Page 20 of One Dark Kiss (Grimm Bargains #2)

NINETEEN

Rosalie

I have nobody but myself to blame for what happened last night.

Mentally chiding myself, I finish fastening my little mirror earrings as my gaze catches on the sketchbook in the corner of my bedroom.

The pad is resting against the wall by the chair, next to the bag.

Casting a guilty look at the bathroom door, I move and reach for it, flipping open the top.

It s me. I m staring out, my eyes blazing and my hair all over the place. I expected to find a drawing of trees, or I don t know, a car. But not one of me looking all wild and kind of sexy.

The bathroom door opens, and I drop the sketchpad, turning guiltily.

One of his dark eyebrows rises.

You drew me, I whisper, trying not to be touched.

He shrugs. Couldn t sleep.

This is way too much sensory overload. I need to get going. I hurriedly move to open the door.

He s behind me, letting off heat.

Trying to ignore that masculine warmth, I walk gingerly down my private stairs from my suite to outside, sore in places I hadn t realized existed.

He bruised and bit me, leaving his mark everywhere on me.

Head to toe, I wear him. I d gotten about thirty minutes of sleep and had to spend extra time on my makeup to mask dark circles under my eyes and razor burn across my chin.

The burns on my thighs would just have to heal on their own.

Right now, I m acutely aware of Alexei behind me.

Things have definitely changed, and it is my fault. I had purposely gotten drunk.

Why?

My mind spins. I watched him kill three men yesterday.

Why would I then get drunk and put myself into a bed with him?

Was it some sort of biological mode of self-preservation?

Do I want to mean something to him since I know he killed somebody?

Or is it that the casual violence somehow ignites something in my blood, something primitive?

Or even worse—am I just horny? I m afraid that may be the answer.

But last night was more than sex. He was right.

Even now, in the morning light, I m too chicken to ask him what he meant by a claiming.

I want to convince myself that he was just being dramatic or even romantic, but I know better.

Alexei doesn t mess around. The carefree young man in those videos I watched is long gone.

This man chooses his words with deliberation.

I smooth down my blouse and shiver as a biting breeze snaps at me when I walk outside. Bulbous clouds cover the sky, looking ready to open up any second. A thought occurs to me, and I stop cold.

What? He s right behind me.

Um, well, I think I should tell you that I m on the pill. It s a little too late to have this talk.

He runs his hands down my arms, his body warming me from behind. I know. Saw them in your cabinet. He kisses the top of my head. I m clean, just so you know. Had a checkup right before being arrested and haven t been with anybody in seven years.

Heat spirals into my face. The man either pinched, kissed, licked, or bit every inch of me the night before, and now I m embarrassed?

I hurry around the corner to where I parked my car at the curb, wishing Alexei would just peel off without a word.

I look up to see my beloved vehicle and stop short. Oh my God.

He walks to my side. Go back inside.

No. I hurry toward my now destroyed vehicle. It looks like somebody has taken a bat to it. How had I not heard anything? Heat flushes my face. Oh yeah, I was busy last night. All night.

The windows are smashed in. The tires are slashed, and dents are everywhere. Scrawled black paint very clearly reads, You will die, bitch.

Oh my God. I take another step back and look up at Alexei.

His jaw firms and fire flashes through his eyes.

Unlike me, he appears well rested and solid.

As if he had a great night s sleep. I told you to go back inside.

He moves toward the vehicle and peers through the broken windows.

I step up to do the same to see all of the leather slashed into pieces.

He s a killer is carved into the driver s seat.

I take a step back.

Rosalie? What happened? Yells an older male voice.

I look up to see Felix turn the corner and run toward us, his seventies-style jogging outfit brightening the entire day.

I shake my head. Doc, you shouldn t be here.

He lets out a shrill whistle. As if on cue, elderly men pour out of my pink boarding house. I glance up at Alexei. This is a disaster. He needs to go.

