Clearing my throat, I said, "I need to look at my calendar."
Amusement glinted in his eyes. He held out his hand. "Give me your phone."
Wondering what he was playing at, I pulled my phone from my purse and slapped it into his hand after unlocking the front screen. He tapped away at it and then handed it back. "Now you have my private number."
I heard his emphasis on private. I figured I'd made it onto a short list of people with access to those digits. "Would you like my number?"
"I already have it."
"Oh really?"
His mouth curved in a devilishly sexy grin. "There's nothing I can't get my hands on when I want it, Yelena."
When he said my full name, his Russian accent highlighting and stretching out the three syllables, I experienced the most delicious tingle in my chest. Considering what he'd said about getting his hands on the things he wanted, I gave a nonchalant shrug. "We'll see."
Chuckling, Yuri glanced around the parking lot. "That food truck serves ice cream. Would you like some?"
"Sure."
We gathered up our trash and chucked it into the various recycling and refuse bins at the edge of the eating area. The line at the dessert truck wasn't very long. We chose a cup of sweet, creamy homemade vanilla. Sharing something as simple as a paper cup of ice cream with Yuri felt somehow more magical.
"You've shown me a different side of Houston tonight," he said as we headed for his car. "I should get out more."
I considered the two guards shadowing us. Though he was alone tonight, he typically traveled with an army of assistants. "You'd have to leave your babysitters at home to really enjoy this side of the city."
He gave my hair a playful tug. "Only if you're my tour guide."
Smiling, I slid into the backseat of the waiting car. Yuri moved in from the other side. This time there was no pretense of accidental touching. The moment we were both buckled in, he grasped my hand and stroked his thumb over my skin. My gaze skipped to the tinted window. I could just make out the bright lights of the food trucks. An idea began to form.
"What are you thinking about? I can practically hear the gears turning."
"I'm thinking that Benny should find a way to partner up with a successful food truck."
He made a humming sound in agreement. "It would be a good way to cross-promote businesses. One brand could feed another. Sharing costs might be attractive to all parties." Yuri wound wavy strands of my hair around his finger. "It's an idea worth feeling out and getting some solid numbers."
Hearing him talk business made me so hot. "Okay," I said a bit breathlessly. "That was ridiculously sexy."
He laughed. "Kitten, if you think that's sexy, I've got piles of quarterly earnings estimates in my briefcase that I'd be happy to read to you."
"Tease." I thumped his chest. "I do love a good bedtime story."
Yuri's hand moved to my knee. Our gazes clashed as his palm slowly glided along my bare skin to dip just under the hem of my skirt. "Come home with me tonight and I'll read you anything you want."
I shivered as his hand inched along my thigh. "No."
"You can pick the language—English, Russian, Mandarin or Arabic."
My lips parted with surprise. "You speak Mandarin and Arabic?"
"Passably," he said with some self-deprecation. "I'm no scholar but I can negotiate and communicate clearly. It suits my business needs."
"That's amazing."
His sensuous mouth curved with a mischievous grin. "If you think that's amazing, you should see the other tricks I've mastered."
His playfulness infected me. Gripping his wrist, I halted the achingly slow slide of his hand. "You're tenacious. I'll give you that."
"I'll give you everything if you come home with me."
"Is that a time sensitive offer?"
He held my gaze for a long moment. "For you? There's no expiration." He peppered ticklish kisses up the side of my neck and across my bare shoulder. "Come home with me tonight, tomorrow, next week or next year." He punctuated each word with a feather-light kiss. "My offer will always stand."
Inside, I trembled violently. This wickedly sexy, outrageously powerful man had just offered me the world. Was I brave enough to say yes?
Swallowing hard, I met his intense, unnerving gaze. "I've never been more tempted in my life to go home with a man." I trailed my fingers down the front of his shirt. "But I won't break that rule, not even for you."
Yuri's reaction convinced me that he wasn't playing games with me. He'd meant every word he said. Nuzzling my neck, he whispered, "I like a woman with principles." His lips skimmed my jaw. "Do I get a goodnight kiss at least?"
"Well…I suppose one kiss wouldn't hurt."
As our lips touched, we both knew this wasn’t stopping at one kiss. Cloaked in the privacy of the partitioned backseat, I surrendered to Yuri's masterful mouth. His strong hand roamed my body with such appreciation. He awakened the lust and desire hidden deep within me.
Yielding to his insistent mouth, I relished the sweet sugary vanilla clinging to his tongue. Our mouths mated with such ferocity it stole my breath and left me shaking. We were lost in the wonder of our feverish kisses as the car swiftly navigated the bustling Houston streets.
Too soon, we arrived at the gated complex where I shared an apartment with Vivi. With a growl of frustration, Yuri reluctantly pulled away from me. I sensed he wanted to try his charms on me again but he didn't. Instead he swept his thumbs across my cheeks. "I'm walking you to your door so I can get one more kiss."
"Just one?"
He groaned dramatically. "You're going to kill me."
Giggling, I grabbed my purse and grasped the door handle. One of the bodyguards took hold of the door and pulled it open before reaching inside to help me out of the backseat. I noticed the way his sharp, calculating gaze scanned the parking lot. He kept his body between me and the open street.
It occurred to me suddenly that this man, this total stranger, protected me with his own body simply because I was with Yuri. I couldn't believe how well Dimitri had trained him or how far this man was willing to go to protect Yuri. Although it was crass, I wondered how much he was paid to take a bullet, if necessary. It must have been an outrageous amount.
"What's your name?"
The guard glanced down at me. "Jake, ma'am."
My eyebrow arched at the ma'am. "It's nice to meet you, Jake. Thank you for watching over me tonight. I appreciate it."
He nodded but didn't make eye contact again. By now, Yuri stood nearby. He held out his hand and I happily grasped it. As we stepped onto the sidewalk another realization struck me. I hadn't said anything to Tony, the driver, about where I lived or how to get here.
My gaze fixed on Yuri's shadowy profile. "You already knew where I lived. Your driver already had my address."
"Yes."
"But…why?"
"Why not?" He glanced at me. "Let's not kid ourselves, Lena. I knew the moment I first saw you that I'd be making this walk to your front door someday. I didn't know how soon it would happen but I wanted to be prepared."