Page 44 of The Enemy's Defector
“Like what you see?” he taunted as he reached me. Without another word, he parted my legs again to wipe me off carefully, using a second cloth he’d brought for me.
“I do,” I admitted, unafraid to be that honest.
You know I do.
“Likewise,” he admitted gruffly once he’d cleaned me up. Holding on to my upper back as he slipped his hand behind me, he urged me not only to sit up but also to fall against him for a kiss.
I sighed at the touch of his mouth on mine, but moving this much reignited the fiery pain that radiated from my wound on my arm.
“Ouch,” I whispered once I was fully seated upright.
“I bet it stings, but it’s not as bad as I feared.” After leaning over to get his pants, he sat on the table in front of the couch and faced me to inspect the gash on my skin. “Let me get another cloth to clean it.”
I watched him get up again, and without him here for me to admire, I scanned the room. “What is this place?” I called out as he was probably in a bathroom or kitchen.
“Another Ivanov building.” He came back and sat where he had before. “It used to be offices, but then it was shut down. A couple of crews used to camp out here for operations and that’s why this floor was renovated to apartments. Let me see.” He took hold of my arm and turned it a little so he’d be able to wipe off the grime and blood.
“Ugh.” I winced, watching him wipe at it with care. “I don’t regret what we did…”
He chuckled, still so smug, moving with me to tend to my wound as I got dressed again.
“But all that dust.” Each time I moved on the couch to get my clothes on, more dust flew up. “Yuck.”
He nodded. “After I clean this up some, we can shower. One of the apartment spaces or studios should have a big enough stall for us to share.”
I nodded, appreciating how sweet he was with me. No matter how deadly and sinister he could be in his specific line of work, he would always lower the intensity he held inside him to be gentle and tender to me.
“The last thing I need is dust and dirt to get into a cut. Washing it will help, of course, but I can’t risk an infection of any kind when my immune—” I shut up and opened my eyes wide. They practically popped out. Shock stunned me speechless a few seconds too late.
I can’t believe I said that.
Just shut up. Shut up!
The damage was already done. He furrowed his brow and studied me, slowly pulling his gaze off my wound to look at me dead in the eye.
“What?”
I cleared my throat.
Shit.
I knew that tone. That way he spoke when he was puzzling something out.
“Um, just that being infected or sick at all is not exactly, uh, ideal, when, um…”Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.“When we’re on the run. You know?”
He sat up more, staring me down. “What were you going to finish saying?”
Uh-oh.I was also well used to that stern voice he employed when he expected the truth, nothing but the truth, and it was already coming in late so I shouldn’t think about delaying it.
“Nothing.” I shrugged my other shoulder.
“Not when your immune…” He arched a brow, pinning me with an expectant look.
I blinked, feeling hot and bothered and guilty and ashamed. I could lie. I knew I could lie and fudge my way out of a tricky situation. It wasn’t like I was an angel and had never fibbed. But this was different. This was Nik, the man I’d always wanted and could never have. He was the father of my baby—the baby I had yet to inform him about.
I really didn’t want to tell him like this. A calmer setting would be better. A more peaceful occasion would be best. But I’d already kept the truth from him this long that I’d dug myself in too deep of a damn hole now.
“Katerina.”
