My face burned.Yeah, I’m totally fine. I just took a nose-dive toward the concrete floor.
Clearing my throat, I tried to regain some of my dignity. “Yes. Thank you.”God, that was so embarrassing.“You have quick reflexes, Adrik. Areyouokay?”
He let out a soft snort. “I’m fine.”
I smiled, willing him to look at me. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to gaze into his eyes.
But he kept his face averted. Earning this man’s trust was going to take some effort. But we were going to be stuck here at the lake house for a while, so I had plenty of time to win him over.
“Do I make you uncomfortable?” I asked.
“A little, yeah.”
I patted his arm. “Don’t be. I’m nothing special.”
His muscle tensed beneath my hand. “I disagree.”
Without another word, he pushed my chair toward the back door of the house, pausing as we reached the steps. It occurred to me at that moment that he wouldn’t be able to lift the chair into the house with me in it unless he had Timofey’s help.
“Ah…” He hesitated. “Not sure I can get the chair into the house by myself. I’ll have to carry you and come back for the chair. That okay?”
“That’s perfectly okay.” I smiled up at him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face.
No such luck. Keeping his face turned away, he leaned down and scooped me up, cradling me against his firm torso, and mounted the steps. One, two, three steps, and we were inside the house. He moved quickly down the long hallway to my room, as if he was eager to get rid of me. I wasn’t sure how he knew which room was mine. Papa or Efrem must have told him.
Adrik set me gently on the bed and turned away before I could get a look at his face. Timofey had already set my bags near the dresser but was curiously absent now. Where had he gone?
“Thank you, Adrik.” I paused, then dared to venture, “I’d really like for us to be friends. Are you ever going to let me see your face?”
A small silence.
“Not if I can help it.”
He spun on his heel and left me alone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Adrik
I’d touched Annika Popov. I’d held her in my arms. She’d felt so small and delicate. So soft and feminine. Soperfect. And she’d smelled so fucking good, like flowers after a fresh rain. Sweet and pure and misty.
A few moments in her presence and I was already dizzy with longing, completely losing my head.Not good.If I got lost in my fantasies, I might botch the job.
I left her room and headed down the hallway, blowing out a breath. I needed to get a grip.
Efrem had told me I would be staying in the last room on the left, the one nearest to the front door, while Timofey would be staying at the opposite end of the hallway, at the room closest to the backdoor. Annika’s room was in the middle of the hallway, which meant she would be protected between us. Additional soldiers would be covertly watching the house from somewhere outside.No onecould get to Annika here.
If anyone tried, I would stop them. I woulddiebefore I let them near her. I would willingly give my life to keep her safe.
But no one knew we were here. Annika was completely safe.
Still, that didn’t mean we could let down our guards. We’d been instructed to stay inside and make sure Annika remained hidden. We had no idea how long we might be staying here, but this was a large house with plenty of space, so if we got annoyed with each other, we could retreat to opposite sides of the house for some alone time.
Though not as extravagant as the L.A. mansion, the Tahoe property was still a luxury home, the tones darker and woodsy to fit with the environment, but it was still nicer than anything I’d ever stayed in before. Over nine thousand square feet, it contained ten bedrooms, a huge living room area complete with a giant sectional couch and various other leather furniture, an expansive dining room/kitchen capable of feeding a large group, game room filled with multiple activities, adjoining bathrooms for each bedroom, and a “great room” that contained Annika’s piano and comfortable seating for anyone who wanted to listen to her play.
I found Tim in the huge kitchen, brewing coffee.
“Fridge is stocked,” he announced. “So’s the pantry. We’re set for a while. Can’t believe they’re letting us stay in this fancy place, can you?”