Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,130
clothes in her hand and indicated the bathroom. “I should—”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
She paused in backing up toward the bathroom.
“Ve vill make love again tonight, Katja. Getting dressed is vaste of time.”
“That’s presumptuous of you to say.”
“Is truth.” He turned more fully toward her, ready in case she bolted or attacked. “No more pissy-stepping around.”
“You mean pussy-footing.”
“Means same, no?”
She shrugged. “I suppose so. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s pretty arrogant of you to assume I’ll meekly fall into bed with you again.”
“There is nothing meek about you. I’d never make that mistake. I don’t trust you not to ruin another bed if I have to tie you to it in order to get some rest myself. And it’s not possible for me to share a bed vith you and not make love to you.”
His words lay between them like the challenge they were. He couldn’t wait to see what she’d do.
The bundle of clothes wavered in her hand as though they held the weight of her decision. Then she dropped them to the floor. “Fine. But you need to answer some questions for me first.”
His heart stuttered.
She’d actually discarded her clothes. Willingly agreed that they were making love again. Tonight.
“Fine,” he returned though it was an effort to get words past the hope blooming in his chest and the blood in his body heading south. “I have questions also.”
“Why would Perry want you to kill me?”
While she asked the question impersonally, he saw the pain in her eyes, in the way she held her body, so straight as to break if touched.
“The arms deal,” he said. “You knew too much. Soon you vould have figured out that he vas double-dealing. You are smart voman, Katja, and asked all the right questions. Therefore you had become liability.”
“How were you told to do it? Kill me?”
“It vas supposed to look like you had been raped, strangled, and then left for buzzards. Another unfortunate statistic for vomen traveling abroad alone, unprotected.”
She swallowed hard, and her eyes flickered before meeting his again. “When did you decide not to kill me?”
“Killing you vas never in my plans. I needed to use you to trap Perry...but I planned to bed you the moment I met you.”
“Bed me?” Her eyes went granite.
“Maybe I messed up translation. English not my first language, you understand.”
“Not buying it, Sergei.”
It was time to put her on the defensive. “How did you acquire one of Ivan’s kerambits?” Ivan had been his comrade, his partner, and had helped set up Perry.
“He personally made it for me.”
“And obviously taught you how to use it. Vhy is he helping you?”
“You defected. Turns out he’s a bit angry about that.”
“So he sought you out?” He didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “And you didn’t think it vas coincidental that ve had vorked together and now he vas vorking vith you?”
“All I cared about was getting to you.”
“Is Ivan the one coming for you, Katja?”
“Yes, to make sure I do the job.”
“And to exterminate you if you haven’t.”
She nodded. “That seems to be the way these contracts work. Really motivates a person to get the job done.”
“Vhen?”
She looked out the window at the storm and then back to him. “Not tonight.”
She dropped the quilt.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The action of the quilt pooling at her feet, knocked the air out of him, and his heart thumped hard enough in his chest to fell a lesser man. She was glorious, standing proud and naked before him.
Strong, curved, and battle-bruised.
Some of those bruises came from fighting with him. How many—seen and unseen—would there be by the time things were resolved between them?
“I vant more than tonight,” he said.
“How much do you want?”
If he said everything, she’d run. She was like a skittish wolf venturing carefully into uncharted territory.
“I have vaited a long time for you to come for me, Katja.” He stepped close enough to touch her, his voice lowering with intent. “I vant you for as long as you are villing to let me keep you.” He had to give her the choice to stay...or go. But if she chose to leave, he didn’t know if he had it in him to let her.
“We aren’t the best fit, you and I.”
His brow cocked. “I disagree. Ve fit very vell together.” His fingertips grazed the tips of her breasts, the nipples pebble-hard, and then traced the faint lines marring her body. Many knife scars criss-crossed her arms, and a bullet wound creased her shoulder. He wanted to hear each and every