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Danielle's Dangerous Hero Writing Challenge Story (Captive/Kidnap): Shadow Tryst
message 301:
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~Megan~
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Jan 28, 2011 08:56PM
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I could just imagine Alexei grandmother making sure her grandchild ate. A lot of grandmothers are like that. I'm sure she made sure that she fixed a favorite dish of Alexei's and sweets of his too.
I'm sure she was a child's dream, because grandmothers tends to give you things that your parents want.
Alexei was spoiled to her. How cute. :)
I'm glad that like a woman with a little meat on her bones. lol, Alexei telling Karina she needs to eat was a shock.
Alexei is a bad boy!
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And so they stopped at a roadside eatery. Although Karina’s emotions were a potent mix of annoyance and dread, she appreciated the cozy atmosphere, and the smells of fresh, hot food made her stomach growl. Alexei shot her an amused glance, as he gestured her into the restaurant.
A pretty brunette with spiky hair and facial piercings, dressed in a sweater, short, pleated skirt, and Doc Martens, greeted them in a soft Irish brogue. “Hallo, let me show you to a table.”
Soon they were seated. Alexei looked at her over his menu. “Have you eaten Irish food before?”
Karina shook her head. “I haven’t had the opportunity in my travels.”
“Well, I’d definitely recommend the Irish stew, the soda bread, and champ. If you’re really hungry, you can’t beat the corned beef and cabbage. It sounds stereotypical, but you’d regret coming to Dublin and not eat it.”
“Have you been to Dublin a lot?” Karina asked, finding herself eager to find out more about this enigmatic man.
Alexei shrugged. “Enough.” If Karina hadn’t expected such a cryptic answer, she would have been annoyed. However, she was unsurprised. She decided she’d keep trying, since she didn’t have much to lose.
“Those guys back there. Were they old military buddies?”
Alexei ‘s delicious lips formed a slight smile. “Yes, and no. As you can imagine, since I’m Russian and they’re not, we didn’t serve in the official armed services together. We were in an off-the-books unit. And from there, mercenary work. I can’t say anything more.” He paused, leaving an expectant silence. “I’d have to kill you,” Alexei added, facetiously. Or it would have been humorous if Karina wasn’t fully aware that Alexei was capable of following through with that threat.
“I see,” she replied.
“Do you?” Alexei asked, his face devoid of expression. His dark eyes seemed to look into her soul, daring her to stand in judgment over him.
Karina didn’t get to answer, as the server came. A tall, thin, bald guy with brown skin that suggested black heritage, although his accent was as Irish as the hostess. “Hello, I’m Gerald. What can I get you?” She ended up ordering what Alexei suggested, and he was right. It was excellent fare. It was good to know she would embark on her mission with a full stomach, fortified to deal with her enemy.
On the drive to Sullivans, Alexei drilled her on any pertinent information on Sullivan, although he’d also gotten intel from Byrne. Apparently Sullivan had quite a shady aspect to his reputation. Byrne had a finger on the pulse of many of the operators in Ireland, legal and illegal. Sullivan was to all respects, a legitimate businessman, at least on the surface. Underneath, he had a reputation for ruthlessness. If there were people he didn’t get along with, and who didn’t accede to his business demands, they often changed their tune after accidents, if they didn’t disappear completely. Alexei seemed to have little doubt that Simpson was behind the murders of Karina’s parents. He explained that a conversation with Byrne had given him the following information. “There’s a likelihood that Simpson sent his own bully boys to do the job,” Byrne had said. “One of his fellas, Moran, likes to use knives when he does the deed. A contact said he did leave Ireland around the time of when your girl’s parents were killed.” He delivered that information calmly, but she knew that she took the knowledge like a physical blow.
Karina tried not to think of how her parents had been savaged. Rage dueled with nausea. She forced herself to stay cool.
“I’m a fool,” she said under her breath. Her heart battered against her chest wall. Sickness roiled in her gut. It was true. She had ordered the wrong man killed. A man who would never see another sunrise. Never kiss his wife again. And it was her fault.
To her surprise, she felt Alexei take her hand. He clasped her left hand in a firm grim, and transmitted his heat, his warmth, and comfort. Something she’d never expected from him. She couldn’t look up at him, not when she was doing her best to hold back the tears. She couldn’t show weakness right now. Maybe next time she was alone. When this was over. She’d break down then. If she lived.
Alexei spoke. His voice was steady and deep. Designed to instill confidence in him. “I’ll make sure he pays. He’ll wish he was dead before this is over.” He continued to hold her hand. While his touch was gentle, reassuring, his tone exuded pure menace.
“It won’t bring them back,” she said, ashamed of how shaky her voice sounded.
“But it will make you feel better.” Alexei released her hand long enough to shift gears, before taking it up again.
Karina smiled then. “You can’t kill everyone who makes you feel bad.”
Alexei looked at her, all seriousness. He squeezed her hand. “I can kill anyone who hurts you.”
She looked at him, feeling the tears run down her cheeks as she smiled. “Does drugging, kidnapping, and tying me up count?” She asked pointedly.
“No. That’s just foreplay,” Alexei said. He winked, before turning his attention back to the road. But he still held her hand in his. To her surprise, Karina appreciated the solace offered by the touch of a man who she believed was going to kill her not even twenty-four hours ago.
He spoke again, several minutes later, as they waited at a stoplight. “I need to know that you won’t stand in the way, when I do what I do best.”
Karina looked into Alexei’s eyes. “You mean when you kill them.”
“Yes,” he said coldly. “I mean exactly that.”
