Chapter 20

Laney had time on their journey back to the cabin to marvel at how Boris moved with such ease for a man so large and solidly muscled. Even her added weight didn't faze him at all. Their climb down the containers, though dizzying from her vantage point, had seemed effortless for him. He continued to stride purposefully past the tiers and rows of containers until they reached the gangway that led below the ship to the crew quarters.

Laney also marveled at how they ran into no one on their way back. It was like the crew members sensed it was in their best interests not to cross paths with the giant Russian enforcer just now, while his mood was a little on the horny and unstable side. Laney wasn't sure if she wished someone would stumble upon them. On the one hand, she rather hoped for rescue, but realistically she knew, aside from Daniel Mercer who was presently not on the ship, no human man would stand a chance again the mammoth Russian. If any of the crew tried to intervene on her behalf it would likely mean instant death. Besides, Laney was pretty sure they all worked for Sitnikov anyway, which meant they also worked for Boris.

Marveling at things kept Laney from losing her mind and panicking during their seemingly very long trek. How freaking long is this damn ship, anyway? Laney twisted around as much as she could to see if they were near the cabins, but Boris brought his palm down in a painful slap on her ass, drawing a short scream from her.

"Be still," he snapped.

She wanted to kick him in the chest, but she also didn't want any more painful spankings, so she remained still, seething and plotting his many deaths. They arrived at the cabin moments later. Boris swung the door open and ducked beneath the frame, careful not to hit her against anything. He kicked the door shut behind them and reached back to flip the lock.

In one smooth motion Boris dropped her off his shoulder and onto the bed. Laney landed on her side with a bounce. She rolled over as far from him as she could get and wiggled and pushed herself up until she sat against the wall. She glared up at him as if daring him to touch her. Wet hair had worked its way loose from her braids and clung to her face and body.

He stared down at her. The hard look was still present in his face, but satisfaction and blazing lust were now there as well. She remembered his words when he'd proposed his game of hide and seek. That when he found her he would 'keep her.' He didn't say for how long. She shivered, becoming terribly afraid she'd underestimated Boris Grekov all along.

Without breaking eye contact, he reached for the zipper on his leather coat and drew it down over his massive chest. He let the heavy coat fall to the floor with an ominous thump. Blood from the wound she had given him traced a path from near his elbow down to the back of his hand, following the veins and tattoos that snaked over his muscular arm. Laney slitted her eyes in a furious glare as he reached for the bottom of his T-shirt, peeling the fabric up and over his head, baring his huge, tattooed chest. It was the first time she had seen him even partially naked. Not that he hadn't offered many times before. Now he was taking the choice from her hands.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but she was helpless against the image of a large intricate cross with a Virgin Mary kneeling below it tattooed in the middle of his chest. She realized right away that she shouldn't have closed her eyes when she felt the bed shift under his knee. Her eyes flew open and she came face to chest with his brutal tattoos. He used his T-shirt to wipe the blood from his arm before tossing it carelessly aside and then turning purposefully to face his prey.

Her panicked gaze flew to the side and she lunged away from him, but she had no place to go. He grabbed her and shoved her face down into the bedding with one hand at the back of her neck. Laney struggled but she couldn't possibly break free. With a deep sigh, she forced herself to relax her body in defeat.

"Do you yield?" he growled in her ear, leaning over her prone body, his beard tickling the delicate skin of her neck.

She buried her face into the soft quilt of the bed and breathed deeply, her mind racing frantically for a way out. Then she realized, this was not the ugly brown blanket that had been on the bed when they had first arrived in the cabin. Lifting her head a little, she looked at it. The quilt was made of lovely patchwork with a wide variety of pretty shapes and colours, very much something she might pick out for her bed. Not at all Boris' style. He must have brought it with him and placed it on the bed.

With a tiny sigh, she nodded her head.

He shifted himself backwards until he was straddling her, his massive erection pressed into her backside. He ignored his own immediate needs for the moment though, while his huge, nimble hands began searching her for weapons. She didn't blame him. Though she said she would capitulate, if the situations were reversed, she wouldn't believe him either.

He unknotted her braids and ran his fingers through them, searching her hair for weapons. Smart. She'd definitely hidden blades there before. She moaned in ecstasy as his fingers massaged her scalp. Her hair had been in tight braids for almost two full days and it felt both deliciously painful and pleasurable to have it taken down. Boris paused at the sounds she made and, if she weren't mistaken, pressed his erection a little tighter into her backside.

He lifted her slightly to run his fingers down her front and under her breasts searching for hidden sheaths. Then he ran his hands down her sides and searched all the hidden crevices and seams in her clothes. She squirmed and bit her lip as he pressed his fingers into her armpits. He searched her waistband and just as he was about to dip his fingers into her panties she stopped him.

"There's a hidden sheath in my boot!" she gasped.

He twisted back and quickly found the knife she confessed to. "Is that all?" he asked.

She nodded. "I promise, you have the last of my weapons."

He chuckled darkly. "You will excuse me if I do not believe you."

"Believe what you want!" she snapped. "I'm telling the truth."

"Like you told the truth when you agreed to our game and then decided to go back on your word and fight me anyway?" he asked, anger returning to voice as he continued to search her roughly.

"Fuck you!" she snapped.

"That is my plan, hissing little kitten," he said, flipping her onto her back.

She groaned in pain as her weight settled on top of her bound hands. He frowned down at her and shook his head. After a moment of thought, he reached under her and released her hands. Laney tried to bring them around so she could push him away, but he quickly recaptured her wrists and brought them over her head. He knotted them together and secured them over her head.

She twisted her head up to see what she was tied to and was shocked to see a solid looking bolt screwed into the wall over the bed. She realized the ropes were extremely durable but comfortable and had probably come on board with him too. She looked up at him with accusation shining in her eyes.

"You planned this, you asshole!" she yelled up at him.

His jaw grew rigid as he stared her down. She shrank back against the pillows. "If you yell at me again I will tape your mouth shut. And yes, I also brought tape, just in case. I was prepared for anything, Laney. You have played many games over the past months. I am done with games. Is time for us to get serious."