by Lucy Leroux
“No.”
Patience was not his strong suit, but Dmitri had done more than one interrogation. Recalcitrant subjects tended to speak when you let the silence stretch.
“It’s my sister’s wedding.”
Ah. Family was apparently very important to Nina. That might complicate things, but it could be worse. As a lone wolf, he had no pack obligations. His only issue was having to share her with her own people. Her profession would necessitate special consideration as well. Big-time surgeons required large hospitals and he liked living near forests, places he could let his wolf run without too much fear of discovery.
You’re getting ahead of yourself.
“Are you a bridesmaid or maid of honor?”
“No.”
Interesting.
“I take it you and your sister don’t get along?”
She turned to him before settling back in her seat. “We used to. When we were small.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“We grew up.”
Dmitri knew there was more to it than that. Nina didn’t sound happy for her sister. A difficult history could explain some resentment, but he didn’t peg her as the petty type.
“How does your mother feel about you not being a bridesmaid?”
Nina shrugged.
This was getting nowhere. He fished his flask out of his inside coat pocket, then offered it to her.
“In case you’re still feeling cold.”
She uncapped the flash and sniffed, her nose wrinkling adorably. “How did you get this on the plane?”
“They don’t frisk air marshals. It’s thirty-year-old scotch, by the way. Not vodka.”
Nina handed it back. “I don’t really drink.”
“You can’t possibly be on call,” he teased.
Her sudden shudder caught him off guard. Concerned, he was about to pull over to the side of the road when she snatched the flask back. Viciously, she unscrewed the cap, then took a big swig.
When she finally spoke, her voice was flat, devoid of all emotion. “My mother is angry at me for not being a bridesmaid. So is my sister. They say it’s necessary, to save face. But I said no.”
“Why would you need to save face?”
“Because up until six months ago, the man my sister is marrying was my fiancé.”
Nina didn’t know what possessed her to confide in Dmitri. She didn’t talk about Matthew and Kate to anyone, not even her friends.
Although you don’t have many of those. Most of her social circle had been friends from medical school or work, back when she and Matt had been a couple. When they broke up, most of them had sided with her in public, but in practice they belonged to him. He was the gregarious one people gravitated toward. Always a bit shy, she let him do the work of making friends.
Despite what had happened, she could only count on Jodi and Jesse as her friends now. The rest of their social circle just pitied her. Seeing her at work made them uncomfortable, especially when Matt invited most of them to his wedding to her sister.
Imagine if they knew he was using their reception hall. Matt had put them on the list for the exclusive venue almost two years ago. Losing the hefty deposit they paid would have been too much of a waste.
Her parents were deeply troubled by the rift between her and Kate, but Nina wasn’t surprised when they accepted their youngest daughter’s surprise engagement. Kate didn’t even have to go into one of her trademark histrionic fits. Just the threat of one was enough to make them cave these days. Her sister had exhausted them into submission long ago.
“You’re better off.”
Blinking, she turned to Dmitri in surprise. She’d forgotten he was there.
“I know.” And she did, really. But that didn’t stop her from feeling as if someone had dug her heart out with a spoon.
“I guess the wedding’s going to be kind of rough.”
“You have no idea.” Attending her ex-fiancé’s wedding to her sister at Nina’s dream venue, surrounded by all the friends and family who’d been waiting years for her wedding…
She couldn’t think of a worse nightmare.
“Are you sure you want to go?” Dmitri asked. He gestured to the open road. “I can take you anywhere you want.”
“Don’t tempt me.” She laughed before taking a deep breath. “I can handle it. It’s fine.”
He snorted. “Yeah, and Russians don’t like Vodka. Let me guess…this sister of yours has a long history of stealing your boyfriends.”
“No, actually. This is an upgrade for her. Before, she used to just take my toys, then my clothes, and eventually my car—until she crashed it a week later. Our dad bought her a sports coup after that.”
“So, she’s a spoiled brat.”
Nina was regretting starting this conversation. “It’s complicated.”
Accepting that with a nod, he lapsed into silence. When his phone began to ring, he lifted it and accepted the call.
“Cass? What’s up?”
A voice launched into conversation over the line. It sounded like a woman.
“Well, he’s going to have to wait. I don’t control the weather.”
Nina turned away, trying not to listen, but it was impossible to avoid eavesdropping.
Dmitri sighed. “Ugh, well too bad. Turn down the bonus. I can’t make it out any sooner. If the weather report I read on the plane is still holding, then there aren’t going to be any flights in between here and there.”
The voice said something else. “The client can bitch and moan all he wants, it’s not going to change.” Another pause. “Then he can hire someone else.”
This time, the voice got loud. Dmitri huffed. “Relax. He’s been shopping this job around for months and he’s not had any takers. He’s not going to hire someone else in the next three days. It took him long enough to find me.”
He clicked off, then turned his attention to the in-dash GPS. “Can you check the weather report for me? The direct route was clear the last time I checked, but that may have changed. Cass confirmed the detail about the flights. All planes are grounded in Wyoming and neighboring states. The storm is worse now than when we were forced to land.”
