Page 20 of Mikhail
Inside the armoire was a collection of clothes. They were very old but in good shape, rather than moth-eaten and faded. Piper tugged on the sleeve of a dressing gown made of red silk, causing it to fall off the hanger. She lifted it out of the armoire and glanced at the closed bedroom door before she examined theoutfit.
He won’t know if I just take a little look,right?
The red silk was dark, like burgundy wine, with gold embroidered dragons. She didn’t know how to describe these dragons, except to say that they felt more European than Asian indesign.
Her fingers traced the dragons that battled on the back of the dressing gown. Even though it was made of silk, the item was well made and warm. She shrugged it on, feeling a tad guilty, but it was freezing in the room unless she stood directly next to the fireplace. She missed her fuzzy slippers back in her hotel in London. Mikhail didn’t strike her as a man to have fuzzy bunny slippers lying around toborrow.
An exhausted, hysterical giggle escaped her. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the sound. There was a long moment of silence in her room, broken only by logs snapping and crackling in thefireplace.
I’m losing my mind. That’s it. I’m going all-out bananas. There was nothing funny about being stuck in a mansion on the Cornwall coast after being made an unwitting accomplice in a jewelheist.
Even though she was exhausted, she couldn’t sleep. Piper tiptoed to the door, the dressing gown trailing behind her, the silken train whispering on the carpet, then the stones. She tested the knob, wincing as it creaked. She froze, then waited for Mikhail to come charging down the hall, but nothing happened. She opened the door and peered around it into thecorridor.
The door to a room two doors down was slightly ajar. It had to be Mikhail’s bedroom. Gold light could be seen, inviting her to come inside, but she ignored the lure. Strains of music drifted down the hall toward her. It sounded like Tchaikovsky. Mikhail was a classical music fan? She was as well. So few people seemed to have an appreciation for classical musicanymore.
In the small blue-collar working town where she’d grown up, there hadn’t been much of a chance to listen to music like that. When she’d gotten her scholarship and had taken art history and music classes for her electives, she’d discovered a beautiful, artistic world she’d never known existed. One Mikhail seemed toshare.
Mikhail was so different from the men she’d known growing up. He was mysterious, worldly, completely intoxicating. That whole tall, dark stranger thing women joked about being attracted to? It was totally a realthing.
Piper walked down the hall, away from Mikhail’s room, intending to explore the first floor of the house. She’d just put her foot down on the top step when an arm shot around her waist, lifting her into the air. She was jerked back against a hard malebody.
“Going somewhere, little dove?” Mikhail whispered in herear.
7
I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes fromwithin.
—Plautus
“No! I wasn’t going anywhere!”She gasped and dug her fingers into his arms, trying to make him releaseher.
“Why do I get the sense that you’re lying?” He chuckled, but the sound was dangerous. “Does this mean I must keep watch over you, even while you sleep? Or shall I tie you to the bed?” He carried her back down the hall to his room and tossed her none too gently onto his massivebed.
“Stay,” he ordered and went to lock the door, blocking her only wayout.
“Howdareyou!” Piper snapped, even though her heart was racing again. She hadn’t forgotten what he’d threatened to do to her in the SUV…about how he would punish a woman. She also hadn’t forgotten that his dominance turned heron.
I’m going to need major therapy afterthis.
Mikhail opened a drawer from his dresser and turned to face her, a pair of silk neckties in his hand. He wound a blue one around his fist and pulled, as though testing its strength. When he looked up at her, his lips split into a wickedgrin.
“Be a good girl and stay still.” He came toward her, but Piper scrambled onto the other side of the bed and grabbed the first thing she could find. A candlestick. There was just one problem. It had a candle in it—alitcandle. Hot wax spilled and dribbled down her hand. She yelped at the sharp sting ofpain.
“Ow!” She dropped the candlestick, and Mikhail dove for it, dropping the ties. He used his thumb and index finger to extinguish the candle. Then he set the candlestick back on thetable.
Piper clutched her hand to her chest as it throbbed. She was too stunned to react when Mikhail scooped her up and carried her to a large connected bathroom. He set her down by the sink and, with surprising tenderness, took her hand and held it under the faucet. The icy water hit her skin, making her whimper. But she was not going to let him see her cry again over a minor burn, not after everything she’d been through tonight. Soon the pain that had burned so fiercely faded, and the wax cracked and peeled off, sliding into thesink.
“There now,” he said. Then he spoke softly in Russian. The meaning of his words was a complete mystery, but they were sweet-sounding. He rubbed the back of her hand, his fingers stroking and massaging not just her skin but the muscles beneath. The action was hypnotic, and she couldn’t resist leaning back against him as he caressedher.
“I will take care of you,” Mikhail said and feathered a kiss against herear.
A wave of desire battled with the confusion building inside her. This would’ve been perfect if she hadn’t been kidnapped. Why was she letting this man get to her? Was she so sex-starved that even the tiniest bit of intimacy would affect her this strongly? She really hoped that was not the case. Womankind everywhere would be ashamed ofher.
After a minute he dried her hand with a soft cloth and examined the slightly reddenedskin.
“You will sleep with me tonight since you cannot seem to stay in your cage, littledove.”
“I am not sleeping with you. You had your chance back in London before you decided to kidnap me! And why do you call melittledove?”
