Chapter 10
Chloe
There was nothing as beautiful as waking up beside the man you adore.
The few moments of cuddling, tender kissing.
Spooning together. Allowing the electricity of the night before to become rekindled, the needs ever greater.
Even taking a shower together, water trickling over both our exhausted and sated bodies.
Then maybe an incredible breakfast complete with strawberries and champagne before a lovely day spent together doing anything and nothing.
That was a beautiful fantasy.
Unfortunately, that was nothing I’d ever experienced in my life.
There’d been no man I’d hungered for enough to surrender my heart and soul.
Let alone one who could wring one explosive orgasm after another from my body.
I’d never had a man do everything in his power to get me to spend time with him, then do the little things I cared about just to be able to share my life.
That’s all I’d been able to think about since Nikolai had sent me to bed. While his words had been said with a sweet tone, they were stilted, as if he had no idea how he was supposed to act after… making love.
Given my lack of experience, I wasn’t entirely certain that’s what he would call the wonderful experience the night before, but he’d been entirely different. Gentle. Passionate.
Even loving.
He’d acted as if my pleasure mattered more than his.
Wasn’t that the basis for making love? I thought about his marvelous tattoos, the colorful ink covering a good portion of his arms, chest, and back.
There was even a glorious-looking phoenix on one of his thighs.
The majority were gorgeous in design, exquisite depictions of dragons and other powerful creatures.
Others were crude, as if carved into his body by a jagged knife.
I knew they all meant something, a statement to anyone who saw them.
I’d longed to ask him about each one of them, but I had the distinct feeling that he had no intentions of further discussions regarding his past.
He was a tortured soul hiding behind a persona of normalcy.
Groaning, I rolled over in bed, hating the scratchy sensations the sheets created across my body.
I could still smell him, his scent imprinting on my skin.
I wanted to keep that all day. Hell, maybe I would.
I glanced around the room, realizing I must have fallen asleep at some point.
Light streamed into the room through cracked blinds.
He’d checked on me. I’d heard the slight creak of the hinges just before he’d moved inside.
I’d sensed him standing over my bed. And I’d known in my gut that he’d read the poem I’d been stupid enough to pen.
There was no rhyme or reason for my purchase, other than I’d kept a pad and pen with me everywhere I’d gone since I was a teenager.
I’d been able to find some sense of solace in writing when the rest of the world had gone to shit.
Now was no different.
As I lifted my head, I realized there was no noise in the house whatsoever.
A moment of fear rushed in. Would he leave me here all alone?
Would he abandon me? The stupid poem. Why had I been so damn ridiculous?
The words weren’t about love. I could never love a man like Nikolai. Hell, he’d never allow me to love him.
I threw back the covers. The one thing he’d said was that he would do anything to protect me. What if that meant leaving me to fend for myself?
Oh. My. God.
I rushed out of bed, grabbing panties, my jeans, and a sweater from the drawer, struggling into them. I rushed toward the window, peering out. The room was in the back and given the trees, it was impossible to see anything. I grabbed socks and my boots, my heart racing as I fumbled to put them on.
Sick inside, I rushed to the stairs, bounding down them and staring at the fireplace. The fire had gone out. No one had tended to it after our… incident. Think. Think…
I didn’t see his bags or anything. Hissing, I rushed to the front door, throwing it open.
My God. The vehicle was gone. No. No. No!
I stood in the doorway for a few seconds, hearing his words about following his rules.
I actually hesitated, as if his fucking rules mattered at this moment. Fuck it. I had to know.
Rushing outside, I closed the door with a soft click.
Then I scanned the perimeter before moving away from the house and turning around.
My stomach was in knots, but I was able to catch a slight glimpse of the SUV’s headlights and grill.
I hadn’t noticed a small, dilapidated garage when we’d driven in. He hadn’t abandoned me after all.
But where the hell was he?
The chill in the air was enough to make me shiver.
I took careful steps around the house, continuing to scan the property for any sign of an intruder.
There was another building nestled in the trees.
That’s when I finally heard some noise. Approaching with caution, I avoided stepping on any twigs or underbrush.
