Page 14

After grabbing my checked bags, and dragging my carry on through the arrivals area, Vladi is still hovering.

Fucker didn’t even check a bag. How do men survive on so little for a week-long trip?

He probably has one pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and swim trunks, whereas I have my entire closet spread out in multiple bags.

I bet he even packs a bar of soap. He seems like a bar of soap guy, like bodywash would be too much of a luxury for him.

He probably doesn’t even use a washcloth, just lathers that lucky bar of soap all over his finely chiseled, toned body as the water drips down his abs to flow down the ridges of that magnificent ‘V’ low on his abdomen…

Damnit, Maggie. Get your mind off his hot ass body. We hate him. Remember?

I see a gentleman holding a sign that says “Volkov/James” standing near the ground transportation sign.

My stomach fills with butterflies and drops all at once.

Now we have to ride in a damn car together.

What more does Liv have planned? Vladi walks over and shakes the man’s hand before crooking his finger for me to follow him.

How dare he give me the Johnny Castle ‘come here’ motion with his finger.

Nobody puts Maggie in a corner. Or a luxury vehicle for that matter.

I am my own person, and no one tells me what to do.

Jutting my hip out, I feel an annoyed sneer twisting my lips.

“Yeah, that’s gonna be a hard pass. You go in your fancy-ass private car. I’ll find my own ride.”

“No. You will come with me.”

I step back, my mouth slightly parted. Okay why does that kinda make me want to let him tell me what to do? No …we hate him Maggie…focus! We are mad at the super hot man telling us what to do.

I take a deep breath, desperate to regain my senses.

“Excuse me? I’m a grown ass woman, Vladi.

I can manage getting to the resort on my own.

Plus, I just got off a terrible flight sitting next to you , and I’d prefer some alone time, thank you very much,” I spew, glancing around and trying to come up with a plan.

I see a guy in the taxi area and motion to him, a big smile on my face.

“Excuse me! I need a ride,” I say, sauntering off in his direction.

Until a warm hand tightly grips my arm in a forceful but protective way.

“ Lisichka, ” he bites, his voice as gruff as it was in my apartment.

“You are not riding by yourself. We are in a foreign country. There are people here that prey on beautiful women.” A flicker of panic cuts through his expression.

I blink, catching my lip between my teeth.

Something is in there that he’s not telling me .

Granted I’ve hardly let him get a word in all day, so not knowing could totally be my fault.

He tugs me back toward the town car. “Hate me all you want, but you are not getting in a vehicle without me. End of discussion.”

I swallow hard as my heart races. Looking out for me.

The way he called me that Russian nickname again.

Mental note: figure out how the hell to spell Lish-whatever and google it.

A shiver rockets through my body, my skin feeling electrified from a simple command.

Apparently, Melissa Joan Heart, didn’t get the memo about hating the wolf. Damn her and her Sabrina witchcraft!

“Fine. We’ll ride together—just know I still hate you.”

He quickly blinks. “Very well.”

I stomp to the back of the car and try to lift my suitcase into the trunk, the bag hardly moving an inch off the ground. The driver and Vladi both reach for my bag, but I shake them off. “I got it! Don’t touch my bag.”

Vladi hands the driver a tip and gives him a nod as he heads toward the driver’s seat shaking his head and mumbling something in Spanish.

“Do you have to make everything so difficult? Let me help you with your bag. You struggled getting your carry on in the overhead bin, and this other…” he says, his lips twitching as he takes me in with a sensual trace of his gaze, “boat-sized bag you have here is surely much heavier. Let me help you.” He grabs the handle and tries to tug it away from me.

“I can handle it,” I snark through gritted teeth as I pull the bag back toward me.

“It’s heavy and I bench press six times more than this. Let me help.”

“Get your damn hands off my bag!” I scream as I rip the bag out of his grip.

I smirk and bobble my head as he takes a step back, raising his hands in surrender.

Good. I lug the bag into the trunk. Shit, this is heavy.

I use every last ounce of my strength to do a sort of heave-toss motion to finally get everything in the car, but the motion throws me off balance and I start to trip backwards, stumbling and—fuck I’m going to bust my ass on this hard concrete .

As I free-fall back, getting dangerously close to the ground, I stop.

Wait…this should hurt. Concrete hurts like hell when you fall on it.

But this is…soft. Vladi caught me. Of course he did.

Goddammit he smells good. I suck in a sharp breath, fighting for more.

Why is air so hard to find? Melissa Joan Heart, you stay out of this.

“As I said earlier,” his deep voice rumbles into my ear, goosebumps covering every inch of me, “why do you always make things so difficult?”

I try to scramble out of his hold, but I still have no footing, especially not in these adorable, but ridiculously impractical wedge sandals I’m wearing. I lean into him as he helps me stand fully, still cradling me from behind.

“Get in the car, lisichka ,” he commands. Turning on my heel, I have no retort. I just get into the car and buckle up for the ride .

My phone pings, and I see a few texts have come through since we landed, a welcome distraction from the current disaster.

Olivia

Did you guys make it in okay?

Maggie

Yep! Heading to the resort now.

Also, interesting choice of words there, Liv.

‘You guys’ implies you knew I would be traveling with, and sitting next to, oh, I don’t know…

VLADI!

Olivia

Oh…lol. Did I forget to mention that?

Maggie

Yeah, Liv. You definitely left that little detail out

Olivia

Remember, it’s my wedding, so you can’t be mad!

I knew she was going to play that card. Damn best friends. I love her and hate her all at the same time.

Olivia

So…have you killed each other yet?

I glance at the jerkwad in question beside me, seeing him also engrossed in his phone with his earbuds in.

Maggie

Not yet

But I may die from annoyance.

Olivia

Please don’t die here! I think it’s complicated to transport bodies back to the US from foreign countries.

Maggie

Wow…this just took a morbid turn.

Olivia

Sorry . Holler at me when you arrive at the resort, and we’ll come meet you in the lobby. I know you two have your differences, but it’s just a week! You’ll survive.

Plus, it’s my wedding week! No fighting until we land back in Milwaukee

I snort, glancing out at the beauty of the tropics flying by as we head to the other side of the island, the tension from the flight and present company starting to melt from my shoulders.

Maggie

I promise. See you soon!

She’s right. It’s a week, and it’s a big resort. I’m sure we’ll barely see each other.