“I need to get you home,” Aleksandr whispered, warm breath tickling my neck. The same part of my brain that was having shower fantasies about him wanted me to cover his mouth with my own, but I couldn’t lift my head.

“Audushka?”

His voice sounded miles away. Why was he leaving me?

“Audushka!”

My chin thudded against my chest and my head rolled to the side, as strong limbs pushed me away from the warm mountain I’d been clutching. Suddenly the floor disappeared, and I was wheeled through the air, as if on a Ferris wheel. I held on tight to the pole in front of me, in case I was to fall off.

“Get your fucking hands off her!” someone yelled.

The pole I was holding staggered back a few steps before staggering forward. I felt the force of the pole hit something, but I didn’t feel any pain. It was the last thing I remember before everything went black.

Chapter 9

A forceful knock on my window woke me up, though I had no recollection of how I got into my bed or when I fell asleep in the first place. My head pounded and my mouth felt like I’d eaten the stuffing out of a Pillow Pet. I pulled the covers over my head, convinced that the wind had caused the noise I’d heard, until the heavy rap started again. My hands shook as I continued to hide, curling my fingers around my blanket.

If you ignore things they go away, I reminded myself. Then I laughed, because ignoring everything was my family’s pathetic mantra. Ignoring an issue had never worked before, but I hoped tonight would be an exception. Soon the rap turned to scratching and fumbling as someone tried to open the window.

“Auden,” a voice called in a loud whisper from outside. “Hey, Aud!”

Awesome. Whoever it was knew my name. I lay still for a moment, deciding if it was a positive or a negative sign. Just go away, I silently willed the stranger.

“Audushka, open the window. It’s fucking freezing!”

My heart sped up as I threw the blanket off and kicked my feet until it lay in a pile of fleece on the floor. I stumbled out of bed and pulled up the shade to find Aleksandr jumping up and down, rubbing his hands together.

“What are you doing?” I asked, after unlocking the latch on the window and shoving it upward. Though I knew my bed head was untamable, pushing the hair away from my face made me feel better.

Aleksandr clutched the windowsill and attempted to propel himself through the opening but failed and fell back to the ground. Literally fell. Not that the drop was far.

“I needed to see you,” he said while brushing dirt off his butt. “I couldn’t wait.”

I glanced at the clock: 3:06 a.m. “You couldn’t wait until I get to the arena later?”

“No. I could not.” He hoisted himself up again. His knuckles changed from pink to white as he gripped the window, and his feet scratched against the house like he was scaling a flat rock wall.

Grabbing ahold of his biceps, I jerked him inside, unapologetic about causing his graceless face-plant onto my floor. Served him right. I poked my head outside before sliding the window shut. A person jumping in through the window of a house at three a.m. might be a normal occurrence in many parts of Detroit, but we still had a few good neighbors who would be alarmed.

“Is this what you sleep in?” Aleksandr reached for the hem of my pink plaid boxer shorts, which I’d paired with a vintage Sergei Fedorov T-shirt. His eyes weren’t focused. Was how I looked at three a.m. so repulsive?

“You expected lingerie?” I asked. What the hell was he doing here?

“No, it’s perfect.” He smiled. His fingers missed the hem of my boxers and grazed my bare calf.

“Holy!” I jumped when his Popsicle fingers touched me. “Get up, would you? What’s your deal?” I faked agitation, but excitement would have been the best word to describe my feelings. It wasn’t like guys snuck into my bedroom all the time. Or ever.

Collapsing onto my bed, I leaned over and snatched my blanket from the floor before whipping it over my shoulders and snuggling into it. The temperature of my room must’ve dropped ten degrees when the arctic winds swirled in through the window.

Aleksandr crawled to my bed and climbed in next to me. Suddenly aware of my cold and braless state, I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders.

“You look perfect,” he slurred, closing his eyes and leaning toward my face. When I scooted back, his face fell into my lap, which wasn’t the kind of kiss I wanted either. I inched back again, and banged his head with my knee.

“Fuck.” He rubbed his chin.

“Sorry.” I reached out to touch his face, as if my palm, like a mother’s kiss, could take away the sting. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”

He caught my hand and pulled me toward him, wrapping me in his arms and pressing his lips to mine. When I didn’t pull away, he pushed me onto my back and crawled over me, pinning me down. As he lowered himself onto me, the metal zipper of his leather jacket touched the bare skin of my stomach where my shirt had ridden up, and a tremor shook my whole body. I continued kissing him until something hard under his jacket jabbed my rib cage.

“Sasha.” I shoved him back. “What is up with you?”

“I needed to make sure you were okay,” he said, caressing my side from under my arm down to my hip and back up again. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to my collarbone.

“We shouldn’t do this.” This time his mouth caused the shiver coursing through my veins rather than the cold. Something jabbed me in the ribs again. “What the hell is in your jacket?”

Aleksandr sat up, dug into his coat, and removed a half-empty bottle of vodka. Then he unscrewed the cap and took a long pull before offering it to me. I shook my head.

“Forgot I brought this.” He screwed the cap back on the bottle. “I love when I am Sasha to you.”

Aleksandr seized my lips again, his tongue plunging into my mouth to explore. Then he caught my lower lip with his teeth and tugged. While he kissed me, Aleksandr squeezed my hips as if my love handles could save him from drowning. Despite my intention to keep things platonic between us, I got lost in his touch. His fingers slipped under my shirt, and his calloused thumbs skimmed the skin of my stomach. When his hands crept under the waistband of my boxers, I jumped like a mischievous cat squirted with water.

Aleksandr pulled his hands out and jerked his head up. “What’s wrong?”

“Did you think we were going to have sex because you got drunk and climbed in my window?”

“We don’t have to have sex, Audushka. There are other things,” he said, placing his fingers where they’d been a magnificent moment ago on my waistband. His lips curved into a sexy smile, causing the skin around his eyes to wrinkle. “Unless you want to?”

Hell yes, was the truthful answer, but I wouldn’t admit that in the position we were in. Or ever.

“What are you doing here?” I asked instead.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he repeated, releasing my boxers and rolling onto his back, fumbling to remove his coat. After a few sloppy yanks at the sleeves, he finally tugged off the jacket and threw it to the end of the bed.

Had I missed something?

I didn’t get a chance to ask because I heard my grandparents’ bed creak, and I sat upright. Startled, Aleksandr sat up, too, scanning the room for an invisible attacker.

Shoot. Don’t come down to use the bathroom, I willed whichever grandparent was stirring. It wouldn’t have surprised me if one of them had heard the window incident because they weren’t very sound sleepers.

I placed my fingers over Aleksandr’s mouth to keep him from speaking, and sat sculpture-still on the bed while I listened for more noises. After a few minutes of silence above us, I chalked it up to someone rolling over rather than getting out. When I lowered my hand, Aleksandr clotheslined me at the waist, taking me down to a lying position.