Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany

Author:Shannon Delany [Delany, Shannon]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780312609160
Google: 10aY1F5yZgsC
Amazon: 0312609167
Publisher: Bill
Published: 0101-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Jessie

“Only a few more hours,” I whispered, hanging over the edge of my bed to peer at Pietr, curled under it.

He growled.

“Hey. Come out of there.” I snaked a hand beneath the bed.

He looked away, rolling back to avoid my touch.

“What’s wrong? Other than the fact you slept on a cold floor most of the night,” I added, swinging around so my bare feet touched down.

Pietr said nothing.

With a sigh I lay down on the concrete just beyond the shadowy recess under the bed.

Pietr watched me with narrow eyes.

“Are you hungry?” I asked, knowing guys got crabby if there wasn’t something to eat.

His eyes went even narrower and he bit off the single-syllable reply. “Da.”

“Okay then. I’ll go for breakfast—just long enough to bring some stuff back for you.”

His hand reached out to me, stroking along the soft part of my wrist. I shivered. “That may not do it,” he admitted softly.

I stood up. “Get up. Now.”

With a growl he obeyed, keeping to the shadow and farthest from any view someone pausing by the hall window might have.

“I don’t want any complaining from you. We agreed to stick to the promise we made. We kept it. If you think it’s easy for me to keep you at bay—well, it’s not. The arguments against doing it are on constant repeat in my brain and yet the moment you look at me—the moment you touch me … the words all fall away.” I shifted from foot to foot. “Stop it,” I commanded. “You’re looking at me that way again.”

He looked down.

“As much as I want you—and I do want you, Pietr, believe me,” I said with a strained laugh, “I want even more for us to be smart about this. This is big,” I emphasized. “There’s no going back once we do this thing, you know?”

“I know,” he snapped. “In my head, I understand. I get it. Waiting is logical. Smart. Maybe waiting a long time,” he said with a suddenly crazed expression. “But I get close to you and…” He growled out his frustration. “And my brain stops working and everything else … kicks in instead.”

I avoided mentioning that I had noticed.

“You know why I love you?”

He blinked. “Nyet. I have absolutely no idea. But I can name the reasons you shouldn’t.”

“I can, too.”

He blinked again, stunned.

“But they’re nothing compared to why I do love you. They can’t stand up against that.”

“So why, Jess?”

“Because of your brain.” I reached up and gave his forehead a playful thump with my fist. “Because of your heart and your soul.” I tapped his chest. “Your body—that thing throwing your brain off-line? It’s ahh-mazing,” I admitted. “But it’s like the icing on a cake that’s already too good.”

I held his gaze with my own. “Keep your body in check, Pietr. It’s the rest of you I’m after.” I reached up and stroked his jaw, then dropped my hand, stepping back. “Just a little more time.”

“A little more time,” he agreed, rubbing the heels of his hands into his eye sockets.

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