh was biting. “Hardly. I’m far superior.”
“And how so?” I took a deep swallow of the cold beer, surprised how thirsty I’d suddenly become. Under normal circumstances, I could play this game for the remainder of the day. If only I didn’t feel as if a noose was slowly being descended from the rafters.
“You end lives. As a surgeon, I save them.”
“If you think about it, not much of a difference. We both get to decide who lives and who dies.”
She not only hadn’t thought about the analogy, but she also hated hearing it.
Enough that her face began to fade into a perfect shade of rose.
But the fire in her eyes would never be snuffed out.
Something I both adored and admired. “Men like you could never understand the agony of knowing you can’t save a life. ”
“Why is that?”
“Because you’re a mobster. Correction. You’re a monster. You can be dressed up in expensive clothes and fake decent manners, even while being highly intelligent but it doesn’t change who you are. A true, violent beast.”
She had no idea how close to the truth she was. “Zver’.” When she stood her ground merely narrowing her eyes, I shook my head. “In my country, I am called the beast. How intuitive you are.”
As she took a deep breath, I sensed her frustration growing. “That’s nothing to be proud of. I’m certain your parents are ashamed.”
“Are you trying to piss me off?” She was finding it difficult to keep a straight face.
“Is it working?” Amusement replaced disdain if only for a few seconds.
Even as she tried to skirt around me, I easily grabbed her arm, dragging her against my side.
My grip was firm enough I knew I’d leave a mark.
While ordinarily it was not my desire to bruise such delicate skin, she wasn’t taking this nearly seriously enough.
“Make no mistake, moy dorogoy, I am a man capable of doing terrible things, some of which I’d prefer not to do while others are simply perks of my position.
I suggest you learn to tell the difference. ”
She shuddered even as she tried to pull herself free. Had the beer not been in my hand, I would tug her even closer, claiming her mouth as I’d done before. “As if I should care.”
“And I assure you, I’m not the mob. There is a significant difference in those calling themselves the mob and those who don’t need a title to function.”
“What’s the difference?”
I lowered my head, pressing my lips against her forehead. “We are that much more deadly.”
While her entire body continued vibrating, she didn’t say a word. But I could tell her mind was processing what I’d said. Perhaps thinking that I was issuing a threat.
Not with her.
That wasn’t my protocol because it didn’t need to be. I made statements that came true.
Her smile didn’t surprise me. Very little about her did. When she pulled away, she did so without looking me in the eyes. Although I had to admit, I was amused that she didn’t take a single step away from me, which in itself was a challenge.
I should consider her a formidable opponent as it was obvious to me she’d been educated in the ways and means of those within crime syndicates.
Other than an officer of the law trained in the methods and tactics of such organizations, the only and perhaps best way of learning the ins and outs was being involved with one.
Her lower lip was quivering, her fingers tightly wrapped around the bottle, but she was otherwise composed. Filthy thoughts lingered, the very ones that had caught me off guard enough to break my own rules of engagement before. I wouldn’t mind fucking her sweet pussy once again.
I sensed the same thoughts attempting to drive aside her obvious hatred of me. Her body had already betrayed her. I knew the moment she shut down the lurid thoughts, anger returning.
“Would you like to see the house?” I interjected before the battle started again.
“Why not? Bars on the windows? Cages in the basement?” She was casual with her question, acting as if she’d just figured out a way to win whatever new battle that had formed in her mind. She had a way about her that created an aura of elegance while remaining cautious of everything around her.
A trait she’d learned from experience.
“Is that what you’d prefer? To be caged and used as I see fit?”
“In your dreams.”
As I crowded her space, we were both cognizant of the heightened spark. “I can make that happen.”
“Are you trying to frighten or disgust me?”
“I’m merely trying to offer what you crave.” It was impossible to resist a creature of such beauty, yet when I lifted my arm, seeing her flinch was merely another much harsher reminder that I wasn’t merely a man yearning for a beautiful woman. I was something much more dangerous, including to her.
“What we shared was a mistake.”
“Come now. Why do you feel the need to lie to yourself?”
She tried to push me away, only succeeding in cinching her fist around the same shirt she was wearing. I could tell how much that bothered her. “I’m not lying. I can’t stand you.”
“Your scent and how hard your nipples have become have already betrayed you. Again.”
Another moment of disgust swept through her and she finally took a long stride away, determined to break the connection. “Don’t flatter yourself, Kirill. I was merely scratching an inch.”
As she walked away and toward the house, I remained where I was. Deep breathing. Intense thoughts.
Even more irrational needs.
All about her.
My mysterious and likely dangerous guest.