AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please. Tell this girl she needs to give in to her carnal instincts,” Amy encouraged.
“If the young man is offering up his home, buying groceries, and wanting to spend time with you, he ain’t looking for some one-night stand. He’s looking for someone he can form a connection with.” The cabbie peered back at them as they sat at the stoplight. “Why enjoy what he’s offering up?”
“The light’s green,” Anna stated, pointing to the front of the car. She sighed in resignation. “Now I’m getting advice from a cabbie.”
“Married thirty years. I still woo her every weekend with date night,” he claimed proudly.
That made Anna smile. If only she could be so lucky to be wooed like that. But maybe that’s what Ivan had planned. Maybe the pilfering of her time slot was a more elaborate ruse to get her alone so that they could finally address the sparks that seemed to fly between them every time they were in the same room together. It made her feel a little better. And Amy was right. She couldn’t very go with the plain cotton panties in her dresser, even if she preferred them.
She handed the cabbie a twenty, and as he pulled up to Victoria’s Secret, she waited for Amy at the door. “No thongs.”
“Oh god, no. You wouldn’t catch me dead in a pair of those. My teeth need to be flossed, not my ass,” Amy stated in horror. “But go with something a bit sexier.” She walked past Anna, pulling the pair of boy cuts from her hand and putting them back on the display. She took her arm and drug her deeper into the store. “Trust me. By the time we’re done in here and Ivan sees you in what I have in mind, you will be singing my praises from here to Jersey.”
An hour later, Anna emerged with three bags of goodies from Victoria’s Secret. She was lucky they were having sales, and her credit card wasn’t groaning quite as much as she thought it would. She had everything from sexy bikinis to cheeky panties to bras that cupped her breasts just right while emphasizing her cleavage, which, to be fair, needed as much help as they could get. She had yoga pants to relax in, nighties that were slinky, and even a pair of satin pajamas in case she was too shy to get undressed. A few t-shirts with PINK all over them and some new body spray finished the purchase. They had a quick bite and headed back to her apartment.
“You know, part of me hopes you’re right, and part of me doesn’t,” Anna exclaimed as she finished packing the new clothing in her bag. She looked at Amy. “You sure you don’t mind watching Sebastian until I get back?”
“I do not mind watching Sebastian. Cal likes it when he comes to visit. They’ll tear up my place from top to bottom, but they do give the best cuddles, and I love falling asleep to purring in stereo. Let’s get him in his carrier, and I’ll get out of your hair.”
It took them a few minutes to wrangle Sebastian into his carrier, but Anna gave him plenty of treats and pets before Amy whisked him away for a long playdate at her house. Anna’s stomach was in knots. She knew she had no reason to be nervous, but she was. She looked up as Ivan’s car pulled up in front of the apartment building. Picking up her duffle bag, she walked out of the building, ready to face the challenge he had put in front of her.
Chapter Three
Anna had only seen pictures of the house in Sleepy Hollow, and they did not do the home justice. She followed Ivan through it as he showed her the bedroom he thought she would enjoy staying in and then the master bedroom where he would stay. While the house belonged to his parents, they were never there. Instead, they spent their time traveling around the world or toodling across the United States in their RV. Their “mobile home away from home,” as Ivan called it. He had commandeered the master bedroom as soon as they took off in the RV the very first time five years earlier and never gave it up. They didn’t mind.
“So if you need to work on any lesson plans, you’re more than welcome to share my office,” he offered, showing her the third bedroom in the house. It was set up with two back-to-back desks with extra monitors and plenty of desk space to work. “I know I haven’t finished mine yet, and the morning sun makes this room warm and enjoyable.”
Anna looked at the room and felt a pang of jealousy. Her one-bedroom apartment was barely big enough for a dining room table, let alone a dedicated office. “I will be taking you up on that,” she stated. She looked at the connection for the extra monitor and smiled. “I’m going to get spoiled like this. I don’t have an office at home, and you know I share the one at the university with two other professors.” She glanced sideways at him. “Unlike you, who has an office all to yourself.”
“You’re more than welcome to share mine. I’ve told you that before,” Ivan pointed with a wave of his slender hand. He leaned in the doorway of the room, arms crossed, and simply watched her as she examined the books on the shelf and the movie posters on the wall. He loved old movies, and even though the posters were reprinted, they made him happy.
“Errol Flynn’s The Adventures of Robin Hood. I love that movie,“ Anna stated. “And The King and I.“ She pointed to the poster with Yul Brynner. “My mom named me after her.”
“Anna in the movie?” He smiled. “And you’re a teacher, so that is quite fitting, dushenka.“ He tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Did you know that he was born in Vladivostok?” He walked over to where Anna was standing, looking at the poster. “He had Buryat blood…Mongol blood. Did you know that?”
Anna shook her head. “No. I always wondered, though, because he looked so natural playing King Mongkut. I would’ve loved to see him play that part live on stage,” she replied. Together, they left the room and headed downstairs.
“Agreed. But we will have to be happy with the movie instead, which I own.” He walked across the hardwood floor, through the open-concept living room, and towards the kitchen. “We should watch it one night.” He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of red wine. He waited until she sat at the bar across from him before pouring her a glass. “Dinner will be ready in a few. I hope you don’t mind that I cooked.”
Anna took the glass he handed her. “I don’t mind at all. You know I love your cooking.” She took the wine glass and wandered into the living room. The room was bathed in the soft glow of a single lamp, its light casting long shadows across the bookshelves that were filled from floor to ceiling with books. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and ink, mingling with the aroma of Russian Meatball Soup. “When did you have time to make the soup?” she asked, her eyes wandering along the spines of the books on the shelves.
Ivan shrugged. “I started it this morning and pretty much had it ready before I came to pick you up. I’m mostly warming it up and adding the final touches.” The living room, with its soft leather sofa and armchair, was a fitting atmosphere for the evening he had planned. He saw Anna sit in the leather armchair, her eyes still wandering over the spines of the books surrounding her, each one a promise of untold stories. He walked over to the bookshelf, wine glass in hand, and let the fingers of his free hand trail over the titles as if choosing the perfect book was a delicate art. He didn’t want to start their exploration of Russian romantic literature with something that would chase her away. He paused before pulling out a slender volume, its cover worn and faded. The name embossed on the cover was still clear: Alexander Pushkin. “I think this is a good place to start,” Ivan said, his voice low, almost a whisper. He walked over to Anna, holding the book out to her. She took it, feeling the weight of history and passion in her hands.
“Pushkin,” Anna murmured, her fingers brushing over the cover. “His words are... intoxicating.”
“Yes,” Ivan agreed, his eyes darkening with something unspoken. He sipped his wine and motioned to the book with the hand holding the glass, “Pushkin understood the depths of desire, the hunger beneath the surface of civility. Let me show you.” He took the book back from her, opening it to a page he had already marked. Clearing his throat, he began to read, his voice rich and velvety, each word laced with seduction.
“I recollect that wonderous meeting.
That instant, I encountered you.
When, like an apparition fleeting,
Like beauty’s spirit, past you flew.
Long since, when hopeless grief distressed me,
When noise and turmoil vexed, it seemed
