Chapter 7 - Adley

By the time Ivan and I were back in his car, and on our way to his house, I didn't know which was up or if the sky was, in fact, blue. That stunt he'd pulled in my bedroom still had my blood boiling in my veins.

He'd kissed me.

And yeah, it wasn't on the lips, but I had a feeling that was only because he enjoyed teasing me.

Well, two can play at that game, asshole.

But what was I thinking? I couldn't be like that with him. Ivan had upheld his end of the bargain, which was the only reason I was still going along with this ridiculous deal of his, but I was not giving myself to him.

Wife or not, I had my dignity, and as much as I'd just sold it away, I would cling to that card for as long as I could.

Still, some part of me knew that I was fighting a losing battle. Ivan was charming as hell, and I kind of hated that, sure, but I couldn't deny it. The way he talked that cocky, sarcastic air of his, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't at least a little attractive.

"We're almost there, sweetheart. So, you should probably know that it's not just us who'll be living in the house."

My heart skipped, stuttering before my pulse leveled out again. As it was, a light sweat touched my forehead, and I stiffened in my chair.

"I'm sorry, what?"

I knew I sounded annoyed, but I wasn't going to be schooling how I sounded. If Ivan really wanted me all that much, he was going to have to get used to it.

He smirked, clearly amused by my panic. "I have two brothers that share the house with me."

Relief flooded through me, cool as water on a hot day, and I didn't want to examine why I was so glad that he didn't have a house full of other women waiting for him. It wasn't jealousy. Don't be stupid.

"Brothers?" I raised my brows. "I assumed you were hatched."

He laughed. "Like a bird?"

"Like a snake," I countered.

Ivan refocused on the road, but I could see the lingering smirk he wore, and there was a not-too-small part of me that wanted to smack it off his face.

"Well, anyway, you'll meet them soon enough, but I thought I'd give you a heads-up."

"Thanks." But my tone was short and dry as I stared forward through the windshield.

The faster I could get this part over with, the faster I could go to bed for the day and maybe wake up to a world where Ivan was bored with me already.

***

It was a long fucking drive, and my legs ached for a stretch after being cooped up in the car for so long. And yeah, Ivan had nice wheels, but there was nothing aside from walking around again that was going to get my ass to stop tingling.

We were way out past the edges of the city, where the houses stopped being lined up all next to each other in tight rows. We'd followed the interstate to where the fields began to stretch, no city blocks in sight, and that futile part of me that had hoped I might be able to escape back home was squashed.

"Jesus, you live in bumfuck nowhere."

Ivan laughed again, and every time he did, I cursed how wonderful it sounded.

"We wanted room to stretch our legs, so…"

He let it hang there as we pulled into an exceedingly long driveway. As the SUV rumbled over the gravel path, the rock crunching beneath the tires, I looked around the plot of land, which was populated by a fair amount of trees to provide more privacy.

What appeared at the end of the drive, where it curved back around on itself, was nothing like I imagined.

The tall three-story house featured thick black metal beams. They made up all the sections of the walls and roof, but what made my mouth hang open was the floor-to-ceiling windows between those beams. And in some cases, those ceilings stretched at least twenty feet up.

This odd combination of a traditional Victorian shape with a triangular pointed roof, a wrap-around porch on the second floor, and the modern industrial look of all those strong I-beams was spectacular.

"Holy shit."

Ivan was laughing at me again, but I didn't care. I was too struck by the enormity of the gorgeous house with all that glass. I could see into the floors, each room looking well furnished and somehow still cozy.

God, it's a good thing they do have all these trees. Zero privacy without them.

My blood chilled at that thought. Ivan definitely had plans for what we might be doing behind those walls, and now that I knew he had two brothers, the idea of them seeing what we were up to had me feeling preemptive mortification.

My eyes roamed the rooms as we got out of the car, and Ivan grabbed my bag from the back.

From where I stood, there was a living room on the right side of the house, and I could see massive couches and what I guessed was a kitchen tucked behind it. Right in the middle was an enormous foyer, where I could see stairs heading up to the next floor. On the left side was another sitting area, and I could just make out a large dining table in the considerable spot behind that.

"Well, stop craning your neck. Let's go in."

I snapped my attention to Ivan, and the cat had thoroughly gotten my tongue because all I could do was nod. Following him, Ivan led me up to the main door, which was up a long set of stairs, and he pushed inside.

