“What the fuck?” I yell at him, sitting up while the other two come to join in the fun. I pet them while they lick my hands and wag their tails. There’s not even a hint of aggression coming off them. “You made it seem like they’d rip me to shreds if I tried to escape last night.”
“I told you that you wouldn’t make it five feet before they were on you, which is true. I just didn’t tell you that it would be to lick you and try to get you to throw the ball for them. You made an assumption, and I didn’t correct it.”
I meet his gorgeous eyes and then quickly look away when I remember the dildo he packed for me. “Thanks for my phone and stuff. You packed more than I thought you would,” I say, keeping it vague. His low chuckle makes my face heat up even more.
“It’s important you have the things you need. I wouldn’t want you to be,” he pauses for a second, “unsatisfied.”
“How very kind of you,” I mutter. Running my hands over his dogs, I focus on them instead of their intimidating owner. They’re actually pretty damn cute now that I know they aren’t going to rip my throat out. “What are their names?”
He squats down and pets the black one. “Their names are Russian. This one is Grom. It means thunder. The grey one is Graza. It means storm.” He gives a faint smile when the brindle one butts her large head against his arm, jealous of the attention he’s giving Grom. “This is the only female. Her name is Pulya because she’s faster than her brothers. It means bullet.”
“I’m surprised by how sweet they are. They’re not at all how I thought they’d be.”
“Most people see something scary and assume it’s dangerous.” He’s still stroking Pulya’s head, giving her a good scratch behind the ears.
“Is that what people do with you?”
His lips curl up in a small smile. It seems to be all he can manage. I’ve yet to see him give a full one. “No,kiska. They see me and think I’m dangerous, but they always underestimate just how dangerous I can be.”
“Well try not to kill anyone in the house. I’m not so sure you’re paying me enough to get bloodstains out.”
He lifts a dark brow at me. “I’ll do my best.”
The room feels a lot smaller with him in it. He takes up so much space, and it’s not just because of his height and broad shoulders. There’s just something about him that’s imposing and intimidating. It makes me want to crawl in his lap. It’s like wanting to reach out and pet a sleek panther. Yeah, it would probably end with my throat being ripped out, but god I bet it would feel good to run my fingers through its fur while I died. I shove the enormous sleeves of his hoodie up my arms, trying to get control of my thoughts. I’m going to need to dig out that sex toy he packed because it’s clearly been too long since I used the damn thing.
“Come on,” he says, standing back up. “You need breakfast, and I need to show you where everything is.”
“Okay, let me hurry up and get dressed, and I need to text my mom to see how she’s doing. Am I allowed to tell her I work here now?”
“Yes, just leave out anything illegal.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want my mom involved in any of this.”
I wait for him to leave before grabbing some clothes and going to the bathroom. Throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I hurry up and get ready. I’ll get my own room straightened up later when I’m done for the day. For now, I scoot everything aside, quickly make my bed, and then shove his clothes under my pillow. I should give them back, but I don’t want to. If he wants them back, he can ask me for them. Until then, I’m keeping them. I tell myself it’s just because they’re super comfy, but really I just like the idea of having something of his. I send my mom a quick text, asking how she’s feeling and letting her know that I found a new job. I keep it simple and tell her that a man came to the house yesterday and mentioned he was looking for a live-in maid, and when he offered me way more money, I gladly took it.
She quickly texts back and asks if he’s nice. I settle onHe’s a bit standoffish, but seems nice enough. His house is beautiful and right on the ocean and with the extra money I’ll be making, we should be able to get you that chemo port soon. Maybe we can even look into the chemo pills your doctor mentioned and do away with needles altogether!
She sends me a big smiling face emoji before I put my phone away and go to find Volodya. He’s waiting for me in the kitchen, leaning against the huge island with a mug of coffee in one large hand. His eyes and attention are fully on me the second I step into the room. I point to the coffeemaker.
“Do you mind?”
“Of course not.” He opens one of the cabinets and hands me a mug. “You can help yourself to whatever you want.”
“Thanks.” I pour myself some coffee and then search for sugar and milk. “Do you want me to make you breakfast?”
“I hired you to clean up. I didn’t mention anything about cooking.”
I shrug and take a drink, nearly moaning at how damn good it tastes. This is not the cheap shit. “I cooked for Scott and Kaylee, although I should warn you, apparently not everything I cook is low carb enough.”
“I’m not too concerned with carbs.”
I run my eyes over his body. The T-shirt gives me a clear view of his tatted-up arms, all those muscles and veins on full display. He must work out like an animal. When I meet his eyes, there’s an amused glint to them. I quickly look away and take another drink, partly just to warm myself up.
“Do you always keep it so cold in here?”
“I hate the heat.”
I make a mental note to order some sweatshirts and say, “Look, you’re paying me an insane amount of money to clean what appears to be a pristine house. The least I can do is take over the cooking. What did you have for breakfast?”
