Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,107

with the promise of vengeance.

He took a step toward her.

“Stop right there.” She raised the gun a little higher, not realizing she’d lowered it a tad. He had however, if the lift of his lips was any indication.

“You don’t vant to shoot me.” He purred the words and continued his slow cat-like stroll.

She shot off the 9mm toward the empty beach and swung the weapon back to aim at him. The sound echoed over the waters like ice calving off a glacier. Sergei froze. Good, the man needed to take her seriously. She was deadly serious and she wasn’t leaving until he was good and dead.

“Katja.”

He said her name in that sexy, dark Russian accent of his, reminding her of how he’d trailed his lips over her skin, whispering her name during the midnight hours as his hard, powerful body made love to hers. No, fucked hers. There had been no love between them. She tried to crush the memories of the night that seemed carved into her consciousness. Now was not the time for thoughts like this. They’d just distract her from her mission.

“You know that I’m sanctioned,” he said.

“The United States Government might have pardoned you, but I haven’t. There are still crimes you must pay, deaths that must be avenged.”

“And you’ve set yourself up as my executioner?”

“Yes.”

“Gone rogue, have you?”

“Isn’t that what you tried to get me to do?”

“Dah.” His dark eyes traveled down her white snowsuit. She doubted he could tell anything different about her by the way she was bundled up. So bundled up to protect herself from the harsh elements she’d failed to take in account that seeing him, talking with him, would have her sweating in the get up. She envied him his casual clothes, with the cold breeze ruffling his half-opened shirt. She could see the definitions of his pectoral muscles, the soft sprinkling of chest hair that she remembered nuzzling her cheek against after experiencing the most intense climax of her life within his protective embrace.

“Rogue looks good on you, Katja.”

“Shut up.”

“Kill me, then. You’ve come a long vay to do it.” He spread his arms out to encompass the imposing terrain.

Kate squeezed the trigger.

CHAPTER TWO

Sergei ducked and dived for Kate just as she fired. The bullet whizzed by the side of his head. He swiped the gun out of her hand before she could get off another shot and took her down hard to the frozen ground. He had to have knocked the air of her, but damn if she didn’t still fight him. She was everywhere, hands, arms, limbs, and feet, getting all nasty with how they pummeled him.

You’d think the woman held no appreciation for him. Not that he blamed her. He’d never treated a woman worse than the one currently under him.

And how he regretted it. Not just because she was here to kill him, but because he hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her since he’d last had her beneath him.

“Oomph.” His hold slipped as she got in a lucky punch to his kidneys. “Derr’mo!”

She scrambled for her gun. He grabbed her feet before she could reach it, and yanked her back to the ground.

She pulled a foot free and kicked him in the chest. This time he was the one fighting for breath. She’d gotten better at hand-to-hand combat.

He was pissed. And impressed as hell.

His hand clamped around her calves, and he crawled up her back, locking her legs down with his and pushing her face into the snow.

“Cool off.”

“Go to hell, you bastard,” came her muffled reply.

“Already been there, Katja.” He flipped her over, grabbing both of her hands and anchoring them down on the sides of her head.

Bozhe moi, she was beautiful. His memory hadn’t exaggerated her sexiness. Her hood had come off in the struggle, and dark auburn hair splayed over the white snow beneath her. Her jade green eyes flashed daggers at him. Hate and something else shined in their depths. Rosy, plump lips tempted him to nibble.

He’d better not.

There was only so much of living on the edge he was willing to risk. If he kissed her, she’d kill him for sure. He saw it in her eyes. It was in the lines of her tense body, the anger and hurt infused in her flushed skin.

“Settle down,” he said.

She head-butted him.

He saw stars. It was close, she almost knocked him out, but he had one thing going for him that she didn’t. Not only was his head harder, he