Before she could say anything, he spoke again. “I need to know that you won’t become all moral on me. Death is difficult to watch, even when it’s natural. To cold-bloodedly stand by while someone’s life is taken is no easy task.”
Alexei’s voice sounded so empty, as desolate as a ghost town. “Can you do that for me, Karina?”
Karina sucked in a breath. What he was asking, could she do it? Even though they were bad people, murder was wrong. Could her soul survive this? On top of the death of an innocent man? As it was, she felt as though she was drowning in a sea of guilt. Would the person she used to be disappear into that black void, so alien from the values she’d been raised with. Her heart was beating so fast, her voice shook as she answered him. “I guess I have to. I mean, you wouldn’t let me leave…”
Alexei shook his head. “It’s not safe for you until this is finished. I think you know that, Karina.”
Yes, she did. It was clear that Sullivan wanted her either under his control, or dead. There were no other options. Except here, with this man, who in many ways scared her a whole lot more than Sullivan or any man he could hire to kill her. He scared her, but there were times where she’d never felt safer in her life. As a child, you took safety for granted. It was pure ignorance. You didn’t know how ugly, how heinous the world truly was. Now, as an adult, she mourned that loss of ignorance. And she realized she couldn’t even compare herself to that silly little girl she was, even three years ago.
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lol, Alexei is so honest. He just told Karina he would kill her, if she asked any more questions. That's a very bad boy for you. That's his way of letting his woman know just how bad he is and just what type of person he is. Karina knows he's a bad guy, but that statement puts the icing on the cake. He's fallen in love with her. She's his woman and yet, he's a dangerous bad boy.
Alexei and Cop must have gone to the same dangerous bad boy school together. A scene came to me today in regards to Cop giving Sanjar the killing speech too. lol, of course she knows his crazy.
lol, Alexei calls drugging, kidnapping and tying Karina up foreplay. Yep that's something that a dangerous bad boy would say. And to top it off, he winked at her.
What will Karina do with this man?
message 309:
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Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Apr 06, 2011 07:57PM)
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He was actually kidding then. Karina knew he was kidding, but she still has that voice in her head that says he could do it.
I think Karina is in over her head and she knows it. But so is Alexei. Everything is changing for him.
I wasn't sure if I could go there with that foreplay comment, but I decided it was something that Alexei would say.
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I know that Alexei was kidding, but even in a bad boy's kid, he can say some bad :) things to get to the heroine.
The foreplay comment fit well with Alexei. It's something that he would say.
Dangerous bad boys tend to say things that would have a woman say, "What!"
Look at all the things that Cop told Sanjar.
It's fun writing those bad saying from the hero. I enjoy it. You should too.
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Karina smiled then. “You can’t kill everyone who makes you feel bad.”
Alexei looked at her, all seriousness. He squeezed her hand. “I can kill anyone who hurts you.”
*sigh* I love Alexei.
message 312:
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Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Apr 07, 2011 06:18PM)
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Arch, thanks for the support. I agree that it's fun writing bad boys and coming up with outrageous things for them to do and say!
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Alexei turned off the main highway when they reached a densely wooded area past the rural outskirts of Dublin. He took a side road that cut a path through tall, trees lush with foliage that would probably be a bright Kelly green were it not too dark to see the colors. The trees seemed to curve over the road, almost like a tunnel. The effect should have been eerie, but it wasn’t. It was more like a cocoon. That could also be due to the fact that she’d felt absurdly safe with Alexei, at least after the first several hours she’d spent with him.
Karina rolled down her window and savored the fresh cool bite of the spring air. She breathed deeply, breathing out her anxiety and breathing in courage, a technique that had sustained her for the past couple of years, and she’d used as a freshman in college with terrible test anxiety. She would need it. She felt the weight of Alexei’s gaze on her, although she didn’t look back at him. The eyes were the windows to the soul, and he’d see too much. He knew all her vulnerabilities as it was anyway. She couldn’t make it too easy for him to see everything else.
Alexei drove up to an arched gateway, stopping next to an intercom system, with Karina’s side of the car next to it. Karina leaned out and hit the intercom. “It’s Cara Bridgestock. Here to see Mr. Sullivan.”
A few moments later, the gate opened up. Alexei drove through, saying, “I think you’ll always be Karina to me.”
Karina ran her hand over her newly short hair, messaging her neck. She didn’t reply. What was there to say? Cara Bridgestock didn’t feel like who she was anymore. It was too painful to be her. But she didn’t say that to Alexei.
Alexei glanced at her a few times as he drove, but he didn’t say anything. Even past the gate, it still took a few minutes to until a large, stone manor appeared out of the horizon. It was surrounded by lighting that had to be expensive, serving the purpose of marking a well-illuminated perimeter around the large house.
Karina could see Alexei giving everything an accessing glance. He was changing into that ice-cold machine right before her eyes. The man who had ruthlessly tied her to a chair. She was glad that he was on her side right now.
Alexei pulled to a stop in front of the expensive set of stairs leading to the house. There were two men dressed in black suits standing at the base of the stairs. They watched the car expectantly.
“Stay in the car until I open the door for you,” Alexei ordered her. Karina nodded. She had promised to follow Alexei’s lead and she meant to do that, so long as her instinct to trust him lasted. When Alexei got out, Karina could see the taller man speak into his microphone, his hand going towards his coat, which made Karina suspect he was armed. Karina looked at Alexei, who appeared unconcerned. A moment later, the man eased his hand out of his pocket and nodded to his friend. Alexei proceeded around the car to the passenger side, strolling as if he had not a care in the world. He opened the door for Karina, making eye contact. His eyes were reassuring, once again changing roles as smoothly as a stage actor. He not only held the door open, but pulled her to stand, body in contact with his. Then, he planted a leisurely kiss on her lips as if Sullivan wasn’t waiting for them, and they were the only two people in the world. For a few moments, Karina forgot that they weren’t.
