Russian Mobster's Princess (3 page)

Kira straightened until she was sure her spine would snap. “You don’t have to sound so pleased by that.”

“What?” Now he was frowning in consternation.

She very nearly rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to seem so
glad
to avoid touching me. If I’m so distasteful to you, I can just go back to my apartment.”

“Stop being ridiculous.” He growled the words at her. “Just get out of the car. Now.”

Kira flinched at his tone. He really was a beast. “There’s no need to be so
mean
.”

“Kira.” The fire of temper in his eyes underscored the hard edge in Viktor’s tone. “Get out of the fucking car.”

She opened the door and got out, clutching her bag to her chest all the while. She was tired, and her muscles were starting to tighten up the longer she sat around. She hadn’t had a chance to stretch properly in her dressing room before Viktor showed up. Now she stiffly followed his lead to an elevator and wished she were anywhere else but here.

“It’s not a funeral,” he said gruffly. “You don’t have to look so morose.”

“I don’t
want
to be here,” she reminded him. “Shall I pretend to be happy just so you feel better?”

He punched the button for the fifteenth floor of the building, and the elevator doors whooshed closed. Kira wished she were anywhere but here. Being shut up inside a tiny box with this man was insufferable. Worse, she couldn’t understand why her body was so obviously responding to his nearness. She should loathe the very air he breathed, and yet when she inhaled in the close space she caught a hint of his spicy male scent. It brought to mind the day of their wedding and the strangeness of that kiss. His lips had looked unyielding, yet they were so incredibly soft. She wondered if they would feel that way if she kissed him again.

“What?” he asked sharply.

Kira felt the heat of a blush and fought to maintain her cool demeanor. “Nothing. I was simply wishing that this interminable elevator ride were over. That’s all.”

The elevator dinged as it stopped on their floor. Viktor’s lips stretched into a tight smile. “And you get your wish.”

She followed him down a narrow hallway to a door on the right. He put in a key and pushed his way inside. Kira followed, holding her breath and almost dreading what she might see.

“Sorry,” Viktor muttered. “Although it could certainly be worse.”

Kira didn’t answer. She walked to the middle of the room and spun a tight circle. The dingy green shag carpet certainly didn’t do anything for the space, nor did the dull brown linoleum in the kitchen, or the chipped Formica countertops. There was a small refrigerator and a stove that looked as if it had seen better days. Someone had put a microwave on one countertop opposite the sink.

The rest of the apartment wasn’t much better. A sagging brown couch, a recliner that was almost threadbare in places that sat before one tiny television on a rickety cart. At least the bathroom was tolerable. The white porcelain fixtures looked as though they hailed from another era, but there were no massive cockroaches waiting in the sinks.

VIKTOR WAITED FOR Kira to notice what he already had. He saw her drift into the bedroom and then come out and open a closet door. Then she turned and looked at him with an expression of uncertainty.

“There’s only one bedroom?” she demanded, an obvious note of panic in her voice.

Viktor nodded. There was really no need to soften the blow. “That’s right. If we sleep on opposite sides of the bed, it will be perfectly proper.”

She snorted. “Considering we are married, it would be perfectly proper anyway. I’m just not accustomed to sharing a bed with anyone.”

He could not have said why, but that statement gave him immeasurable relief. Still, he saw no need to treat her like a princess. “I suppose you can sleep on the sofa, if you’d like.”

She gazed with distaste at the sagging cushions and hard, unforgiving arms. “I’m a dancer, not a pygmy! I’ll be a pretzel by tomorrow if I try to sleep there. My rest is very important.”

“Then I suppose you’ll be sleeping in the bed with me.” He shrugged.

She looked huffy. “You know, you’re not much of a gentleman.”

“Why? Because I would rather share a bed with my
wife
than go sleep on an ancient couch made for dwarves? Yes. That does make me quite an ass.”

“Exactly!”

“I do not recall you being such a diva when we were married,” Viktor said irritably. “Or have you forgotten who it is that continues to pay your bills?”

