by Paige Tyler
Minka’s spirits leaped at the mention of bed. She hadn’t slept in one in so long that she barely remembered what it felt like.
She was still dreaming about how wonderful sleeping in a real bed again would feel as Landon left, telling Angelo he’d be back in the morning. Angelo locked the door’s three locks, then joined her in the kitchen.
“You want to take a shower and change while I order pizza?” he asked as he started digging through a drawer full of papers.
A shower? She’d been strapped or chained to an endless succession of dirty floors and laboratory tables for months. Then, after escaping, she’d slept in the dirt for weeks. She was beyond filthy and probably looked a fright.
She nodded enthusiastically to both parts of his question. “I’d love a shower—and pizza.”
She’d eaten pizza before when she was younger and lived in Dushanbe, and it had been delicious. She eagerly grabbed the bag of clothes and started for the door Landon had pointed out that led to the bathroom when they had first come in.
She was halfway there when panic struck, stopping her cold. If she took one more step away from Angelo, the beast would be out. She could already feel it slipping out from between her mental fingers as she tried to hold it in. She squeezed Boris more tightly, but it didn’t help.
She was about to spin around and go back into the kitchen. She would just wash up in the sink.
But just then, she felt Angelo’s hand on her back, gently guiding her toward the bathroom as he ordered pizza on the phone. When they reached the bathroom, he pushed open the door, then covered the phone with his hand.
“I’ll be right out here the whole time,” he said. “I promise.”
Sighing in relief, Minka nodded her thanks and walked into the large bathroom. Angelo closed the door behind her, but she immediately turned around and opened it halfway. She knew it was horribly improper for an unmarried woman to leave a bathroom door open while she was naked within, but she didn’t care. She’d already lived with the embarrassment of sleeping in his lap throughout the entire trip here, so she could live with this, too.
Setting Boris on the counter, she took off the overshirt Angelo had given her to wear and carefully hung it on the hook on the back of the door, then stripped off her skirt and underwear, dropping them on the floor. They were much too dirty to put on the nice clean counter.
It took her a while to get the water temperature right, but when she finally got it the way she wanted, the gentle spray felt delightful on her naked skin. She didn’t even hide the little growl of appreciation the beast let out as the warm water soaked her long hair and rinsed months of filth from her body.
“You okay in there?” Angelo asked from just outside the door, concern in his voice.
She laughed—God, she hadn’t done that in a long time. “Yes, I’m very okay in here. This feels very wonderful. Don’t worry. I’ll wash fast, so there will be enough hot water for you.”
He chuckled. “Take your time. You won’t use up all the hot water, I promise.”
She blinked water from her eyes. “Really?”
“Really. And feel free to use Landon’s bodywash. I’m sure he has some in there.”
She looked up at the wire cradle hanging from the shower nozzle and saw several bottles of liquid soap. She recognized some of the words, but her reading skills weren’t as good as her speaking abilities. She sniffed each of the bottles until she found one she liked. That was when she recognized a familiar scent on the bottle, and it wasn’t Landon’s. It was the woman who’d been with him outside Zarina’s office—the one she’d smelled in his truck. The one who smelled so much like Minka herself.
As Minka lathered the scented soap into her hair, she thought about why the woman had reacted like she had when she’d first seen Minka. It was like the other woman hated her. She hoped that wasn’t the case, but if the woman did, there was nothing she could do about it. She would just worry about herself—and Angelo—and try to find a way to deal with what had happened to her.
Minka rinsed off, then stepped out of the shower. She hadn’t felt so clean in a very long time.
As she reached for one of the fluffy towels on the wall rack, she caught a glimpse of Angelo sitting on the floor just outside the open bathroom door. Minka blushed a little at the thought that he could easily see her naked if he turned his head and looked at her.
But he didn’t do that. He simply sat there and waited patiently as she dried off, then slipped into the clothes Landon had given her. While she’d never met Layla, one sniff of her clothes made Minka realize she also smelled familiar—not quite as familiar as the dark-haired woman with Landon, but very close.
Layla was apparently a little smaller than Minka because the bra, exercise pants, and tank top would have definitely been too tight if Minka hadn’t lost so much weight while in captivity. She turned and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, almost blushing again at how the fabric of the top and pants fit snugly to her breasts and bottom. She’d never worn anything like this. But it was all she had, so it would have to do. At least she had clothes to wear; that was the most important part. She’d have to remember to thank Layla as soon as she could.
She looked at her old bra and skirt still sitting in a pile on the floor. She was good with a needle and thread. Maybe she should try to repair them. No. There was more ripped fabric than whole fabric. Besides, no amount of washing would ever get out all the blood and dirt. Plus they’d only remind her of a time she’d much rather forget. So she rolled up the tattered pieces of clothing and shoved them in the small trash can beside the sink.
Angelo stood as she stepped out of the bathroom, and she didn’t miss the way his eyes traveled up her body before locking with hers. His gaze probably should have offended her, especially since she wasn’t used to men looking at her that way at home. But for reasons she didn’t understand, she did not mind. If anything, she enjoyed it. Even stranger, the beast seemed to enjoy it as well. She could almost hear the animal purring.
