Chapter 4

Once they reached their room, Linka took advantage of the fact that Wheeler was using the bathroom first and started rummaging through her luggage to find the occurring for the night. Some comfortable pajamas, toothbrush, face cream, toner, a brush, and perhaps a nice novel to read before bed. Inwardly, she knew she would not be that lucky. Gi probably had not intended for this vacation to be at all educational, unless it was majoring in Wheelerology, and the thought caused the Russian girl to blush. Bozhe moi, what have I gotten myself into? she could not help but wonder for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Suddenly, the large, elegant room seemed constricting. The bed looked comfortable and inviting but Linka knew it would feel extremely small to her if sharing would become necessary. The windows gave a glimpse into the darkness of the night caressed by light snow flakes falling. There was even a fireplace with soft rugs in one corner of the room along with a sofa, and fresh red roses filled two vases to the brim with romance.

Blinking, stupefied, Linka once more cursed Gi's name and the day they'd met. Gi had packed some warm clothes, her beauty case, adequate shoes and boots, but that was about all in terms of usefulness. The Asian girl had also included the sexiest lingerie she had been able to find, anything from lace and corsets to thongs and see-through baby dolls. Linka swore in Russian, her face coloring more than the roses. It was official, Gi had simply lost her mind! Had she seriously thought Linka would sport those things for Wheeler? As if they were any ordinary couple on vacation together? God, the Yankee would simply assail her in that provocative gear, and she involuntarily imagined his eyes caressing the length of her body…

The door to the bathroom opened and Linka jumped, almost letting out a scream in the process. To say her nerves were taut was an understatement. Damn Gi! She avoided Wheeler's eyes, keeping her head low, and waited for him to get to the other side of the room before she spoke at last.

"Uhm, do you have a shirt I can borrow for the night? I am going to kill Gi."

She heard Wheeler's hearty laugh and finally looked up at him. He was clad in boxers and a T-shirt, intent on folding out the pull-out bed that had been rolled into the room. It seemed out of place in a room that spoke volumes of passion, but Linka ignored it.

"Gi's gonna get it, isn't she? I do love a good girl fight," he was snickering, moving to dig a shirt out of his luggage before handing it to her. Linka thanked him and swiftly moved towards the bathroom, hoping she wasn't still blushing.

"Can I take a peek inside your luggage?" Wheeler had the nerve to add, and she slammed the door of the bathroom shut at the sound of his accompanying laugher.

"Nyet, Yankee!"

"Then you probably don't wanna know what Kwame packed in mine!" came the quip from the other side of the door.

Once alone, Linka stripped down to her underwear and pulled Wheeler's t-shirt over her body, before brushing her teeth and washing her face clean. She took out her hair from its usual ponytail and brushed it many times over her shoulders until it reflected the light. She looked in the mirror, taking in a deep breath against the beating of her heart, telling herself to relax. Sure, they were sleeping together, but just in the same room. That's all it meant. Nothing more. She tried to pull the shirt further down her legs but it only reached mid-thigh, and she had no time to worry about the way it exposed her long legs for she had to leave the bathroom sooner or later.

Linka held her head high and made her way towards the bed. The few steps seemed to her an intercontinental distance. She could feel Wheeler's glance on her as she moved and once she worked up enough courage to do so, she lifted her eyes to him, confirming her hunches. He was laying down on the small bed, his arms comfortably folded behind his head, the well-defined muscles of his biceps in flexing mode. His blue eyes boldly followed the curves of her body, leisurely taking in the milky skin of her thighs and shapely calves as she walked.

"Whatever Gi's packed, there's no way it's sexier than this," Wheeler pronounced in a satisfied tone, his voice husky and his eyes captivating. Linka could feel her face growing hot under his intense scrutiny, and she hurried into the large bed just so that she could throw the covers over herself.

"Goodnight, Yankee," she mumbled, indicating that she longer wished to speak by turning off the lamp beside her.

"'Night, babe," he sort of sighed in turn, before turning over in his bed. The sound of springs filled the air at his movement, and Linka took in a deep breath while finding a comfortable position on the soft mattress. Wheeler moved again and she suddenly wondered if he was comfortable. The pull-out bed had seemed too small for his large frame, and a wave of tenderness inundated her at the fact that he'd let her have the "official" bed without fussing about it at all. She did not want him to have a terrible sleep, her conscience piped up; after all, they were supposed to be pampering their bodies while on vacation. She listened to his tossing and turning, sighing to herself. The bed she was sleeping in was quite large, could there really be any harm in sharing it? She trusted Wheeler, and it was not like he would ever try anything funny without her consent, anyway. She could be strong. Totally. Indestructible, like titanium.

"Wheeler, is the bed uncomfortable?" Linka voiced, placing as much softness as she could into her tone, while lifting herself up on one elbow.

The answer was in the form of bed springs creaking as Wheeler moved. "I'm okay, I've slept in worse," he answered, not too convincingly.

Linka pulled down the covers on the other side of the bed and sighed a little. "Yankee, get in here."

"Serious? You won't yell at me over breakfast?"

His tone caused her to laugh. "Come on, you big baby."

"Well, all right, then… if you're sure."

She heard him walking about the room before she felt his weight being lowered on the bed. Linka scooted to the farthest side of the bed and tucked herself underneath the covers, wanting a sort of shield around her frame. The smell of his skin and his warmth immediately reached her, and she shut her eyes to a close. She hoped he could not hear the hammering sounds inside her chest, for her heart was being foolish. The distance between them was crucial to Linka, for she was not sure she could ward off the string of emotions that would come from touching.

"This is a nice bed," Wheeler sighed a little before yawning. He turned so that he was on his side facing her and Linka went perfectly still.

"Can I kiss you goodnight?"

"Nice try, Yankee," Linka laughed and she hoped it did not give away the tense state of her nerves. Lightly brushing off his comment helped her ignore the softness behind his request. It also lulled that sense of desire within her, even more awakened now by the image of his mouth on hers conjured up by his words. It would be so easy, all she had to do was reach out her hand and gently stroke his…

Wheeler's soft, regular breathing beside her let her know he'd fallen asleep, and Linka tasted a small helping of relief in her next breath. How could it be that her senses were so fully alive on their first night together? How would she make it through the next days in her weakened state? What was happening to her? Was she letting herself be seduced by the saucy Yankee? Was that what she really wanted? Why could she not trust her movements as before? Linka shifted a little, knowing it was going to be a long night alone with her restless thoughts.