Page 8 of Surrogate for the Bratva
Igor
When I followed the sound of gunshots, I was not expecting to find such a fiery and beautiful woman. But I was drawn to her spirit and her raw honesty. I also could not help but notice the way she was completely incapable of hiding her appreciation of my looks. All in all, it was captivating. “I do not regret asking,” I answered her question with a smile.
She stared at me for a long moment, her full lips pulled into a straight line. It looked like disapproval but a second later she threw her head back and let out a laugh, the sound was sweet and melodic, just like a song. “Then you’re probably a weirdo which means I really should stay away from you.”
“That is probably more accurate than I care to admit.”
She tilted her head to the side, her blonde waves swayed in the light breeze. “That is a refreshing admission.”
What was it about this woman that had me standing here chatting with her when I should be grieving for what I had lost? I didn’t have an answer, and I wasn’t in search of one. I liked her. “My brother died a year ago. Today is the anniversary of his death,” I admitted, shocking myself more than anyone. “His pregnant wife too. Car accident,” I tacked on the lie even though it wasn’t technically a lie. He was run off the road and then shot to death by Dmitry but those details are just for me.
She offered a sad, sympathetic smile and I held my breath and prepared myself for the empty platitude and the bland smileI would give her in return. “Life just fucking sucks sometimes, doesn’t it?”
Her question teased a commiserative smile from me. “Indeed it does. Sometimes it feels more often than sometimes, if that makes sense.”
“Unfortunately, it does,” she turned to face the lake, her gaze unfocused. “I’m so sorry about your family. A car accident, probably some asshole on their cell phone.”
Dammit, I liked her even more for not giving empty words. I hated those empty fucking words more than anything, as if anything could soothe the ache deep in my chest that refused to go away.
“You’re here remembering him,” she finally broke the silence though it wasn’t a question. She kept her gaze on the water as if that added a layer of protection to this oddly intimate conversation. “Life can be a total bitch sometimes.”
Fuck but I knew what she meant. “It can be and often is, a total bitch.”
Her gaze slammed into mine, a sad smile on her lips.
“Sometimes it makes me feel hopeless.” Why the hell was I admitting my secrets to a woman I didn’t know? I couldn’t say, except that it felt right.
She snorted and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been feeling that way a lot lately. What do you do when you feel that way?” Her eyes were open and honest, she really wanted to know.
The grief must have warped my brain because I answered her question. “The only thing you can do, move forward. Curlingup into a ball isn’t an option and even if it was, what will it solve?”
“Not a fucking thing,” she replied with another smile that looked defeated.
Usually I didn’t tolerate women who swore unless my cock was buried deep inside them, but her salty language appealed to me. It was real, just like her. “Exactly. The only thing that makes you feel better, well that makes me feel better, is trying. If I fail, I do it knowing that I did everything possible to change the outcome. What else can you ask of yourself?” It was what I prided myself on, compartmentalizing my emotions to get the job done. It was the only way to do some of the things that have been required of me over the years.
She smiled at me and fuck, my cock stirred to life right there on the edge of the lake. This attraction wasn’t what I needed in my life. Not right now when I was in no position to do anything about it. I must focus on my priorities, starting with continuing my bloodline and then ending with killing Voronov.
The sun had disappeared behind the mansion, and the air was dramatically colder, but I knew I was burning up.
The woman turned to me so we were face to face and even in the increasing darkness I could see the fire and the strength, the attraction burning in her green eyes. She sighed and shook her head as if she couldn’t believe this night, or even this conversation had even happened. “Thank you, strange man, for listening to me rant and rave, even if you did interrupt my therapy session.”
“Therapy?”
She laughed again. “Not all of us can afford actual therapy so we make do with what we’ve got. Anyway, thank you again and I am so very sorry about your family” She surprised me when she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed with the side of her face pressed to my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her, and I melted. I fucking melted at her warm body and soft curves, at the comfort I felt radiating from her. I don’t know how long we stayed like that, arms wrapped around each other as the song of the crickets and frogs began.
I don’t know who pulled back first but suddenly we were face to face again, her eyes were dark as they shimmered with desire, and I couldn’t resist capturing those full lips in a kiss. It was meant to be a brief kiss, just a taste to confirm that they were as sweet as they looked, but she tasted even better than sweet. She tasted sweet and hot, and my pulse raced. Kissing this woman felt right. Too fucking right, like I should have been kissing her since the beginning of time.
Suddenly the woman pulled back with wide, shocked eyes. “My goodness. Shit, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I mean of course I know what happened,” she rolled her eyes, and I smiled. “But it shouldn’t have. I don’t know you and we’re both grieving and I don’t do things like this.”
“You don’t kiss men whose names you don’t know?”
“No!” she shouted and then calmed herself. “No, I don’t. I don’t kiss strangers in the middle of nowhere. I’m s-s-sorry. Thank you again and have a good night,” she rushed off, not like she was scared but just shocked by her reaction to me.
Join the club.No one was more shocked than I.
But I found myself smiling as I followed her back to her car at a respectful distance, too intrigued to ignore my instinct. I stopped when she did, surprised to see her step inside a beat up Toyota, but not too surprised to grab her plate number to satisfy my curiosity.
