Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
"What was your plan, moy zaichonok?"
She shrugged. "I was just trying to get away from you. Maybe hitchhike to New York."
Hitchhike.
I sucked in a sharp breath, the cold air burning my lungs as I fought to control the rage trying to claw its way out. So many things were on the tip of my tongue—none of them kind.
Are you fucking stupid? Are you suicidal?
The urge to grab her by the shoulders and shake some goddamn sense into that infuriatingly beautiful head of hers was nearly overwhelming. But I wouldn't.
No matter how much she tested me, no matter how many times she pushed the limits of my patience, I would never hurt her.
Unless she begged.
And one day, she would.
I was going to spank her until she learned, until she understood exactly what it meant to defy me. I was going to punish her in every way she deserved.
But not now.
If I touched her now, it would be out of anger, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop myself.
That would have to wait.
The middle of a frozen field, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the goddamn night was not the place or time for this. With my luck, we'd get bitten by a rattlesnake or some shit and end up dying out here before Solovyov even realized we were missing.
And I would be damned if Var got to find my corpse and laugh, knowing my end hadn't come at the hands of an enemy, but at the mercy of Mother fucking Nature.
What else could possibly go wrong on this mission?
I had built a reputation as a man who got shit done. Every mission I took was meticulously planned, every contingency accounted for. I executed flawlessly.
I was in and out before people even realized what had happened.
And yet, here I was.
Because of her.
Marina threw me for loop after loop. The shit that I was going to hear for just being arrested was going to follow me for years. Then the embarrassment from needing Var to come and untie me. I hadn’t been this useless when I was still wet behind the ears.
Time after time, she'd done something rash, something I hadn't even considered. And I considered everything at all times. Every contingency was planned for. That was what made me so good at what I did.
She just stood there glaring daggers at me as if I was the crazy one who jumped off a train and stranded us.
Several more deep breaths were required to calm the fire in my veins enough to form some kind of plan.
"Not a fucking word," I ground out as I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder.
Mud slid down her body, cold droplets marking my face as she pounded her fists against my back, the delicious pressure of her body against mine a stark reminder of our mutual captivity.
CHAPTER 18
KOSTYA
She tried to fight, but one firm slap to her ass made her stop.
My shoes slid in the mud as we made our way through the hay-covered field.
“I–” Marina started, and I tightened my grip on her thighs.
“No. You don’t get to speak.” The control I had over myself was being held together by a single fucking thread.
If she tried to talk to me now, if she gave me some lame excuse, or worse, gave me fucking lip, I was going to lose my shit. Neither one of us could afford for me to lose my temper right now, so I needed to stay quiet.
Slowly, we made our way across the field to the farmhouse.
There was an old sedan in the driveway.
I set her down and gave her a look that said, “stay.”
I checked the driver’s door, and luckily, it was unlocked.
“You can get in the passenger seat willingly or I can shove you in the trunk. Your choice.”
She looked at me for a second, blinking back tears that welled in her eyes as her hands tightened into fists at her sides.
That should have made me feel bad, but it didn’t. I knew better. Those weren’t tears of sadness or even fear that filled her pretty eyes. They were tears of frustration.
She didn’t say a word, just got into the passenger seat. It only took me a second to hot-wire the car and then we were on the road.
Not a single inside light turned on, and as far as I could tell, everyone in the house was still asleep. Good. That meant her little stunt would not cost people their lives.
I didn’t need another mess to clean up in the middle of Bumfuck, Nowhere.
I cranked up the heat and followed the signs to New York City.
It was ten hours of complete deafening silence.
Marina tried talking a few times, but I shut it down every single time. I was white-knuckling the steering wheel while maneuvering around assholes and grandmas on the highway.