She froze in the middle of trying to answer him back. He could see the shame on her face and felt horrible for being the one to put it there. Still, she needed to remember how things worked. But instead of being contrite, she stomped over to her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a bankbook.

She then thrust the book at him. “This record shows where all of your stipend money has been going. I created a savings account in your name, and every month when you send me the payment, I put it in this account.”

For some reason, this really pissed Viktor off. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I can take care of myself!”

Her vehemence confused him. “Why are you shouting at me?”

“You’re the one who is shouting.” She pointed at him.

Finally she turned her back to him and stalked over to the sofa. She was muttering in Russian, too low and fast for him to understand. Viktor didn’t get it. Kira had been unassuming and almost docile when he had first met her. Where had this attitude come from?

She was digging in her bag. Finally, she plopped down on the floor and began to stretch. He watched for several moments before he realized he was staring.

“Why are you doing that?” he asked.

She didn’t even look up to meet his gaze. “Because if I don’t, I will be sore as hell tomorrow. I danced tonight, but you interrupted my cool down. Normally I would have gone through all of these stretches in my dressing room.”

“Oh.” He couldn’t really fault that. “Then I will leave you to it. I have to call my brother Nicholas and tell him that we made it here safely.”

She didn’t even look up when he disappeared into the bedroom. Viktor wondered why he cared so much. It was as if she disliked him when all he had done was leave her alone as she had wanted.

He dialed up Nicholas on his phone. “We made it,” he told his brother in Russian.

“Ah, your first night alone with your bride. I’m sure you have great plans.”

“Not likely.” Viktor considered Nicolas’s words. “She is nothing like Elena. My wife was soft and amiable. This woman is just as likely to kick me in the balls as she is to warm my bed. Besides, I still belong to Elena. You know that.”

“Perhaps I was wishing that after three and a half years, you would let that ghost rest,” Nicholas suggested. There was an odd note to his voice. “She was an incredible woman. Some days I can hardly believe she is gone.”

“No more talk of ghosts,” Viktor said firmly. “Have you discovered anything else about the murder?”

“No.” Nicholas made a frustrated noise. “Worse, Anton is breathing down our necks. He wants answers. He is starting to make wild accusations that we are incapable of caring for his daughter.”

“So you think he is going to make trouble?” Viktor wondered what to make of his father-in-law’s complaints.

“I vote we lock the woman up in a safe house by herself and forget about it. Problem solved.”

“Hardly. Kira isn’t nearly as biddable as she was three years ago.”

“She’s a woman. They’re all cantankerous wenches when the situation calls for it. She’ll come around. And until that time, perhaps you should use the tools at your disposal in any way that accomplishes your goal.”

“Meaning?” Viktor frowned.

“Seduce the woman. By this time, you should have had a child or two off her anyway. What other use is a wife?”

Viktor looked at the double bed as he contemplated the idea. Even the thought of it felt disloyal to Elena’s memory. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Tell the men to find this bastard and put an end to all this bullshit. That is the best way.”

“There is a council meeting tomorrow. You will be there, and you will bring the girl. That should satisfy Anton and keep him off my back for a little longer at least.”

Viktor grunted. He did not much care for Kira’s father or his power games.

A soft knock told him Kira was at the bedroom door.

“I’ll speak with you tomorrow then,” Viktor told Nicholas before hanging up.

Opening the bedroom door, Viktor gestured that Kira should enter. She was still dressed as she had been before.

Viktor raised a brow. “Do you truly need that many layers of clothing as protection from me?”

“I don’t know. Do I?”

Viktor stood stiffly on the side of the bed near the windows. “You have nothing to fear from me. My heart still belongs to another.”

Her brows drew together. “Elena?”

“Yes.”

Kira looked as if she might say something, but then shrugged. “As you wish. I’ll take the side closest to the door. If you touch me, I cannot vouch for how I might react.”

Viktor hid a smile. The idea of her hurting him in the night was ludicrous, but he would give her the benefit of her pride at least. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Chapter Three

Kira came awake slowly. She was deliciously warm, a change since she usually froze in bed at night regardless of the season. She did not want to open her eyes. It was like a glorious dream, and she didn’t want to wake and find herself back in her tiny studio apartment.

