Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,129

every turn.

Two years ago, she’d been told to sleep with him and then kill him. But she couldn’t then, and she couldn’t now. Though she didn’t seem to have a problem with the sleeping part. So what did she do?

Follow her heart or her head?

Quit her job and disappear? She’d have to disappear as in “die” for others not to come after her. Could she chuck everything and finally do what she wanted? Wouldn’t that be a treat? She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually done something because she wanted to. That wasn’t true. Last time she’d slept with Sergei it had been what she’d wanted. Ordered to or not. She’d never wanted a man like she had wanted him.

And here she was, hiding in the bathroom like some simpering female.

Didn’t that bite?

Pull it together, Kate. The longer she stayed in here the weaker she looked. She never ran. The fact that she needed a few minutes after he destroyed her to put herself back together was forgivable. For a bit. Quickly, she cleaned up, shaped up, squared her shoulders, and wiped her expression clean of the turmoil she felt inside.

Sergei was waiting for her as she exited the bathroom. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, he’d dressed in his jeans, and button-torn flannel shirt, leaving his feet bare. His gaze swept her from her bare feet to her body covered in the quilt.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did I hurt you?” There was command and concern in his voice that tugged at her heart.

“No, you didn’t hurt me.” But she couldn’t tell him she was okay. She wasn’t, and it was about time she quit lying to herself. And him. “We need to talk.”

“Dah, ve do.”

“First, I’d like to get dressed.”

“I like you the vay you are.” His voice went smoky and dark, stoking sparks to fire inside her again.

“We have to take sex out of this.”

“Never.” His nostrils flared. “You vant me. I vant you...” He stopped, but it seemed as though there was more that he wanted to say.

“That may be, but it’s getting in the way.”

He smiled, his eyes softening when she didn’t disagree with him this time. “No, Katja, everything else is in our vay. Ve need to, how you Americans say, ‘clean house’?” He held up the knife she’d stashed under the couch. He must have seen it when he picked up his clothes. She hadn’t noticed he’d been hiding it behind his back. “Who are you arming against?” he asked. “Me...or is there someone else you are expecting?”

She swallowed. At least he’d only found the one knife. Good thing she hadn’t stayed longer in the bathroom, he would have most likely sniffed out the other four.

“How did you get free? Who else is here, Katja?”

She smirked. “I didn’t need help getting free.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You will,” she threw at him.

“Show me.”

“It will be my pleasure.” As soon as she said the words, realizing she was flirting, she regretted them. So much for taking sex out of it.

“After you then.” He gestured toward the stairs.

She didn’t want to be in a bedroom with him. But then that hadn’t stopped her from having the hottest sex of her life with him on a bear rug in front of the fireplace in the great room of this lodge.

Hell, the bedroom would actually be safer. She’d broken the bed.

“How am I to explain this?” Sergei regarded the splintered logs of the canopy bed. This was a lot bigger than a shredded sweater. Did the woman have superpowers? He looked at the bed, and then at Kate, then back to the bed. He ventured closer to investigate. She’d reduced the canopy to firewood. Gathering up the broken, splintered pieces, he stacked them along the wall. The four-poster bed could be saved with some woodworking, but the canopy was shot. He wasn’t up to counting the casualties of his books.

The strength and determination Kate had to free herself was fantastic.

“Impressive,” he said.

“Thank you.” She attempted to bite back a smile without succeeding. The woman was enjoying this.

So was he.

“You’re very provocative, Katja,” he said, his voice huskier. His eyes traveled over her down to her long legs peeking out from the folds of the quilt. While she’d gathered up her clothes on their way upstairs, there hadn’t been time for her to dress.

He needed to figure out how to keep her naked.

A blush bloomed on her cheeks, and she shuffled on her feet. She held up the