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  He strode forward until he reached her side. “One kiss. Under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You cover your breasts immediately, and you go back to your room and get dressed right after.”

  “That’s two conditions. Pick one.”

  Damn infuriating woman.

  He narrowed his gaze. “Don’t test me, woman. I’m not in the mood.”

  She smiled up at him and batted her eyes flirtatiously. Exaggerating the gesture.

  She also did nothing to cover her delectable breasts that taunted him with their youthful bounce and pert pink nipples. Not that she was all that young. She was a grown woman. But everything about her screamed innocence and youth.

  She leaned forward instead of following his directive, reaching out with one hand to stroke his cheek. He hadn’t shaved that morning, so his beard was rough and scratchy. It didn’t deter her. He wanted to lean into her touch and close his eyes, savor the feel of her small white hand on his jaw.

  But he forced himself to remain still until he couldn’t take another second of her touch. And then he grabbed her wrist with one hand.

  Before he could stop himself, he pounced forward, shoving her onto her back once more and hauling that hand over her head to pin it to the pillow.

  Her mouth fell open on a sharp gasp seconds before he took her lips in a kiss.

  Not the kiss he’d intended. Not a chaste peck on the lips. Nothing that could be misunderstood for friendship.

  No. Of course not. Ivan angled his head to one side and stroked his tongue across the seam between her lips, demanding entrance.

  He had to taste her. If he never got an opportunity like this again, he had to know her flavor.

  And he was not disappointed. She tasted minty from her toothpaste with the hint of the syrupy soda she’d taken one sip of.

  He needed more. He leaned closer, angling his head to one side to slide his tongue deeper into her mouth.

  She met him halfway, her small tentative tongue stroking across his. Her soft lips teased his mouth. When she licked across the edges of his teeth, he stopped breathing. Nothing existed in the world outside of this kiss with the very woman he’d dreamed of possessing for months.

  He knew so many things about her. They’d spent countless hours and days together. But this side of her wasn’t something he ever expected to experience.

  And then she moaned.

  He still held her hand above her head, but she snaked her other palm around to flatten it on his bicep and then squeezed.

  Ivan couldn’t think. His world shrank to this one kiss as if it changed the direction the Earth spun. And it might have.

  When her fingers snaked up to thread into his hair, he suddenly came to his senses. As if he’d been sucked into a vortex, he released her lips.

  While he tried to catch his breath, she blinked at him, licking the seam of her mouth.

  Jesus…

  Those damn lips.

  How the hell did he think he could take a taste of that sweet, bow-shaped mouth and walk away? He’d lost his mind.

  A slow smile spread across her face as she eased her hand from his hair down to his shoulder.

  Fuck me.

  Chapter Two

  Score again. She had no idea how many that was anymore, nor did she care. As long as she was declared the winner.

  His brow furrowed, and she knew she had to act fast to keep from losing him.

  She squirmed, causing the sheet to once again fall beneath her breasts. The second the cool air in the room hit her nipples, they stiffened to sharp peaks. They did that often around Ivan. But this was beyond compare.

  He glance down at her chest and then jerked his gaze back to her face. “Enough, Alena,” he growled.

  “Mmm. I disagree. I’d say we’re just getting started.”

  He yanked upright, releasing her hand from above her head as if he just realized he held her captive. He even stared at his fingers for a moment as if shocked by their behavior.

  He ran both hands through his hair and started to stand.

  Alena grabbed for his forearm and tugged. She was no match for him, but she couldn’t let him end this yet. If she did, there was a good chance she’d never have another opportunity.

  She knew he was into her. If she’d had any doubts in the last weeks, they were erased the second his lips landed on hers and he took control of her mouth.

  God, the man could kiss. Not that she had anything to compare it to.

  But he didn’t know that, and she didn’t intend to tell him.

  She was twenty-eight years old for Pete’s sake. No one would believe she’d just had her first kiss. Not even Ivan.

  “Alena…” he warned, peeling her hand off his wrist with his fingers.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m not going to let you do this.”

  “Do what?” His voice rose, but he didn’t meet her eyes. “I never should have done even what I just did. There isn’t going to be more.”

  “Again, I disagree. I want more.” It took every ounce of strength to continue to argue this point. She’d expected his response to be no different than the current one, so she wasn’t shocked. But she was determined.

  Ivan blew out a breath, turned away from her, and slouched on the edge of the bed.

  She scrambled out from under the sheets and crawled up to kneel at his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, wasting not one moment of this opening.

  If he truly succeeded in turning her away, she would be mortified for the rest of her life, but if she managed to get him to drop his armor and see her for the woman she was, it would be totally worth the risk.

  Ivan tipped his head lower, wiping one hand over his face and then setting his palms on his thighs.

  Alena kissed the side of his neck and trailed a nibbling path toward his earlobe.

  He leaned into her, moaning low and deep as she worked. “Alena…”

  That was a good sign. An excellent one.

  She could live with it. She smoothed her hands on his shoulders and eased them down around his body to cover his pecs. Her breasts smashed into his muscular back, but she loved the way her sensitive nipples abraded against the soft cotton of his shirt.

