YURI (Her Russian Protector #3) (19 page)

"I understand. He must care about you a lot to get dragged into this."

I glanced down at Yuri and smiled. "Yes, I think he does."

"I'm glad."

A gruff voice shouted in the background.

"I've got to go,
mi'ja
. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Same time?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"I love you, Lena."

"I love you, too, Dad."

The line went dead. Still clutching my phone, I let my hand drop to my lap. The crushing weight of my fear and sadness engulfed me. I didn't want to cry in front of Yuri again—I'd been
mortified
when it had happened last night—but I couldn't stop the painful sob clogging my throat.

"Kitten," Yuri whispered and dragged me down into the bed. He slid his arms around me and cradled me against his chest. "It's going to be all right. We'll track down the painting and Nikolai will help me make the arrangements to do a swap."

I nuzzled my nose against his neck and inhaled his comforting scent. "You make it sound so easy."

"I'm not going to lie to you." He wiped away the wetness clinging to my cheeks with his thumbs. "It's probably going to be a complex process, and it may take longer than either of us like but I'll get it done."

"How?" I didn't know how anyone could do what he'd promised. "Finding a hot painting like a Galán isn't going to be easy. Especially if word has gotten out that it was stolen from a Mexican drug lord!"

"I have a friend who knows everything that happens in the art world—on both sides of the law. If anyone can find this painting, it will be him."

"And then what, Yuri?" I caressed his cheek, the raspy stubble on his skin pricking my fingertips.

"And then I make an offer on the painting." He brushed hair away from my face. Our gazes met in the dim, purplish light streaming in through the balcony windows. "Once the painting is in my hands, it will be a very simple, straight-forward transaction."

I burrowed closer to his soothing heat. "I hope you're right."

"I am."

All I could think about were the ways it could all go badly. If Yuri couldn't find the painting or if the new owner refused to sell it, what would Lorenzo Guzman want? Drug lords weren't known for being the most honorable of men. What if Guzman double-crossed Yuri? What if he killed my father to send a message to other people who thought they could rob from him?

"I should have asked Tommy which fence sold them the painting in the first place. I bet Lorenzo Guzman would like to know the name of the person who originally stole it from him."

Yuri hummed with agreement. "It was probably an inside job. These kinds of things usually are."

"Like your pipeline sabotage?"

He let loose a deep sigh. "Yes."

"Did Anna ever call back last night?" After we'd made love and fallen asleep, the commotion in the hallway had started. Once Yuri had calmed me down in the bathroom, he'd carried me to bed and held me until I'd drifted off in his arms.

"If she did, I didn't hear it." He yawned and stretched an arm overhead. "I should probably get up and touch base with her."

I snuggled closer, not wanting to be away from him just yet. "But it's so early."

He laughed and placed a noisy kiss on the top of my head. "Sweetheart, this actually qualifies as sleeping in for me."

I glanced at the clock again. "Wow! And I thought I was an early riser."

"I like to get up, work out, shower, dress and have breakfast by six."

"Ugh." I threw my arm over my face. "If I stagger out of bed and down a cup of coffee by seven, I feel like a champion. If I manage to wade through a page of my social media alerts, I feel like I can conquer the world."

Chuckling, Yuri threw his leg over mine and pushed up onto his arms. He peppered ticklish kisses along the side of my neck. "Maybe I can use some positive reinforcement to convince you to move onto my schedule."

I sifted my fingers through his hair. "You're going to have to be awfully persuasive."

His sexy grin made my tummy flip-flop. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"I bet you do." I couldn't help but smile as his lips descended toward mine. The idea of waking up like this every morning was so incredibly tempting. I knew Yuri wasn't offering that—yet. Someday…

A loud snort and a whine interrupted our morning kiss. We both looked over to see Sasha sitting impatiently at the bedside. He looked rather annoyed by the sight of Yuri on top of me and made his displeasure known with a smack of his massive paw to his master's side.

"All right," Yuri said with a frustrated huff. "I'll let you out."

I sat up and enjoyed the view of Yuri's ridiculously hot body as he strode to the door to let Sasha out of the room. That was another thing I wouldn't mind waking up to see and feel pressed against me every morning.

"I'm going to have to rethink Sasha's sleeping arrangements."

I giggled as Yuri slid back into bed with me. Just when he started to kiss me, his phone rang. Groaning, he kissed me hard and deep before shoving out of bed again and grabbing the black phone rattling across the bedside table. He answered a bit gruffly and instantly started speaking Russian. I had a feeling it was Anna and whatever she was telling him was something he didn't want to hear.

Certain that our amorous moment had just been tanked, I climbed out of bed, grabbed my overnight bag and made my way to the bathroom. The walk-in shower with its gorgeous aqua blue and turquoise glass tile beckoned me. The showerheads mounted in the ceiling and the walls provided such a luxurious experience. It was like showering in a warm rainfall.

I used my travel kit of toiletries to scrub and shave. I took my time, hoping Yuri would join me for another shower like the one we'd shared at my place, but eventually there was nothing else for me to do. I was stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around me when Yuri finally entered the bathroom.

"Take off the towel."

My surprised gaze flicked to his face. That hungry, intense gaze made me break out in goose bumps. I unwrapped the towel and bared my damp body to him. "Now what?"

"Go about your morning routine. I don't have time to properly make love to you this morning but I'm damn sure going to enjoy the view while you get dressed."

"Really?" I had to laugh at his request. "You want to watch me moisturize and put on my makeup and style my hair?"

"Very much," he said before dropping a kiss right on the sensitive spot where my neck curved into my shoulder. "There's a hair dryer in that drawer, if you need it."

