Stranded but not Alone (Midnight Moanings Collection) (14 page)

“I can see that,” Mikhail replied.

“I’m surprised
you
didn’t follow in your father’s footsteps.”

“Never had an urge for that lifestyle. I was always into money. I read
The Market
when other guys read
Playboy
.”

“I see you made your way to the woman.” Seth nodded at the bartender and vodka showed up.

“Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t like girls. I just liked money more at the time.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah. I do well for myself. How’s the engineering gig. You like that?”

“It’s good money. Lots of travel. Meet cool people. Like the military.”

“You live in London? I never thought of moving from Austria.

“It’s not a bad place. Beautiful woman. Why are you still single?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Answer my question first.”

“I wasn’t single until almost a year ago.”

“What happened?”

“She moved to Switzerland and met someone else.”

“Serious? Just moved and met someone else?”

“She was ready for a family so we just… you know… grew apart.”

“Hmm.” Seth picked up his drink and motioned toward the fireplace. They made their way over and sank into the leather club chairs.

“What about you, brother, no Mrs. Dragoslava anywhere? I got any nieces or nephews?”

He didn’t bother to open that can tonight.

He shook his head, hoping his brother would leave it alone. “Getting late. I’ll see you for breakfast.” Mikhail stood as he did and they bumped shoulders with the quick pat on the back.

“Tell Simone I said goodnight,” Mikhail said. “I will be spending the evening listening to my childhood being retold in colorful stories. All four parents in one house. Don’t forget to come save me in the morning.”

“I won’t,” Seth assured him.

“What time does Simone’s plane leave tomorrow?”

“The only flight out was late in the evening.” He pressed the button for the elevator. “See you in the morning, brother—”

“—the morning, brother.”