Angelo recovered before she did, looking away to pick up a pile of clothes on the floor beside him. “Um, I didn’t know what you liked on your pizza, so I ordered plain cheese. I hope that’s okay?”
She nodded, aware that Angelo was trying very hard not to stare at anything below her neck. She would have found it charming if it wasn’t for the amazing way his heated gaze made her feel.
“There’s a twenty-dollar bill sitting on the table by the door for the pizza, but I should be done in the shower before the delivery person gets here.”
Still not looking at her, he ducked into the bathroom.
Minka stood in the doorway, Boris clutched to her chest, watching as Angelo pulled his uniform overshirt over his head without undoing the buttons, which she thought was a pretty impressive feat. Then she saw what he was hiding under there and decided the view was much more impressive. Technically, he was still clothed, but the light tan T-shirt was really tight, and she didn’t have to use her imagination very much to figure out there were a lot of muscles under it. Just the sight of his big arms rippling as he moved was enough to make Minka catch her breath.
When he reached behind his head to pull off his T-shirt, Minka found herself licking her lips in anticipation. She felt bad for watching him like this, but she couldn’t help herself. Then she looked up and saw Angelo regarding her with an amused expression on his handsome face.
“I understand why you want to keep the door open, and I’m okay with that,” he said. “But you might want to look the other way for this part.”
Minka felt heat rush to her face. She nodded and stepped out of the doorway, turning to sit down on the floor beside the bathroom like Angelo had done. Her fingers dug into the stuffed sloth’s fur. She was glad he couldn’t see her face because it was probably bright red. Why had she been staring like that?
She was so caught up in those thoughts, she barely realized her claws had partially extended and her gums were tingling, like her fangs had be
en trying to slip out, too. What was happening to her?
She closed her eyes and focused on thoughts of Angelo a few feet away. Her claws slowly retracted and her breathing slowed.
Then, her ears picked up the sound of Angelo’s boots hitting the floor, quickly followed by his pants. She could tell by the distinctive sound his belt buckle made against the tile. Of course he was taking off his pants. He was going to take a shower.
As she heard him pull back the curtain, then water turning on, it suddenly hit her. There was an extremely attractive and muscular man without any clothes on only a few feet away from her. If she turned her head, she’d have seen something she had never seen in her life—a naked man. Her claws immediately popped out again, and she felt her fangs poking into her lower lip.
Minka silently rebuked herself, swearing she would never do anything as rude as that. But before she knew it, she was leaning sideways to peek around the corner. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, but her body refused to respond. This time she couldn’t blame it on the beast, though. This was all her.
The shower curtain was closed, but it was so wet, she could practically see through it. And the view? Minka didn’t have the words to describe it—in English, Russian, or Tajik.
Angelo was soaping his hair, and she could see the silhouette of his naked body through the shower curtain. She tried to turn away, telling herself it was very wrong. But her eyes locked on the outline of something between his legs she had definitely never seen before. Her fangs dug into her lips. Gripping Boris tightly in her hands, she rose to her feet and walked into the bathroom.
She was only a meter from the shower curtain when a ringing sound from the front of the apartment startled her so much she jumped.
Angelo stopped moving behind the curtain, his hands over his face as he rinsed off the soap. “Was that the doorbell?” he called as if she were still outside the door. “I’ll get it. Let me just get the soap out of my eyes.”
He reached for the curtain, rinsing at the same time. Sure he was going to yank it open and see her standing there, staring, she spun around, darting for the front door.
“I’ll get it!” she called back.
If Angelo stepped out now, all wet from the shower with soap running everywhere, she wouldn’t be able to control herself.
“You sure?” Angelo asked.
She could hear him furiously trying to get out of the shower. Was the towel in there big enough to wrap around his waist?
“Yes!” she said.
Her claws were still partially out, and she would have slowed down to try to get them back in, but the delivery person was banging on the door now, and she was sure Angelo was coming.
Minka grabbed the money Angelo had left on the table, cranked the three locks open as fast as she could, then jerked open the door. The guy standing there jumped at her sudden appearance. Were her fangs showing?
But then he smiled, showing her uneven teeth behind a straggly beard and unkempt mustache. Minka suddenly felt ill at the odor that came off the man. He was attracted to her, and he was disgusting.
“Hey, babe,” he said, touching the brim of the red ball cap he wore. “You’re not the same hottie that’s usually here. Maybe a younger sister—an equally hot, unmarried, younger sister?”
Minka had never heard a man say something so forward to a woman in a polite setting, and the impulse she felt developing was scary in its intensity. She thought she might actually kill the man. The growl was already building and she wasn’t sure she could keep it in.
Before she could do something she would regret, Minka shoved the money at the man, trying her best to keep her extended claws tucked into her palm. Then she yanked the pizza box out of his hand and pushed him back into the hallway. Slamming the door, she locked all three locks. Unfortunately, the man didn’t seem to get what she was trying to tell him.
