At the bottom of the slope, he stops to inspect my sandal. Going down on his haunches, he grasps my ankle in his large hand, his fingers overlapping around the circumference, and wipes away the mud and tuft of grass stuck to my heel. I grip his shoulder for balance, waiting patiently while he takes care of me. I’ve learned that he needs this. He needs to provide, protect, and comfort. In turn, he lets me do the same for him.
Staring down at his dark head, his thick hair shining in the sun, I ask, “Do you still miss them a lot?”
He glances up at me. “Yes.” A second passes before he straightens. “But that’s the past, and we’re the present. You’re my family now.” His voice lowers, the timbre dark and heated as he brushes his knuckles over my stomach. “And soon, we’ll have a bigger one.”
A flush of heat creeps over my cheeks. I know the guards are watching. “It may take time,” I warn. I’ve only been off the pill for a month.
Lowering his head, he holds my gaze with unmistakable intent as he breathes the words over my lips. “I have time. Lots of it if I get to practice every day.”
That makes me laugh. “You just want to impress me like on the first night, making me believe you’re virile for your ripe age.”
His eyes crinkle in the corners. He purses his lips, trying hard to hold back his smile. My heart soars.
Gripping my wrist, he yanks me against him, making our bodies collide. “Are you teasing me, Mrs. Volkova?”
The sudden move makes me gasp. The moment my lips part, he steals inside, swallowing my sounds and sweeping the depth of my mouth with his tongue. My knees grow weak. I cling to his arms, feeling the muscles flex under my palms as he splays his broad hands over my back and presses me impossibly close, close enough to arch my back and let me feel the hardness that grows against my stomach.
A graveyard is hardly an appropriate place. The men discreetly facing forward and pretending not to see make it even less appropriate, but I couldn’t extract myself from his embrace if I tried. He renders me helpless. Flames burst over my skin, burning through my body to my core.
He clasps my ass, jerking me tighter against him. The men in their black suits and the black cars fade away. Where we are doesn’t matter any longer. The feeling of summer that rides on the air grows into a bubble that isolates us in happiness. In euphoria.
My phone rings.
Alex groans.
Flustered, I pull away and say breathlessly, “Not here.”
“You’re right,” he says in a gruff voice. “You should get that.” He spears his fingers through his hair and messes it up in that way I love so much. “You make me forget where I am.” His lips tilt in one corner. “You have that effect on me. Always have, since the first night.”
Tearing my gaze away from his, I dig in my bag for my phone and look at the screen. “It’s my mom.”
“Take your time.” He fishes his own phone from his pocket and wakes up the screen, already scrolling to his messages. Turning sideways to give me an illusion of privacy, he says, “Say hi to Laura for me.”
I take a steadying breath before I press the phone against my ear. “Hi, Mom.”
“Katie! You sound out of breath. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
I glance at Alex’s imposing back. “Um, no. I’ve just been walking.”
“How’s the honeymoon?”
“Great. Alex has taken me to see all the popular tourist attractions we missed on our first visit. He’s taking me somewhere a little less crowded tonight. How about you? How’s your vacation?”
“Fabulous. William and I decided to give the nudist beach a try.”
“I thought you were in Croatia?”
“We are, honey. We found a place here where I can work on a full-body tan.”
Despite her enthusiasm, I can’t help the nagging worry at the back of my mind. “How’s married life treating you?” Carefully, I add, “Not feeling too claustrophobic yet?”
“Oh, no. William is going hiking in the mountains with a guide tomorrow. That gives me a couple of days to myself on the beach. Afterward, we’ll meet up at that fancy hotel I told you about.”
“That sounds wonderful.” I’m glad they found the formula that works for them.
“How’s Alex?”
“He’s good. He says hi.”
“Give him a kiss from me.” Her voice turns rushed. “Oh, gosh. Look at the time. I’ve got to go, honey. We’re going out for dinner. I’ll call you again in a couple of days.”
When I put my phone away, Alex asks, “Is she happy?”
“Ecstatic.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He grins. “I’ve been to more weddings with you in the last six months than in my whole life.”
I smile up at him. “Are you complaining?”
He takes my hand and continues on the path we set out on before we got sidetracked. “Not about ours. How are Jo and Ricky doing?”
“They just got back from Brazil. They want to invite us for dinner when we’re home.”
“Only if Ricky cooks.” He makes a face. “Jo could do with some lessons.”
I swat his arm. “That’s not nice.”
He adopts a serious expression. “But true.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll admit her moussaka was a bit on the burned side.”
We arrive at the car. Yuri gets the door with a stoic expression. Alex makes sure I’m comfortable in the back and gets in beside me. Taking my hand in his lap, he points out the sites on our drive back home. Whenever we’re together, he always needs to touch me, but I’m not complaining about that. I love his obsession with me. I need it as much as he needs to take care of me.
“Hungry?” he asks when we’re back in our bedroom.
“Starving. It must be all the fresh air.”
He nods with approval. “Good. I already asked Tima to prepare a spread.”
On cue, there’s a knock on the door. Alex opens it to let Tima enter with a trolley set with dishes. One by one, Tima lifts the silver lids to reveal every imaginable Russian starter and bite-sized food.
“Enjoy,” Tima says with a grin, offering me a wink on his way out.
“I thought we’d just nibble on a selection,” Alex says when Tima has left. “The dishes are all served cold, so you have time for a shower if you like.”
My stomach heats at the nuance of his tone. “Sure. I could do with one.”
As I walk to the bathroom, I’m aware of him following. His steps are quiet, like those of a lithe, feline predator, but I know he’s there. His presence is too big to ignore, his male energy too overwhelming for me not to be conscious of how it lurks in the room, close on my heel. The hair on my arms raises with awareness.
Before I can reach for the zipper at the back of my dress, he catches the puller. He drags it down slowly, letting his fingertips brush over my spine as the sound of undressing reverberates with the rasp of the zipper. When the dress falls open from the top to the small of my back, he brushes the sleeves over my shoulders. The cotton tumbles to my feet, draping around my ankles.
Next, he works on the clasp of my bra, unhooking it with fluid efficiency. I stand quietly as he hooks a finger into the elastic of the matching thong. Instead of dragging it down my hips, he gives a sharp tug. A tearing sound cuts through the space, the lace digging into my skin for a second before cool air washes over my skin. The brusqueness of the act is in sharp contrast to the gentle way he got rid of the rest of my clothing, and that brief show of urgency makes liquid heat gather between my legs.