And they went their separate ways. Seth couldn’t get Simone off his mind. Not the fact that his parents were spending the evening with Mikhail and his parents, but that Simone would be out of his life in a matter of hours.

~~~

Seated at his parents’ kitchen counter, Mikhail watched one woman who gave birth to him look at his baby pictures with the woman who raised him. The more he watched Larissa, his birth mother, bottle her emotions after all this time, the more he wanted to find that doctor and get revenge for her. Larissa was just the way he had envisioned his biological mother. Not all Russian women aged well, but Larissa was still a beauty in her sixties. All his parents sat around the granite island while Mikhail indulged Larissa by eating the sandwich and beer she made for him.

“So, Mrs. Dragoslava.” Mikhail’s tone was kind as he spoke to the mother that gave him life, but glanced at the mom that gave him love. “You said you received communication from their attorney. How did they defend stealing babies all that time?” Leaning forward, he bit into his sandwich rinsed it down with a swig of beer. He hadn’t changed out of nightclub outfit.

“Actually his daughter sent a waiver along with fifty thousand dollars to have us not press charges. I sent both back by Overnight Express mail.” The scorn in her voice was woven with heartache. She seemed to take comfort in folding and smoothing the kitchen towel, pressing it over and over against the counter.

Mikhail nearly choked on his beer. “A waiver!” He grabbed a napkin, wiping his mouth. “They can’t get away with that.” His deep voice spiked. His body went rigid. “They stole me from my family.” His voice vibrated with resentment as the full impact of the offer showed on his father’s face, a face much like his own.

Larissa squeezed Sergei’s hand and focused on her charm bracelet. She didn’t look at Mikhail. “I never heard my child laugh. Never heard my child cry. Never heard him say he loved me.” Her next words were tender, but anguished, and ripped at his soul. Her husband rubbed her shoulders while she reached up to caress his hand. A flush of red, mottled her face. “They stole my son.” Thirty years of remorse choked her words one by one as they passed her lips.

Anya said, “Larissa, can I get you some water?”

She sat up straight. “No, thank you.” She touched Anya’s hand across the island. Blue eyes full of love, held Mikhail’s stare. “In my heart I heard you laugh. I heard you cry. I even heard you say, ‘I love you.’”

Anya watched. A film of jealousy clouded her face. Then her hazel eyes sparkled with pride as Mikhail winked at the mother who raised him.

Larissa kissed Mikhail’s cheek and patted his hand. “You’re a good son, Mikhail. She looked at Anya and Josef. “Your parents did a wonderful job raising you.” Her voice sounded much steadier. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Thank you for caring.”

A few minutes later and they had settled into comfortable banter. They continued to discuss the attorney and the doctor.

“Is the doctor still alive?” Anya asked

Larissa poured herself another cup of coffee. “No, the doctor died over eight years ago. But the attorney is in his eighties now. His daughter’s tried to get all the families involved to sign the waivers.

Mikhail asked, “What does the waiver say? What will they gain from it at this point?”

Larissa placed the baby pictures on the counter with care. ”Well unless everyone signs the waivers, he goes to trial. From what our lawyer tells us, we are the last to sign.” She passed Sergei a picture.

Mikhail felt his spine tighten as the pieces began to form a picture in his head. He needed to touch base with Seth. He needed to know. Pacing the floor, Mikhail rubbed at his eyes and went to stand by the window. Pulling out his phone, he slid the screen until Seth’s number appeared. He typed in a quick message on the small keyboard. Hopefully Seth would read it and stay with Simone.

Seth, call me when you get this. Simone’s not the target but her safety is in jeopardy.

There was no point in calling him. Mikhail knew Seth was with Simone and right then it gave him a measure of peace to know she wasn’t alone. He only hoped his brother could see he and Simone were falling in love and not allow her to get on that plane tomorrow.

He looked out the window at the light dusting of snowfall over the landscape. His heart was experiencing something new. That empty pull he had as a little boy was Seth. Wow, he has a brother.

“Larissa, have they contacted you lately?” Anya said.

Mikhail turned to listen as Larissa began to speak while clearing dishes from the counter. “Not this week, but we do get odd calls and such.”

“Does Seth know you’re being harassed?” Mikhail asked from the window. What he learned from Seth, their luggage being taken off the tour van could have been a signal to someone else as to where they were. The wolves never bother the hikers so why chase Simone and his brother? The guy harassing her in the club? None of these were coincidences. Somebody’s trying to tell them something.

His mother clanked a coffee mug to grab his attention and his head snapped up. “We didn’t want to bother him with this. He’s done so much for us and then found out Gretchen, his girlfriend, left him for another man. We just didn’t want to bother him anymore.” She took a breath. “He said this trip was a good distraction for him. That’s why we were so surprised that he is with your Simone now. His ex-girlfriend left him so empty, and Seth’s never cared for American women.”

“He learned that from us I am embarrassed to say,” Sergei said, his eyes on his wife. “Opinions are easy to form when you learn them as a child and pass them on to your own children.”

“It is not as if he is marrying the woman. She will go back to America and everything will be fine,” Larissa continued.

Mikhail was shocked by this woman’s bigotry. “Simone is wonderful for him. I can see something significant happened between them in the cabin, something’s holding those two closer than they realize.” His voice seemed to come from a corner of the room far away from his body. “I hope they see it before she gets on the plane tomorrow. I think she’s good for him, American or not.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and moved down the hall. “I’m going to turn in. Seth said he’ll be here early for breakfast. Hopefully, Simone comes with him. Mr. and Mrs. Dragoslava, I think you’ll like her.”

“Mikhail, honey, are you alright?” Larissa asked.

He gazed back at his two mothers. “I’m fine. Besides, I found out today that I have two mothers, two fathers, and a brother. I can’t ask for more than that.”

~~~

Seth shot a quick glance down the corridor before centering his focus on Simone’s hotel room door. He needed this, to see her alone before she left for the States tomorrow. A bottle of wine gripped in one hand, the other he shoved down the front pocket of his jeans. Fifteen minutes earlier, he hadn’t bothered with a shirt or shoes. Jumping out of the shower, he’d grabbed a pair of briefs and some jeans. After he picked up the bottle of wine he ordered, he headed down to Simone’s floor. After a few raps on the door, he ran fingers through his damp hair. The knowledge of her leaving in a day left a cold spot in him. In two days, he’d grown to care for her, grown to listen for her voice, even grown to expect her smile.

“Who is it?” Her voice rushed from the other side of the door.

