Skimming her taut nipples, slipping across her inner thigh, she imagined them beside the tub, massaging her with strong hands that only ever touched her gently.
Self-pleasure had been erratic before the drugs left her system. Galina touched herself often in this cabin – more than all her life combined.
Always, there were two faces she imagined clearly.
Smoothing her hand over her slick folds, she sighed softly. Sensations shimmered over her so quickly it made her moan.
One hand plumped her breast, her fingers pinching her nipple, as the other slid through the slit of her body to caress the little bundle of nerves she’d fully discovered in the past months.
She wished the hands on her body were theirs…that they were touching her, kissing her, and showing her all the things she wanted to know.
Instead, she pretended they were beside her, imagined their voices whispering what they wanted her to do, and climaxed less than a minute later with a whimper.
Galina didn’t know how other people felt when they experienced an orgasm but hers seemed to last forever when Wade and Knox were in her head.
For a long time, she soaked, not rushing the afterglow. Not thinking about the fact that she would never, could never choose between them.
Too soon, she’d return to a reality where a strange loneliness presented itself more than ever before.
* * *
A short nap in the tub after pleasure was exactly what she needed. Stretching, she climbed from the water and took her time drying and moisturizing her skin.
Choosing a simple bra and panty set, she decided on a soft t-shirt and low-hung jeans. Quickly blow-drying her hair, she spritzed a bit of Happy on her wrist and neck.
“That’ll do, diva,” she told her reflection.
Grabbing the small basket she used for laundry, she opened her bedroom door quickly and backed through it.
Turning as she closed it behind her, she ran into Wade with a small scream. She tripped and he caught her easily, bending her over his arm. Knox caught her basket. They stared down at her with broad smiles.
Every nerve she possessed shot to life.
“You guys have great reflexes.”
He planted a light kiss on her lips before putting her on her feet. He kept his arm around her waist as Knox bent to kiss her as well.
Moving a strand of her hair away from her cheek, he said quietly, “You smell incredible.”
Flustered and affected, she was unable to hide it fully.
Ana said from the kitchen, “You look so relaxed, Galina. The soak did you good, I think.”
The memory of touching herself – while fantasy images of the friends kept her company – made her blush brightly as she shakily took her basket from Knox’s hands.
“Yes. I-I’m very relaxed.” The men shared a look before focusing on her face again with expressions she couldn’t decipher but made her lower belly tighten. It was as if they knew what she did and her blush intensified. “C-coffee?”
“We’ve been here a while. Ana plied us with coffee and cinnamon rolls.” Wade bent close to her neck. “He’s right. You smell incredible.”
“Uh…thanks.” She moved from between them and walked to the little washer/dryer combo to start her load. Their gazes on her back were tangible and she tried to maintain her calm.
In Russian, Ana told her, “You look more relaxed than a simple soak could provide, niece.”
“Ana!”
Starting the machine, she poured herself coffee and leaned against the counter as she sipped it. Wade and Knox sat at the dining table and ate more cinnamon rolls.
Grateful she could conceal how she trembled, she asked, “What are the plans for today?”
“A loaded question, little one.” Smoothing her hair, her aunt added, “They’re hunting their desired prey.”
Schooling her features as Ana said such things in another language made Galina question her supposedly horrid acting. Clearly, she was underestimated.
Wade said cheerfully, “I thought we could grill and maybe watch movies.”
“We marinated some gorgeous ribs last night. You both take such great care of us. It’s the least we can do.”
“That sounds amazing. I’ll bring the cheesecake I made. We’ll top it with drunken cherries.”
They laughed warmly and the blonde man said, “We’ll fight over that…I call dibs on leftovers.”
To completely rattle her niece, Ana whispered, “Have no fear, Galina. They’ll share you far more willingly than cake.”
Hissing, she shot back, “Men don’t do that. They’re too territorial by nature.” With a tight smile, she added in English, “Sounds like a perfect day and the cheesecake is huge.”
Wade winked. “We pretend to do battle over sweets but really, we’re just gluttons. Fortunately, there’s always more cake.”
Her aunt tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as she stared at the friends. Galina turned to wash her cup and cover the rolls.
Behind her, Ana told her, “They’ve been friends a long time. Been through combat together. They both want you so they’ll make it work. I have no doubts.”
“I’m getting a headache, Ana. English.”
Taking the cheesecake from the refrigerator and a jar of pitted cherries from the pantry, she announced with more calm than she felt, “Ready when you are.”
Chapter Nineteen
Galina locked up and they hiked down the mountain.
They grilled ribs and the friends showed their talent for baking potatoes. As usual, they talked and laughed throughout the meal. Especially when Ana regaled them with nun stories.
After lunch, they cleaned up but it wasn’t a chore. Wade and Knox made everything fun. They made her feel fun.
Life spent as an automaton meant fun was a rare commodity.
They played pool and realized Ana could have made a living as a pool shark. She told them the sisters played often in their rec room at the convent.
“I learned to play in Russia…long before I became a nun.”
“You’re different than what I pictured. What made you decide to choose this life?” Wade asked with a grin.
