Page 26 of Delicious Prey

Vadim walks in before he can answer. The man is tall but still several inches shorter than Kirill with light brown hair and a short beard. Like the receptionist at the hospital said, he’s handsome, but the sight of him doesn’t light my body on fire like the man who’s currently stroking the nape of my neck with his thumb.

“Nice to finally meet you, Lydia,” Vadim says, giving me a big smile.

“This is so weird,” I say, repeating my earlier thought.

He gives a soft laugh. “Agreed. I feel like I know you already.”

“Thanks for fixing my car and the drainpipes that one time and all the other stuff.”

“I was under strict orders to do anything and everything you needed,” he says, pointing at Kirill. “Even in prison, he’s bossy as hell.”

I laugh, not doubting him for a second. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Kirill likes to be obeyed. Vadim watches the way Kirill kisses my head and leads me to one of the stools. He lifts me up and sits me in one and brings his mouth to my ear.

“Keep those pretty nipples covered, little bunny. No one gets to see that but me.” He gives my ear a kiss and sets Peanut on the ground when he struggles to get free. His grey eyes watch me, and when I hurry up and cross my arms over my chest, he gives me a pleased smile and a wink. His approval shouldn’t mean that much to me, but it does.

Peanut runs over to Vadim like they’re old pals, because of course they fucking are. Vadim smiles and reaches down to pet him. When he stands back up, they switch to Russian, discussing who the hell knows what while Kirill prepares a couple of chicken breasts. I watch him, amazed at the ease with which he moves around the kitchen. It’s obvious the man is used to cooking, and he looks sexy as hell while he does it, especially with his deep voice speaking Russian.

Whatever they’re talking about, it must not be good. Kirill’s eyes narrow and his jaw tightens, but it’s not because of sexual tension this time. He just looks pissed. Putting the chicken in the oven, he scrubs a hand over his stubbled jaw and growls something out in Russian before grabbing a knife and cutting board. I’m not at all surprised to see how at ease he is with a sharp blade. He cuts through the cucumber and tomatoes in seconds instead of the many minutes it would’ve taken me. I lean my arms on the counter and rest my chin in one hand, watching him prepare our lunch. He gives me another wink when I meet his eyes, and my heart does that same damn flutter it always does when he looks at me like that.

When there’s a lull in their conversation, I look over at Vadim. “How did you get into my house?” I’ve been curious about it for so long, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to get some answers.

He gives me a guilty smile. “I took your key while you were sleeping and had a copy made. It’s a lot easier than picking the lock every time.”

Well, that’s unsettling. “How did you always know where I was? That day I snuck out and went to the club, there’s no way you could’ve seen me.”

“I put a tracking app on your phone.”

“Holy shit,” I whisper.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t like watch you sleep or anything.” He darts his eyes to Kirill. “I was under very strict orders about what I could and could not do.”

“You stole my underwear,” I remind him.

He laughs and holds up his hands. “Again, I was under strict orders. I used a pen to lift them up and then stuck them in a bag, and that was that. It wasn’t quite the perverted affair you might be imagining. Now, what the hell happened after they were delivered, I don’t ever want to know.”

“No, you don’t,” Kirill agrees, giving me another wink.

My face heats up, because I know exactly what happened after they were delivered. I vividly remember reading that detailed letter.

“I woke up this morning and had no idea what the hell I was going to do with my day,” Vadim admits. “I almost drove to your house out of habit.”

“I told you to take a vacation,” Kirill says, checking on the chicken.

“I will once everything is taken care of.” He checks his watch and looks back up at us. “I need to get going.” He says something in Russian and then turns back to me. “Sorry again for all the spying. I hope it didn’t freak you out too much.”

“It’s okay. It did at first, but then it was sort of oddly comforting to know someone was looking out for me.”

Vadim meets my eyes. “He was always looking out for you.”

I nod and return his wave goodbye before he turns and walks away. Kirill fills two bowls with salad and then cuts up the chicken breasts, adding them in with some homemade salad dressing.

“He seems nice,” I say. When he doesn’t say anything, I add, “So what did you two talk about?”

He grabs the bowls and starts to walk away. I hop down and follow him through the French doors and out onto the veranda. My hair whips around from the breeze coming off the water, and when he sits down at a table under an awning, I take the seat opposite him.

“Not going to tell me?”

He smiles and walks back inside. I wait because I know he’s got to come back at some point. Returning with two large glasses of lemonade, he sets one down in front of me and then takes a seat.

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