“It’s me, Sim.” His voice unrecognized to his ears. Thick with lust. The rattle of the chain seemed to go on for eternity before those warm eyes looked up at him from her delicate face, damp and scrubbed clean. The scent of sweet shampoo filled the air as she stood, squeezing a towel over her hair.  

“Hi,” she said, taking in his disheveled appearance. “I won’t ask where the rest of that outfit is.”

“The jeans are covering the rest of the outfit,” he said, swinging the bottle by his side. “Do I ask to be invited in or do we continue to play keep away with each other until I watch your plane leave tomorrow?” he complained, taking in her damp body beneath the silky robe, perky and awake.

“Will the bottle of wine be joining you, if I invite you in?”

“Only if you slip those heels back on.” He groaned as she held the robe back

“You mean these?”

“Damn you’re sexy as hell, woman.”

He hooked his arm around her as she widened the door and molded her body to his. Bare footed, he pushed the metal door closed before pinning her body to it. With one hand, he flipped the dead bolt in place, triggering her soft gasp. His groin tightened as he closed a hand around the nape of her neck. The little framed plaque on the door bumped over the door behind her with them fumbling against it. Her soft lips parted as he took her mouth, surprised when her leg curled around his calf, urging him in closer. Her smooth body molded to his thigh. Fisting her damp hair clinging to her neck, he wanted to turn her around to take her right there. Instead, he pulled away and took a breath, wine bottle still gripped in his fist. It didn’t help that she licked her tongue out over her bottom lip as he held her head back, studying her face, but he wanted her assurance of what was about to happen. She offered him a welcoming and longing stare. “I’ll ask you one time,” he said, cupping her hips, bringing her tight to his groin. “Any second thoughts before I undress you?”

“No second thoughts,” she said. “I’ve been expecting you tonight.” He hadn’t noticed the soft music and shadowed room lit by moonlight. Simone’s fingers pressed into his naked back, flexing over the muscle, told him all he needed to know. She wanted him with the same urgency and desperation.

The silky robe gave way as he nudged his thigh between hers. “Is this what you were expecting?”

His groin tightened at the sound of her faint gasp, her lips brushing his chest.

“This is the last night I’ll see you,” she offered.

“Then let’s not waste more time talking,” he said, tangling his fingers in her thick hair and tugging her head back. He took her mouth—sweet, minty and warm. He was gentle at first, teasing the soft tender flesh. Simone’s probing tongue ignited a feverish exploration in him. He hungered for her like a starving man, biting and teasing her lips. Her nails raked down his back to cup his behind. He sucked that candy until her moans became a constant hum in the air. Her damp skin, pliable and soft, gave in as he pressed his fingers into the firm flesh of her thighs, pressing the length of himself into her.

Simone brought her hands around and began working at the button on his jeans, pulling him away from the door. The wine bottle made a thud as he set it on the table by the lamp. Stumbling backward, the living space became a maze. The living room plunged in shadows, the slice of light from the window cast a glowing path along the carpeted floor. Simone’s fingers worked him behind the zipper, squeezing and stroking him through his briefs, making it difficult to walk. “Eager…” he said, then hissed as she played over the swollen tip, slick with anticipation.

“For a taste… a little.” Simone’s voice came out voice a hungry plea. He relished the wicked sound.

“Here?” he asked, releasing his hold from her waist to lean back against the wall, after she nodded in agreement. His hips jutted out as he removed his jeans. Simone bit her bottom lip watching him free himself of the jeans. His stiff body tented in his briefs.

She licked her lips, scrapping her nails down his thighs and lowering to her knees before him. While looking up at him, her soft brown hair spilled around her shoulders. “You have a beautiful body, Seth,” she said, cupping him through the briefs.

“Take it out,” he told her and watched her eyes roam his naked torso. Her fingers tripped over the ridges in his abdomen, teasing the hairs slipping beneath the waistband of his briefs. He stroked his hands through the damp waves of her hair, admiring the way she lifted the band over the head of him. His erection jutted out as she added the underwear to the jeans. She rose to his chest, teasing each tiny nipple, making him hiss as she sucked and nipped at his skin until he thought he would explode.

“You ready for me, Seth?”