to my apartment, order a pizza, and watch a movie with Kiki, I guess. I won’t have too much time to chill. I’ll have a ton of make-up work to catch up on so I can finish the semester.”
“What about your boyfriend? You’ll want to spend some time with him.”
I squirmed, unnerved by the intensity in Vladimir’s eyes. Although the Russians hadn’t said a word about Benji—the guy I’d started dating a week before my abduction—they’d obviously been stalking me and knew all about him. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
Vladimir shrugged. “Why not? He’s a nice young man.” His gritty expression did not sync with his complimentary assessment of my save-the-world hipster crush. Vladimir would never believe anyone I met would be good enough for me. In his eyes, he was the only man worthy of my affection. “Tell me about him. How did the nature boy charm his way into your arms?”
“He’s sweet.”
“And…”
“He’s fun to hang out with.” I kept my answers vague and generic. I had only known Benji for six days. It wasn’t like we were serious.
“Sweet and fun. Sounds like you’re describing a pet dog.”
I laughed.
“You find him attractive? He has a good job? Nice financial portfolio? What kind of car does he drive?” Vladimir lifted his eyebrows, smirking like a judgmental jerk. He enjoyed embarrassing me and watching me squirm.
“He doesn’t have a car. He uses alternative transportation.”
“Motorcycle?”
“Mountain bike.”
I sucked in my lips to keep from laughing. Vladimir was trying to make Benji out to be his unworthy replacement, but Benji wasn’t into material things. He was passionate about volunteering in our community, concerned about the environment, harmful effects of car emissions, reducing his carbon footprint…
“Job?”
“Internship.”
“Homeowner?”
“Renter.”
“You’re killing me, Carter. Promise me that when you get home, you’ll find a man who deserves the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world.” He pecked me on the lips. “Don’t settle for someone beneath you. Keep your standards high, angel.”
Tears flooded my eyes. I didn’t know how Vladimir planned to live through the war that was escalating with Maksim, but everything he said sounded so finite, like he didn’t have faith he would make it out alive. He knew something awful was going to happen, but he wouldn’t tell me the truth.
“I don’t think Benji will want to see me anymore.” I stopped, not wanting to share the rest of my thought.
“Why not?”
“You know, I’m messed up. Bad things happen to kidnapped girls. He’ll think I'm— damaged goods .”
Vladimir pulled me out of the chair and folded me into his arms. “How could you think something so terrible? Any man would be crazy not to want you.”
I didn’t agree, but I knew Vladimir’s sentiment was sincere. He’d always seen me in a way no one else had. I’d suffered from low self-esteem my whole life, but he lifted me up like I was the most important person in his world. No other man could ever compare to my sexy Russian. The level of attraction between us was immeasurable, but our relationship had been so much more than physical.
He had a talent for collecting all my faults, wadding them up into a ball, and using the negative energy to magnify my good qualities. Even after I found out about his involvement in the mafia, I still loved Vladimir and looked forward to the day we would become husband and wife. I wished I could erase the bad parts of our relationship, leaving only the passion and love we shared.
Vladimir ran his fingers through my hair, tucked my head in the crook of his neck, and rubbed warm circles on my back. I instinctively molded into the contours of his body and inhaled his earthy aroma. His heavenly cologne no longer mingled with his masculine scent, but I recognized his essence, and a rush of memories of our intimate moments washed over me.
I unfastened the buttons
“What about your boyfriend? You’ll want to spend some time with him.”
I squirmed, unnerved by the intensity in Vladimir’s eyes. Although the Russians hadn’t said a word about Benji—the guy I’d started dating a week before my abduction—they’d obviously been stalking me and knew all about him. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
Vladimir shrugged. “Why not? He’s a nice young man.” His gritty expression did not sync with his complimentary assessment of my save-the-world hipster crush. Vladimir would never believe anyone I met would be good enough for me. In his eyes, he was the only man worthy of my affection. “Tell me about him. How did the nature boy charm his way into your arms?”
“He’s sweet.”
“And…”
“He’s fun to hang out with.” I kept my answers vague and generic. I had only known Benji for six days. It wasn’t like we were serious.
“Sweet and fun. Sounds like you’re describing a pet dog.”
I laughed.
“You find him attractive? He has a good job? Nice financial portfolio? What kind of car does he drive?” Vladimir lifted his eyebrows, smirking like a judgmental jerk. He enjoyed embarrassing me and watching me squirm.
“He doesn’t have a car. He uses alternative transportation.”
“Motorcycle?”
“Mountain bike.”
I sucked in my lips to keep from laughing. Vladimir was trying to make Benji out to be his unworthy replacement, but Benji wasn’t into material things. He was passionate about volunteering in our community, concerned about the environment, harmful effects of car emissions, reducing his carbon footprint…
“Job?”
“Internship.”
“Homeowner?”
“Renter.”
“You’re killing me, Carter. Promise me that when you get home, you’ll find a man who deserves the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world.” He pecked me on the lips. “Don’t settle for someone beneath you. Keep your standards high, angel.”
Tears flooded my eyes. I didn’t know how Vladimir planned to live through the war that was escalating with Maksim, but everything he said sounded so finite, like he didn’t have faith he would make it out alive. He knew something awful was going to happen, but he wouldn’t tell me the truth.
“I don’t think Benji will want to see me anymore.” I stopped, not wanting to share the rest of my thought.
“Why not?”
“You know, I’m messed up. Bad things happen to kidnapped girls. He’ll think I'm— damaged goods .”
Vladimir pulled me out of the chair and folded me into his arms. “How could you think something so terrible? Any man would be crazy not to want you.”
I didn’t agree, but I knew Vladimir’s sentiment was sincere. He’d always seen me in a way no one else had. I’d suffered from low self-esteem my whole life, but he lifted me up like I was the most important person in his world. No other man could ever compare to my sexy Russian. The level of attraction between us was immeasurable, but our relationship had been so much more than physical.
He had a talent for collecting all my faults, wadding them up into a ball, and using the negative energy to magnify my good qualities. Even after I found out about his involvement in the mafia, I still loved Vladimir and looked forward to the day we would become husband and wife. I wished I could erase the bad parts of our relationship, leaving only the passion and love we shared.
Vladimir ran his fingers through my hair, tucked my head in the crook of his neck, and rubbed warm circles on my back. I instinctively molded into the contours of his body and inhaled his earthy aroma. His heavenly cologne no longer mingled with his masculine scent, but I recognized his essence, and a rush of memories of our intimate moments washed over me.
I unfastened the buttons
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