Chapter 16
“Holy shit,” Eden said as she slowly lowered herself into the chair.
She had gone out to get some more water when she caught a glimpse of Maks in the laundry room.
Naked. She hadn’t known a man’s back could have that many muscles in it.
His broad shoulders tapered to narrow hips, and he had a fine ass.
His legs were long and lean. Whether he got that body from the gym or his lifestyle, she didn’t know.
What she wanted was to see the front of him. If his back looked that good, then his front had to be amazing.
Eden shook her head, trying to dislodge the image of Maks’ nude body from her brain. But it wasn’t going anywhere. She was beginning to think that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. Not only was he handsome as sin, a superb fighter, massively intelligent, and honorable. He was also a guardian.
Her mother used to tell her that there were special people out in the world who were guardians. It was their job to look out for others, to protect them and save them in times of danger. Without a doubt, Maks was a guardian.
At the sound of water above her, Eden’s gaze looked to the ceiling. She wished now that she had stayed in the kitchen when Maks had turned around from the laundry. Not only would she have gotten to see the front of him, but she might be in that shower with him.
Her eyes returned to the computer. “Now isn’t the time for such things. Not when so much is at stake.”
It didn’t take long for her to get back into the work.
Every lead she chased down netted information.
To the untrained eye, it was easy to overlook stuff or dismiss things as inconsequential, but she was searching for anything and everything.
And there was a lot out there. Eden was floored at how far the Saints had gone to rid themselves of what they considered people who might stand in their way.
The smell of something delicious pulled her from the work.
She blinked, not realizing the sun had begun to set, and the room was now bathed in light from the desk lamp and lights overhead.
She stretched her neck and paused her music before she rose and did more stretches for her back, shoulders, and legs.
She’d learned that she could become absorbed in her work to the point where it became detrimental to her health.
She’d forget to move her body or drink enough fluids.
Like she’d done today. That couldn’t happen again.
She had to be cognizant of those things and take the time to care for herself.
And she knew that wanting to do it didn’t always mean she’d remember.
So, she was going to have to set timers.
When she walked out of the office, it was to see Maks in the kitchen, cooking. She stopped and stared as he moved from the stove to the island to chop mushrooms. He glanced up and met her eyes.
“That smells delicious,” she said as she walked to the island and took one of the stools.
He scooped up the mushrooms but stopped short of putting them in the pan. “Do you eat mushrooms?”
“I do.”
After dumping the fungi in the pot and stirring, he glanced her way. “I didn’t disturb you, did I?”
“Not at all, but I think you should have.” She turned her neck, feeling her muscles tightening. “I have a habit of not taking breaks when I’m working. I suffer after.”
One side of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Then I’ll be sure to interrupt every couple of hours next time.”
“Please do. Can I help?”
“Nope,” he said as he tossed in some salt and pepper. “You’re doing all the hard work.”
At that, she laughed. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“I couldn’t find what you have.”
“You haven’t even looked at it, so you don’t know. Besides, I’m pretty sure you could have, but your other skills are more important. I can handle this part.”
He glanced at her again and covered the pot before he came to stand at the island across from her. “I gather you’re finding a lot?”
“More than I’d like.” She shrugged, her lips twisting. “I know what to look for. It isn’t too hard when you’re trained to look for the words or phrases others use when they want to throw someone off a trail or hide something. I’ve got a lot to show you, and I’ve even started on the pen drives.”
Maks released a slow breath. “That’s good. I know there’s valuable information on the drives. I took those from a computer of some high-ranking Russian in the FSB that I know is part of the Saints.”
“How did you not get caught?”
He shrugged. “I’m trained for such things.”
“Yeah, but I’d be so terrified that someone would see me that I couldn’t do it.”
“Sometimes, I am caught. You have to be able to think quickly and come up with a couple of excuses in case someone walks in.”
Eden hadn’t considered that before. “Good advice. Not that I foresee myself in such a situation, but if I ever am, now I’ll be prepared.”
He turned back to the stove and lifted the lid.
Steam billowed out. Her gaze roamed over his back.