I was a little surprised the door wasn't locked, but as I stepped in, I saw the security feed to my right behind the door. Ivan and his brothers could see everything around the property for at least a mile, so I guess they were covered.

The downstairs was how I'd see it as I came in. Still, I was again surprised to see that the furnishings were a combination of modern convenience and rustic, cabin-like style. Nothing looked too breakable or so ornate that it was sure to be horrendously uncomfortable.

The couches looked used, clean but plush and slightly worn. The large dark wood table across the house from it looked ready to entertain a fleet of hungry Russians, and now that I was inside, I could see a patio out the back of the house.

It was so much bigger than anything I'd ever seen before. A small house would fit there. Outside on it, I could see a seating area with a table, which had a tree growing through it, a large walkway that seemed to stretch around to the side of the house, and flickering with sunlight just below was—

"No way! You're on a lake?!"

"Yup, that's why we picked this spot." Ivan set my bag down on a small table near the stairs. "Want to take a look before I show you to the master suite?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell Ivan to get fucked for putting me in this position, but again, all I could do was nod.

We walked out onto the porch, if you could call it that, and indeed, it did sit right on the water. It was dark and cool back here, but when I looked to my left, there was another section of this outdoor space that went to an outdoor hot tub.

You couldn't get to that from this spot, though. It looked like a set of stairs from the second floor went directly down into the water, and speakers and rocks surrounded the jacuzzi.

Lush greenery came right up to the edges of the porch no matter where you were, and when I turned around and looked up, I could see the bottom of the wrap-around porch on the second floor.

Ivan took me back inside, walking me up to the next floor as I tried to understand what I was seeing. This place was like a private oasis, and I felt wholly separated from the city I knew was just a forty-five-minute drive away.

The second story was just as open and wall-less as the first. There was a section off to either corner where I could see actual doors, but aside from that, it was an expanse of wood, glass, and light.

There were several more seating areas, and at the back wall on my right was a pool table and gaming lounge. On the other side was a sunken-in living area, with the couch built right into the floor. Several industrial-style bookshelves surrounded that area, filled to the brim.

"And what's this?"

A deep male voice called out from near the pool table. When I spun on my heel in that direction, I saw a tall man—obviously related to Ivan—coming from the patio on this floor. He was followed by another man who clearly looked like the other two, and I had to assume these were his brothers.

"This is our new resident, boys. Adley, this is Abrahim." I looked at the tall guy leading the way in and nodded.

He had lighter hair like his brother, but where Ivan's eyes were a gray-blue like a storm, Abrahim's were green and bright. He was littered with just as many tattoos, and he sauntered over for a handshake, looking as though he could just as soon kill me as shake my hand.

"So, this is who wrapped my brother's cock around her finger."

"Fucking hell, Abe. Shut it."

Ivan shoved his brother playfully, and Abrahim took it all in stride, knocking him on the shoulder before walking away toward the stairs.

"Nice meeting," Abrahim called over his shoulder, his hand raised in a wave. "I need food."

Left a bit turned around, I glanced over at the other man who'd come in from outside. He was just as tall as the others but somehow… darker —in every sense of the word.

The guy's hair was a much deeper brown, nearly black, and his entire being exuded a shadowy aura. If I believed in that shit. His muscles bulged underneath the fitted black shirt her wore, sleeves stretching to his wrists even though it was a warm spring day.

One of the most startling things about him was the scar that slashed across his chin down his neck in a jagged line. That nasty-looking old injury was just half the shocking finale, though, because the guy's eyes were so pale greenish-brown that they looked almost…yellow.

"Adley, this is Vlad. Don't expect the same greeting."

I could guess that much. For as blunt as Abe had been, he was at least sort of friendly. Vlad did not look friendly in the slightest.

"And it's not just because he's an uptight prick. Vlad doesn't talk."

My stare flicked from Ivan back to his brother. "Oh, well. Sorry about that, I guess. Umm, nice to meet you."

When in doubt, always go with kindness.

Vlad regarded me, his oddly colored stare seeing into my bones. But just as quickly as he'd laser-focused on me, he blinked, nodding before he offered a short wave and went downstairs.

"Aww. I think he likes you."

I glared over at Ivan as he smirked, but all he did was laugh, hoisting my bag up on his shoulder again and nodding at another set of small stairs to my right that went up.

"What? We're going to the attic?"

Dragging my feet just a bit, I followed Ivan toward the steps when he turned around and met me with that devastating grin of his again.

"We're going to my room, sweetheart." He cocked a brow. "Oh, excuse me. Our room."