She did as he asked. Her stomach knotted as she perused the weather app, and then raised her head to glance out the window. The sky was too dark for midafternoon. “I think we have a problem. The storm is in front of us now. And behind us. It’s kind of everywhere.”
Nina bit her lip, noting the rapid rate snow was falling now—or rather, was sweeping sideways. The wind had picked up while she’d been wallowing in self-pity.
“How bad is it?”
She scanned the report again. “Bad.”
Dmitri drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “I thought we had a shot at outrunning the blizzard, but I guess I was wrong. We’re going to have to stop and take shelter somewhere soon, probably for the night.”
The words were appropriate. Even the delivery—it had just the right degree of concern and regret. But Nina had a sneaking suspicion Dmitri was pleased with the turn of events.
Chapter Six
The crease between his mate’s brows deepened when he took the next turn. She cast a nervous glance at the sky before squinting at the road ahead. Visibility was fucked. Even with his superior visual acuity, he could only see a few feet in front of them.
Dmitri kept driving as fast as he dared, but he’d been forced to reduce speed due to the conditions. He couldn’t afford to stop, though. The temperature in the car was going to drop like a stone once he turned the engine off, and he’d have to soon if he wanted to make it to the next gas station when the weather improved.
“Don’t worry. The cabin Cass lined up for us is only a few more clicks away according to this,” he said, tapping the display.
He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but the sound of Nina gulping was like a little knife to his soul. “It’s going to be fine.”
“Who are you trying to convince?” Nina sounded
calm, but her elevated heartbeat and the spike of adrenaline in her blood was messing with his equilibrium.
Come on, where the fuck is this place?
A few miles passed in tense silence. “Maybe this Cass lied and there is no cabin.”
“Of course there’s a cabin. Why would you say that?”
Nina gave him an are-you-kidding-me look. “She could be pissed you’re spending the night with another woman.”
“Cass isn’t my girlfriend. She works for me.”
“Really?” Disbelief pulled her full lips into a frown.
“Why the skepticism?”
“Because she sounded really annoyed with you. I don’t like my boss all the time either, but I know well enough to bite my tongue when he’s pissed me off.”
Nina didn’t strike him as someone who held back much in life, but she was going to her ex-fiancé’s wedding to her sister…
“Hmm, that sounds nice. Unfortunately, I’ve known Cass for years and years, so she has no qualms in sharing her opinion. Quite loudly, too. And since she gets paid on commission, she has a vested interest in getting me to Boston ASAP.”
“Ah.”
Wondering if Cass was his girlfriend had to be a good sign, he decided. At least it distracted her from their predicament.
That last was getting worse. He was driving at a crawl now. His superior vision was useless in the wall of white that was the road.
“How much longer?”
He checked the GPS. “Two clicks,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.
She didn’t share his feelings. “In this weather, that’s like a hundred,” she muttered, drawing in a short breath. “The car may not make it much farther.”
“Don’t worry. We can walk to make it the rest of the way. I have an excellent sense of direction.”
Nina’s snort was the only answer.
“Never underestimate a Russian in winter.”
“I think you’re confused. It’s Russian winters you have to watch out for.” She cast another anxiety-ridden glance out the window. “Just ask Napoleon and Hitler.”
“Relax. I’ve tangled with General Winter before.” As long as the GPS was accurate, he’d be good crossing ten miles with her on his back, but there was no point in telling her that. The skeptical scientist in her wouldn’t believe it until she saw it.
The distance to their destination grew smaller and smaller. However, the snowbanks only grew. They were piled high from storms earlier in the week.
When it reached the approximate height of Nina’s waist, he began to search for a place to park. He couldn’t tell if he was still on the road but leaving it where they were might be a bad idea, particularly if they were going to depend on a snowplow to get them out.
A sudden warning jostle shook the Rover. “I think we ran over a rock. I’m taking that as a sign we are no longer on the highway proper. But if this is correct, the house is only a couple of hundred yards away.”
“Okay.” Nina’s gaze drifted down to the gun case, her fingers tightening. “I’m keeping this.”
He was going to have enough to carry with their bags. “Suit yourself but use the strap. You’re going to need your hands free.”
Dmitri climbed out of the car. His dense body sank up to his thighs in the deep snow. He was around the car and opening the back to reach for their bags before Nina got her door open. Shouldering both bags, he hustled to the passenger side.
Nina was out, struggling in the deep snow.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait in the car? I can come back for you,” he said, raising his voice as the wind shrieked. Sharp flakes pelted their faces like tiny knives.
“No. Let’s do this!” Nina yelled as she waded, half pushing, half-crawling.
Heaven save me from stubborn mates. Rolling his eyes, he fished out his goggles from his bag—his only concession to the storm.
Widening his stride, he overtook her in a blink. He grabbed her wrist, urging her to hold the back of his coat. “Don’t let go. I’m going to make a path. You follow,” he ordered, turning his head so she could see him.
Squinting against the wind and snow, Nina nodded. The small pull of her holding him was all the incentive he needed. With a suitcase in each hand, he began plowing through the snow in the direction of the house.
