Page 10 of Mistaken
It could have been Maksim’s irritating good cheer or the fact that the sun was shining aggressively right in my face, but I opened my eyes. He was lounging on the bed, the IV was out of my hand and there was a stern-looking older woman in an honest-to-god maid’s outfit standing at the foot of my bed, holding a tray.
“Megumi’s got your lunch and then she’s going to help you tidy up. I have a couple of calls to make.”
I eyed Megumi. Megumi eyed me. She looked like she might be perfectly willing to hurt me, even in my fragile condition, so I wasn’t sure whose company I feared more.
Megumi was not interested in conversation. She snapped a cloth napkin over my lap and plonked the tray on top. The salmon and risotto were delicious and I would have definitely enjoyed my first meal in three days if she hadn’t continued to stand at the foot of the bed, arms folded and staring at me.
But when she helped me into the master bathroom and I saw a tub big enough to fit half a dozen people and maybe a small car, I was prepared to move past that. I sank into the hot water, there were flowers floating on the surface and some kind of oil that smelled amazing and made me feel almost human again. Afterward, the woman tried to dress me in some skimpy, flossy-looking lingerie, but I took it away from her.
“I can do this,” I smiled, showing all my teeth and trying to look threatening. Megumi sniffed and stood back, shoving some stupid silky lounge pants and top at me and letting me dress before pushing me to sit in front of the mirror and brushing my hair dry. “Is there a sweater here?” I asked, “maybe some sweatpants?” She ignored me. Of course.
Maksim looked up with a dark little smile when I forced myself back into the room, watching the housekeeper instantly and silently absent herself. He swirled his drink, looking me up and down. “Well,nowyou look like that delicious girl I picked up in my club again.’
Oh, god, there was my mouth opening; “Well, you didn’t exactly pick me up, you-”
He shut me up. Two lush lips fastened onto mine and it felt like he was sucking the life right out of me. His huge arms wrapped around me and lifted me up, feet dangling to move into the kiss. Well, Maksim didn’t kiss me so much as attack my tongue, shoving his inside my mouth and tangling with mine, tracing inside my mouth and finally letting me breathe after taking my lower lip between his teeth and pulling it slightly past painful.
“Wh- what the hell are youdoing?Get off me!” I sputtered, shoving at his shoulders and trying to move his face away from mine.
“I can’t decide if I like your smart mouth or it makes me want to choke the life out of you,” he mused, huge hand sliding up to cup my neck, his thumb stroking my rabbiting pulse. I was gingerly licking my lower lip, checking for blood after that kiss of his, and his gaze was making a leisurely tour of my barely-clad body.
“Well,” I offered, “we could just have an evening of stimulating conversation and I could impress you with my wit-” Flying through the air and landing hard enough on the bed to bounce twice, I realized this beefy lunatic would not be going with that option.
“Darling, as much as I have enjoyed our little battle of the wits, I’ve put more time into wooing you to get my information than I have with any woman. Ever.” I opened my mouth to laugh about the phrase “wooing,” and he put up one thick finger. “I did not invite you to respond.” Straddling me, he stroked my pulse again, his grip still light against my throat.
Chapter 5 - The Million Dollar Vodka Bottle and the Worst Proposal Ever
In which Maksim is infuriating.
Maksim…
“Let’s begin again. What is your name?”
She was pinned underneath me, pale green eyes wide. “I told you at the club! Ella Givens.”
“I must admit,” I said, still stroking that lovely, long neck of hers, “that I wasn’t paying attention at the time, because I was certain you were a former business associate of my Bratva who had stolen from me.”
“The weapons stash, I’m guessing?”
“Correct.”
“Maksim?”
I pulled my gaze from her breasts, beautifully showcased in the lacy lingerie. “Yes?”
“Could you maybe take your hand off my throat and let me sit up? It’s really hard to concentrate when you’re doing this.”
I slid my hand from Ella’s neck, down across the smooth skin of her chest, running my fingers over the slopes of her breasts. before moving off of her. I helped her sit up. “Let’s continue. Would you like a drink? You might need one.”
She immediately shook her head, and I chuckled as I poured myself one. Holding up the bottle, I appreciated how the firelight filtered through it. “This is a limited-edition Russo-Baltique. The vodka is filtered through diamonds, and it is the smoothest vodka I’ve ever had.”
“Is that bottle really gold?” Ella’s brows were drawn together, as if this was the most outrageous thing she’d ever seen.
I chuckled; this woman did have a way of making me laugh. “Yes, the flask is encased in 24-carat gold. The Russo-Baltique sells for a million dollars.”
“Oh, my god!” Ella gasped, “That’s just…” She paused, clearly thinking about her next words, which was quite an improvement.
“This is an example of the kind of lifestyle I lead. And the one you will share. Nearly everything you could possibly want will be yours, as long as you are dutiful and obedient to me.” Her pretty pink mouth was opening and closing in outrage, like a goldfish. I put up my hand. “You will not speak. Yet. Our… acquaintance did not begin well, it’s true. But I intend to remedy that by marrying you.”
