I didn’t stop him.
He shifted above me, and I didn’t even know where the knife had come from, but my eyes opened in surprise when I felt the cold blade against my skin.
He cut my shirt off.
I gasped, and he smiled a little as he carefully edged the blade underneath the bridge of my bra. He smiled devilishly and sliced it up, cutting the bra off and pushing the ruined fabric off to the sides, exposing me.
I resisted the urge to cover myself, but the look in his eyes …
I could only lie there and watch him as he tugged my shorts, then my panties, down my legs. He pulled me up toward him and yanked all the fabric away before gently pushing me back down on the bed, completely naked.
I squirmed a little, and he licked his lips.
“Not going anywhere, kotyonok,” he said roughly.
I could only nod. I didn’t think I could handle him leaving.
“You know better than to wander around the house.” He closed his eyes once more, but not before I caught sight of his frustration bleeding from his clear blue eyes. When he opened them, there was desperation in his eyes mixed with a hint of anger. “You need to stop going where you’re not supposed to.”
His words seemed to be wrenched out of him. And they pissed me off.
“You’re a coward.”
He took me in, surprise glinting in his eyes. “What?”
“You’re a coward,” I repeated. “A fucking coward. I wouldn’t have to go looking for you if you hadn’t been avoiding me.”
“Catalina …”
I shook my head, shutting him up. Tears stung my eyes. “Do you really find me that repulsive?”
“What?” His fingers gently moved down the side of my face, and I resisted the urge to move closer to his touch. “Baby, the last thing I feel when I look at you is repulsion.”
“Then why are you hiding from me? What did I do?”
He closed his eyes and looked away from me. “Nothing. Of course, you didn’t do anything.”
“Then why—”
My brows lowered in a small frown. He ran his fingers through his hair before he made a move to push himself off. And it finally clicked.
He didn’t find me repulsive. He was …
He was scared.
“Mikhail?”
He shook his head. “I need to get out of this room. Don’t fucking wander around this house or I’ll fucking tie you to this bed the next time I see you somewhere you’re not supposed to be.”
I grabbed onto him before he could get off me, and I kissed him. It must have shocked him, because I felt him still above me.
“Don’t leave me,” I said. “I’m right here, Mikhail. Look at me. I’m okay.”
“Fuck, I—Catalina, let me go.”
I shook my head. “No. Look at me. I’m okay.”
He closed his eyes for a brief second, and when he opened them again, I saw all the things he didn’t say. His fear, his anger, his worry.