She heard one of the security men clear his throat. “Ms. Bridgestock. Mr. Sullivan is waiting,” he said.
Alexei pulled back. “So sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. His French accent was more pronounced than usual. He extended his arm around Karina and walked her forward.
The security guard who had spoken gave Alexei a contemptuous glance. His companion hid a smirk. He also checked out Karina, his eyes lingering on her breasts. “Lucky man,” he said under his breath as Karina and Alexei walked past him, and he fell into step after them.
The disgruntled one gestured them towards the door. He spoke into his microphone again, but Karina couldn’t hear what the person on the other end had to say. She suspected he was speaking to Sullivan, and the thought made her belly draw tight. Alexei seemed to note her sudden tension, as the arm around her waist squeezed in a movement meant to be reassuring.
A glance up at his face showed that his face was devoid of any expression other than relaxation. His free hand played with her short curls. If Karina was an observer who knew nothing about their short association, she would have thought they had been lovers for years, the way he touched her with such casual, yet knowledgeable intimacy. Alexei was very good at what he did.
Sullivan’s house screamed money. An although she knew he didn’t come from money, but was self-made like her own dad, his house had an aged elegance that suggested inherited money. She noted expensive paintings hung on the wall, all looking like originals, even some very recognizable ones. They walked to the foyer, their shoes clacking on the polished flagstone floors, the sound echoing off natural stone walls and high ceilings.
The security man lead them down a short hallway, and stopped in front of a thick, polished to a shine oak door. He rapped with the back of his knuckles, and opened when a voice replied through the door.
As the door opened, Karina’s eyes noted a familiar face she had not seen for over two years.
message 315:
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Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited May 17, 2011 08:21PM)
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A middle-aged man with close cropped blond hair that had not yet turned gray appeared to Karina as the door opened. His clean-shaved features were heavy, with deep set dark blue eyes. Clothes tailored to look casual, but clearly expensive covered a figure of stocky build. He was sitting in a leather armchair near a roaring fire that wasn’t strictly necessary for a cool but not cold April night. He sat a leather-bound book he’d been reading on the table next to his chair and rose to his feet. When Karina saw him note her and Alexei standing in the doorway, initially a look of annoyance flashed in his gaze as he noted the cozy way Alexei held her. Soon his gaze showed delight at seeing her.
“Cara” he said, his deep voice laced with his native Irish accent. Liam Sullivan moved forward and made like he was going to pull her into an embrace, except Alexei held her tightly against him, refusing to relinquish her to the older man's gesture.
Sullivan stopped short, but the smile didn’t waver. “Oh it’s so good to see you again dear.”
Karina schooled herself as best as possible not to show her true thoughts of this man. “Hi Liam.”
Liam took her free hand, squeezing it gently in his larger, smooth-skinned palm. His grip on her hand sent a chill through Karina that she barely was able to suppress. She smiled and met his eyes. “It’s good to see you,” she lied, hoping that her acting would suffice.
Sullivan seemed satisfied with her response. “I’m really glad you finally came to me. I’ve been so worried about you.”
Liar, Karina wanted to scream at him. Instead she ducked her head. “Things have been bad lately.” She slanted a deliberate look at Alexei. “Except for Alexei.” They agreed that she would call him by that name, even though Karina had expressed concern that it would put him in danger. Alexei had been utterly unconcerned. “I’m not going to die. They are,” was his answer to her. In a bout of superb acting that Karina didn’t think she was capable of, she glanced at Alexei in a matter suggesting quiet adoration. She pulled her hand free from Sullivan and used it to pull Alexei’s head down for a brief kiss on the lips.
When she looked back at Sullivan, he was watching Alexei closely in that focused manner she remembered from being around him from years ago. As if he was deciding something. His blue eyes focused on where Alexei held Karina around the waist in an unmistakably possessive manner.
“And who is Alexei?” Sullivan asked.
“He’s my boyfriend. I met him in France. I was lonely, and one day I was at my favorite Café. I’m ashamed to admit I was crying into my cappuchino.”
Alexei spoke for the first time, his accent smooth and creamy French. “Fiance. She tends to foget since it's been so recent. And you were so beautiful when you cried. It broke my heart.”
Karina laughed inside at the thought of Alexei, the cold-hearted assassin who went by the name of The Mechanic being moved by a woman’s tears. But looking at the expression of besotted enchantment on his continentally handsome face, she had to admit that he was very good. “And you came up to me and asked why I was crying.”
He held her gaze, and they both seemed to forget that Sullivan was in the room with them. “You said you were homesick.”
“And you told me that you’d make a home for me, wherever we were.” The words just came to Karina as she stared at Alexei.
“And from that day we were never apart.”
“How nice,” Sullivan said. But the way he said it sounded nothing like nice. It break the spell cast between the two pretend lovers and Karina looked back at him.
“I am a happy man ever since, especially when Cara agreed to be my wife,” Alexei said. Karina almost started at the sound of her real name on his lips. He pronounced it with the emphasis even between the syllables, precisely as her father had meant it. Most people had called her name with and the first syllable hard instead, like ‘car’. He picked up her hand, planting a kiss on the top, nearby the ring he’d placed on her finger earlier that day. “So I can take care of her forever more,” he added, his tone that of a blissfully happy man.
