“It’s not about cleanliness, it’s about…” I wave him away. “Never mind, you wouldn’t get it. I’ll be fine. I just need to put my feet up and relax for a second.” I move away from the men and into the cabin, taking in the space. It’s just as small as I suspected, no furniture but a twin-size wood bed and a thin mattress on top. To the left there’s a small kitchen, if you call it that. It’s more so just some boards on wood with a kerosine lantern on top that the guys are trying to get working. Three men to light one lantern, makes sense.
I move to the back of the cabin toward the fireplace. It’s made of stone and there are a few logs stacked up near the fire, but it doesn’t look like it’s been touched in ages by the amount of dust that’s settled on top of them, at least from what I can see with my cell phone light.
I glance toward Viktor. He’s standing in the doorway like a big angry bear who’s thinking over his next move.
“Can you point me toward the bathroom? I have to—”
He opens the door and points toward a tree.
Fuck.No shower, no bathroom, no privacy. This should be a fun stay, though I guess I’m not being murdered by angry Russian mobsters so that’s a positive.
I roll my eyes and make my way around the house, ignoring the tree that he’s pointing at.
He follows. “Where the hell are you going? I showed you the—”
“I have to take a piss. You’re not going to follow me out to the very spot. I need a second.”
“I’m here to watch over you. You’re not going to—”
“Two seconds. I’ll be right behind that bush.” I point to a dark, overgrown plant just ten feet from the house.
He narrows his gaze. “And I’ll be on the other side of it.”
Call me a prude, but I’ve never gotten off on the idea of pissing on, near, or around another human. Maybe he does.
I scoot behind the bush and pull down my panties. If I’d known I’d be peeing behind bushes while we were here, I’d have stopped at every restroom along the way.
“We have a bucket inside, but I figure this is more discreet.” He’s talking. Why is he talking while there’s a stream of piss running from my body?
Standing from the ground, I pull my panties and make my way around front with him, remembering I have sanitizing wipes in my purse. At least I can give myself a good old fashioned whore’s bath. Seems fitting, considering.
There’s silence between us until we reach the door, when he turns back to me. “You know I’m going to keep you safe, right? I swear to fucking god I wouldn’t let a thing happen to you.”
I nod, but apparently, it’s not reassuring.
“I mean it.” He stands over me with such power that I feel my panties begin to cream again. What is it about this gangster that gets me all hot and bothered?
“You know you’re not kidding anyone with this whole bad ass act. I know you’re a softie.”
“For you,” he growls, pressing me into the cabin wall. “Only you.”
“I guess that’s what happens when you stalk someone for years. I’m sure Max appreciated that.”
“Stalked is a heavy term to use. I more so followed you around to make sure you were safe. That club was filled with fucking morons.”
I narrow my gaze. “That’s why Max came every night. Let’s be honest… you came to see me naked.”
“If I saw your tits, it wasn’t the worst part of my day.” He smirks, leaning into me, his thumb beneath my chin as he guides my gaze up to his.
“Max coming back doesn’t change anything between us. I want you more than ever.”
“It might change things a little. I love him. I don’t think I ever stopped.”
I can see the truth stinging in his eyes and a twinge of regret rushes through me. I could have said that with less bite.
“I just need some space to figure everything—”
“You guys coming in or are we heating the outdoors?” Ryan jokes, waving us inside. He’s oblivious to the mood change, or he’s ignoring it. I’d guess the latter considering usually he’s pretty astute.