  Wetness pooled between her legs, driving her to crave his touch between them. Ruling her every thought.

  So many nights she’d lain in bed, writhing under images like this one, willing the universe to take a sharp right turn and send this man into her room to join her in her bed. So many times she’d imagined how it would feel to run her hands over his chest, smell the scent of his body soap up close, taste the slightly salty flavor of his skin against her lips.

  So many times she’d wished for him to make her his, spread her legs and slide into her tightness.

  She was still short on that last step, but she was making headway.

  “Alena, we have to stop this.” His voice lacked conviction or volume.

  “Why? Why do we have to stop this? Because you’re friends with my brother? Because you think I can’t handle your brand of sex?”

  He chuckled lightly and twisted to look at her. “My brand of sex?”

  She grinned. “Yeah.”

  “What brand is that, Alena? Please tell me.”

  “The growly, dominant, intense kind.”

  His face sobered.

  Dammit.

  “That’s the part you need to be leery of.”

  “That’s the part I love the most about you. I’m not stupid, Ivan. I’m super clear on where your tastes lie. I’ve watched my brother, Nikolav, and Leo with their women. I figure bossy is in your veins. Dmitry was no different with Lauren before they fled the country six months ago.

  “I’m not as fragile as you think I am. Nor as innocent.”

  He twisted farther, shaking her hands free of his chest and grabbing her wrists to hold them away from her body as he sat sideways on the mattress. “You’re the most innocent woman I know. Don’t fucking fee
d me some line of bullshit that implies otherwise.”

  “So? So what if I am? Who cares? Doesn’t mean I can’t learn.” She flinched. For the first time since she’d dreamed up this harebrained scheme, she had a thought that hadn’t occurred to her.

  Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of taking on a woman with no experience. Maybe he likes his women to know exactly what they’re doing.

  She shuddered, jerking her wrists out of his grip. And then she scrambled off the bed to stand in front of him. She should have been self-conscious about her nudity. Instead she was heated. Angry. With herself and him.

  She set her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze. “I get it. You like a more seasoned woman. Someone who knows their way around the male body. Makes sense. After all, who would want to deal with someone who has no idea what they’re doing in bed and can’t give you the level of pleasure you deserve?”

  His eyes widened in shock. His mouth fell open.

  She continued, leaning toward him. Inches separated them. “Fine. You’re off the hook. You’re probably right. I can’t compete with the skills of any other woman you’ve slept with. But don’t flippin’ insinuate you didn’t like it nor that you haven’t considered kissing me before now. Give me some small piece of dignity.” She turned, her long hair whipping through the air to land low on her back. She took one step toward the door and came up short.

  A hand wrapped around her middle, beneath her breasts, and hauled her backward, forcing her into the V formed by his spread legs where he still sat on the edge of the bed.

  She squirmed, trying to free herself.

  He held tighter, the one hand managing to manhandle her perfectly well while the other brushed her hair from her shoulder. When he eased that hand down to her belly and pressed her against his crotch, she stopped moving. “You done?”

  What?

  “Are. You. Done?”

  She swallowed. And then nodded subtly. Every cell in her body was alert. Far too much of her skin was in contact with Ivan’s. A tingly sensation ran down her spine where it rested against his chest.

  And she squeezed her legs together, shocked by the unfamiliar knot growing low in her belly beneath his palm.

  “Good. Now I need you to listen to me.”

  She didn’t move.

  “Alena…”

  Good Lord, did he need a response? “Fine.”

  A soft chuckle vibrated through his body to shake hers. “Oh, baby. Let’s try that again with a little less sass.” He paused.

  She stopped breathing. Her breasts felt swollen against his forearm. Her nipples jumped to attention.

  “Now, are you listening to me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You want to know what it’s like to be with me? Fine. I’ll enlighten you. But don’t forget you brought this on yourself. You pushed and pushed to get to this point. Don’t blame me when you don’t like what I have to say.”

  She squirmed, trying to get out of his embrace.

  “Uh-uh. Stop wiggling. Stand still. Lower your gaze. And let me talk. You don’t get to move until I say so and release you.”

  She stiffened further. What had she stepped in? Maybe she was in over her head.

  He released her stomach to smooth her hair away from the side of her face again. And then he lowered his hand to her belly and resumed the pressure that threatened to make her self-combust.

  “You’re right about some things. You’re wrong about others. I’m a Dom. I like my woman to submit to me in the bedroom. Hell, I like my women to submit to me everywhere, but most won’t do it, so I’ve negotiated terms we could agree on in the past.”

  She pursed her lips. Oh. My. God.

  “My tastes run anywhere from bondage and blindfolds to spanking and floggers. I take my cues from my women. Do whatever they need to get off. I can read a woman pretty well, and I always insist she talk to me about what she likes and doesn’t like.”

  Bondage? Floggers?

  Shit.

  She’d known he was bossy. She hadn’t considered how bossy.

  “I don’t usually like sassy little girls who tease me until my cock is so hard it threatens to bust out of my jeans, but you seem to be an exception.” He took a deep breath and then continued almost before she could wrap her mind around that declaration. “Your brother knows me well, Alena. Very well. He will kill me and ask questions later when he finds out about this.”