A cacophony of exclamations arrive as they all bustle toward us dressed in everything from a bathrobe to a business suit.

What happened?

Oh no.

Oh my.

I drop my chin and then shake my head.

Who the hell are you? Merlin glares up at Alexei. Although early in the morning, Merlin is already dressed in a three-piece suit with a bow tie. I hadn t realized he was going out today.

I m Alexei. Who the hell are you? A slight grin tugs at Alexei s full mouth. His gaze sweeps the group of elderly men.

I take a deep breath and hope my face isn t as flaming red as it feels.

Alexei Sokolov, please meet Felix, Kenny, Merlin, Ozzy, Percy, Wally and Yardley. I swallow. They re my boarders. More like my family.

Merlin holds out a hand and shakes Alexei s, grunting as he obviously puts an effort into squeezing Alexei s hand. Alexei looks over his head at Percy, who s staring right back. Something passes between them, and a shiver skates down my spine.

What s going on? I ask.

Nothing, Alexei says smoothly. He s dressed nicely in gray slacks and a white button-down shirt he borrowed from Garik. It s good enough for court, but the shirt is a little tight. He shakes the hands of the men and pauses with Percy. Percy, did you say?

I surely did. Percy is about six foot two, but old age has bowed his back. His eyes are a luminous black and his hair a thick silver. He was one of my first boarders, and I think he once worked as an accountant. Many years ago.

Alexei releases him. It s a pleasure to meet you all. Did anybody hear anything?

The assembled group walks around my brutalized vehicle, all of them mumbling and shaking their heads. I m sure most of them had already taken out their hearing aids for the night when this happened.

Where did you come from? Wally asks, his slight Welch accent emerging. That only happens when he gets angry. He normally stays inside and rarely ventures into the world. I believe he was once a traveling salesman, and that s why he prefers to remain indoors these days.

I m a friend of Rosalie s, Alexei says. Do you have any idea who could have done this?

Percy puts his hand on his hips. He s wearing loose khaki pants and a stained red polo shirt today. No. Although reading the message cut into the leather, it s obviously about you. You are a killer, are you not?

Rumor has it. Alexei sighs. I ll give you a ride to the courthouse, Rosalie.

I m suddenly grateful I m wearing my navy-blue suit with pants instead of the skirt, although every time I move, my clit cries.

She probably deserves it, getting drunk and all, but Alexei hadn t been gentle with her last night.

Apparently, I don t like gentle. I am so screwed up.

He sees something in me that I haven t realized is there.

A need for darkness—for what he can provide.

I do have to get to court. Being late to Judge Lahaska s courtroom is to be avoided at all costs. She lacks any semblance of patience.

Should we call this into the police? Felix asks, his headband a multitude of colors across his forehead.

No, Alexei says. This is about me, and I ll handle it.

Wally looks at me. What do you think?

I think we call the police for vandalism, I say.

Alexei shakes his head. Nobody saw anything. Nobody heard anything. You ll be wasting the police s time. This is about me, and I will figure it out.

Surprisingly, Percy nods. I agree. Anybody who could do this without making enough noise to awaken us avoided all cameras in the area.

I blink, surprised. Percy is usually a by the book type of guy. It seems odd for him to agree with Alexei.

I ll think about it. I look around at the many places for a bad guy to hide.

Merlin straightens his tie. You have insurance, correct?

I wince. Just liability insurance. The cheapest amount I can afford. As they all exclaim and Merlin draws in air for a lecture, I look for help from Alexei. Where is your motorcycle?

It s around the block. Alexei takes my hand, and the only reason I don t jerk free is because I don t want to get in a scuffle in front of the men. One of them will step in and get hurt.

I m sorry about this, I say to everybody in general. I ll handle it later. I need to think.

With that, I follow Alexei around the corner to where he has his motorcycle hidden behind a crop of trees.

You re a little paranoid, aren t you? I ask.