Returning to the kitchen, Galina poured her another glass of wine and they all sat on the ridiculously comfortable sofa to hear a story she’d heard a dozen times but never got old.
“When Svetlana and I were little, our father died and our mother struggled to keep food on the table.” She sipped her wine. “Things were not easy in St. Petersburg. Many were hungry and cold. Mama was desperate.”
Reaching out, she smoothed her hand over Galina’s hair. “Martina was a stunning beauty. You look just like her.”
She returned her gaze to the two men. “Men wanted her much as men want my niece. As a thing to be possessed. In Mama’s case, she had few choices. I never thought badly of her for using the only thing she had of value to protect us. She became the mistress of a local crime boss.”
Shaking her head, she took another long pull of her wine. “The man lusted after her to distraction. Vasili was a big man. Very strong. For years, he visited the home he bought her and she made us hide before he came. We climbed into the attic and waited for him to finish.” She closed her eyes with a sigh.
“Always, always she cried after. She spoke about our father, her love for him, and that she didn’t want the same life for us.”
Galina reached out to hold her hand.
“At seventeen, Svetlana was as beautiful as our mother. I stood in her shadow as the plainer sister but preferred the peace it gave me. Beauty only ever brought grief to Martina.”
Leaning forward, she gave them a sly smile. “She wanted us out of Russia. Willing to do anything to achieve it, she attended a party with Vasili filled with rich American men he wished to impress. Many offered to buy her but he refused. One man approached and made her laugh with his sarcastic commentary about the other guests.”
“Jacob West,” Knox guessed.
Ana inclined
her head. “None other. He was wealthy, good-looking, and in his early thirties – only a few years younger than Mama. My mother invited him for tea.”
“To meet her daughter,” Wade murmured.
She nodded. “One look at Svetlana and he was lost. She knew her power and wielded it with precision. In a week, she had him wrapped around her finger. He returned to America but came back when she wrote to say she carried his child.”
A tear slipped over her cheek and Galina leaned close to hug her. “It’s alright, Ana.”
“Vasili came unexpectedly and found Jacob in the house. We were packing our things. In all his time with our mother, he’d never seen Svetlana. He was livid that such a treasure was hidden from him, being snatched away to America.”
A pained expression crossed her face. “Even I could have turned him a profit, he said. He screamed at Mama that she betrayed him. Everything happened so fast. H-he snapped her neck, stepped over her body, and told us to get out.”
“Jesus,” Wade breathed. Knox’s hands curled into fists.
“Jacob was too powerful for Vasili to touch but he made sure we carried the memory with us.” She exhaled roughly. “We’ve never returned to Russia.”
She drank the rest of her wine. “Mama’s courage gave us Galina and for that, I’m grateful.”
“I’m grateful for you, Ana.”
The older woman kissed her cheek. “I had no place in Seattle. After Galina was born, Svetlana quickly spun out of control. She concealed my existence and started to resent my presence. The more I tried to reason with her, the angrier she became.” She raked her fingers through her shaggy blond hair.
“I moved to New York and volunteered to help Russian immigrants settle into their new lives. I met a man and fell deeply in love. He was a priest.” She rubbed her hand over her heart. “I decided if he could sacrifice, so could I. I became a nun to balance the scales just a little in the favor of good.”
After refilling their drinks, Galina sat beside her aunt again. “Ana was allowed limited visits with me, usually supervised by my mother. My father always liked her and never kept her from me.” Glancing at the friends, she added, “I think he’d like you.”
Ana said, “Jacob would like how they treat you, little one. He controls Svetlana in many ways but he doesn’t disrespect her.”
It was the middle of the afternoon when they settled in to watch a movie. Galina found herself positioned between the two men on the enormous sectional sofa.
The move was casual and she pretended not to notice.
She steadied her breathing when Wade’s arm draped around her shoulders and Knox took her hand in his.
Ana stretched out on the opposite side of the couch and pulled a blanket over her. Before movie started, she was breathing deeply and obviously asleep.
They watched Inside Man and Galina tried to keep her eyes open. The men on either side of her were warm, comforting. She’d rarely felt so safe.
The movie was ending when she startled awake, her head resting on Knox’s chest and her legs stretched over Wade’s lap.
Four hands touched her and it was spectacular.
“Your couch is too comfortable,” she murmured. “The company as well.”
“Did you have a nice nap?” Knox asked as he kissed the top of her head. She nodded.
“There are few things on this planet as gorgeous as you sleeping,” Wade whispered. “I kind of hoped you’d sleep through until tomorrow.”
She chuckled and sat up. “I sleep too much as it is.” Looking around, she asked, “Where’s Ana?”
Wade shrugged. “On the porch. Your mother called. She went outside to deal with it so she didn’t wake you.”
Her instant, catastrophic panic was impossible to hide. “What?” She jumped to her feet. “How long has she been on the phone?”
“A while. She’s calming her down,” Knox said soothingly.
“No! Svetlana is triangulating the fucking call!” she screamed as she ran for the door. She yanked it open and practically dragged Ana into the house. “Ana, phone.”
