CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“I should probably make us some breakfast.”

Cora sighed. So much for hoping that he hadn’t heard her growling stomach. Cora really didn’t feel like moving. She was comfortable snuggled against his side. Their naked skin brushed together every time she moved, although Vlad wasn’t completely naked. He had pulled on a pair of boxer shorts before climbing into bed with her. Vlad had made it clear that they wouldn’t be having sex again, but Cora was thinking of ways to change his mind.

Now that she had a taste of what to expect she wanted more. A lot more.

Vlad shifted but Cora made no move to roll away. Instead she hugged him a little tighter with the arm on his lower stomach. The temperatures had dropped during the night. The rain hasn’t stopped either which meant that they were stuck inside the cabin unless they really needed to head outside for something.

“What would you like for breakfast, sweetheart?” he asked softly.

“I’m not hungry,” Cora muttered, instantly regretting it when her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly again.

“Liar,” he breathed against her ear.

She shivered and tilted her head back to stare up at him. His eyes were focused on the ceiling instead of her. She took the opportunity to study every inch of his face. His cheeks and chin was covered in dark stumble. He had messy hair and flushed cheeks that made him look even hotter. Cora reached up and pressed her palm against his cheek, making his stumble tickled her sensitive skin.

Vlad glanced down at her in question. “What?”

“Nothing.” She gave him a small smile. “You look different without shaving.”

He smiled at her. “Are you looking for excuses to not get up?”

“It’s too cold to climb out of bed.”

“The stove will heat up the cabin a little,” he told her.

“If this was my cabin, do you know what I would change about it?”

His lips twitched. “You’d probably tear it down and rebuild it from the ground up to match that big house of yours.”

She laughed and shook her head. “I actually like the cabin as it is. It’s perfect for two people. The only thing I would add is a fireplace and maybe a bathtub.”

“You don’t like showering?” he asked.

“I don’t mind it, but I’d love to just sit back and relax in a nice warm bubble bath.”

His silence made her glance up at him again. Vlad had closed his eyes again. Licking her lips, she leaned up on her elbow and pressed a kiss against his lips. His eyes shot open. She bit her lip when she saw the surprise giving way to anger. Cora shouldn’t have done that. To her surprise, his hand slipped into her hair at the back of his head and tugged her face close to his.

He claimed her mouth in a savage kiss. Her lips parted and his tongue slipped into her mouth. She explored his mouth with a little more confidence. He slowly broke the kiss and laid his head back on the pillow to stare up at her. Cora licked her lips and gave him a small smile.

“I thought we weren’t suppose to do that again?” she whispered.

“We’re not.”

A squeal fell from her lips when he suddenly rolled over. Vlad reached up to move a few strands of hair from her face. She frowned when he just continued to stare down at her. His eyes dropped to her lips when she licked them again. Cora hesitated and then spread her legs to wrap them around his hips. Her eyes widened when she felt the bulge in his boxers. She tilted her hips slightly and gasped when pleasure washed through her.

“Why can’t we do it again?” she asked softly.

“You know why.”

“Actually I don’t. You just said that it complicates things more.”

Vlad licked his lips and shifted slightly on top of her. His eyes dropped to her chest for a few seconds before darting back up to hers.

“Have you ever been in a serious relationship before Cora?” he questioned.

She hesitated and then shook her head. “Was this because I’ve never. . . you know, before?”

He seemed to be hesitating. Cora reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders. She slowly traced them up the side of his neck to his cheeks. Lifting her head, she pecked his lips once and then twice. When she pulled away he surprised her by capturing her lips again. Her hands fell to his shoulders to grip them tightly when he started grinding against her. He was hitting just the right spot to make pleasure was through her.

He broke the kiss but didn’t stop his movements. “I don’t want either of us to grow attached.”

“Why?” Cora breathed.

“Once this is over you go back to your world and I go back to mine.”

“Why can’t you come back to mine or me to yours?”

It was becoming increasingly heard to concentrate on the conversation they were having. Her hands slid down his chest and to the band of his boxers. She watched his face closely as she slipped one of her hands inside his shorts. His lips parted in a harsh breath as her fingers brushed his length.

“We can’t Cora,” he groaned.

She ignored his warning and tugged the boxers down. Using her heels, she pushed it down the rest of the way. His hips had stilled but she could still feel him rubbing against her sex. Cora tilted her hips upwards and guided his erection towards her entrance. She was already wet and ready for him.

A low moan fell from his lips when he slowly slipped inside. Vlad suddenly froze and tried to pull away. Cora pressed her heels into his ass and pulled him closer. Her eyes fluttered closed as he entered her completely. His body was still tense which made her rethink her actions. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“I’m not wearing a condom, Cora.”