"Thanks."

Feeling a little self-conscious, I started my normal after-shower routine. I could feel Yuri's gaze following me as he showered. Emboldened by his obvious desire for me, I embraced my inner sex kitten as I slathered on my favorite lotion. I caught him staring at my bottom as I rubbed the thick lightly-scented cream into my legs.

"Tomorrow I'm helping you with that," Yuri announced as he stepped out of the shower and fastened a towel around his waist. "If anyone is going to rub their hands all over you, it should be me."

As I shimmied into my panties, I laughed but accepted his offer. "Deal."

Standing side-by-side at the double sinks, we brushed our teeth. While I worked moisturizer into my face, Yuri started to shave. As I applied my makeup, I kept stopping to watch him methodically scraping the razor over his skin.

"What?" He shot me an amused smile. "You've never watched a man shave?"

"No."

"Not even your father? I thought that was something little girls did. Watch their father's shave."

I shook my head. "My dad actually had a pretty crazy beard when I was younger. He only went for the clean-shaven look when I was, like, fifteen or sixteen."

Yuri swished his razor around in the sink of water he'd prepared and then held it out to me. "Here."

My eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"I don't know. What if I nick you?"

He glanced at my legs. "You didn't cut your legs while shaving in the shower. That's infinitely more difficult that standing here at the sink and shaving my face."

He had a point. Intrigued by the offer, I moved closer and accepted the razor. Yuri grasped me by the waist and placed me on the marble counter. It put me at a comfortable height to shave him. I studied his foamy face and tried to figure out how to begin.

"Start here." Yuri touched the spot where he'd last swiped. "Hold the skin taut for the closest shave."

Feeling a little nervous, I did as instructed and dragged the razor across his skin. I expected him to jump or shout with pain at any moment but he held incredibly still until I'd finished my first pass. As I rinsed the razor in the hot water, he gave me another set of directions.

"A little more pressure this time and a bit faster," he suggested. "Do this piece again. Run your fingers over it to make sure it's smooth."

With a nod, I tried again, following his directions to the letter. While I rinsed the razor a second time, Yuri checked the patch I'd shaved and smiled approvingly. "Very good."

Renewed with confidence, I continued to shave his handsome face. There was something oddly soothing about sharing this morning ritual with him. The trust he'd put in my hands spoke volumes. I very carefully shaved around his mouth, holding my breath as I drew the razor across his skin as steadily as possible. His neck was easier and less nerve-wracking.

As I wiped away the traces of shaving cream with a damp wash cloth, I ran my fingers over his skin to ensure it was nice and smooth. "What do you think?"

"That I've found the perfect job for you every morning. What do you say?"

"Well, I guess I am technically your personal assistant."

"And what's more personal than shaving a man?"

"I suppose there isn't much that would qualify."

"Exactly." After kissing me, he lifted me off the counter and set me on my feet. All the playfulness fled his demeanor as he finished up his morning routine. "Listen, you shouldn't talk about this mess with your father to anyone."

I glanced at him with surprise. "I don't want to worry Benny but I can't keep this from Erin or Vivian."

He frowned. "Why don't you want to worry Benny?"

It suddenly occurred to me that Dimitri hadn't told him about Benny's condition. Playing it off, I shrugged. "She has a lot going on with the launch of the bakery. I wouldn't want her to stress out over me."

Yuri narrowed his eyes. I could tell he didn't believe me but he didn't push for the truth. "I suppose you can tell Vivian and Erin. I'm sure Ivan will have heard and I know Nikolai will likely put an armed guard on Vivian, just in case." He snapped the lid back onto his antiperspirant. "Which reminds me—you'll be taking Jake or Derek with you from this point forward."

"What? No! I don't need a bodyguard."

Yuri fixed me with one of his no-nonsense stares. "This isn't up for discussion. You will take a bodyguard or you won't leave this house."

"Look, I agreed to work for you but that doesn't mean you can order me around, Yuri."

"With me," he corrected. "You're working
with
me, Lena. And I'm not trying to order you around because you're an employee. I'm trying to keep you safe. After what happened last night, I absolutely cannot allow you to go anywhere alone. Now that the cartel knows I'm willing to go to bat for your father, they're going to realize how incredibly important you are to me. They'll see dollar signs."

My gut clenched painfully. "You think they'd kidnap me?"

"It wouldn't be the first time those monsters tried something like that. They're already holding your father hostage. They know I'd move heaven and earth to get you back."

He said it so easily. I was reminded of what he'd said last night about proving that he would always be there for me. He meant every word he said—and it scared me. The very thought of giving into the hope he inspired frightened me. I knew how badly it hurt when my father broke a promise. My soul would be crushed if Yuri hurt me.

But a wisp of bravery invaded my chest and wound its way around my heart. I would never know if Yuri was all the things he promised if I didn't give him a chance. If he proved me wrong, I'd be the happiest girl in the whole world. If he proved me right and shattered my trust in him, I'd probably never crawl out of bed again.

"All right, Yuri. I'll do what you've asked. I'll take the bodyguard."

He visibly relaxed. Taking a step toward me, he opened his arms. I slid into his warm embrace and enjoyed the feel of his strong arms wrapped around me. "Thank you for not fighting me on this. I only want to keep you safe."

"I know." Looking up at him, I asked, "How the hell am I supposed to go about my day pretending nothing has happened?"

Yuri cupped my face and traced my mouth with his thumb. "Do you remember yesterday when we talked about feeling like frauds? About wearing masks and faking it to fit in?"