Page 69 of Born in Depravity

He looked years younger than he normally did, and so carefree, it was making it hard for me to breathe.

His laughter drifted off as his blue eyes moved over to me.

I wondered whatI’dhave to give up to know what he was thinking now.

He sat up on the bed. I pulled the blanket over my naked body. Mikhail shot me an amused look.

“Come on,kotyonok, let’s get ready for the day.”

He climbed out of bed, and now all I saw was an expanse of golden tan skin. His back was broad and bunched with ropes of muscles, even when he wasn’t flexing. On his right shoulder blade was a tattoo of an empty cage.

His blond hair was mussed from sleep, yet there was something appealing about the look.

It made him seem more human than devil.

More approachable. It might explain why I wasn’t feeling my usual apprehension around him. There was still wariness, but I had expected to feel something, especially after last night when he—

My blush deepened.

I didn’t know why he’d waxed me, and at this point, I didn’t want to find out. But I didn’t want to get out of bed. I might have been naked in front of them before, but this felt worse somehow.

Mikhail looked at me on the bed. I tightened my grip on the blanket. His lips twitched.

“Do you want to spend all day in bed,kotyonok?” he asked me.

It was a rhetorical question. I nodded anyway. I wanted to spend all my time in bed today. I didn’t want to leave the protection of the bed.

He let out a small chuckle, and my eyes widened when he bent down and picked me up—blanket and all—as if I weighed nothing, and carried me into the bathroom. He set me down on the counter.

“Bath or shower this morning?” he asked, one thumb moving in between his teeth as he watched me. I swallowed.

Did I really need one this morning? I already had a bath last night. My ears burned from the memory. I shook my head.

“No?” One perfectly arched eyebrow went up. One side of his lips tilted up in a small devilish smirk. “You can just sit there and watch me, then. I don’t mind.”

Watch him …

I shook my head furiously. He laughed.

He took a step toward me and I could feel my heart racing, and I might have been a little messed up, but I couldn’t tell if it was from fear—or something else.

“Shower,” he said, holding out his left hand, “or bath,kotyonok?” he asked, holding out his right hand. The question was asked softly. So contradictory from such a hard man.

I wondered if he meant by myself or with him.

God, I couldn’t even think about it.

Both scenarios ran through my mind. Both choices meant I would be naked in front of him, but perhaps the shower would be less … intimate.

I pointed to his left hand. He smiled, and suddenly it was hard to even breathe.

Mikhail grabbed my waist and pulled me back up until I was standing on my feet. Slowly, he moved the blanket away from my body.

I didn’t have time to think before he walked out of the bathroom with the blanket, only to come back moments later, empty handed.

His heated eyes took me in.

I crossed my arms over my chest, but that only drew more attention to all the bare skin below.

---