Page 18 of Cherished By the BRATVA Grump

At some point in the evening, I fell asleep. Now I’m curled up against Demyan’s side, wrapped in a blanket.

He sites.

“Good morning,” he says.

“Morning. I can’t believe we slept right through the night,” I say.

“I’ve not slept properly for days. I feel like a whole new human.”

I pull away from where I seem to have perfectly slotted under his arm and look at him. His hair is mussed, his stubble is darker, but his eyes are sharp and focused.

“How do you do that? Wake up and become instantly alert?” I grab the bottle of water that he gave me last night and down what’s left of it.

“Nature of my job, I suppose,” he says. “Have to be ready to go at a moment's notice.”

I nod, pulling my clothes straight and adjusting the underwire in my bra.

“I can’t believe I ended up staying over. That wasn’t my intention.”

He just lifts a brow at that. “Does it matter?”

I think about it. Does it matter? Probably not in the grand scheme of things but I feel like I should be mad at myself about it. When the annoyance, or anger, doesn’t arrive, I shrug. “I suppose not.”

“I’ll order us some breakfast,” he says. “What do you like?”

“I normally just have fruit and yogurt for breakfast. Can I use your bathroom please?”

He nods towards the hallway “Second door on the left.”

The bathroom is like a hotel bathroom. Clean tiles and nothing out of place. It’s weird, especially when I compare it to the tiny bathroom I shared on the boat with Kelly. We had make-up and toiletries everywhere.

I wash my face with cold water and search for a tube of toothpaste, finding it in a drawer I found by accident. I rub a small amount over my teeth and then swill some water around my mouth. It’s the best I can do. My hair is easy enough to handle with the hair tie from around my wrist.

“Breakfast foods are on their way,” Demyan says when I make my way back through to the living room.

“Thank you,” I say. Embarrassment creeps over me for some reason.

He just nods and disappears down the hall.

Less than fifteen minutes later there’s a knock at the door and I answer it to a delivery guy holding up a bag of groceries. Demyan appears as I carry it through to the kitchen.

“Can I ask you something?” I say while emptying the contents over the island counter.

Demyan is measuring coffee into a small machine. He has changed his clothes and somehow the more casual jeans and T-shirt make him look hotter. “Yeah.”

“Sammie said you asked Eduard to move you somewhere else. Why?”

He looks at me briefly before returning his attention to the coffee pot. “You told me to leave.”

“I meant my house, Demyan, not the city.”

He finishes pouring water into the machine and then flicks the switch before turning to me.

“You know how people behave according to two main feelings?” he asks.

“No,” I admit. I don’t know what you mean.”

“Well, humans are emotional creatures. WE all have feelings that then influence everything else we do. The two main feelings that everything else comes from are love and fear.”