Red Reaper - Soldiers of Fortune [book one]

Chapter THIRTY FOUR

Lucky O'Cléirigh

My hungover head thuds and aches, my mouth is unbearably dry and my stomach twists in nauseous knots as I sit up in the dim morning light.. From the edge of the heavy drawn blackout curtains, cracks of sunrise beams have begun to peek through, casting just enough of a glow for me to make out the minimalist features of the cavernous bedroom..

Konstantin's bedroom..

For the second time I am waking up in The Big Bear's bed and it all feels so comfortable and right..
Finally, I am happy..
I am where I should be, with the man I am supposed to be with..

I belong here..

Fetishised flashes of the night before swarm my mind, giving me a full body flood of tingles.. All that plum liquor and the silly and sexy games the Russian and I had played, swirl together to create one of the best memories of my life..

It was certainly a first for me of so many different experiences, and it was perfect.. It had been everything I'd dreamed of and more.. We'd had fun and laughed together, we'd kissed and cuddled and whispered affections between us.. We'd explored each others bodies, petting and caressing until we came together in mutual pleasure and then I had curled up on his chest and fallen asleep to the sound of his beating heart..

Nothing could compare to those feelings of intimacy that bind my heart to his..

With a yawn I rub my groggy eyes and glance around, finding The quiet giant is already dressed, polished and perfect in his usual uniform in of an expensive pressed grey suit and tie.. He sits at the end of the bed, still as a statue, but much unlike his usual posture with a stiff spine and proud shoulders, he is hunched forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Mm.. Good morning, Big Bear.." I smile, stretching my arms above my head to release the tension from my shoulders..

At the sound of my croaky voice he slowly straightens and grumbles a halfhearted greeting.. "Dobroye utro, Solnyshko.."

When he doesn't turn to smile at me or even acknowledge me beyond a moody grunt, I sense something is very wrong.. My elated mood immediately seeps away and quickly become afraid it is me who has upset him in some way..

Did I do something wrong?
Does he regret last night?
Did I overstay my welcome?

"Konstantin? Is everything okay?" I whisper, almost not wanting to hear the answer as I crawl forward to join him at the end of the bed, wrapping the exquisite white cotton sheets around me..

"Da.." He sighs, a simple and unconvincing one word response that does nothing to calm my panic.

"Are you mad at me or something? What's going on--" As I wriggle into the empty place beside him, suddenly his darkened mood begins to make more sense.. In his unwavering hands he clenches the envelope of pictures, still unopened.. "Oh.. Konstantin, you don't have to be so brave about this.. It must be difficult.. You must be feeling a lot--"