YURI (Her Russian Protector #3) (13 page)

His lips pursed as he leaned over for a better look at my screen. "Clearly."

I laughed and considered the dancer. The low-slung leather pants hugged his spectacular ass so nicely. "Don't be jealous."

"There's a lot I'm willing to do for you but wearing leather pants isn't one of them."

I giggled and finished typing in the last caption on my photos. Switching to Twitter, I came up with a few quick lines including the night's specials at each club and set them to post throughout the evening.

"Will you get paid for those?"

I shook my head. "I don't have any kind of understanding with the places I visited last night. I'm pretty sure Ty gets paid to promo most of the gay hotspots in town. I wouldn't cut in on his action."

"Not even after he dragged you out and let you get drunk and take all those wild pictures?"

My gaze flicked to Yuri's face. "He was trying to be a good friend by helping me forget how craptastic I felt last night. Things just went a little too far."

"A little? You drunk-dialed me and ended up dancing on a bar sandwiched between two men sweaty, half-naked men."

"Are you really going to sit there and chastise me? What am I? Five?"

He glanced toward the window. I watched his jaw tensing and relaxing. "I don't want lecture you but you put yourself at risk last night. If Vivian and Nikolai hadn't found you and brought you home, you could have been hurt."

I wasn't sure what annoyed me more. That he was giving me a verbal hand-slap for being a bad girl or that he was right about the precarious position I'd been in last night. Annoyed, I crossed my arms. "Yeah, well, we all make mistakes."

His warm hand grasped mine and his serious, somber gaze searched my face. "You have to be more careful, Lena. When you're with me, it's complicated. There are people out there who would see you as a target for all types of schemes. If you want to go out and have fun, go out—but do it at Faze where I know Big V or Kelly will keep an eye on you or let me arrange a bodyguard to keep you safe."

My eyes widened. "A bodyguard? Yuri, come on! Nobody is going to bother me. I don't have anything they could possibly want."

"You are important to me. People will look at you and see dollar signs. It's an ugly fact that goes along with dating me."

I heard the regret in his voice and placed my other hand over his. "That's okay. I'm willing to deal with it."

Smiling, he lifted my hands and kissed my knuckles. Hand in hand, we rode the rest of the way in silence. When we pulled through a gated entry, I got my first clue that this was an incredibly exclusive enclave. Ivan and Erin lived in a fabulous gated community but this place? Holy hell. It was jaw-dropping.

The huge mansions were set far back from the main road and accessible down private roads. Most were hidden by lush trees but a few had visible facades. We turned down a paved road and drove almost two minutes before I got my first look at Yuri's home.

My jaw dropped. The place was massive. "Jesus, Yuri. Do you think you have enough space in that museum?"

He looked chagrined. "It's a little bigger than I'd initially planned."

"I don't even want to imagine what your electricity bill is like in the summer!"

"After seeing Vivian's sticky notes on all the light switches, I'm tempted to invite her over to let her label all of mine too. I bet I could cut twenty percent off my bill if I could get my staff to turn off lights when they leave a room."

Considering the size of the house, a twenty percent cutback would probably be more money than I earned in an entire month. "Do you have a large staff?"

"I haven't hired a full staff yet. There's only Feodor at the house full-time."

"Feodor?"

"He's an older man that I've known since I was a boy. He used to run my Moscow house. I don't spend much time there anymore so I brought him here to take care of this new place. Other than Feodor, there are the bodyguards who live there full-time. Tony and a couple of other drivers on contract come by every morning. I also have a handful of housekeepers and landscapers on contract with a staffing company. Eventually, I need to find the time to sit down and find permanent staff."

"So you're not living here all the time?"

He shook his head. "When I'm in Houston, I spend most of my time at the penthouse downtown. It's centrally located to my business interests and closer to the airport if I need to leave at a moment's notice."

Hoping I didn't sound too pathetic, I asked, "How often are you in Houston?"

"Typically? Three weeks out of the month. I travel to London and then Moscow the first week of every month to handle business affairs there."

"Oh."

"We'll make it work." He brushed a few wisps of hair from my eyes. The intimate touch made my tummy swoop. "You could always come with me."

I started to turn him down by reminding him that I had to work but then I remembered that I no longer had a job. Other than keeping my blog and social media platform active for the advertising money, I had nothing going for me. "That's a tempting offer."

"Have you ever been to London?"

I shook my head. "That farthest I've traveled is New York on the east coast and Seattle on the west coast."

"Do you have a passport?" When I nodded, he smiled and gave my hand a quick squeeze. "Then you will come with me next week."

Taken aback, I hurriedly protested, "Yuri, I can't just drop everything and fly to London. I mean—that's
expensive
."

His fingertip touched my lips, silencing me gently. "It's my treat."

I tugged his finger away from my mouth. "I don't want this to be a pattern. It's one thing if you buy dinner or take care of the tab for a date but paying for me to travel? It makes me feel…conflicted."

"Why?" He seemed genuinely confused. "It's my money. Why shouldn't I spend it on trips we would enjoy?"

I rubbed my face and tried to find the right way to explain things. "Look, I've
always
paid my own way. Once I turned eighteen, I stopped letting my dad pay for things too. Every single hour of class and every penny of my rent and living expenses have come out of my pocket since then."

His strong fingers curved along my cheek. "And I respect that. I respect the hell out of you for everything you've accomplished and for doing it on your own terms." He nuzzled my neck and peppered ticklish kisses along my sensitive skin. "Let me spoil you, Lena."

How could I say no to that? As if sensing my capitulation, Yuri claimed my mouth in a teasing kiss. He caressed my belly through the thin fabric of my shirt. His whispered words buffeted my ear. "Say yes, Kitten. Say that you'll let me spoil you the way you deserve."

