“You think I’m young and inexperienced. I get that. You don’t know what I’ve done. You all think I’m so different from you. But I’m not,” she said to him.
He looked at her lips and into her eyes again. “You are different. You’re beautiful, untainted, sexy, smart—”
She turned away from him and rolled off the bed. He stood up too and she looked out the window.
“Nalia?” he said her name and she didn’t look at him.
“You can leave, Chatham. I want to be alone,” she whispered and he hesitated, felt compelled to go to her, pull her into his arms, and kiss her until she was limp and accepting. Then he thought of the team, and of Boian. It wouldn’t be right. They needed to talk about this again and about making Nalia their woman. He wanted her, too, and right now it was painful leaving her alone and heading downstairs away from her.
* * * *
“Where’s Nalia?” Cosivan asked in an angry tone.
“Upstairs. She wants to be alone.”
Cosivan squinted his eyes at him.
“What happened?”
He explained. Cosivan rubbed his jaw. He couldn’t help but be concerned. Maybe it was a good thing that he just got off the phone with Storm.
“I just heard from Storm, and was giving him an update. Him, his team and Aspen are coming over tomorrow for dinner.”
“Is that such a good idea?”
Cosivan took a deep breath and released it.
“She’s closing up and she isn’t happy. It may be a good idea for her to be with another woman and talk, and also for us to talk with Storm and the guys. We need to go over a plan of action. Figure out how long we’ll need to remain in Salvation. We have other obligations being taken care of temporarily, but we may need to alter those arrangements.”
Cosivan could tell that Chatham wasn’t acting like himself. He would be lying if he dismissed the change in his men as being caged up in this house for the last three weeks. It was more than that, and he was feeling it, too. Nalia was becoming more and more important to them.
“Then we need to gather some things to cook and prepare,” Chatham replied.
“You might as well organize it with Dusty and then contact Zin. They’re planning on bringing whatever we need tomorrow and for the next week, so we don’t need to leave this estate.”
“You think the town isn’t safe?” Chatham asked.
Cosivan chuckled. “Are you kidding me? Storm and their law enforcement friends have this place crime free. How often do you see that?” he asked Chatham and Chatham smirked.
“Okay, then maybe some other excursions would be smart for her sake and sanity as well. We can ask Aspen about things to do tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Cosivan said and then watched Chatham go. He looked up toward the stairs and felt the need to go check on her. But he shouldn’t. He didn’t want to send the wrong message or give in to this attraction they were all feeling. They were stuck in a large house, five men and one sexy, attractive woman who was vulnerable and needy. It was the ingredients made for disaster. Maybe someday excursions would be a smart idea after all?
Chapter 4
“So, how are you really holding up?” Aspen asked Nalia.
Nalia looked out toward the back of the house.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, right. Listen, there’s something you should know about me, considering we have some things in common.”
“In common? Like what?” Nalia asked.
“Like having a blood connection to the Russian mob that has placed us in danger and made us do things we never thought capable of but actually were pretty good at. I know your pain and your fears. I also know you don’t want to hear it but time will make it all better. It will get less scary at night, and you’ll gain back a little bit of confidence each day,” she said.
Nalia looked across the room at Boian and Chatham. She let her eyes roam over their bodies and how they stood there looking so sexy and capable. A glance to the right and she spotted Cosivan, Viktor and Dusty. They were talking with Storm, Zin, York, Weston, and Winter, Aspen’s other men.