Page 17 of Delicious Prey

His smile grows. “I don’t want any harm to come to you, and like I told you in my letters, aside from a spanking when I feel you need one, you don’t need to worry about me causing you any pain.”

“That sounds a bit barbaric, don’t you think? I’m a grown woman, and I don’t need my ass spanked.”

He gives a soft chuckle. “I’ll be the judge of that. Now be a good girl and wait in the car until I get you.”

Stepping out before I can argue, he shuts the door and walks to the back of the car. I see four large shapes in the early morning darkness and let out a soft gasp.

“Try not to shit yourself, Peanut.” I kiss his head and hold him closer. “I swear I won’t let them hurt you.”

He nuzzles up against my neck and wags his tail, clearly not sensing any danger. I turn around in my seat and watch out the back window as Kirill squats down and pets his dogs. They seem beyond thrilled to see him, and the huge smile on his face makes it obvious the affection isn’t one-sided. He loves his dogs, just like he told me in his letters.

After he’s given them all a good pet, he stands back up and walks to my door. Opening it, he holds his hand out to me and says, “Come on, baby. You’re safe with me.”

I put my hand in his and let him help me out because it’s not like I can just sit in the car for the rest of my life, no matter how soft the seats may be. Clutching Peanut even tighter, I stand up and then scoot even closer to him when I look over and see four sets of eyes glued to me, watching their owner to see if he’ll give the command to eat me and my little dog. He smiles down at me, thrilled that I’m seeing him as my safe haven. Wrapping an arm around me, he pulls me so my body is pressed against his with his hand splayed across my lower back.

“They need to see me with you,” he murmurs, ghosting his lips along my forehead. “They need to smell me on you.”

His lips trail a line down my temple, and when he threads his other hand through my hair and cups the back of my head, I let out the breath I’ve been holding and close my eyes. My body shouldn’t respond to him the way it does, but there’s no stopping it. My pussy obeys him, not me, and there’s no changing it. He kisses my cheek before pulling back with a smirk, fully aware of what he does to me.

“Is this how you introduced Vadim to your dogs?”

His deep laugh surprises me. It’s so at odds with his usual serious face. It makes him look younger and makes me forget that he’s a heartless killer.

“It’s not quite the same way I introduced him,” he admits. Threading his fingers through mine, he kisses the back of my hand and scoops Peanut into his own arms before I can stop him. “Relax, baby,” he says when he sees how worried I am. “It’s important that I’m the one holding him.”

I nod, but it’s impossible to fully relax, although Peanut looks completely at ease tucked against Kirill’s broad chest. Can’t say I blame the little guy. Kirill guides me to his dogs. They’re sitting and waiting patiently, never taking their eyes off their master. Keeping our hands entwined, he brings them to the first dog’s nose, letting him smell us.

“This is Grisha,” Kirill says, and then starts talking to them in Russian. We go down the line as he introduces me to the other three: Pyotr, Igor, and Boris. My heart nearly stops when he holds Peanut out and all four of them crowd around to sniff him. Peanut gives me a what the hell? look, but he does me proud and keeps his head held high and manages to keep control of his bladder and bowels. The introduction doesn’t seem to faze him in the slightest.

“He’s a brave little guy,” Kirill says, and I can hear the respect in his voice. He smiles over at me and gives a soft laugh. “He’s a terrible guard dog, but he’s brave in the face of danger.”

“He’s not a terrible guard dog,” I say, feeling the need to defend my dog.

“I walked into your backyard yesterday, and all I had to do was throw him a bone and he ran off happily. He didn’t even bark.”

“I guess he sensed that you weren’t going to hurt me.”

“Well, no offense to Peanut’s impressive instincts, but I need you to be protected a little better than that.” He looks at his dogs. “These four will kill anyone who tries to come near you.”

“What if it’s just someone who happens onto your property? Like a delivery guy or something?”

“No one just happens onto my property. I have security cameras everywhere, and all twenty acres are fenced in. If I have a delivery, I meet them at the gate. No one steps foot on my property, and if they do, they aren’t here for a friendly visit.”

“That sounds really lonely.”

He doesn’t say anything, just pets Peanut before setting him down. Even though he told me his dogs would obey him, I still have to fight the urge to not immediately scoop him back up, but Kirill’s dogs don’t pay him any mind, not even when Peanut runs around their long legs, yipping excitedly at them. Igor finally gives him a playful nudge with his nose and then sits back to watch Peanut chase his own tail.

Satisfied that they’re not going to eat my dog, I help Kirill unload his car and then follow him into what is apparently my new home.

Chapter 7

Kirill

Lydia follows me inside, wide-eyed and looking cuter than ever. I set her tub down so I can give her a quick tour. Peanut races off to investigate while she follows me into the kitchen. I open one of the drawers and toss her licorice inside, making sure she sees where I’ve put it.

“Actually,” she says, stepping up next to me and grabbing one of the bags, “I’m going to just have a couple of those right now.”

“It’s five in the morning,” I tell her.

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