hard. His strong fingers curled around my upper arms. The heat was unmistakable. So was the fact that I couldn't breathe.
I automatically yanked myself away from him and spun around. The move caused me to hit the door behind me. "What the fuck are you doing?" I snapped. He was still too close for comfort. I could smell his scent. I could feel the waves of heat rolling off his body. God, he’d be so warm to curl up against in the middle of the night, especially after a nightmare. No doubt those arms of his could chase away any fear.
I fully expected him to back off because I wasn't playing around anymore. He'd already crossed way too many boundaries. But instead of stepping back, Nikolai stepped forward instead, crowding me against the door. His jaw was set into a hard line as he said, "Lesson number one. You never enter a room until I do a sweep of it."
A twinge of disappointment went through me, though I didn't really understand why. It probably had to do with the fact that my body felt like it was in all sorts of knots from his proximity and all he was doing was teaching me a so-called lesson.
"Get off me," I ordered. I'd somehow managed to keep my hands from pressing against his chest, but now I was regretting that fact. He was far too close for comfort and I had no defense against him beyond my words.
"Lesson number two," Nikolai continued as if I hadn't spoken. "You calm the fuck down."
It was all I could do not to shove him away. "You done?" I asked as I fought to get control of my emotions. Falling apart would get me nowhere and I couldn't afford for my brain to scatter into a million pieces like it was prone to do whenever I got overly stressed. No way in hell was I going to allow Nikolai Falkov to undo what I’d spent years and years working to overcome.
Instead of letting me go, Nikolai pulled me toward him briefly before setting his own body between mine and the door. At that point, he released his hold on me and entered the bathroom. I had no doubt that he'd already checked the bathroom after entering my office before my arrival, but he still made a big show of checking every nook and cranny. When his big body filled the doorway, he said, "Now I'm done."
My fingers felt like they were shaking as I plucked at the last few buttons on my shirt. I practically ripped the last one off as I tore the shirt from my body at the same time that I strode past Nikolai. Our bodies briefly brushed one another's, but I ignored the fiery sensation that shot straight to my balls and practically slammed the door shut on the man. I flipped the lock on the bathroom door and stumbled to the sink. I leaned over and cranked the cold water as high as it would go.
When I finally got up the nerve to look in the mirror, it was as I’d feared. Looking back at me wasn't the same put-together man I'd spent a lifetime trying to become. No, the image mocking me in the mirror was that of the little kid I'd been. The one no one had wanted. The one who'd been too weak, too pathetic.
I dropped my eyes and growled, "Get it together, Jude." I wrapped my fingers around the edges of the raised sink and held on until I finally felt some semblance of control retake my body. I had no clue how much time passed before looking in the mirror again. I was relieved to see the familiar Jude staring back. The one who didn't take shit from anyone. Not even hot Russian wannabe bodyguards.
A coolness settled over my skin as I took a few more deep breaths before turning and seeking out the garment bag on the back of the bathroom door. I took my time putting on a clean shirt and jacket.
Let Nikolai Falkov wait.
It would be time for round three soon enough and I had absolutely no doubt about who would be coming out on top this time.
Chapter 5
Nikolai
Jesus, what was wrong with me? It was like the guy ticked all of my boxes. I never put my hands on a client unless I was moving them out of harm's way.
But every word that came out of Jude's mouth made me itch to