It better be there, he thought, consulting the map in his head, overlaying that on the uninformative terrain in front of him. He counted paces in his head impatiently, aware their progress was too slow. Nina was going to be an icicle by the time he got her indoors.
Determination propelled his feet, picturing them indoors drinking hot Russian tea. Visualization had always helped with difficult tasks. For fun, he threw in a few images of a naked Nina, which had the added benefit of sending flashes of heat through him.
It didn’t last. He was feeling General Winter’s bite. Nina stumbled behind him. Dmitri whipped around, tossing the suitcases aside.
Despite making a path, it was too difficult for her to go on. “Hold on,” he shouted. The wind had picked up. When he scooped her up, she let out a little shriek, but she didn’t protest. He hefted her higher, tossing her over his shoulder in a fireman’s hold. The gun case banged him in the hip.
Free to move now, Dmitri redoubled his efforts. “We’re almost there.”
He wasn’t sure if she heard him. The wind carried his words away.
The cabin should be steps away. He could feel Nina’s heart pounding. Her anxiety was infectious, but he’d never been one to succumb to fear. Dmitri’s reaction was to get angry.
He almost ran headfirst into the cabin. Relieved, he laughed aloud and knocked on the wall. “We’re here.”
Dmitri maintained contact with the wood as he rounded the corner to find a door underneath a roofed porch. According to the specs Cass sent, this was the back door that faced a lake, now wholly obscured by the storm.
A smack on his lower back reminded him to put Nina down.
Her mouth was slack. “Damn. How strong are you?” She waved in the direction they had come. “That should have been impossible.”
Dmitri grinned. “Not impossible. C’mon, we have to find the key box. It should be under the porch on the right.”
She put her hand on his arm. “What about the bags? If you don’t get them now, they could get buried. We might never find them. I can search for the key box on my own.”
He cast an assessing glance at the sky. The snow was still coming down fast and hard. “All right, but when you find it, open it and get inside. It’s got a combination lock.”
He rattled off the code before jumping off the porch to backtrack for the suitcases. “I’ll be right back.”
The suitcases were easy to find. The storm hadn’t been able to cover his wide track yet, despite its best effort. He returned to the cabin a few minutes later to find Nina lying on the snow next to the porch.
His heart dropped to his gut before he noticed she was still moving. Stop overreacting. Nina was on her stomach because she’d had to dig to get to the box. She was struggling, reaching for something he couldn’t see.
The wooden porch creaked under his weight, Her eyes met his.
“I accidentally pushed it farther away,” she shouted, fighting to be heard over the wind.
“Here, let me.” He helped her up, noting her wet gloves. The thin fashionable leather wasn’t meant for digging in the snow. His long arms fished out the box in no time. Nina was jumping up and down to keep warm as he opened it.
After he unlocked it, he hustled Nina inside, snatching their bags and closing the door against the fierce wind.
Their shelter was a single large room. Two padded wooden chairs faced a fireplace stocked with wood. On the left, there was a tiny kitchenette. A single bed was against the far wall.
Dmitri pulled Nina to him, then methodically began to pull off her clothes.
Chapter Seven
Nina froze as Dmitri began to run his hands all over her. She found her tongue a
s he began to strip her.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re wet,” he said, removing her coat. He started to pull at her gloves. “You need to get out of these clothes. Check and see if there are blankets and sheets in that chest.” He indicated the one at the foot of the bed.
“I can undress myself,” she protested, trying to back away to safety.
Dmitri succeeded in tugging the glove off, engulfing her fingers with his giant paw. Heat burned through her near-frozen digits, and she gasped aloud.
“Are you sure about that?” Dmitri’s voice was smug. He took her other hand, rubbing it until the blood slowly began to course through them again.
“You need to take better care of these. Aren’t you a surgeon? You can’t afford to get frostbite.”
He held her until the pins and needles stopped. Blushing, Nina peeked at him from under her lashes. “I can’t believe how warm you are.” He hadn’t been wearing gloves, and he was still hot to the touch.
He did all the work getting us here. His blood was pumping fast from all the exercise. That explained it. She hadn’t quite convinced herself, but he was right. She needed to get out of her wet clothes.
This was no time for modesty, but she was still embarrassed. “Can you turn around?”
Dmitri nodded politely. “I’ll start a fire.”
He went to kneel by the fireplace. Nina hurried to her suitcase, pulling out a change of clothes before tugging off her pants. Her shoes and socks were soaked through. Down to her bra and panties, she practically sprinted to the linen chest, pulling out a thin blanket. Once she wrapped it around herself, she made her way to the wooden chair, then huddled there as the burly Russian got the fire going.
His body blocked her view, but the distinctive snap and crackle of flames buoyed her spirits. “That is officially the best sound in the world,” she muttered, drawing the blanket closer to hide her body when he stood and turned around. “Is there electricity? Maybe a generator or—”
Nina lost her train of thought when Dmitri unfastened his pants. He toed off his boots and tugged the black jeans down, revealing a skin-tight pair of red boxer briefs and thick muscular thighs.
