Avrora
The tension drains from my body the moment I pierce through the water.
The neon blue lights at the bottom of the pool come on, and I feel like I'm swimming in the sea. In my angst-filled state, I'd probably feel better in the sea, with the crashing waves rippling over me. But at this hour I'd probably get myself in trouble.
It's nearly one in the morning.
I was awake yesterday at this time too, but I was in the hot tub with Anatoli, where we seemed to be two different people who'd lost themselves to lust.
Now I'm by myself, faced with the sting of uncertainty. And the sting of Gytha's words, because Anatoli didn't come home.
Of course, I assumed he was with her, and I couldn't sleep. Then I made the mistake of going through my emails and found one that was sent yesterday morning from the lawyer in Russia who is dealing with the vineyard I inherited from my grandfather.
I'd forgotten all about it since I had so many other things on my mind, and I'd already started the process of transferring my share of ownership to my father. Seeing the email asking me to get in touch reminded me of the situation.
Everything like that will change because I'm not getting married to Mikhail anymore. As my husband, Anatoli will be the new co-owner, which feels like one more awkward thing I have to worry about that I don't want to.
The ache in my mind actually made me drift off to sleep, only to be woken by another full blown nightmare.
That's why I came out here.
It might not be the best idea, but I know what works when I get like this.
Freeing my mind of my worries, like unhooking the links on a chain, I swim under water and do a few laps up and down the length of the pool.
After my tenth, the shadow of a man on the water's surface looms ahead of me, so I swim up to see who it is.
My heart trips when I find myself staring at Anatoli. He's standing by the poolside watching me. All he's wearing are his boxers, which he pulls down his legs, revealing his massive, erect cock.
My gaze lingers on it, and he flashes me a sexy smile.
As if on command, my nipples harden and arousal gathers between my thighs. Like my volatile body was designed to respond to him in every way.
He dives into the pool and swims as if he was born to live in the water. I'm fascinated to see he barely moves his arms. All the work to propel him forward is in his body. He swims the length of the pool underwater then moves toward me on his way back, surfacing like a shark in one of those Jaws movies.
My fascination morphs into raw arousal when he reaches me and clutches my waist. He lifts me into the air, and I gasp, but the air completely leaves my lungs when he pulls me to his lips and kisses me.
His kiss leaves me feeling air-light, and I swear I'd float away with the wind rustling through the trees if he weren't holding me.
"Don't tell me you're trying to relive your team-captain days at this hour," he whispers over my lips.
I barely register him talking about me swimming in high school, and I can't help but be impressed.
"You know about that?"
"I made it my duty to know the important things."
Wow. It's hard to remember all the things I'm worried about when he knows all the right things to say to me. I didn't know what we were going to be like when I next saw him. Especially after my run-in with Gytha.
Pushing her out of my mind, I slip my arms around his neck, and he holds me closer, ushering me over to the wall at the shallow end, where he sets me down.
I lean against the wall with most of my body still immersed in the water. But Anatoli is so tall the water catches him around his chiseled waistline.
He looks like he stepped out of a Davidoff advert. The X-rated version where he's naked.
"You know you're going to have to tell me why you're out here at this time, right?" He smirks. "And in this bikini that should be for my eyes only."
I hold back a smile and watch the water dripping off his hard body when he rests his hands on either side of me.
"I don't want to have to kill my guards for looking at my wife."
My wife.
Those words, and in his deep voice, stir my soul and warm the corners of my heart.
I search his eyes, loving how the mingle of moonlight and the poolside lights give him an otherworldly look.
"I'm not your wife yet, so they can live," I answer as nonchalantly as I can, trying to hide the effect of his words on me.
"From the moment you entered this house, you were my wife, married or not. So they better not look at what's mine if they want to live." He's smiling as if he's talking about something simple, but I know he's serious.
I chuckle and he catches my face, looking at me now as if he's inspecting me.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"That's the first time I've ever heard you laugh."
Really? I would never have noticed if he hadn't pointed it out.
"Maybe it's because you seem less evil. You're also naked. Aren't you worried about the guards seeing you?"
He gives me a wolfish grin. "They know not to look when I'm out here. Now, back to you. What's going on with you, Valkyrie?"
What do I start with?
I'm not going to talk about Gytha and look like I need Anatoli every time I have a run-in with her. I also don't want to think about him being with her-which I hope he wasn't. So I think of the safe things we can talk about and start with those.
"Where were you?" My voice is meek and mellow. Different from how I thought I'd sound if I ever asked this question.
"Working."
"So late?"
He leans in and kisses my forehead. "Yeah. I have a million and one things to do."
"Why do you have to work so much? And all the time?"
His expression becomes lighter as he looks deeper into my eyes. "Do I sense that you'd like me not to work so much?"
"Well, I thought it's odd if you're going back to sea soon. Aren't you?"
Something dims in his eyes, and he glances down for a second. "Yeah, I guess I am."
"When?" All these long weeks have passed, and he's never said.
"I'm not sure yet. Things have to be running smoothly here before I leave."
I decide not to ask when he'll be back as I already look a little clingy for bringing up the topic. I definitely won't ask about Gytha going with him.
I guess things will be like when he was gone to L. A. Just longer. And worse. When he was in L. A., we hadn't gotten this close.
I don't even know why I'm worrying over that because I don't know what this thing is between us. The only thing I know is what I shouldn't want it to be.