Dark Desire by Lauren Smith (an ebook reader txt) 📗

a little worried that there were no signs of life anywhere. It was barren. Beautiful, but barren.

“It will be fine, kiska. You are with me.”

“So not only are you an actual mystery man, you also are a wilderness survivor type?” She was only half joking.

“Yes and no. I can promise you we will be fine, but we won’t be out in the wild—at least, not the way you think.”

She sat back, arms crossed. “Russians and their riddles . . .”

He laughed. “See, we are already here.” In the distance, beside a lazy brown river, was a large lodge, a smaller building, and a huge set of solar panels.

“This is the base camp adventure lodge. I booked the entire building, all seven bedrooms, just for us. It isn’t fancy, but it’s well above a tent on a patch of hard rock.”

“You had me at lodge.” She relaxed as he parked the Range Rover in front of the building. A man in his late fifties came out to meet them.

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?”

“That’s us,” Dimitri said in that perfect American TV accent.

“Congrats on your wedding. This is a perfect place to have a honeymoon. The skies will be clear tonight, and the stars will be magnificent. I left you some directions on the kitchen table as to where the best stargazing spots are.” He shook Dimitri’s hand. “Name’s Walter. If you need anything while you’re here, just use the walkie-talkie. Channel 8.”

“Thank you,” Dimitri said, then turned to Elena. “Honey, I’ll get our bags. You go on inside.”

That American accent made her shiver, but not in a good way. He so easily morphed into a man who wasn’t him. Did she even know the real Dimitri? There was still a lot she didn’t know. While they were here, she was determined to find out as much about him as she could.

She stepped into the lodge and was definitely pleased with what she saw. There was heat, which was crucial given that it was winter. They were lucky they didn’t have any snow on the ground yet. Plus, there was electricity and indoor plumbing—all the hallmarks of civilization and what she needed to function. The bedrooms were all cozy and cute. She chose the master bedroom, which had a queen-size bed. If Dimitri kept his promise, they would be sleeping nice and snug together in that bed. She stared at it, imagining being held close in his arms.

“Well, kiska, what do you think?” Dimitri’s Russian accent was back.

“So we’re the Smiths?”

He nodded. “For today.”

“You do realize that Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a movie about a couple of spies on opposites sides who married each other? You’re not exactly disproving my theory that you’re some kind of spy.”

Dimitri grinned and pulled her body back against his. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the shell of her ear.

“Be a good kiska and I will show you what I am tonight.”

The way he spoke, teasing her to be a good kitten, sent shivers of desire through her so strong that she almost gasped. Being with him had made it so easy to find the old Elena, the one who had craved passion and romance. The one who’d wanted to find a Dom of her very own someday. She had spent two months believing that Elena was dead, but she wasn’t. It was as though part of her had been trapped in a deep slumber, like Snow White frozen beneath a glass coffin. Now, after Dimitri’s kiss, she was coming back to life. She closed her eyes and embraced the heady sensation of his mouth as it explored her neck.

“How does one become a good kiska?” she asked between sighs.

“A good kiska will eat dinner with me and then sit beneath the stars . . . After that, she will tell me one fantasy she’s had about sex.”

“Just one?” She was somewhat disappointed at the thought of only sharing one fantasy with him.

“For tonight.” He nibbled her earlobe and she moaned, helpless to stop the wetness growing between her thighs.

For the first time in what felt like forever, her fantasies seemed like just that, a beautiful fantasy and not a distorted nightmare that would leave her screaming herself hoarse.

“Now, if you want to shower, go ahead. I will prepare dinner.”

“What are we having?”

He trailed a fingertip down the length of her nose. “It’s a surprise.”

Her heart swelled with a flood of warmth that was too wonderful to name.

He left her alone and headed toward the kitchen. Elena sank onto the bed and took a few deep breaths. Ever since the attack in Malibu, she had been coiled tight like a spring, almost crushed to the point where she might snap rather than spring back. But now they were far away from that house and the dead body. They were in a state park, with their path almost untraceable—at least she hoped it was. Dimitri seemed to have relaxed as well, and that made her feel even more safe. They had escaped. They were on the run, yes, but it was okay, at least for now, and now was all she could focus on.

After she freshened up in the shower and changed into some warm clothes, she followed the delicious smells to the kitchen. Dimitri was removing something from the oven, and she had a moment to admire his backside in the jeans he wore. He had donned a fisherman’s sweater and now looked like he belonged in Maine. The thought of him looking so like he belonged where she’d grown up made something stir inside her.

A deep longing for a quiet life by the sea washed over her, with endless sunsets on a rocking sailboat, or snowy winters and warm fires. It was a life she’d never truly considered before. She’d been so focused on exploring the world, but in just a few months, all of that had changed. She’d changed. Elena wanted what her parents had. She wanted a future with Dimitri. That realization stunned her. It took