He glances back the way we came at my now demolished vehicle. Do you blame me?

No. Something in my stomach hurts. I loved that car.

I don t know when I ll be able to afford another vehicle.

Hendrix s offer the night before filters through my brain, but I won t take that job.

He only wants me off Alexei s case, and then he d probably fire me.

Hendrix threatened my boarders last night if I don t take a job offer from him.

Alexei straddles the bike and holds out an arm to help me on. Hendrix doesn t want to lose control of Hologrid or the mob. I won t let anything happen to your boarders.

Thank you. The mafia scares me, but I like that Alexei will use it to protect the elderly men.

I swing my leg over the motorcycle as if this is a normal morning and I m used to riding on a bike, seated behind an alleged killer, to court.

The second my sex hits the seat, I wince and gingerly try to find a comfortable position.

I can t. Even my butt is sore. I d barely been able to put a bra on my sensitive nipples.

Something tells me they can handle it. He backs us out of the trees. This will mess up your hair.

My hair is the least of my worries. I don t care.

Right now, this bike is both killing my clit and waking up the bitch.

I do not like pain. If I repeat that mantra enough, perhaps my body will listen.

Men usually bored me before too long. Not Alexei.

He was too much. Or was he? Did he just tap into a part of me I want to deny? Vulnerability whispers through me.

Alexei looks down the street before walking the bike into the open. We should get you a helmet.

I don t want a helmet. I m pissed off and angry at the world.

You seem to be pulling an attitude with me today, and that might be a mistake.

Irritation heats from my chest to my face. Oh, really? Why is that?

He turns his head, watching me from the corner of his eye. You have to be sore, and I have no problem tossing you over my knee and making sure. Is that what you want?

Not in a million years. Last night was a one-time deal. I blurt the words out, lifting my chin for emphasis.

He stops moving, turns, and wraps an arm around my waist. With a quick pivot, he plants me in front of him on the bike, facing him. I try to lean back to take the weight off my sex. He slides a hand beneath my blouse and under my bra, palming my breast. Do you really want to do this now?

I gulp.

He balances the quiet bike with his strong legs while his other hand unzips my pants.

I grab his wrist. Wait.

No. He tunnels inside and slides a finger inside me. I m a little embarrassed to be wet. This belongs to me. Not a one-time deal. Got it?

I blink.

He plucks my already sore nipple. I gasp from the pain, even as I dampen his fingers.

He shows his teeth. This is mine. He plucks again. Right?

Numbly, I nod.

And this. His thumb presses on my clit. Right?

We re nearly in the street. Anybody could see us. He doesn t care. I have to get out of here. Worse yet, I m getting even more aroused. I give a quick nod.

He shakes his head. More, Rosalie. You pushed, now you pay.

I hate him. And kind of want him. Wouldn t mind another orgasm, even though I m so sore. He flicks my clit. Fine. I m yours, I whisper. I ll kill him later. Yeah. That s a good plan.

What s this? He leans in, his nose almost touching mine as he twists his fingers inside me.

Yours, I whisper, out of my element completely.

His gaze searches mine. Good girl. Whatever he sees in my eyes, which has to be a plan to kill him, makes him smile. He fixes my clothing and then swivels me back around behind him.

With that, he twists the key and the engine roars to life.

My clit lights and I suck in a breath, biting my already sore lip.

It was a little swollen, and I d managed to find a soothing cream-type of lipstick.

The bites on my breasts still ache, as does my entire body.

I try to convince myself that he s just playing a game and doesn t really consider us together.

Consider me as belonging to him. I can t go around with bite marks all the time.

Or bruises. Even if they are in erotic places. We need to talk about this.

We just settled everything. Stop pushing me. If anything, he sounds bored as he opens the throttle.

When did everything get so out of my control? I wrap my arms around him and lean in, holding tight. His rain and oil scent fills my senses. I shiver.

His low chuckle echoes back on the wind.