Chapter Three
Eve spotted Vadim’s shirt on the floor near the door, plucked it up, and pulled it on. She didn’t risk looking back, terrified he’d be on her heels, and could easily yank her back inside. Or worse, chain her to the bed. Barefoot, she ran out the door, down the stairs.
Wood everywhere, she noticed, from flooring to the walls. Like upstairs, simple furniture graced the space. A bear rug lay in front of a fireplace, hunting trophies on the walls.
No.
A nagging suspicion formed in her mind as to where he’d taken her, but she refused to believe it. Eve approached the front door, opened it, expecting the worst—a dirt lane with Vadim’s truck and beyond that, a grove of thick trees that seemed to go on for miles. Where had he taken her?
The tinkling sound of metal made her turn her back.
“You looking for this?” Vadim dangled the truck key in one finger, joined by other keys.
Snatching it would be laughable. Vadim was bigger than she was, a thousand times more lethal.
“Where are we?”
If she kept him talking, he might lower his guard and eventually make a mistake. Eve would swoop in for the kill, take those keys. She might throw in a punch or two, but he’d overpower her in an instant. Not only was he bigger in terms of mass but he’d honed his body to a weapon for years.
“Thousands of miles from the city. I own this parcel of land, but no one will search for us here. I’ve made the necessary arrangements to ensure our privacy and security. That’s all you need to know.” Vadim tossed the keys on the ground between them.
Eve hesitated. “What sort of trick is this?”
First, he told her he didn’t plan on letting her go, but now he offered the keys to his truck?
“No trick, but be aware of the consequences of your actions, princess. Gustav’s men recognize you, and his influence extends to other places.”
Recalling the men who’d held her down and called her names, she shuddered, wrapping her arms around her body. Eve didn’t make a move towards the key at her feet.
“I have no money, or anyone to turn to.” Defeat tasted like bitter ashes in her mouth. She’d grown up understanding the daughter of a mafia boss didn’t have any friends, only allies who’d shift alliances when a better deal came along.
“You have me, and I’ll always stand by you.”
Vadim locked gazes with her, a silent dare in his eyes.
Eve found her voice. “Why would I want a monster by my side?”
Vadim growled, the sound making the hair over her arms rise. She remembered thinking he was similar to a sleek and beautiful predator, standing by the balcony, but nonetheless, a predator capable of snapping her neck in an instant.
Some part of her mind recognized he’d never hurt her though, although she didn’t know where the idea came from.
Better to have a killer by her side than no one, a new voice in her head said. Would it truly be so bad, to be wanted by the only man who truly saw her? Never once did he make fun of her during that wedding, treated a silly, naive girl like an equal.
“No games between us, Eve. You want me as much as I want you.”
A simple statement but she didn’t deny it at all. Meeting Vadim had altered her. Her mother thought maybe men didn’t interest her, but that was untrue. Eve only held a torch for one man, and any other guy who came after her didn’t measure up to Vadim. Besides, all of those suitors had been the same, only wanting her family name. That name now meant nothing, but Vadim’s desire and her own remained.
Vadim’s expression didn’t change, not once, until now. With open hunger on his face, he eyed her up and down, like a starving man denied food for so long. Her nipples contracted, and despite the loose shirt, Vadim could no doubt, see them. Heat pooled between her legs, moisture gathering between her pussy lips.
Her mouth went dry, and she was ashamed of her reaction.
“I—it doesn’t matter.”
Vadim closed the distance between them, and Eve froze up, the car key, the only means of getting away, forgotten. She didn’t stop him from cupping her cheek. He slid a hand up the curve of her back, nudged her close, and the contact of her heavy breasts being crushed by his hard chest made her gasp.
Like the time he’d asked her to dance, she liked it when he fisted her hair, angling her face for a kiss. Ever since she woke up to find herself in the unfamiliar bed of a stranger, Eve plenty of opportunities to start brainstorming how to get away. It wasn’t escape she craved, she realized, but solace in the arms of a man who helped put her family members in the grave, but for some reason, he’d saved her from a fate worse than death.
Guilt bloomed inside her like a poisoned flower, but he obliterated her ability to formulate logical thoughts when he took her mouth. He slammed his lips over hers, all bite and no finesse, but she didn’t mind. As if she’d been starved for his touches and kisses, born to receive them, she responded with equal passion.