Then she realized that she was most certainly
not
in her apartment. This was not her bed.

Blinking away the sleep, she focused on a hand resting unobtrusively on her hip. It was large and male and most certainly not hers. She sucked in a gasp of surprise as the previous night came rushing back. Viktor. The threats to the local mafia women, and then coming here to this shabby little safe house where they’d had no choice but to share a bed.

Kira was curled up against Viktor’s chest. Her brain nearly fogged over as she tried to figure out how to extricate herself from the situation. Being next to him like this felt
good.
She couldn’t have even imagined how safe and secure she would feel within the embrace of a man. His grip felt gentle, and each exhaled breath whispered over her hair like a caress.

Her pride balked at the notion of letting him discover how easily she had been won over, though. Her father had spent years telling her what sort of man her husband really was. She did not want to be taken in so easily only to be cast aside once again after all of the danger was over.

Carefully slipping from the bed, she tugged her arms and legs away from Viktor’s grasp. He rolled to his belly in his sleep, and she couldn’t help but admire every sexy inch of him. Even covered in clothing, she could see the strength and vitality of this man. With a sigh, she left him behind and tiptoed to the kitchen to see if there was anything decent to eat in this dump.

VIKTOR WAS AWAKE just as soon as Kira’s feet touched the bedroom floor. He wished he could ask her what she had thought about the intimate way they had wound up sharing a bed, but that was out of the question for the moment.

He felt oddly rested in spite of the circumstances. In fact, he hadn’t felt this rested after a night’s sleep since Elena’s death. It was odd, but it had felt good to share his bed with a woman once again. Even if the woman in question would have probably preferred to share with a farm animal.

Rolling to a sitting position, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and contemplated spending another day exchanging barbs with Kira. Odd, but this didn’t actually sound too bad. Perhaps the two of them could come to some sort of agreement and be done with all the animosity. Getting to his feet, he padded out of the bedroom to find his estranged wife.

She was rummaging in the cabinets when he walked into the tiny kitchen.

“Did you find anything worth eating?” he wondered.

She didn’t startle at his voice, which suggested she was likely more aware of her surroundings than he gave her credit for.

Instead, she gave him a shrug. “There’s a box of some sort of sugary cereal with odd marshmallow shapes. Some milk. A few eggs. Nothing to actually cook with, but I believe these bananas are edible.” She gestured to the three speckled bananas sitting on the countertop.

“Any coffee?” Viktor asked hopefully.

“There is a coffee maker, but I have yet to find filters or actual coffee.” She gave a disappointed sigh. “I’m sure back at your place you have a cook or a housekeeper to make you breakfast.”

“Actually, I prefer to feed myself,” he told her with a laugh. “Although I will admit to having someone come in to clean twice a week.”

“That would be nice.” She picked up a banana and absently opened the peel. “I hate cleaning. It’s such a waste of time. If I have a moment where I am not at practice, I want to do something fun or relaxing.”

“Like what?” He chose another banana and opened it. Thankfully it didn’t have too many spots.

“I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies,” she mused. “But I certainly like to read.”

“There’s a library close to your apartment,” he recalled. “Do you visit there often?”

“Yes. Several times a week usually.” She cocked her head at him curiously. “I’m surprised you know where my apartment is.”

“I pay the rent.”

“Ah. That’s right.” Her face fell. “I forget.”

“I don’t mind,” Viktor found himself saying quickly. “It’s a pittance compared to what I would have offered you.”

KIRA COULD NOT tell if he was being nice or mocking her. She finished up her banana and tossed the peel into the garbage. Then she went and rummaged in her bag. She withdrew an exercise band and then sank to the floor to begin her stretching exercises.

“Are you preparing for the biggest rubber band war ever?” he asked.

There was nothing intimidating or mocking in his tone. He seemed to be just curious.

She gestured to the band. “These are low impact, resistant exercise bands. Many people use them, but I prefer to use these in my stretching to strengthen my feet.”