Page 31 of Russian Roulette

“It was our only choice,” he says, his voice full of regret. “If it’s any consolation, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea either.”

“There are always alternatives.” I walk across the room to examine the vast, empty closet. A door on the opposite of the room leads to an expansive bathroom featuring a walk-in shower and a freestanding tub. The bathroom is adorned with white marble tiles and includes a sizable double sink.

“I hope you’ll find this comfortable,” he says, poking his head into the bathroom for a last-minute check. “There are plenty of clean towels and toiletries. I’ll go search for the clothes while you take a shower.”

“Thanks,” I respond, already heading into the luxurious bathroom. A state-of-the-art shower, featuring clear glass doors on three sides, claims one corner. Inside the shower, a tiled wall is equipped with various buttons for regulating water pressure and temperature.

I reach in to adjust the spray, then shed my dirty clothes. As I stand under the soothing spray, I spot multiple body jets along the walls. Eager to test them, I press a button, only to yelp when a sharp stream of icy water hits my ass.

The shower also contains a built-in marble bench. I suppose it’s meant to sit on while showering. After spending a few minutes with Kit, I can imagine much more thrilling activities to do on a bench in a shower than use it to shave my legs.

Closing my eyes, I step under the rainfall shower head and let the stress of the last few days wash away.

15

KIT

After showing Jade to her room, I walk to the spare room where Seven sleeps when he’s here. I can tell Jade thinks it’s weird how the guys have their own space at my house. I tried to explain our relationship without going into personal details. It would be impossible to put into mere words the bond between myself, Vulcan and Seven. We’re a family of misfits, brought together by a common enemy and similar backgrounds.

I quickly flip through Seven’s closet for something Jade might wear. Seven’s style of clothes differs vastly from mine or Vulcan’s. He prefers stylish tailored suits, expensive ties, dark blazers and button-down shirts, whereas we stick to faded jeans and T-shirts. When I don’t find anything in his closet, I head to his dresser drawers, where he’s stacked piles of meticulously folded clothes.

I discover a pair of sweatpants that might work. I hold them up and check the size. They’re still too big. Hopefully, she can pull the drawstring tight and roll up the legs if they’re too long. I swing by my room to grab one of my favorite shirts.

I hesitate at the closed door to the guest room. Knocking softly, I call out. “Jade! Are you still in the shower? I have clean clothes for you.” She doesn’t answer and I knock again, louder this time. “Hey! Is everything okay in there? Can I get you anything?” Still no answer.

I’m an idiot.

Did she sneak out already? I lied when I told her the tigers roam loose around the property. What kind of irresponsible person would I be to let dangerous animals run around outside where anyone could accidentally come into contact with them? If the tigers hurt anyone, then they would be the ones to go into quarantine for thirty days and put through hell. Not the human. I only lied to keep her indoors.

I’ll be furious if she’s snuck out. Angry now, I shove open the door to her room in a rush, expecting to find it empty. What I glimpse makes me stop and suck in a sharp breath.

She left the door to the bathroom wide open. When I catch sight of her naked body behind the clear shower doors, my feet refuse to turn and walk away. All I can do is stand there completely mesmerized and watch as she slowly soaps her heavy breasts and between her legs; all the places I will pleasure with my tongue if I ever get the chance.

My reaction to the sight of her is immediate and overwhelming, my erection so painfully hard I’m afraid I might explode. I’d wanted her the moment I slid into the car beside her yesterday, and her sweet scent overwhelmed my senses. It was all I could do at the time to keep my hands to myself with her body squeezed close to mine. Watching Vulcan’s hand casually stroking her leg burned me up inside. The car ride out to his RV was absolute torture, with her body so close, yet unattainable.

It killed me to leave her behind with him. Finding out he spent the night curled up in a sleeping bag with her has been eating at me ever since she blurted it out. There’s no doubt this woman brings out my animalistic, primal streak. It’s a good thing she doesn’t realize the effect she has on me.

She has a sharp wit that turns me on, along with that curvy body of hers. Not to mention her full breasts and lush hips that fill out a pair of jeans perfectly. I would love to cup her ass and pull her tight against me, with her head barely reaching my chest.

When she steps out of the shower and reaches for a towel, it takes every bit of self-control I possess to not rip it from her body, bend her over the bathroom counter, and take her from behind.

I’m afraid to move or even breathe, not wanting to do anything to break this fantasy playing out in front of me.

16

JADE

After a long, hot shower, I’m feeling much better and more in control again. I step out of the shower and reach for the thick, plush towel hanging on the rack.

I’m impressed by Kit’s thoughtfulness. He’s furnished the guest room with everything I might need as far as toiletries go…shampoo, conditioner, a blow dryer and a variety of expensive lotions. I reach for a smaller towel to wipe the steam from the mirror and let out a loud yelp. “Kit! You scared me! How long have you been there watching me?”

Kit is standing outside the open doorway, gazing at me with narrowed eyes. He appears to have been there for a while. I could’ve sworn I locked the bedroom door before I stepped into the shower. It’s possible I forgot, since I was in a hurry to get under the hot spray and wash away the grime of the desert.

Why didn’t I hear him? Has he been standing there the whole time, watching me through the shower doors without saying one word? I wrap the towel around my body and tightly tuck in the ends. There’s probably no reason to rush covering up my body, since he’s already ogled the goods.

“Sorry,” he says, clearly not sorry, or he’d be gone. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I called out several times and knocked. When you didn’t answer, I assumed you had tried to make a run for it. I’m glad you’re still here. I would hate to pull pieces of you out of a tiger’s mouth. Once Puffin gets a hold of something, she never wants to let go. She’s like a dog with a bone, except a thousand times worse and stronger.”

I arch my eyebrows at him. “You expect me to believe that? Once you realized I was in the shower, you could’ve said something. Stop trying to make excuses for being a Peeping Tom.”