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I love it when the dangerous bad boy walk in possessive bad shoes in the front of another man. Alexei made it clear to Liam that Karina/Cara is his woman.
I like how they played that "How we met and fell in love".
Alexei took a bold step in the pretend. Karina/Cara his fiancee. Yeah, he's bad.
I can't wait to read more.
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It's all good. I forgot to mention that I liked how Alexei wasn't afraid of the bodyguards outside and their guns. I'm sure he would have Doc Holiday them if he had to. Say When!
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message 320:
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Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Jun 23, 2011 11:39AM)
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Sullivan was not a man who wore his feelings on his face, but he did not appear happy about Alexei being here. But he was nothing if not polite. “Well, it’s good that you were there for Cara,” he said. “She’s been through so much. And she insisted on leaving the States. I worried constantly for her.”
It was an effort for Karina not to scream out at Sullivan about his betrayal. She wanted to scratch his eyes out. Not a violent person by any means, she felt the urge to hurt him. Before she wasn’t sure if he was behind her parent’s deaths, but now she felt it in her bones.
Alexei seemed to sense her emotional discord. His grip tightened as though he never planned to let her go. “She told me of her parents. I wanted to hurt those responsible.” Somehow his words sounded as though it was just an urge, but that he was incapable of such violence. She looked at his face, and he was completely in the role of a smooth, pampered playboy, albeit it one who was her devoted lover.
Sullivan made a noise meant to be consoling. “I’m certain that the justice necessary will be done.” He briefly made eye contact with Karina, and she knew he spoke of the assassination she had paid for. If anything, the words were like a rusty knife in her gut, but she couldn’t show that. She only gave a slight nod as though she had acknowledged the question in his voice.
“Let’s focus on enjoying us being together.” He stepped forward. “I would like to hug you, Cara. It seems as though it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”
Karina could hardly decline. Alexei’s reluctance to release her was genuine, although he was still in character. Karina brushed free of his hold, patting him consolingly on the arm. “Alexei is so possessive. He tends to get jealous of men very easily. As though I’m irresistible to every man including him.” That modesty in her last statement was no acting. She’d never been the type for guys to fall over for. Alexei’s response was a grunt that sounded very French but also very primal. She was in awe of how he could pull over continental elegance so smoothly. But then, that was part of who he was. He was many things, and she was only peeling more layers back the more time she spent around him.
She stepped forward, allowing Sullivan to hug her. Karina had to suppress her reaction to the feeling of wrongness. It was utterly apparent how different it was to be close to Alexei from this man. She didn’t believe it was only because of what she knew of Sullivan. Although he had been around constantly when she was growing up, he’d never acted close to her. He had treated her as most adults treated children when they weren’t big on them. A combination of ignoring them and pretending enough interest to pacify a proud parent. It was only in the time after her parent’s death before she left the States that Sullivan seemed to take a particular interest in her. Awash in grief and guilt, Karina wasn’t thinking clearly enough to reflect on the difference. She merely took it as a well-needed comfort.
Sullivan held her too close, a move designed to reinforce his relationship with Cara to Alexei. However, his hold stayed avuncular, his hands high on her back. Karina could feel Alexei accessing as he did everything. She allowed the hug for as long as she could, waiting for Sullivan to pull away. He placed a kiss on her cheek, and her skin crawled. Stepping back, she smiled at him sweetly. He smiled at her. “You have grown up to be such a beautiful woman,” he said, touching her cheek. “So like your mother.”
How Karina found the strength to reply without screaming, she did not know. She kept the smile on her face. “And a lot of my father.”
Something flickered in Sullivan’s eyes that suggested he didn’t like the reminder. Yet he nodded. “You are definitely your father’s daughter.”
Karina claimed that, drawing strength from the comparison. Her father was the gentle, kind man who had loved her like a daughter deserved. He was also brilliant. Much smarter than this man, and she hoped that she had a fraction of that intelligence, if it would help her destroy this man in front of her. She dropped her gaze, biting her lip. “I know. I miss them, both my mother and father.”
Sullivan clucked his tongue. He patted her arm. “It will get easier.”
Yes, she thought. When you’re dead. It will be a lot easier, that part of her that yearned for vengeance whispered coldly inside of her.
She felt Alexei’s hand tug at her wrist, pulling her back to him, as though he couldn’t bare the separation. She welcomed the unwitting comfort of his hand on her skin. It infused her with a strength that helped her maintain her composure.
“Have you eaten?” Sullivan asked, deigning to acknowledge Alexei in the glance he gave them both.
“We ate on the way, actually,” Karina said.
“Actually, I’m sure that Cara is tired right now. Perhaps we could settle for the night?” Alexei asked smoothly.
“Of course,” Sullivan said.
“We’ll, of course, be sharing a room,” Alexei added nonchalantly.
Karina darted a look at him, and noted that his eyes seemed casual, although intent on Sullivan, as though it was a natural assumption that they were sleeping together. Sullivan features appeared carefully blank, as though the thought of the young girl he’d watched grow up ‘shacking’ with a man didn’t bother him.
“I had a room prepared for you, in the hopes you would be staying for a while,” he replied, nodding. Sullivan clipped his cell phone off a holder on his belt. He briefly spoke into his phone, and a few moments later, a knock sounded on the door, and a spare, pale woman came into the room. Karina wondered that he would have full staff this late at night. However it didn’t surprise her. Sullivan had always been one to enjoy his luxuries, thinking little of the inconvenience to others. She remembered times he had left her father to deal with work loose ends when he left off to socialize and make deals, leaving the down and dirty work to her father.
