“My sister’s going to give us a ride.”
She swallowed. “I can’t go—”
“You don’t have much of a choice, Emily. Your picture is on every television screen in New York, probably even more than that. If they find out you’re alive, they’ll come asking questions. If Sasha knows you’re alive, he’ll kill you. And I won’t be here to save you—”
“He would have to catch me first.”
I smiled. “No, I won’t risk it.”
“I’ve. . .” She shook her head. “I’ve never left Harlem. I’ve never even been on a plane.”
“Then, you’re lucky. You’ll be going in style. My sister’s plane is even bigger than mine and dripping with luxury.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “I can’t go—”
“Maxwell and your uncle are going.”
“They are not.”
“They are, and you are too.” I closed the distance between us. “The police will figure out that you are the Tinder Killer. With Sasha and your brother on your tail, someone will squash you.”
Her chest rose and fell like she’d been running.
“But, I won’t let that happen, Emily. No one will ever touch you, unless you want them to. No one will ever harm or violate you, lie or deceive you. No one.” I wrapped my arms around her. “You’ll work for me.”
She leaned her head against my chest as if accepting defeat. “And is that all I will be doing for you? Working?”
“I’m not stupid enough to think that I can put you on a leash, Emily. You’ll be free in Russia.”
In some ways. . .
She blew out a long breath. “I don’t know, Kaz.”
I grinned at the nickname she had given me. “Trust me, Emily. Just like I trusted you in the tunnels. Let me guide you to safety.”
Sighing again, she looked up at me. “Okay. I want to use one of my two favors.”
Surprised, I said, “Go ahead.”
“Hold my hand, while we’re on the plane. At least some of the time.”
I chuckled. “I’ll let you keep your two favors still. I already planned on doing that.”
She stepped out of my arms and I pulled her back to me.
“I promise to protect you.” I nipped at her lips.
Shaking her head, she backed away, never letting me catch her again.
“Then, I will use my other favor.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What do you want?”
“We don’t have sex anymore, not if I’m going to work for you. . .and even if I wasn’t working for you. I just like. . .one-time flings, nothing more.”
“One-time?” I winked at her. “I would rather you say one more time.”
She stirred in front of me.
“With this new knowledge, I’m sure you’re anxious and confused.” I licked my lips. “I’m sure you need someone to take the edge off. And trust me, when I say this. . .” The rest of my words held a razor-sharp edge. “You are no longer allowed to use Tinder.”
She widened her eyes.
“You get in too much trouble with it, and you’ll be busy.” I adjusted my towel, walked back to her bed, and lay down. “If you don’t want to fuck anymore, little mysh, that’s fine. Your body is not why I’m bringing you to Russia.”
At least, it isn’t the only reason.
She slowly walked to the edge of the bed and stared down at me. “So. . .you understand?”
“Yes. You don’t want to fuck anymore.” My cock got hard under the thin towel.
It hadn’t been lost on me that she kept letting her gaze drop to the hump.
How long will you deny yourself?
I tried to keep the desire out of my voice. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“Luka brought food. It’s in the kitchen.”
She blinked. “Oh.”
I smirked. “You thought I was talking about something else.”
Annoyance crept at the corner of her eyes.
“You must be anxious and edgy, Emily.”
She shook her head at me.
I rubbed my cock over the towel. “As I’ve said before, I’m here for you, but I won’t take you. I’ve heard a bloody rumor that you can’t be taken.”
She watched me slide my hands down my length and then squeeze the tip hard.
She’d done this to me, made me fucking crazy around her. If she thought we would never have sex again, then she’d banged her head when she’d passed out. I would have her in Harlem, in Prague, and Russia too. And I wouldn’t share her with anyone else.
But most of all, I will let her figure that out all on her own.
I licked my lips.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“Oh, Emily. I wonder, if you would be open to some sort of compromise.”
She squeezed her thighs together as she stood by the edge of the bed. “Compromise?”
“Maybe, we fuck one more time. Just once more. What could it hurt?”
She averted her eyes.
“We’re good friends. We trust each other. Our relationship has grown from the very desire to save each other’s lives. Who else should help you knock the edge off, but me?”
A smile broke across her face.
“Hmmm. I love, when you smile.”
“Most men would’ve run, after all the things you’ve heard about me. I’m a fucking serial killer—”
“Don’t think about it.”
“Most men would run.”
“Do I look like a man that runs?”
Her nipples hardened, poking the front of her shirt.
I grunted. “Come here.”
Chapter 20
Emily
What did one do when the most powerful man in the world told them to come?
They came.
And that was what I did, but first, I slipped off my jeans and shirt. I wore a new bra and panty set underneath. I hadn’t planned on having sex with him again, but still I’d picked the sexier items to wear before taking them back into the tunnels.
The bra and panties were all crimson lace. They hid nothing from him. He could see the outline of my nipples and the space between my thighs.
He directed his gaze down my body from my head to my toes, curving his lips into a wicked smile.
“Why do you want me to come to you?”
“Oh Emily, do you know how dangerous you are?”
“No.” I touched the straps on my shoulders but didn’t move them.
His words were a growl. “Come here.”
My eyes drooped with lust.
“I want to undress you,” he whispered. “I want to slip that lace off your body.”
I shouldn’t have, but I crawled to him, needing to forget yet again. He’d told me that I killed people. I didn’t want to believe him, but deep inside of me, I knew there was some truth to it.
But I couldn’t think about it. I refused to. I’d killed before. Death had been around me since I was ten. Tragedy came and went. Twists always hit and knocked me down, but I never stayed on the ground.
I always jumped back up.
I’m not what they said I am. I won’t think about it.