There was definitely someone inside. After taking another two steps, I was able to see the majority of the darkened space.
“What the hell are you doing?” Nikolai’s tone was gruff. He took long strides out of the building, glaring into my eyes.
“I thought you left me.” My tone was just as harsh, but a sense of relief washed into me.
“You know better. I would never leave you. However, you disobeyed me.”
“Yeah?” I asked as I swung around. “You could have awakened me and told me what you were doing.” Okay, my words sounded ridiculous.
I could tell by the tension already between us that he was doing everything in his power to shove what had occurred out of his mind.
I wasn’t a fool. I realized that while our attraction was very strong, his main priority was to try to keep us safe until he knew exactly what he was facing.
He chuckled in his usual dark and demanding way, shaking his head. “You were sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“So, what are you doing?” I was surprised he didn’t say a word about what he’d read.
“I found a boat, which could prove to be useful. I’m taking it closer to the river.”
“Why?”
“Because we need a second way out of here if necessary. Go back to the house.” He skirted around me, heading back to the storage shed.
The sight of his weapon protruding from his waistband was oddly comforting.
Still, a single shiver skated down my spine.
After glancing over my shoulder, I trailed behind him, moving far enough inside the basic lean-to that I was able to see the boat he was talking about.
While it was nothing grandiose, the basic rowboat’s appearance a reminder that everything about the cabin had seen better days, I had no clue how he thought he was going to get the damn thing through the woods by himself.
“That’s a boat?”
Nikolai didn’t bother answering, moving toward the wooden vessel and continuing his attempt at dragging it out of the building.
I studied him for a few seconds, marveling at the way he was able to pull it forward by several feet. With his change in attire as well as the light level, I was able to catch a better look at several of the artistic pieces covering his body. Every one of them haunted me.
“Why don’t you allow me to help you?” I asked, although I knew the answer.
“Go back to the house.”
“Nikolai. Let me help you.” Refusing to take no for an answer, I moved closer, tugging on the front end of the boat.
“You’ll hurt yourself. I can get this.”
“Now you’re the stubborn one. I’m stronger than I look.” As if needing to prove myself for some crazy reason, I managed to drag the ugly vessel by several feet and into the limited sunlight.
The initial moment of anger crossing his face was followed by another shake of his head. “Fine. Have it your way. Let’s go.”
I knew he was testing me, determined I’d bail out after only a few minutes. He didn’t understand my dogged determination when I set my mind to something. Besides, his constant anxiety had allowed the danger to sink into my mind. We had to be prepared for whatever happened.
The boat wasn’t that heavy, but even with two people, it was awkward carrying it through the woods. While there’d obviously been a path at some point leading down to the river, the area was completely overgrown, the underbrush close to being treacherous.
Tree limbs snapped against my face, portions snagging my sweater. The trek seemed much further than the day before. The second we reached the clearing, the boat slipped out of my hand.
There was no admonishment or thank you. Nikolai simply hoisted the boat off the ground, dragging it several yards then positioning it next to a massive oak tree.
I walked closer, noticing the oars locked in place against both sides.
There was a moment of foreshadowing in my mind, although at this point there was no reason for it.
His caution kept me on edge. Maybe that was the only way he’d managed to survive.
My thoughts drifted to the hidden room at his house. The sight of dozens of weapons had been chilling, but not nearly as much as the man’s keen abilities he’d used to keep us out of harm’s way. There was nothing the man couldn’t do.
I shifted closer to the river, listening to the sounds as water lapped over the jagged rocks. I hadn’t noticed before but there were scores of fish, the river obviously deeper than I’d realized. The location was actually beautiful in its natural design. I held back a frustrated laugh.
I sensed he’d walked closer, likely to tell me once again to go back to the cabin and hide. When he flanked my side, remaining quiet, I couldn’t think of anything to say to him. As close as we’d been the night before, the moment was as awkward as always.
“I never meant for any of this to happen to you, Chloe. I do hope you realize that. However, whether you believe me or not, you’re going to need to trust me.”