“Can I ask you a question?” Katarina asked as the car finally pulled into a parking lot.
“Sure,” I answered, looking for my purse. “Anything.”
“Why do we call you Sveta when your name is Naomi?”
I froze, looking at both girls. “What?”
They exchanged glances themselves before Katarina rushed on. “We overheard that embassy worker that night. He called you Naomi.”
I swallowed, carefully considering how to answer her question. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that I was Naomi and that Sveta was dead. But I knew that the moment I did that, I would be betraying Gavril’s trust and opening his secret up to the world.
But I was tired of lying. I was tired of being the person who had this heavy secret on her shoulders and was forced to bear it alone.
“I tell you what,” I said, lowering my voice. “Would you like to call me Naomi?”
They both nodded, their eyes widening. “You mean like a code name?” Aleksandra asked, her voice hushed.
It was my turn to nod. “Exactly. Like a code name. It can be our little secret.” It would be a measure of truth that I could leave with them, hoping that if the truth ever came out one day, they would realize what I’d trusted them with today. “But you cannot tell your mother or your brother or anyone else for that matter.”
“We won’t,” both girls replied together. “Promise!”
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I gathered them both into a hug, hoping that for a little while they believed that someone cared about them. I would sacrifice my own life to keep them safe from harm. “I love you two.”
Finally, I pulled back, dashing at my eyes. These days I was more overemotional than normal. “Come on. Let’s go spend some of your brother’s money, shall we?”
***
Later, after an exhausting trip with Gavril’s sisters, I dropped the packages onto the sofa and sat down, rubbing my aching feet. It had been an exciting day with them, and since I’d never had any sisters, I really enjoyed their company.
I could live with Maria hating me as long as her daughters didn’t.
The door opened and Gavril walked in, his eyes finding mine. “I didn’t expect you to be back so soon,” he stated.
“What did you expect?” I asked lightly, my chest tightening at how exhausted he looked. I knew he had business to conduct in Russia, but it was almost like we had fallen apart after the embassy man had shown up, and I didn’t like it at all. “For us to spend all your money?”
Gavril didn’t even crack a smile at my teasing, and my hope started to wither.
“I really enjoyed spending time with your sisters,” I continued, not wanting to give up just yet. “They are wonderful girls.”
Gavril just stood there, and I forced myself to stand and move toward him, feeling more like his prey that he was watching. “You look tired.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s been a long day.”
I finally reached him, knowing that I had to somehow patch this widening gap that was growing between us. “Why don’t you go get in the shower?” I said. “And I will get some food for you.”
Gavril stared down at me and for a moment, I saw bleakness in his gaze. This man, this powerful man with the world on his shoulders was worried about something. Was it me? Was he worried that something was going to happen to me, or was he planning on doing something to me and that was why he was slowly distancing himself?
I hadn’t given him a child yet. At any point he could get rid of me.
“Fine,” he finally said. “A shower will be good.”
I watched as he brushed past me and moved to the bedroom, hearing the shower start a moment later. I waited until I knew he was sold on the shower before I started toward the bathroom myself, stripping off my clothing as I did so. The bathroom was already starting to steam by the time I opened the door, catching Gavril standing under the steady stream of water, his head bowed. When my hand touched his scarred back, he trembled.
“What are you doing, Naomi?” he whispered.
Oh God. Something was really wrong. “I’m going to take care of you,” I told him, keeping emotions out of my voice for now. I had never seen him like this before, never this bleak.
He didn’t answer, so I reached around his large body and grabbed a washcloth, lathering it up before sliding it over his skin, first his shoulders, then down his back and over his ass. Once I reached his feet, I stepped back. “Turn around.”
He did so slowly and I found his body tense, his eyes watching me warily as I started soaping up his chest. “Tell me what to do,” I begged as I slid it over his taut abs. “Tell me what you need.”
When I reached his cock, he hissed, and I stilled. He was hard and ready as always, nudging against the washcloth insistently.
So, I washed him carefully before allowing the washcloth to fall to the shower floor, my hand tracing over him lightly. “Naomi,” he murmured, his hand joining mine and urging me to pump him faster.
I did as he wanted, making a fist and sliding up and down in the ways I knew he liked. “Are you going to cum all over me?” I asked lightly, meeting his gaze. “Are you going to dirty me up, Gavril?”
His eyes flashed, and his hand gripped mine even more. “Is that what you want?” he asked roughly.
“Yes,” I replied, working him faster. “I want you to cover me.”
He swore under his breath and soon the ropy strings of his release covered my stomach and breasts, washed away under the warm water almost immediately. For a moment I kept my grip on him, letting him finish all the way until he removed his hand from mine. Before he could say anything, I reached out and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him against me. “Just let me hold you for a minute,” I said against his wet skin.
Gavril shuddered, literally shuddered in my grasp before his arms went around me and he held me against him, his hand moving into my hair. For a moment we stood under the steady stream of warm water, holding each other, and I fought back the tears in my eyes. I didn’t know what was going on with Gavril, but I wasn’t going to let him shut me out. We had to be in this together.
Finally, I backed away and Gavril shut off the water. “Go get on the bed,” he ordered, grabbing a towel and handing it to me.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because,” he said, his eyes brightening with intensity. “I want to return the favor.”
My breath left my lungs, and I felt my knees weaken as I toweled off, walking naked to the bed and climbing on. Gavril was there in an instant and before I could say anything, he was lowering himself between my thighs.
“What are you doing?” I gasped as his hands slid up my thighs and pulled them apart. “Gavril.”
A wicked grin crossed his face, and he blew on my wet center. “You promised me dinner.”
When his lips touched me, I closed my eyes and succumbed to the familiar feeling of him worshipping my body.
Later, after we had exhausted ourselves, I lay in the circle of his arms. He had gone quiet again, but he hadn’t made any move to leave, and I tried not to hold him in the bed, afraid that once he did leave, we would go back to the coldness.
“We are going home.”
His words were a low murmur against my shoulder, and I turned to face him. “What?”
“We are going back to LA,” he said, his eyes finding mine in the darkness. “Tomorrow.”
“All right,” I said after a moment. “I will be ready in the morning.” As much as I hated to leave his sisters and this beautiful country, I was ready to get back to a familiar landscape in LA.
His arms tightened around me, but he didn’t say anything else, and I waited for him to fall into sleep before the tears came, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.