“Thank you, Liam.”
“Of course, Cara. I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you again, hale and hearty, or at least better than before.”
Karina nodded. “Time is helping.”
“How about we eat breakfast together? 8:30 sound alright?”
“We like to sleep in normally,” Alexei said, his every word reinforcing that he was a complete playboy. He gave Karina a meaning-filled shared glance, as though sleeping wasn’t exactly what they would be doing. “But, I think we can manage 8:30.”
“Excellent,” Sullivan said tightly. He looked at the chronograph on his right wrist. “I will have to say goodnight for now, since I have a transatlantic call that I will have to attend to soon. But I will see you both tomorrow.” He looked at Alexei, offering a hand.
Alexei shook it. Sullivan was the first to break away. “It is very nice to become acquainted with you, Mr. Sullivan. My Cara speaks of you with affection.”
However unlikely that was, Sullivan looked satisfied to hear Alexei say so. They both nodded their goodbyes in the way that men did, and Alexei guided Karina out the door. Karina felt Sullivan staring at them, and she wondered what he was thinking. She knew to be wary of him. He was clearly not to be underestimated, and she would have to stay sharp. Although Alexei had engineered this meeting when she would have preferred to avoid Sullivan, she was glad that he was here with her. She was starting to believe that a person could not run or hide from their fate, but had to face it head on. And she was so very tired of running.
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Alexei will hurt him, if Sullivan tries anything with Katrina. I hope the man doesn't get a chance to be along with her.
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No, please don't give anything away. :)
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:)
message 330:
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Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Aug 30, 2011 10:56AM)
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The housekeeper’s name was Pegeen, and she had a very calm, quiet demeanor and pretty/plain features that had a distinctly Irish nature to them. There was something about her that Karina found rather reassuring. As she gestured them out of the study, with the intention of showing them to their room, Alexei asked her if they could get their luggage.
“I can send Jim to pick that up for you. He’ll bring it right to your room,” Pegeen said, her voice soft with an Irish lilt.
“I hope he will be careful. I have some very delicate items in there. I am an antiques collector by hobby,” he said. “The car is unlocked.”
Pegeen nodded. “Of course, sir.”
Karina wondered that Alexei didn’t worry about his luggage containing anything but antiques would be searched. But he didn’t seem concerned. Alexei was very good at not looking worried. However, she also knew how deadly he was.
Pegeen lead them down the hall and up a flight of stairs. They followed her down a long hallway until she stopped and opened an oak door, revealing a spacious bedroom with a four-postered bed draped in white fabric and covered with a luxuriously thick down comforter. There was no television, which didn’t surprise Karina. It would have spoiled the deliberate, lost in time feel of the house.
Pegeen walked across the expansive room and revealed an in-suite bathroom. “Everything you might need for grooming is already stocked,” she said.
Karina didn’t look too hard at the bathroom. She knew as soon as she had her luggage, she was going to take a long, hot shower. She needed something to burn away the tension on her muscles, and it would pass the time, and delay being along with Alexei. Her stomach was already clenching at the thought.
“It there anything you might need?” Pegeen asked, breaking the tension for a few seconds.
“Perhaps a picture of ice water and some glasses,” Karina said.
“Of course. I’ll have that brought up to you, and your luggage will be brought up in a few minutes, as well.” She gave an old-fashioned sort of nod/bow and exited the room.
The door closed, and the sound seemed amazingly loud in the quiet room. Because it marked the fact that she was alone with Alexei, and she had no idea what he’d do next. She felt the weight of his gaze and she stood there, deliberately not looking at him. But his presence was too powerful to ignore. Soon it was too hard not to look his way.
When she met his gaze, his dark eyes were an irresistible draw. “You did well,” he said.
Karina smiled at that. “I think you’re the best actor of this pair.” Some of the tension faded as she considered his French playboy role. He’d played the role to the hilt.
Alexei shrugged. “Sullivan is the type of person who only looks so deep. Although he’s not to be underestimated.” Something in his look changed. “I definitely don’t think you should be alone with him.”
Karina smiled without humor. “Isn’t that part of the plan?”
“Actually no.” He walked towards her. “The plan was for you to get me into Sullivan’s domain, so I can kill him. I never intended for you to be hurt by him.”
Karina felt a softening towards Alexei at his words. It scared her. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that this man cared about her, was she? He was an opportunist, nothing more. And his reasons for killing Sullivan was highly selfish, even if she inwardly relished the thought that this man would get the vengeance for her parents that she’d failed so horribly in obtaining the first time around. She had the feeling he didn’t want to be bothered killing her if he didn’t have to. But that didn’t mean her life and well-being actually meant anything to him. And then, it was hard to think at all, as Alexei crowded her against the foot of the bed. His body enclosed her, and she had little choice between standing still where she was, or end up sitting on the bed, which would leave her even more vulnerable. His large, but elegant hand, a capable assassin’s hand, came out, holding her chin. She couldn’t move, so instead she froze like a deer in headlights. “He’s the kind of man who takes everything he wants, and destroys what he can’t have.”
Karina shuddered inwardly. She knew he was right. Alexei was nothing if he wasn’t an excellent judge of character. Hadn’t the man killed her parents? No doubt in her mind about that now. She stared into Alexei’s eyes that seemed darker than ever.
