Everly is safe from him.
I start in her direction, intent upon taking her back to the hotel and making good on my promise to order room service desserts. Memories of this morning crowd their way to the forefront of my mind. My hands on her body, spreading her thighs, and holding her wrists prisoner. How she tasted on my tongue. The sounds she made when she came apart in my arms.
My stomach roils. I can’t touch her, much less have sex with her. I’ve just killed a man. I glance at my hands once more, and they’re stained with blood instead of ink.
I pivot and stride away, fighting the bile that threatens to rise.
“Roman?” Everly calls out, her quickening footsteps growing closer as she follows me. “Wait up!”
I slow to allow her to catch up, but only because I can’t leave her behind. Not only would I be leaving her to the wolves, but she’s in a foreign country and can’t speak the language. I doubt she could name our hotel.
With a forced lightness, I turn my attention to her, acting as though I’m happy to have found her at last and not running away. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
She nearly bumps into me. “You have? But I’ve been in the same shop the entire time.”
I shrug, feeling ridiculous. “Perhaps you were hidden from me.”
“I guess.” Giving me an uncertain smile, she asks, “Why didn’t you stop when I called your name?”
“I didn’t hear you,” I say firmly. “I was lost in my head.”
“Your grandfather?”
“Yes, he’s doing much better.” My phone vibrates and I pull it out, noting a new text from Viktor/Victoria. I shoot off a reply, letting him know Petrov is dead by my hand.
Everly’s lips twist. “Must be so hard talking to Victoria.”
“What?”
“You know, Victoria —the woman who just had to get something from you while we were on our date. Otherwise known as coitus interruptus.”
“Are you jealous of Victoria?” I ask, though I suspect the answer is yes. However, if Everly were ever to find out Victoria’s true identity as Viktor, then she wouldn’t be so put out.
“No,” she says quickly. A little too quickly.
“I think you are.”
“Well, I think it’s ungentlemanly of you to say so,” she says primly, turning up her nose. “Anyway, I’m ready to go back to our hotel.”
For some reason, her reprimand spurs me into action. I don’t give a damn about not being worthy to touch her. I have to touch her. I need her.
Without saying a word, I crowd her into a dark alley. “Roman!” she says, looking around. “What in the world are you doing?”
“Showing you how ungentlemanly I can be.” I cup her face with both hands and slant my mouth over hers, forcing my tongue inside. I lick and taste and take from her, until she responds in kind.
I grind against her, showing her how hard she makes me, as one of her legs wraps around my hip. My hand leaves her face to slide down her neck and then over one breast. I palm it, rubbing my thumb over her already hard nipple.
“Wait,” she says, breathless. “I can’t, not in public.”
“As you wish,” I say, and then kiss her again. I force away the urgency I feel, the need to take her here and now. I trace the outline of her top lip, then slip my tongue inside her mouth once more to twine with hers. My body goes harder than ever before, like steel being forged for battle.
Everly softens against me, her full breasts rubbing against my chest. She sighs so sweetly that I pull away and gaze into her eyes. Somehow they are highlighted by a trick of the streetlights.
“You are infinitely special to me, do you know that?”
“I do now,” she says softly. “You’re special to me, too.”
Forcing a calm breath, I turn from her appreciative gaze and hail a taxi. It carries us back to the hotel in no time. Anticipation makes my nerves come alive. I’m dying to touch her, to taste her, to claim her. Actually, I’d give my last breath to be inside of her again.
I
I start in her direction, intent upon taking her back to the hotel and making good on my promise to order room service desserts. Memories of this morning crowd their way to the forefront of my mind. My hands on her body, spreading her thighs, and holding her wrists prisoner. How she tasted on my tongue. The sounds she made when she came apart in my arms.
My stomach roils. I can’t touch her, much less have sex with her. I’ve just killed a man. I glance at my hands once more, and they’re stained with blood instead of ink.
I pivot and stride away, fighting the bile that threatens to rise.
“Roman?” Everly calls out, her quickening footsteps growing closer as she follows me. “Wait up!”
I slow to allow her to catch up, but only because I can’t leave her behind. Not only would I be leaving her to the wolves, but she’s in a foreign country and can’t speak the language. I doubt she could name our hotel.
With a forced lightness, I turn my attention to her, acting as though I’m happy to have found her at last and not running away. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
She nearly bumps into me. “You have? But I’ve been in the same shop the entire time.”
I shrug, feeling ridiculous. “Perhaps you were hidden from me.”
“I guess.” Giving me an uncertain smile, she asks, “Why didn’t you stop when I called your name?”
“I didn’t hear you,” I say firmly. “I was lost in my head.”
“Your grandfather?”
“Yes, he’s doing much better.” My phone vibrates and I pull it out, noting a new text from Viktor/Victoria. I shoot off a reply, letting him know Petrov is dead by my hand.
Everly’s lips twist. “Must be so hard talking to Victoria.”
“What?”
“You know, Victoria —the woman who just had to get something from you while we were on our date. Otherwise known as coitus interruptus.”
“Are you jealous of Victoria?” I ask, though I suspect the answer is yes. However, if Everly were ever to find out Victoria’s true identity as Viktor, then she wouldn’t be so put out.
“No,” she says quickly. A little too quickly.
“I think you are.”
“Well, I think it’s ungentlemanly of you to say so,” she says primly, turning up her nose. “Anyway, I’m ready to go back to our hotel.”
For some reason, her reprimand spurs me into action. I don’t give a damn about not being worthy to touch her. I have to touch her. I need her.
Without saying a word, I crowd her into a dark alley. “Roman!” she says, looking around. “What in the world are you doing?”
“Showing you how ungentlemanly I can be.” I cup her face with both hands and slant my mouth over hers, forcing my tongue inside. I lick and taste and take from her, until she responds in kind.
I grind against her, showing her how hard she makes me, as one of her legs wraps around my hip. My hand leaves her face to slide down her neck and then over one breast. I palm it, rubbing my thumb over her already hard nipple.
“Wait,” she says, breathless. “I can’t, not in public.”
“As you wish,” I say, and then kiss her again. I force away the urgency I feel, the need to take her here and now. I trace the outline of her top lip, then slip my tongue inside her mouth once more to twine with hers. My body goes harder than ever before, like steel being forged for battle.
Everly softens against me, her full breasts rubbing against my chest. She sighs so sweetly that I pull away and gaze into her eyes. Somehow they are highlighted by a trick of the streetlights.
“You are infinitely special to me, do you know that?”
“I do now,” she says softly. “You’re special to me, too.”
Forcing a calm breath, I turn from her appreciative gaze and hail a taxi. It carries us back to the hotel in no time. Anticipation makes my nerves come alive. I’m dying to touch her, to taste her, to claim her. Actually, I’d give my last breath to be inside of her again.
I
Similar Books
