Chapter Four
Allegra barely got the chance to react to what was happening before she was shoved back in the room she’d woken up in again. Damn.
Rubbing her arm, she waited a few seconds before she tried the door. Locked. Just like she knew it’d be. Cursing her mouth, Allegra went to the French doors and out onto the balcony once more.
Without the distraction of Viktor, she had the luxury of being able to look at the view unimpeded.
And what a view it was.
The house, or at least the part she was in, overlooked the ocean from a rocky perch. Nope. Definitely no escape this way. Although she could spend hours just standing there watching the sea. Inhaling the fresh scent.
Amazing.
But right now, she needed to find out what the hell was going on. All she knew so far was that Enrico had been wanting to get rid of her. But why? Why not a simple divorce? Allegra wanted to ask her questions face to face.
Once she got out of here.
She tried the door again, but it proved as fruitless as the first time. Seeing there was no way out, Allegra wandered around the room. There was a wonderful array of books on the shelves. Too bad she wasn’t in the mood to read.
Opposite was another door. She pushed it open to find a fully stocked bathroom. Like the rest of the house it was big and modern and utterly luxurious. She lowered her gaze to her wrinkled clothing. She could do with a shower and a change.
She paused for a moment when she eyed the clothes again. The nightdress wasn’t hers and was a far cry from the gown she had been wearing in the limo. The idea that Viktor had stripped her naked and dressed her while she was unconscious let butterflies loose in her stomach.
Nerves humming, Allegra locked the bathroom door behind her. The security it offered her would be determined, but she felt in her bones that there would be no doors or locks on earth that would keep Viktor out if he was resolved to get in.
It took her a few breaths to relax enough to move away from the door and turn on the shower. The room had started to fill with steam before she could build up the courage to take her clothes off and step under the water. The moment she did, however, much of the stress melted away with the grime. The rain showerhead dropped water in fat, soothing drops. The carefully crafted bottles that lined the little ledge in the shower held oils and lotions, body washes, and various shampoos and conditioners. They all smelled divine and managed to drain more of the tension from her muscles. The more superficial tension anyway. Her mind was in a muddle she wasn’t sure she was ever going to be able to fix.
How had her life gone so wrong so fast? It had all been so perfect and then, in a blink of an eye, it had all come crashing down.
Why? It was the question she couldn’t stop asking herself. Allegra never got the feeling that Enrico was an elitist. Hell, he’d married her, hadn’t he? A woman from nowhere. From a family whose name meant nothing. She’d felt like Cinderella for the past couple years and now she was living in a horror movie.
And why had Viktor saved her?
The sick bastard probably planned to keep her trapped there as his slave or something.
The image of herself chained up and Viktor doing whatever the hell he wanted with her flashed in her mind. Instead of revulsion, Allegra was shocked to find that her body throbbed at the thought.
She twisted off the shower. Sick. This whole thing was demented and it was addling her mind.
Grabbing a huge, fluffy towel, she wrapped it protectively around herself before walking back into the bedroom.
She thought about the meal instead. It had been delicious. Even if she hadn’t been starving, she would have thought so. Whoever had prepared it was a master.
That gave her pause. Had Viktor been the one to make the food? There didn’t seem to be anyone else around who could have made it. That had her looking at him in a different light. But what if he put something in it?
She shook off the suspicion as she reminded herself he’d had some. If he’d wanted to hurt her, he’d had plenty of time to and apparently the skill to do so in various ways.
A chill skittered up her spine. How did anyone get into that line of business? Clearly, Viktor was morally bankrupt to be able to kill for cash. But then why save her life?
She was going around in circles.
But then what else did she have to do?
She spied the doors along the wall. Now was a good a time as any to explore. Allegra walked over and opened them to find they hid a massive closet. In awe, she ran her hands over the fine clothing. Who did they belong to? Could they be his wife’s? A girlfriend’s? A lover he invited over whenever the mood struck?
She rubbed the goose bumps from her arms, wishing she could get rid of the unease that came with the thought of Viktor being in a relationship.
Did it matter?
Tugging the towel tighter around herself and making sure it was tucked in securely, she headed back to the bathroom. She quickly washed her underwear and bra. Then she did her best to freshen up the night dress and hang it. In the meantime, she’d hide out in the room in the towel. It didn’t seem like Viktor was in any rush to spend time with her anyway.
Not that she was in any hurry to see his face again.
“Why are you wasting your time?”
Swinging around, she pressed herself back against the sink, trying to put as much space between them as she could. Allegra’s heart stopped then nearly burst through her chest as it galloped back to life. She stared at Viktor. How had he managed to appear behind her without her noticing?
It took her a second to calm down a little and focus on what he’d said yet it still didn’t make sense. “What?”
“There’s no need to waste your time washing those clothes. The staff can handle that. You have an entire closet full of others to choose from.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not wearing another woman’s clothes.”
He laughed. It was humorless and did more to scare her than anything else.
Allegra lurched backward, but with nowhere to go, banged her hip into the marble counter. With no other alternative, she crossed her arms over her chest protectively. As if that would keep her safe from someone like him.
Viktor stepped closer, looming over her. “You think I’d make you wear someone’s cast-offs?”
She didn’t know what to think. Obviously, the clothes weren’t what she thought they were. But the anything else seemed too farfetched.
“If you haven’t already figured it out, all the clothes were chosen with you in mind and have been awaiting your arrival.”
It was like something in her head splintered. She could barely force the words past her tight throat. “You’ve been preparing for me … to come here?”
He stepped closer and caged her with his arms. “I have.”
Allegra breathed shallowly, not only because he was so close that every breath pressed her breasts into his chest, but because every lungful of air brought with it the tantalizing scent of Viktor. What the hell was wrong with her? She knew what kind of man he was. And yet she couldn’t stop her body from responding to him.
She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to block him out. “Why?” The question was directed to him as much as to herself.
Viktor pressed the full length of his body against hers and for the life of her Allegra couldn’t formulate another thought. Heat bloomed from wherever his body met hers. He leaned in closer so their mouths were a whisper apart and she had to fight the impulse to brush hers against his.
Shifting and brushing against her body as he pressed his lips against the sensitive lobe of her ear. “Haven’t you guessed yet, Allegra? You’re mine. And I take care of what is mine.”