My gaze flitted to his. If any other man had offered such a thing, I would have demanded the car stop and climbed out on the side of the road. Yuri's offer came with no strings-attached. He wasn't going to use his money to control me. It occurred to me that he took great pleasure in doing outrageously expensive things for the people he cared about—and I was one of them.

"Yes."

"Good girl." He kissed me long and hard, his tongue darting into my mouth and dancing with mine. Our tender, sensual moment was interrupted by the car rolling to a stop. Reluctantly, he broke our kiss. A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. "There's something I should tell you before we go inside."

My gut clenched. "What is it?"

"I have a dog."

I blinked. "Um—okay."

"No, you don't understand. Sasha is—well—he's big. He was bred to be my four-legged bodyguard. I haven't ever introduced him to a girlfriend so I'm not sure how he's going to react. He's incredibly protective of me so he may be a bit…testy. He barely tolerates Jake and Derek and he hates Nikolai and Ivan. The only people he hasn't tried to bite are Feodor and Dimitri. If I think he can't handle your presence in the house, I'll have him put in his kennel."

Anxiety raced through me. "Maybe I should just stay in the car."

"It's better for him to meet you now. I want him to grow accustomed to you."

Putting an end to the discussion, Yuri opened his door. A moment later, the door on my side opened. Jake offered his hand and helped me out of the backseat. After showing him some hospitality, he'd been nothing but smiles and sweetness with me. "I take it the boss told you about the hell hound?"

His description of Yuri's dog had me glancing nervously at the front door. Yuri held out his hand and I hesitated before walking around the car to join him. He brushed his knuckles across my cheek. "Don't listen to Jake. He's just teasing you."

Looking back at Jake, I wasn't so sure. He didn’t look like he was teasing.

With a gentle tug, he led me up the front steps to his door. Before Yuri could grasp the handle, it opened to reveal an elderly man. He didn't seem the least bit surprised to see me standing with Yuri. With a broad smile, he stepped aside. "Welcome home, sir."

Yuri started to make introductions but the most terrifying bark tore through the house. My eyes widened in a panic at the deep, shockingly loud woof. I heard the thumping footfalls on the gleaming hardwood floors before the great beast came into view. Gasping, I stepped back and nearly lost my balance. Only Yuri's tight grip on my wrist kept me from falling.

"Stand still." I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or Feodor because we were both trying to bolt.

Stepping forward, Yuri bellowed at the dog in Russian. His short, sharp commands brought the bear-sized beast to a sliding stop. The dog plopped his big bottom down and sat perfectly still. The ferocious looking monster was almost eye-to-eye with me even sitting.

Keeping me in full view of Sasha, Yuri moved closer to his guard dog and ruffled the spot between its ears. The dog whined and licked his jowls as Yuri spoke softly. I couldn't understand a word he was saying but I prayed it was something along the lines of
don't eat my girlfriend
.

"Lena, come here. It's time for you to meet Sasha." Yuri held out his hand.

I gawked at him and shook my head. "No, thank you."

"Lena." He spoke sternly and wiggled his fingers. Not wanting to look like a total wimp in front of everyone, I mustered my courage and took a tiny step toward him. When I placed my palm against his, he pulled me even closer. Holding my hand, he guided me toward the dog's head. I cringed as the soft fur touched my fingertips but didn't dare jerk back. I didn't want the beast to misinterpret any quick movements.

When the dog pushed against my petting hand, I held my breath.
Please don't eat me
.

Instead, the dog whined and made a happy sound as he nuzzled my stomach and rubbed his huge head all over me. Realizing the dog wasn't going to bite my hand off, I relaxed and continued to gently pet him. "Hello, Sasha."

The dog lifted up its massive paw and smacked my arm. I gripped his paw for a quick shake and let it drop. When I tried to stop petting him, he pushed against me again, the force of it enough to make me stumble backward. After communicating his desire for me to continue, I didn't dare stop.

"I think he likes me." I smiled at Yuri, my grin one of pure relief and amusement.

"Likes you?" Yuri studied his dog. "I think he's smitten. I've never seen him take to anyone so quickly."

Scratching behind both ears, I said, "You just have very good taste, don't you, Sasha?"

Chuckling, Yuri snapped his fingers and gave the dog an order. Sasha hurried to comply and moved to his master's right side. Yuri slid an arm around my waist. "Come. Let me show you the house."

I glanced back at the car. "My bag—"

"I'll handle it, Miss Cruz," Feodor assured me.

"It's Lena." I extended my hand and shook his, noting the subtle signs of arthritis in his swollen knuckles. "And thank you."

At Yuri's side, I got the grand tour of the place. As he pointed out the architectural details here and there, I realized how much of himself he'd put into building the place. I saw such excitement in his eyes as he showed me the fireplace he'd reclaimed from a Russian dacha and the limestone he'd chosen from a Texas quarry.

"You look bemused, Lena." He leaned against the door frame of the sumptuous library and watched me as I ran my fingers along the deep but empty shelves. "Is the house not to your liking?"

"It's beautiful, Yuri."

"But?" He shot me a teasing smile. "You look as if you expected something different."

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Okay. I did," I finally admitted. "You know how these mega mansions can be with their gold leaf and more marble than a mausoleum. They're often rather gauche."

He feigned offense by touching his chest. "Me? Gauche?"

"No," I said with a laugh. "Pretentious? Yes."

"Ouch!" He chuckled at my playful barb. "Since you haven't seen the upstairs, I think you should reserve your judgment on that account."

"Why? Is your bed made of pure gold?"

His eyes darkened with need. "You'll have to wait and see."