“He wants you. That doesn’t mean he’ll keep you alive if you don’t play by his rules. Make no mistake here. You need to trust me. And I can tell you don’t want to do that. Karina, I might be a bad man.” Alexei spoke easily, as if facing that didn’t particularly surprise him. “But I no longer have any reason to see you dead or harmed. So that makes me your ally. I will protect you from him. I might lie when it’s necessary, but I’m not lying right now.”
“Why should I trust you?” Karina breathed out, her whole body consumed by a deep, dangerous feeling that she didn't want to think too hard about. She wanted to believe him. And that was so foolish of her.
“Because of this,” Alexei said, before he lowered his mouth to hers and took it in a kiss.
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message 333:
by
Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Aug 30, 2011 07:41PM)
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If Karina had been able to think, she would have searched her brain to find the answer as to why this man’s kiss, his touch had this devastating effect on her. His lips owned her, staking his claim in a way that she couldn’t find the strength to deny. And it wasn’t even an overtly demanding kiss. His lips were soft and sensual, the taste of his mouth luscious. She could sink deep into him and never want to leave. If only she didn’t how much of a hazard he was. His tongue teased her parted lips and brushed inside when she didn’t repulse him. He kissed her expertly as he did everything, and the heat the banked itself deep inside ignited. If she’d been cold before, now she was on fire. Alexei wrapped a strong arm around her waist, and pulled her even closer. Her body was so tight against his, she felt instantly that he wanted her. That should have scared her, but made her want to purr. She was feeling like her world was topsy-turvy, but Alexei held her so tight, kissed her with drugging caresses of that sinful mouth of his, making her relish the feeling of being anchored in his arms.
The world fell away, and the tight knot in her stomach faded as she was washed in waves of hot, rampant desire.
A discreet knock sounded. It was barely heard by Karina. She was too busy experiencing the kisses of the man who held her tightly in his arms. But he seemed to hear. He pulled away, and ran his lips down the side of her throat, making her shudder. She just about melted into the ground when his words rumbled against her sensitive neck. “Come in,” he said.
It took a few seconds for the words to penetrate, and she didn’t move. Couldn’t move. Not even as she heard someone mutter an apology and the sound of glass being set upon a table a few feet away. She heard more footsteps and the sound of her awaited luggage being set down. She was glad in those moments that she could rest her face against Alexei’s shoulder, if only to hide how brick red her cheeks must be right now. Karina couldn’t look at those who entered. She was too embarrassed. A glance at Alexei showed her his slumberous eyes, and a small smile on his face. She would have thought him unmoved, but the hard evidence that he wasn’t pressed firmly in her midsection.
Karina knew when a strategic retreat was called for. She extricated herself from Alexei’s arms and walked over to her suitcase with shaking legs. “I’m going to take a shower,” she mumbled.
“Do you want company?” Alexei called behind her.
“No thanks,” Karina said without turning back. Her body shuddered at the images his words put in her head. Her and him naked. More of those drugging kisses. His hands all over her body. Her hands on his slick, hard muscles. That was the mother of all disasters there. She remembered vividly what he’d looked in next to nothing, and it didn’t take much more for her to imagine how he’d look naked and fully aroused. She might not have been around a naked man in real life, but she hadn’t lived in a nunnery, and something told her that Alexei wouldn’t fail in comparison.
Thankfully, he didn’t follow her. She locked the door and leaned against it, with a loud sigh of relief. It was going to be a long night.
Alexei stared at the closed bathroom door, hard. He heard the lock click decisively, although he knew it wouldn’t keep him out if he wanted in. And it was tempting to pick the lock and finish what he’d started. Oh so tempting.
He’d been lost in that kiss he’d claimed. A kiss that was calculated to get her to realize that she needed to do what he told her. Not that he didn’t like kiss her. He definitely did. But Alexei was always rational, except with this woman, although that famed cold pragmatism of his seemed to be faltering, when it came to Cara Bridgestock, lately Karina Fanshaw. Karina in his head. She’d always be that to him.
His mind reflected on the softness of her mouth, the lush feel of her body pressed against his. His body throbbed punishingly at the flow of sensual memories of the kiss, of all the kisses they’d shared over the past twenty-four hours. Especially the first, last night as she’d been half-asleep. Innocent and helpless in his arms.
He was losing his edge, and that couldn’t happen. And yet it was. Lost as a man of his sort could get, despite the fact that it could earn him two bullets in the back of his head for his troubles. So caught up in the sweet, hot taste of her that he didn’t even hear the first knock on the door. Sloppy as hell. Alexei ran an agitated hand through his hair. He was so aroused right now it was painful. He’d had plenty of what he’d thought of at the time as hot sex in the past. Nothing that shook his mind or took his iron control away, so why was it that this woman could do that? It didn’t make a bit of sense, either. He’d been with women who knew all the tricks, and knew how to get their own pleasure and make sure the man they were with was along for the ride. Not her. She was so green when it came to sex, he was pretty sure she had to be a virgin. But it didn’t matter. Her kiss was complete abandon. She’d followed his lead and they were both in deep in that moment. He knew he’d have had her naked on the bed within a few minutes, the knowledge that their luggage and the water she’d asked for was expected completely dismissed from his rampant mind.
He stared at the bedroom door again, even taking a step towards it, before he halted in place. A cold, contemplative mask slid over his face, his black eyes turning into chips of obsidian stone. This wouldn’t work at all. It was good that she’d run into the relative safety of the bathroom. Now was not the time to have her. He’d take her alright, but it would be on his terms, and when he was ready. And he’d stay in control when he did. Right now, he had to do some work.
