I clear my throat and try to get myself under control. Viktor is leering down the front of Elena’s dress and he’s still too fucking close. Close enough to smell her perfume and see the different shades of brown in her irises. Close enough that my skin vibrates with fury.
“Excuse me,” I mutter, putting out my cigar in the nearest ashtray and making a beeline toward them. Instead of addressing Viktor, I take hold of Elena’s arm and pull her away.
“What the—”
Her protest is cut off by a sharp look from me, and she remains silent as the entire party watches us leave the room.
Elena’s heels click on the tiles as I lead her away from the open door, light spilling into the hallway. Once we’ve gone far enough that I’m sure we won’t be overheard, I stop and push her against the wall.
“Diego, what the hell?”
“Shh,” I whisper, bracing one hand on the wall and leaning in. “In a few seconds, we are going to have an audience. Relax.”
She releases a slow breath, but her body remains stiff as mine comes up against it. We’re pressed together so tight I can feel her every inhale, smell the sweet wine and rich custard on her breath.
“Look, I wasn’t flirting or anything. Viktor was coming on strong and you kind of abandoned me in there. I didn’t know what to do.”
I touch her shoulder and let my fingertips trail down her arm. “I know, gatita. I’m not mad at you.”
“Then why did you … oh, I get it.”
I lower my head and let my nose nuzzle against hers. “Smart girl. If they think I’m jealous, it just makes us look more authentic. When Oleg comes out here, he’s going to see a man reminding his woman who he belongs to.”
She shivers, her arm breaking out with goose bumps as I run my index finger up and down the tender skin. Now that my hand is on her, I can’t pull it away.
“How am I doing?” she whispers, biting her lip. “It’s tense in there.”
“Welcome to my world. You’re doing just fine, gatita. Oleg is taken with you, even though he knows you’re competition for Nataly.”
Elena wrinkles her nose. “Did you really consider marrying that porcelain doll? She seems … empty. Like nobody’s home.”
My lips quiver, and I’m laughing before I realize it. “Is that jealousy I hear?”
She snorts and puts a hand against my chest to push me away. I resist, edging so close she can’t move without grinding that delicious body of hers against me. Not that it would make much of a difference. I’m as hard as a fucking stone, every part of me straining toward her.
“Please,” she mutters. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Gripping her chin, I tip her head back and stare into her eyes. “I don’t have to flatter myself. The looks you’ve been giving me all night are enough.”
“I’m playing the role you forced on me.”
“A role you accepted when you agreed to do whatever I say,” I correct her. “A role you’re fulfilling well, by the way.”
“You too,” she breathes, her gaze dropping to my mouth as I loom over her, breathing in her intoxicating scent. “Is that why you’re … doing this?”
‘This’ doesn’t refer to me dragging her out of the room or standing so close. We both know she’s referring to what I’ve already made my mind up to do.
“No,” I murmur against her mouth, heavy breaths tangling between us. “I’m doing this because I want to.”
She whimpers when I kiss her, my lips hard and demanding. The first taste of Elena sets me off, and what I meant to be a quick show for Oleg—who I know is watching from the door—turns into something else entirely.
I lick at the seam of her lips, prodding her mouth open to accept me. Her tongue is rough and slick, pushing against mine with the same desperation coming off me in waves.
I grind against her, groaning into her mouth at the softness and warmth reaching me through her dress. Her nipples are hard against my chest, her pelvis pushing against mine when she arches her back. I’m going at her like a man possessed, my hands traveling her body while I bite and lick and suck at her lower lip. She’s fucking intoxicating—a shot of the finest Scotch, a hit of the strongest drug. I cup a breast and squeeze hard enough