So that’s why it felt different this time. She could feel every inch of his hard length.

“If I let you up to get one, will we continue what we started?”

He glanced down at her with a frown. “If?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Cora,” he muttered her name in a low warning.

“If you really wanted to stop you would never have allowed me to push your pants down or to guide you. You’re stronger than me, Vlad. You could’ve stopped me if you really wanted to.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Cora leaned up to press her lips against his chin. She slowly moved them down to his neck when she nibbled his skin before sucking on that spot. His breath spread up and his cock jerked inside her. Cora slipped her hands down his back and to his buttocks where she gripped them firmly. His eyes widened in surprise.

“You have a really amazing ass,” she whispered against his ear. “A really, really sexy ass.”
She pulled back to stare at his face. His cheeks had darkened with colour. The big bag Vlad De Luca was blushing! Her lips twitched but she didn’t dare smile. He might just get angry and she was really starting to enjoy it. Their eyes locked.

Vlad closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them to stare down at her. “Witch,” he muttered softly.

Everything else she wanted to say to him was forgotten when he started moving. Nothing else mattered but the pleasure that they were both feeling.



Only later after their hearts had calmed down and the sweat had dried on their bodies, did Vlad think about the consequences of his actions. He was a grown man and he should’ve known better than anyone else not to let a female get in his head. Any chances he had of walking away flew out the window the moment he allowed his seed to spill inside her welcoming body. Things should never have gone so far. He should’ve put a stop to things after that night in his apartment.

Suddenly being so close to her was too much. He could smell their joint scent of passion still lingering in the air and on their skin. He body was pressed tightly against his side. He was scared of losing control once again. He couldn’t—no—he wouldn’t let it happen again.

Vlad carefully pulled away from a sleeping Cora and climbed off the bed. He turned and stared down at her. She looked peaceful, even in her sleep. Maybe being here had made her forget why they were running in the first place. He hated to be the one to remind her of their reality.

He swallowed and turned away from her. Emotions had no place in this kind of job or in his life. Vlad had learned from a young age that emotions only caused pain. Both of them would get hurt in the end. It would be even worse when his actions had consequences. No matter what happened, his first priority was to keep her save.

After dressing and one last glance at Cora, Vlad grabbed the phone and slipped from the cabin. He jogged to the truck and climbed inside. Vlad wiped the rain drops from his hair a before dropping his head back against the headrest. He sucked in a deep breath and then dialed Alan’s number and prayed for good news.

Alan answered on the second ring. “I was just about to call you.”

“What’s happening?”

“Mike Williams is being investigated,” he said. “Someone leaked it to the press that some evidence has been found. The Chief of police had called a conference and assured everybody that everything is being investigated. With Mike in the spotlight, I don’t think he would be trying anything.”

Vlad sighed. “What about Andrew?”

Alan stayed silent for a few minutes. Vlad’s stomach dropped. Silence was never good. What the hell had happened to Andrew Weber?

“They found a body in the river. It’s been there for a few weeks so it’s hard to identify him, but they suspect that it’s Andrew. They’re waiting results.”

Vlad muttered an oath and ran a hand through his hair. He realized that he was shaking and that was unusual. Why was this hitting him so hard? Maybe it had something to do with him having to relay the news to Cora. He had told her yesterday that her father was safe. Would her trust in him waver when he told her the truth? Would she look at him the same way?

It shouldn’t matter, but it did. “Let me know when they identified him.”

“Are you coming back?”

Vlad hesitated. “Not yet.”

“Why?”

He licked his lips and stared at the cabin. He could still see her lying in bed fast asleep. Once they leave they would be thrown back into reality. They would have no more moments like yesterday or this morning. He would be back to being her bodyguard and she just another job. Vlad had forgotten about the money since that night in the hotel when he had pulled her over his lap.
She hadn’t given him another reason to do that. It wouldn’t work out between them.

“You’ve fallen for her haven’t you?”

Vlad swallowed and nodded before he realized that his friend couldn’t see him. “Is it that obvious?”

“We’ve known each other for a long time, Vlad. You’re silence is answer enough.”

“I don’t know what to do,” he muttered softly. “I’m trying to stay professional but my emotions keep getting in the way. I’m scared of fucking things up. Once we leave, things will go back to normal.”

“Is that all that’s troubling you?”

Vlad debated his answered. The cabin door suddenly opened and Cora appeared in the doorway. She glanced around and then at the truck. His heart stopped beating for a few seconds as she continued to stare at him. Cora stood there for a few more seconds before she turned away. He blew out a breath when the door closed again.

“A lot of things are troubling me.”

“Well, you have however long you decide to stay there to figure things out. Just don’t make any promises you don’t plan on keeping.”

“I won’t. Keep me updated on things with Andrew.”