It had occurred to him that the room might be bugged, which was why he had turned on a debugging device he’d bought off Byrne today. He’d slipped it into his pocket before he left the “Pawn Shop”, and on the way into the room he’d triggered the device. It was just a temporary measure. Now he was going to search the room, while Karina was having her shower. Alexei executed a thorough search of the room, completely in methodical mode. He had done the same routine many times in his years in counter-terrorism, in a special branch of SPETNAZ, Russian Special Forces. He could do it in his sleep. He found three bugs, and but did not disable them. He knew that could backfire, make Sullivan suspicious, and he didn’t want Sullivan to have any warning before he eliminated him. If he needed to say something out of code to Karina, he’d use the debugger.
After a complete, discreet search of the room, Alexei found no cameras. If he had, he would have been tempted to pull a bullet in Sullivan tonight. The thought that he’d spy on Karina that way, it pissed him off, although the soldier in him knew it was accepted SOP. Alexei knew he’d have to search the bathroom, and it gave him excuse to go in. He’d wait until Karina was done though. He did need to give her room, build up her ability to trust him. He knew it was on a shaky foundation right now as it was.
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Nice installments Danielle. Thanks for giving me something to read.
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Alexei sure did have some ideas about going in the bathroom, but he's waiting for the right moment.
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Alexei sure did have some ideas about going in the bathroom, but he's waiting for the right moment."
I know. Those bad boys are patient.
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That's why Cop and Alexei catches my attention.
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Ahaha...I love that Alexei!
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Ahaha...I love that Alexei!"
We are going to make Karina come after us.
message 341:
by
Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Dec 30, 2011 09:40PM)
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Chapter Thirteen (con't)
Karina was in the shower so long, Alexei had talked himself into picking the lock. When he was headed to do exactly that, Karina came out of the bathroom. She was glaring at him, and he remembered why when he looked over what she was wearing. While Karina was getting her hair done, he’d selected out some nighttime wear and lingerie for her. It was quite stimulating to remember how she’d looked naked last night and imagine what the items he’d picked out would look like on her sumptuous curves. It turned out his imaginings were spot on. Now Alexei was calling himself a fool, because now he had to make it through the night without putting his hands, and other parts of his body on hers. He groaned at the shot of desire through his already aroused body. He still hadn’t settled down since their kisses.
Taking her mouth had the power to intoxicate him in a way that doing a lot more than kissing other women ever had. He wanted more of her. And he’d have it, soon. Counseling himself to be patient, Alexei forced his gaze away her warm, freshly washed, delicious smelling body covered in lingerie that had seemed like a good idea at the time. He knew how to deny himself what he wanted. But the truth was, he’d never wanted anything this much. Especially since he’d taught himself not to care about anything.
His eyes went back to her, as though she were a powerful magnet, and natural law wouldn’t allow anything else. She was glaring at him. Her arms wrapped tightly around her body draped in a short, clingy robe over an equally clingy nightie. Her arms didn’t cover nearly enough, and that was fine with Alexei. Her robe and nightie stopped way short of her sexy knees, revealing thighs that curved like only a woman’s should. Her robe dipped into a v, exposing her lush cleavage over where her arms were crossed. Alexei’s gaze didn’t linger. He wanted to take in all of her, all of his woman. Karina’s black, black hair was curling from exposure to the water, and her peachy-tan face was flushed from the hot water. She looked like a juicy peach and he wanted to bite into her.
“I don’t wear stuff like this to bed,” she said grumpily.
Alexei smiled, still enjoying the view as she walked over to the bed. “You should. You make the Victoria Secret models look like prepubescent girls. Although I prefer you naked, or wearing me.” The words were for the benefit of the wire that Sullivan had planted in the room, but they were equally true, as far as Alexei was concerned.
Karina blushed an even richer reddish-tan. She rolled her eyes, her natural spunkiness emerging. “Whatever.”
Alexei decided that he should have a shower, for a number of reasons. Before he went to do that, he strolled over to the door and secured it. No one was getting in without making a lot of noise, and he knew Sullivan wasn’t going to play his hand that way. “I’m for a shower. Wait up for me?” He started undressing on the way, pulling off his shirt and revealing his bare chest. He felt Karina’s eyes on him, and they felt good.
Karina settled on the plush bed with a discreet thump. Her eyes followed his progress, and she didn’t answer at first, as he started to unbutton his pants. Alexei made a show of it, until she snapped back to her right mind, out of what Alexei happily designated as a lust coma. He paused and pointed around the room, mouthing, “We’re bugged.” Her hazel eyes widened with recognition. “Of course, moya lyubov," she said, playing along with him.
Alexei relished the warm feeling of her words. She’d called him 'my love' in Russian, and that made him feel warm and fuzzy. Not something he was used to. Swiftly on the heels of that was the realization that she’d likely understood his conversation in Russian with Byrne that whole time back at Byrne’s place.
He gave her a look that promised they’d talk about that later, and he saw consternation brush across her pretty face as she realized she’d revealed her little secret about the not so language barrier between them. His little peach was full of a lot of suprises. He liked that about her. Alexei gave her a sultry smile that made the color rise higher on her cheeks before he turned his back and stepped into the bathroom. He let his trousers drop on the floor, and felt the burn of Karina’s gaze on his buns.
I like it. Can i find the other chapters here?
Michael wrote: "I like it. Can i find the other chapters here?"Never mind! I scrolled up. LOL!
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http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/2...
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Why are bad boy's so bad? Alexei made sure that Karina wore something short for his entertainment. He didn't care about her comfort. Her discomfort, was his comfort. He might try to bite her in bed.