“You know you only gave me a three-dollar tip, right?” he called through the door. “I normally get more, but I’ll take your phone number instead.”
She slapped her palm against the door so hard it shook in its frame. Just for good measure, she let out a low, dangerous growl.
There was silence on the other side of the heavy wood door for a few seconds. “That’s cool. I’m okay with three dollars.”
Minka stood by the door, waiting until she heard the sound of his retreating footsteps. When she finally turned around, her claws and fangs had disappeared back to where they were supposed to be. That was when she caught sight of Angelo standing there. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, water dripping from his long, wet hair to plaster the tight material to his skin.
He looked…amazing.
She felt her pulse start to beat faster again and tried to look somewhere else, but it was useless. Every time she looked away, her gaze snapped right back to him.
His mouth quirked. “You sure you never lived in Washington? Or New York?”
She shook her head, confused by the question. “No, of course not.”
He chuckled. “Could have fooled me because you handled that delivery guy like a pro. Remind me never to get fresh with you.”
Minka had never heard that expression before, but she guessed he meant the deliveryman had been flirting with her. She would definitely not mind at all if Angelo flirted with her.
She realized she had been standing there, holding the pizza—which smelled very good—for a long time without saying anything. She blushed again, sure Angelo would know where her mind had been.
But he simply pointed at the big, white box in her hands. “You want to eat now? I’m starving.”
* * *
Angelo grinned as Minka grabbed a third slice of pizza. When they’d sat down on the couch with a couple bottles of soda and a roll of paper towels, she had claimed she wasn’t very hungry and that just a single slice of the great big, cheese-smothered pizza would do. That first slice had disappeared in less than a minute and Minka was reaching for another before he’d even opened his drink.
“This is very good,” she said.
Holding the slice in one hand, she used the other to wipe the corners of her mouth with a paper towel in a gesture that was very dignified and polite. Okay, that definitely wasn’t something he was used to with the people he normally ate with. The guys on his SF team would have rolled up whole slices like burritos and shoved them in their mouths at once. Of course, Minka was a hell of a lot better company than any of his guys, too. And a damn sight better looking. Even with a mouthful of pizza, she was easily the most attractive woman he’d ever laid eyes on. The funny thing was, as she sat there in those tight yoga pants and curve-hugging tank top, he got the feeling that Minka didn’t have a clue how beautiful she was.
When she had stepped out of the bathroom after her shower, her long, dark hair so clean it shined, and her face free of dirt, his jaw had just about hit the floor. God, she was a knockout.
But he minded his manners. While parts of Tajikistan were very progressive due to Russian influence, others could be as conservative as any other predominantly Muslim country. Minka might be confused, embarrassed, or even offended if she thought he was behaving poorly around her.
So he kept his eyes on the appropriate parts of her anatomy and focused on the pleasant conversation.
“You’ve eaten pizza before?” he asked as she sprinkled Parmesan cheese on her slice and spread it around with her finger. Then she licked that same finger off in a move that was completely innocent—and incredibly sexy.
“Yes, many times when I was younger and lived in Dushanbe. Not quite as often after my parents and I moved to a small village north of Khorugh.”
Shit. Her parents. Angelo had been so worried about getting Minka back to the United States and the DCO, he hadn’t even thought about the possibility of her having family back in Tajikistan. They probably had no idea what had happened to their daughter, or even that she was alive.
He set his half-eaten slice of pizza back in the box and wiped his hands on a pa
per towel. “Are your parents in Khorugh now? Is there a phone number we can call to let them know you’re okay?”
It would cost Landon a butt load, but Angelo would pay him back. He was already reaching for the cordless phone on the table when he realized Minka had become very still.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
Stupid question. She’d been held captive and turned into a hybrid. How could she be okay?
She slowly nodded, putting her pizza down, too. “Yes. It’s just that I’d rather not call my parents. If they find out that I’m alive, they will want me to come home right away.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” He tried not to let his confusion show. “That your parents love you and want you to come home?”
Minka shook her head, her beautiful eyes suddenly sad. “They wouldn’t love me or want me in their home. Not once they see what I’ve become. I’m a monster now, and it’s better if they think I’m dead.”
Angelo was so stunned that all he could do was sit there and stare. He knew Minka had been through a lot, but he hadn’t truly realized how bad it must have been. She’d rather her parents think she was dead than have them discover she was a hybrid. That was screwed up.
He reached out and took her hand. “You’re not a monster, Minka. I can promise you that.”
The smile she gave him was as sad as the look in her eyes. “I have claws and fangs that barely fit in my mouth, my face twists into something horrible when I’m angry—and I’m angry all the time. I’ve killed people, torn them apart. If that is not a monster, what is it?”
“Someone did something very bad to you,” he said softly. “But that doesn’t make you a monster. It makes them the monsters. We’re going to find a way to get you through this, and someday, I’m going to make sure you get home to your parents.”
Minka nodded but didn’t reach for her pizza. He didn’t either. Neither one of them had an appetite left, he guessed. He closed the lid on the box.