  Why on earth did her brother ever have to know about this humiliating interlude in her life? Couldn’t they go their separate ways and keep this morning to themselves after he finished putting her in her place?

  “So, let me set two things straight. One, bossy doesn’t begin to cover the way I am in the bedroom, sweetheart. I’m so far past bossy, you would run from the room if you saw me in action.”

  Would she? Because the way he was holding her against him and talking to her in soft tones in her ear felt amazing. If there was more to it, she wanted to experience it. With him. Now. Today.

  Ivan eased the hand wrapped under her breasts up to cup the closest one. He squeezed, molding the globe with his fingers and working his way toward the nipple.

  She watched, mesmerized, unable to stop him. Not wanting to. Willing him to touch her nipple with those huge rough fingers.

  And he didn’t disappoint. He slid his thumb over the tip, making her jump in her spot.

  “Don’t move.”

  She settled back on her feet while he waited.

  And then he gripped her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and pinched.

  The sound that came from her throat was not her own. A cross between a squeal and a moan. And wetness flooded between her legs, making her squeeze them tighter together.

  “Gorgeous. Jesus, Alena, you’re so responsive.” He released her nipple and settled his hand back under her breast.

  She breathed heavily, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her lungs.

  “And that brings me to my second point. You’re sadly mistaken if you think I’m not attracted to your innocence. It has singularly kept me awake at night for months. I’ve never been more attracted to a woman in my life. I’d give up fighting and a limb if it meant I could have you.

  “Your sweet innocence makes my cock ache day and night. Knowing I could be the only man to take you out of this world and make you hum sends me to a cold shower at least once a day. Usually twice.

  “I would be honored and humbled to make you mine in every way imaginable. A dream come true. So don’t you, for one second, think I’m turned off by your lack of experience. Because that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  She swallowed. Hard. Her head swam with too many brain cells all firing at once. What the hell?

  “Do I have your attention?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Good. Now, that leaves us with two hurdles that are insurmountable. If you think I haven’t considered them, you need to know you were wrong. I’ve thought about nothing else besides what it would take to have you for weeks. And I can’t make the pieces add up. So, it isn’t going to happen.”

  “Why?” She couldn’t resurface from the fog of his words and the way he’d pinched her nipple. It still stung. And the bitch of it was the other one was begging for the same attention.

  “For one, like I said, your brother would have my head. That isn’t fixable. And he doesn’t deserve this kind of insult from someone who’s supposed to be his friend. We’ve been close for over ten years, Alena. We’re like brothers. I love him like family. To claim the innocence of his only sister would be like a stab in the back.”

  She didn’t think it was nearly that serious. Mikhail was a human being. Surely he wouldn’t deny her the possibility of happiness. She’d had a rough start in life. They all had. Growing up in a Russian orphanage wasn’t a walk in the park. But they’d survived, and they deserved whatever chances life offered. Didn’t they?

  “Especially now,” Ivan continued, “with all
that’s happening. The fucking Russian Mafia is after us, Alena. They would like nothing more than to snatch you or Katie or Haley or Belinda off the street and do God only knows what to you just to make a point.

  “The thought of Anton Yenin laying even one finger on your skin makes my blood boil.” His words were tight, gritted out through his teeth as he held her closer.

  She felt precious. Adored. For just a moment she enjoyed what it felt like to be consumed by him.

  “We need to be on our game, not fucking in the bedroom. We don’t have that luxury right now. And Mikhail’s counting on me to keep you safe. I’m almost the last man standing. Sergei’s the only one of us not attached to a woman who also needs his full protection. And he’s been AWOL for two days. I’m praying he has a damn good reason for his absence.

  “What Mikhail is not thinking is that I would go behind his back, take his sister to my bed, and fuck her senseless until she can’t see straight and won’t look at the world through the same eyes ever again.”

  She sucked in a breath, her chest expanding. Her arms shook, and she set them on his thighs to anchor herself. The room was spinning. She might faint.

  He lowered his voice and leaned in closer, his lips on her ear. “Because that’s what would happen, Alena. If I took your pussy and made you mine, you’d be ruined for all other men.”

  She shuddered, knowing in her heart he was telling the truth while at the same time wishing he would do just that and put her out of her misery.

  “The problem is that although you might find that appealing at this moment, you don’t understand what you’re asking for. Not fully. This is not a game for me. This is my life. I’m a Dom. I want to control you. I want to fuck you until you see stars and scream out my name.

  “I want to pound into you until even I don’t know where I end and you begin. That’s how it would be between us. And while I was doing that, I would be doing it on my terms, my way—controlling, dominating, pushing. Always pushing you to accept more.”

  He sighed. “More than you’d be able to take. I need you to see that.”

  She saw nothing but the desire for him to make good on those words. A line of wetness ran between her legs. She couldn’t stop it. She gripped the walls of her pussy, but still the wetness leaked from her. Her belly fluttered. Her breasts were so damn full and tight, they threatened to explode.