Victoria Secret. We are on the same page here. In an upcoming scene in my next installment Cop will mention Victoria Secret to Sanjar.
Alexei didn't have to undress in the front of Karina, but he did so, because he's a bad boy. He's a bad tease. :)
I can't wait to read more.
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Arch, Alexei isn't above showing off the goods so he can get Karina all hot and bothered.
Megan, can you blame Karina for drooling? I was drooling a little imagining Alexei get undressed. :)
Yeah, Russian is a very sexy language to me. I'm so glad I started learning it this year.
message 348:
by
Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited Jan 19, 2012 09:39AM)
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Standing only in his boxer briefs, Alexei did a thorough search of the bathroom. It was surprisingly free of bugs, listening devices, and cameras. Once that was done, he stripped naked and stepped into a luxurious walk in shower that gave him carnal ideas of how it could be used with Karina. Alexei scrubbed his aching body with the same body wash that Karina smelled of, which didn’t help his desire level. Finally the cold water did its job, and he was clean. He brushed his teeth, and donned a thick towel around his narrow hips, since he hadn’t thought far enough to bring a change of underwear into the bathroom with him.
Going to bed naked with Karina wasn’t a good idea. So he’d put on some shorts when he went back into the bedroom, and it would give him another opportunity to make sure Karina knew what he had to offer her. If she wasn’t sleep already. She’d looked tired, and the past twenty-four hours were exceedingly stressful. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was already dozing, dreaming the sweet dreams of innocents.She needed the sleep if she had succumbed.
As for Alexei, he didn’t plan to sleep, at least not soundly. He didn’t trust Sullivan enough for that. From his time in the army and special forces, Alexei had trained his body to go without sleep, and to get by on catnaps. Other than Karina’s waking up last night from her bad dream, he’d sleep surprising well, considering he was bedding down with an enemy. The fact that he’d been able to fall asleep with her in his bed was telling in the extreme. She was crawling beneath his skin. And he was too honest with himself to deny it.
Sure enough, Karina was laying on top of the bed, asleep, still wearing that robe that did a very poor job of concealing her luscious body from his keen gaze. She was prone, her arm serving as a pillow. Due to her orientation, her curvaceous bottom served as a welcome first sight to his starved eyes, but he didn’t allow them to linger on the plump curves or of those delectable thighs. Instead, he walked over to her, and gently pulled the covers loose from under her, tucking her in. She didn’t stir. Not even when he kissed her on a cheek that was still flushed a rosy tan.
A swell of gentle emotion wound its way through a heart he had thought turned to stone many years ago. When he’d sworn never to love anyone again. Not after the realization that he didn’t deserve love. He didn’t want to use that word. It was foolish in the extreme. He’d only known this woman a bit over a day. Yet, he felt as though she was his. His to keep, to protect. His to cherish, or as much as a man like him could. He only knew how to kill and destroy. And he’d appointed himself as her avenger. But he could also protect. Normally his form of protection was going in and eliminating people who didn’t deserve to walk on the face of the earth, so they couldn’t continue to hurt and kill innocents. Normally he gave those innocents a wide berth. But he knew that he couldn’t pull back from Karina. Maybe he’d have the strength after Sullivan was dead. Or maybe not.
Alexei pulled a pair of boxer briefs out of his luggage from a smaller tote of clothing he’d purchased back in Lyon. His other suitcase stayed closed for the night, the one containing his hardware courtesy of Byrne. The reason why he hadn’t been worried about having the luggage searched was the nifty, hidden compartment that Byrne had added to any suitcases he sold with his armory. It wouldn’t pass through airport security, but it was good enough to resist most types of detection. And the other reason he didn’t worry is that worrying was a waste of energy. People believed what you allowed them to. Although most criminals were suspicious, they were also arrogant. Especially men like Sullivan. They reeked of it. They’d take one look at a dilettante like Alexei and write him off as unworthy of the time or energy. Not that he didn’t think that Sullivan would try to get rid of him, given the chance. The possessive way that Sullivan had looked at Karina when she wasn’t looking back at him, told Alexei a lot. Sullivan was fairly good. A man at the top of his game, a man past middle age, knew how to handle himself. But Alexei was trained too well to miss the man’s tells. They were subtle but they were there to be observed. Sullivan had plans for Karina. And Alexei had plans to end Sullivan. He told himself it wasn’t about his possessive feelings for Karina. But he knew he was lying.
Alexei was more like his father than he wanted to admit. Ivan Bardin had not been a good man. But he was a devoted husband. He fell head over heels for a young French girl that he met on business in Paris, and he never looked at another woman. He married her, stealing her practically out of the schoolroom, and earning her mother’s eternal hatred. But Ivan didn’t want to live without Cecile St. Julien, even though she was fifteen years his senior, a French girl, and he had to pay bribes to the Soviet government to be allowed to bring her back to Russia. And he was the most possessive husband alive. Even as young boy, Alexei had picked up on that, not feeling that it was entirely healthy. For all that possessive nature, he had loved and cherished Alexei’s mom, until his activities got her killed, and him with her. But Alexei didn’t like to think of that. Instead, he focused on slumbering face on more time before he reached over and clicked off the light. Alexei settled in the bed, under the covers. He resisted an urge to pull Karina into his arms. He’d let her sleep. He owed her that.
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Awesome installment, Danielle.
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So, Alexei learned how to be possessive like his father. Of course the bad guys are always possessive in a good way towards the woman that holds their heart.
