Page 22 of Fiercely Protective

Two Hours Later

I stepped out of the warehouse, the cold-biting wind whipping around me along with the smell of sulfur as Blaze struck a match to light his cigarette.

“Send a message to Nik. I want to talk with him as soon as possible.”

“And the Armenian?” Blaze asked, his voice hard and cold.

“Dispose of the body. I don’t want it found. I need to let Nik know what is being planned so appropriate measures can be taken before the Armenians make their next move.”

Blaze nodded automatically. “Do you believe everything he said in there?”

“No, but there could be some truth to it. Whoever is behind this knows the connection between the Bratva and our organization. The shooting taking place at the club was not a coincidence. Taking on both the Bratva and our organization is ambitious. It makes me wonder if there is more behind this than what our dead friend back there knew. He was just following orders, hoping for notoriety by killing Nickolai. He was just a pawn, not the brains behind this.”

“I’ll take care of the body and call you with the details later. You should go back to the penthouse and hope your sweet little houseguest doesn’t kill you before the Armenians get the chance.”

I watched as he walked back inside the warehouse, and I made my way back to where my driver was waiting for me. I wasn’t exactly sure what the Armenians were planning. If theywere attempting to steal from me or the Volkoff Bratva, they would fail, but my instincts told me there was more to it than that. Whatever they had planned, I knew trouble would soon be coming. Unless Nik and I could put a stop to it before it started. Their attempt at assassinating Nik had failed, and the men directly involved were all dead now. But I had a feeling this was just the beginning. Things would only get more dangerous.

This was a bad time for me to bring a woman into my world. Things were about to heat up quickly, and I would have to be vigilant to keep her safe, which meant that she would have to stop fighting me. I didn’t have the time or patience to deal with a testy female, no matter how beautiful and alluring she could be. Her defiance was not simply annoying now, it could get her killed. Perhaps Blaze was right, I should rethink our arrangement and either let her go or put her on a plane out of Chicago. As the car drew closer to the penthouse, I knew that was something I wasn’t willing to do. The challenge now would be to get her to accept her fate.

Bri

Once I was alone and sure that Mr. Delaney had finally left the apartment, I began moving around the room, trying to find anything that would pry open the lock on the door. The arrogant asshole may have released me from the cuffs, but I was still locked in the room. After searching for a few minutes, I realized it was useless. The place was like a damn fortress.I thought about throwing something through the window and drawing attention to me, but we were twenty-one floors up and the windows looked pretty thick. I wouldn’t be strong enough to break them and there was no way anyone would notice me this far up without a major distraction. Once the realization sunk in that there was no way I was getting out of his bedroom until he returned, I figured I might as well take advantage of my captor’s hospitality.

The dress I had worn to the club was not exactly something anyone would want to lounge around in, so I moved to his closet and rummaged around until I found an extremely soft and what looked to be a very expensive silk shirt. A part of me hoped that it was one of his favorites. I slipped it on and rolled up the long sleeves to my elbows. The material hung down to the middle of my thighs and would be adequate until I could leave the room and get my own sleepwear.

I snooped around the rest of the room, and I had to give it to the man, he had style. His clothes were all designer and if my guess was correct, they were all tailored to fit him. Everything he possessed screamed luxury, wealth, and power. I moved from the closet and walked to the bathroom. There was a huge shower and a large whirlpool tub on the other side of the room that seemed to be calling my name, and since I was alone, I thought I would take advantage of it while I could.

I turned on the faucet and undressed as the tub filled. As I sank into the hot water, steam rising around me, I couldn’t help but think that a girl could get used to this kind of luxury. My tiny apartment only had a shower that was barely big enough to turn around in; the water pressure was weak, and the water would barely get warm. It was nothing like this.

After soaking until my skin grew pruney and the water cooled, I stepped out of the tub onto the plush bathmat and wrapped myself up into one of the thick cotton towels I had found in the linen closet before moving back into the bedroom. The penthouse was eerily quiet. I slipped his shirt back over my head, the silk caressing my skin, and climbed into his bed, the bed that I had agreed to share with him.

I propped up a few of the thick pillows and watched the door, wondering when he would return. It was surprising that a part of me was looking forward to another encounter. The man was as infuriating as he was stimulating, but I wasn’t the type of girl to sit around and whine when things got tough. So, I plumped up the pillows behind my back, crossed my arms over my chest, and prepared for him to walk back through the door.

The Next Morning

“Do you plan on sleeping the day away?”

A rich husky voice penetrated through my sleepy haze. I blinked my eyes, my lids heavy from sleep, to allow them to adjust to the light streaming in through the windows. A few strands of hair hung down in my face, and I brushed them away before pushing myself into more of a sitting position. It took a moment for me to become aware of his presence beside me. I must have fallen asleep while waiting for him to return last night. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and the sheets had slipped low over his hips, really low, barely covering the lower portion of his body. I forced my gaze back up to his face.

“When did you get back? Why didn’t I hear you come in?”

“You were sleeping peacefully, and I was quiet so as not to disturb you.”

He smiled as I scooted toward the edge of the bed. “No need to be shy now, kitten. You weren’t that eager to get away from me an hour or so ago.”

I gripped the sheets and pulled them up to my chest as if they would shield me from his teasing eyes. “What are you talking about?”

He smugly turned onto his side to face me and pressed back into the pillows. “You sleep soundly and didn’t even flinch when I crawled into bed beside you in the wee hours of the morning, but it didn’t take long for you to seek my warmth. I have to say, I enjoyed waking up to find your tight little ass snuggled against my side.”

The slight grin on his face was incredibly irritating.

“I never would have guessed that you would be such a bed hog.”

“You are a liar and so full of yourself that it is nauseating.” I twisted away quickly, but before I could swing my legs to the floor, I felt his strong arm wrap around my waist and pull me roughly to him before he pressed me down onto the mattress and covered my body with his own, making me ever so conscious of where his warm flesh touched mine.

“Not so fast, sweetheart.” His fingers traced over the silk of the shirt I was wearing. “You have good taste, this shirt is my favorite, even more so now.”

His hand slipped lower, and his fingers seared a path over my bare thigh, causing my body to shiver with delight. “Although, I would prefer that you sleep naked. Skin against skin is much more sensual, don’t you agree?”

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