Page 80 of Wicked Villain

I nod. “Yeah. Sure. See you tomorrow.”

“I’ll finish up here in ten minutes and head out.”

“Thanks for coming by and helping.”

“Any time.”

Lev says something to her in Russian, and she rolls her eyes before answering. As usual, I’m lost as to what they’re talking about.

Lev extends his hand to take mine. I meet his gaze before giving it to him. With a clipped smile, he takes it and leads me away.

I glance back over my shoulder to find Jeremy watching us from across the hall. I give him an apologetic smile, but I know there’s probably no point. My guess is he’ll most likely never speak to me again.

I frown and glare at Lev. Feeling my eyes on him, he glances at me, but he has that devil-may-care swagger that irritates me.

We head into the parking lot and climb into the back of the car waiting for us. Roman is driving this time. Earlier, I had Konstantin.

We set off in a cloud of silence and no one speaks for the entire journey. I feel Lev’s eyes on me, though. I purposely avoid looking back at him. I’m sure he can tell I’m nervous as hell without making eye contact. Why make the situation worse?

It’s nightfall by the time we pull through the gates of the manor, and my poor heart starts beating faster.

The car rolls to a stop at the door and we get out. Lev places a hand at the small of my back and ushers me forward.

It’s not until we go through the door that I become aware the game has already begun. The hand at my back is a guide and he’s steering me toward the stairs.

“What are you doing?” I ask, glancing up at him as we take the first step.

“The next thing on my mind.”

“Which is?”

“Getting cleaned up.”

I keep my gaze on him. “Why do I have to go with you?”

“You’re getting cleaned up, too.”

My insides fold in on themselves and my back goes ramrod straight. “What exactly does that mean?”

“We’re taking a shower.”

“Together?” My voice rises by a whole octave.

“Together.”

Shit. He’s going to get me naked again. “This is the thing we had to take care of?”

“Shh, shhh, myshonok.” He leans into me. “Remember now, I’m calling the shots here. That would be another consequence of keeping me alive, as well as being in breach of contract.”

Damn it. “Is there something more I can do to not be in breach of contract?”

“You’re already doing it, genius.”

“What am I doing?”

He moves to my ear, and his hot breath tickles my skin. “You’re going to do whatever I want.”

I groan. He’s absolutely insufferable. God, how am I supposed to go through this with him again? And, of course, there’s still the question of my virginity hanging between us.