Galina took it, glanced at the call log, noted the length of the call, and handed it back with a groan.
Walking outside, she sat on the steps with her hands buried in her hair. “I knew better. I fucking knew better.”
“Tell us why you’re so upset,” Wade said as he stood on the ground in front of her with Knox at his side.
“Talk to us, Galina.”
“For a long time, I didn’t know how she always found me. Hollow explained it was the GPS on my phone. That’s why I’ve only used the satellite phone he gave me.”
Ana put her hand over her mouth. “Oh no…I’m sorry.”
Crying silently, she said, “It’s alright. I always knew she’d find me eventually. I’ve never been gone so long. Dragged back and committed for my own good. I was called crazy, confused, a danger to myself. You get the idea.”
She looked at Ana. “I didn’t think. Last night, at the restaurant, people took photos. If they posted them to social media, it would have gotten her close. All she had to do was come to the general area then call to pinpoint your location.”
“I didn’t know. I didn’t know, honey. Forgive me.”
“It isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.” She shrugged. “I shouldn’t have gone out as myself. I sent out a flare.”
Suddenly, she stood and walked inside to get her shoes.
“What are you doing?” Wade and Knox stood just inside the front door with their arms crossed.
“I’m leaving.”
“To go where?”
“Off the mountain.” She shook her head. “I imagine she’ll be here within the hour.”
“Why are you leaving?”
Making an exasperated sound, she shouted, “Why do you think? I may not be able to prove it but she’s killed before.”
In the doorway, Ana said in Russian, “She texted me. Thanked me for helping her find you.”
Also in Russian, Galina responded, “That means she’s close. It’s too late to run. She’ll have her security team with her. Shit. I don’t have time to gather gear to head into the forest.”
She nervously tapped her fingers on her thigh. “I need them off this mountain, Ana. I won’t have them hurt.”
Wade grabbed her shoulders and growled in perfect Russian, “That’s not happening.”
“Let her come,” Knox added, also in Russian.
“Y-you…what?”
Switching back to English, Wade gave her a gentle shake. “You heard me. We’re not leaving and neither are you.”
There was no time to consider the fact that her friends spoke a language that had always been part of her life. She’d hidden behind it with her aunt.
Bigger issues to deal with at the moment.
“You don’t understand…” she tried to explain.
“No, sweetheart,” Wade said. “You’re acting out of fear. Why did Hollow send you here? To us, to this mountain?”
“Slow down and think, Galina.”
Blinking, she inhaled carefully. “To protect me.”
“Would he send you here – a woman he considers his sister – if he doubted our ability to do that?”
“I…no. No, he wouldn’t have done that.”
“Exactly.”
Swallowing hard, she whispered, “You’re asking me to put you in danger.”
“No, pretty girl. We’re telling you to trust us.”
Knox smoothed his hand over her hair. “Can you do that?”
“Yes.” She rubbed her hands over her face and took a deep breath. “Yes. I trust you.”
“That’s our girl.” Wade’s smile was brilliant. “Ana, can you give us a minute?”
“I’ll wait outside. If you’re really going to face my sister and her goons, you need to calm her down.” The door closed softly behind her.
“I…”
Wade dropped his mouth over hers. It cut off what she was planned to say and
short-circuited every thought in her head.
At her back, Knox massaged her shoulders, worked the tense muscles, and gently stroked her neck with his fingertips.
Her initial shock made her gasp and Wade’s tongue licked into her mouth. Every part of her, craving their touch for so long, reached for what they offered.
Knox whispered at her ear, “Galina, we’d don’t go down easy. The men on their way here won’t win.”
He slid her hair out of the way and stroked his lips over the skin of her neck. The dual sensations crashed through her and her nipples furled.
“We’ll keep you safe.” His mouth moved to her shoulder and he pressed his body against her back. Wade moved his lips along her jaw and Knox turned her face to his. The kiss he gave her was equally destructive.
Wade’s words barely penetrated her scrambled thoughts. “We have years of fighting behind us. If you want to stay here, we’re not letting anything else happen.”
Released from her second kiss, Galina leaned into Knox. Her hands gripped Wade’s sides and he smiled down at her.
“Galina, look at me.” She opened her eyes drowsily. “Do you want to stay here on the mountain?”
“I want to stay. Here…with you. Both of you. I…I…” She was confused and frightened.
“Don’t think about the rest right now. If your choice is to stay here, then that’s all we need to know.” He kissed her again and ran his hands down her arms.
Knox circled her waist with his palms, massaging the flare of her hips. “Everything is going to be alright.”
Wade pressed forward, his hands on her arms, his face on one side of her head, whispering soothing words into her ear. Knox pressed from the back, his hands on her torso and his face on the other side of her head.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. God, you guys smell fantastic.” They chuckled and the feel of it reverberated through her. They turned their heads and loved on her neck until she whimpered.
She moved a hand to Knox’s thigh behind her, the other to Wade’s waist in front of her. Already drunk with touching them, being caught between them was heaven.
“We’ll keep you safe. Don’t be afraid.”
Embrace the Wild (The Great Outdoors Book 5) Page 11