The dark green tee covered his muscles but not the width of his shoulders or the thickness of his arms. The dark denim hung low on his hips.
When he stepped to the side, she just now noticed that he wasn’t wearing shoes or socks.
There was something very homey about him being barefoot.
“What are we having?” she asked.
He covered the dish again and turned to her only to pick up the knife and began to chop some long herbs. “I’m panfrying some deer steaks. I found some wild rosemary, onions, and mushrooms.”
“Sounds simple and delicious. Do you like to cook?”
Maks finished chopping. “I don’t hate it. My mom made sure we all knew how. We were always in the kitchen with her, learning something or other. Dad also taught us how to grill various meats. When we got old enough, Mom made us take turns picking out a meal and cooking it each week.”
“Now that’s an idea.”
“Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just fine until you attempt to eat something my oldest sister cooks. She can’t even boil water.”
Eden threw back her head and laughed. “You’re just making that up.”
“I’m not,” Maks said with a smile. “It’s the truth.
It became so bad that Mom stopped asking her to make anything.
We used to think she did it on purpose, but that’s not what it was.
She really was trying, but she just can’t do it.
On the days she was scheduled to cook, one of us kids would rotate that week and pick up the slack. ”
“That means your mom only had to make two meals a week.”
Maks snorted and turned to check the meat. “One. Dad cooked the other. He was a good cook himself, and while he could prepare any meal, he preferred using the grill.”
She watched him for a minute and waited until he faced her once more. “Do you think you’ll ever see them again?”
“No.”
There was no hesitation in his words. No hope. Nothing. She didn’t understand that at all, because sometimes, hope was the only thing that kept her going at all.
“Why not? If we win this thing with the Saints, you can go home.”
Maks walked to the wine stacked on the counter and pulled out a bottle. Without looking at her as he began to open it, he said, “Because I won’t be alive. I know that facing the Saints with all of this will mean my life. I accepted that a long time ago.”
“You don’t have to die.” And she was appalled that he would think he had to.
Bright blue eyes met hers. “You live in a world I see every day, but it’s one I’m not a part of. People like me have no place in such a world. We’re the darkness in your eyes, the demons that should never see the light of day.”
“You’re not the darkness or a demon. You saved me.”
He pulled out the cork and let the wine breathe as he got out two glasses. “I brought you into this fight without so much as a second thought. I knew if you weren’t a Saint what it could do to you, and I didn’t care.”
“Because you’re thinking about the bigger picture. I’m one person. I’m inconsequential.”
“On the contrary, you are very important. I’m not a savior, Eden. I’m an assassin, a man who has done so many dirty things that I wouldn’t be able to wash my hands of it in twenty lifetimes.”
She got off the stool and walked to him, keeping her gaze locked with his.
When she stood in front of him, she said, “I disagree. You’re the one who saw the bigger picture from the beginning.
You walked away from your friends and family, from a life, in order to take down the Saints.
You’ve sacrificed your existence and any kind of normalcy you might have had to ensure that happened.
You’re not a demon, Maks. You’re a goddamn hero. ”
“The worst thing you can do is make me into something I’m not.”
“I know exactly what you are. You’ve shown it to me since you came into my life just this morning.” My God. Had it just been that morning? It had been a long day, but so much had happened in that short time that it had altered her world forever.
He went to the stove and took the pan away before shutting off the burner. “I have to be rational about all of this. I have to deal in reality, not hopes and wishes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with hoping for a good outcome and wishing to see your family.”
“It takes my focus off what I’m doing.” He looked at her. “I warned you I’m not a typical guy.”
She took out two plates and set them on the counter.
“It’s a good thing you aren’t, or I’d most likely be dead now.
But I understand what you’re telling me.
I just want you to know there’s nothing wrong with looking ahead and hoping for the best. There have been instances where that’s the only thing that kept me going. ”
Maks brought the pan to the plates and dished out the steaks and mushrooms. He set aside the pan and took her hand in his. “Thank you. For trusting me, for reminding me of what it is to be normal, and…for being you.”
“There’s nothing special about me.”
“I disagree.”