Lumberjacked (A Holiday Lumberjack Mountain Man Romance) - K.C. Crowne Page 0,12

bed.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“I’ll sleep on the chair.”

I cocked my head to the side and sarcasm slid out of my mouth. “You don’t have guests often, do you?”

Viktor shook his head and stood, holding out his hand to me. “Come, Malen kiy.”

I hesitated before I put my hand in his. The moment our skin touched, electricity pulsed through me, and it was like a direct line to my wetness. Heat rushed through my body and pooled between my thighs.

I looked up at Viktor and knew he could feel it, too. His eyes were dark with lust, his lips slightly parted, just before he licked his lips like he wanted to eat me up. I so wished he would follow through with the promise in his eyes. The primal look on his face made it clear he wanted to devour me, just as I wanted him to.

“You can sleep on the bed with me,” I murmured before I caught myself. “I mean…” I blushed wildly. “Not that I’m expecting… I just…thought.” I let out a breath, not managing to tell him that I wasn’t trying to invite him to bed in that sense. I was just thinking about how uncomfortable his big frame would be in the chair all night.

“I’ll be fine,” he said gruffly, and I recoiled a little as he shut me down.

Viktor led me to the bedroom and all but tucked me in. The care he took to make sure I was alright countered his crude language and blunt speech.

I wished he would stay in the room with me. I didn’t want to be alone. But I wasn’t going to ask him again. He’d made it clear that he didn’t want to sleep in the same room as me. No need to be turned down twice in one night.

“Sleep well, Malen kiy,” he murmured and closed the door behind him.

Maybe he meant it condescendingly, but I didn’t mind him calling me by the little nickname. In fact, I liked it.

I reached for my phone, which still had no signal. Ryan had to be worried about me – I should have been back in the office this afternoon. I liked being caught in this absurd fantasy, so far removed from reality, but I had to get back to my life. Tomorrow, I would ask Viktor to take me to the truck, or to the closest town if the truck was a lost cause. Torn clothes or no, I couldn’t stay with him.

I closed my eyes and drifted off. Somewhere in the middle of the night, I became aware of a large body dropping itself onto the mattress next to me. He stayed on top of the sheets, but he was here. I smiled into the darkness and closed my eyes.

When I woke the next morning, the sun fell through thin curtains, giving the room a soft glow. Viktor was still asleep next to me, snoring lightly. Carefully, I climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the little bathroom. It had nothing but a toilet and a shower head. There wasn’t even a shower curtain. I didn’t have a toothbrush, so I put toothpaste on my finger and did the best I could.

Quietly, I opened the bathroom door again, peeking at Viktor, who still lay on the bed. His large body was stretched out, one arm thrown over his face. God, he was incredible. He had muscles for days and tattoos everywhere. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so I could see the tattoos curling around his neck and down one arm. It disappeared behind his back, and I was curious about the rest of it.

He shifted his arm and looked at me through hooded eyes, surprising me. “You’re awake.”

I nodded and walked to the bed. “You came to sleep in the room.”

“The chair is not made for sleeping.”

I smiled. “I bet.” He pushed up and winced, reaching for his shoulder, but he didn’t touch it. I frowned. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Let me see.”

When I put my hand on his shoulder, he tensed. After a moment, he relaxed a little. I nudged him gently, and he turned so I could see. The cut on his shoulder was an angry red, the jagged edges inflamed. Cut was the wrong word. His skin had been ripped away by a blunt object of some kind; the gash was ugly.

“You need to clean that,” I said. “Or see a doctor or something.”

“Nyet.”

He was so hot when he spoke Russian. He only dropped words here and