Once in the elevator and the doors closed, Nikolai entered a code in the keypad, as well as a sleek silver card into a small slot. But he kept his other hand curled around my nape, and the heavy, warm feeling of that presence had my belly flipping and heat pooling between my thighs.
All I could hear and smell and sense was Nikolai. He was dark consuming and so dangerous that it gave me this thrill.
I felt like Pavlov’s dog, becoming wet and needy just by being in the same room with him, just from the sight and smell of him.
All too soon the elevator came to a stop and the door opened.
He led me forward into what was an anteroom, the large space having a minimalistic touch to it. A few abstract black-and-white paintings covered the walls, and a plush rug met my feet the deeper we went into the room. Nikolai slid his fingers off my nape so slowly I knew he’d done it on purpose, to really let me feel him.
He stepped up to a large dark wooden door with a silver curved handle. When he reached out the side I noticed another small keypad on the wall similar to the one in the elevator.
After a series of beeps, he pushed open the front door and stepped aside to allow me to enter first. The interior was dark at first, but once I stepped fully inside a soft glow illuminated the foyer as if activated by a motion sensor.
The lights were still off in the rest of the apartment, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness in front of me. I could make out a living, set lower than where I stood, the design showing the very same minimalistic style as the anteroom.
I heard rustling behind me and looked over my shoulder to see Nikolai taking off his jacket and hanging it on the silver hook by the door, then reaching into his pocket to take out his cellphone and a set of keys. He tossed those in a small bowl that sat on a long, narrow table against the wall beside the door.
“I thought you’d keep your pretty new wife in that hotel room for at least a week. Break her in the good old fashioned Russian way.”
A startled squeak left me and I snapped my focus in the direction of where the male voice had come from. I felt Nikolai move up behind me instantly, a heavy, warm presence like a protective wall.
It was then I noticed a large body sitting in the corner of the room, the shadows concealing him almost fully.
“Thought you’d have to carry her over the threshold because you’d made it impossible for her to walk.”
I backed up a step, slamming right into Nikolai’s hard body. His hands came up to rest on my shoulders, his fingers squeezing me slightly.
Nikolai growled, “watch it, Dmitry.” A beat of heavy silence passed before Nikolai spoke again. “I won’t remind you to show respect again where Amara is concerned.”
Hard, tense silence followed, thick enough it was hard to breathe as Dmitry just stared at us, still covered by darkness, the lights from Desolation barely reaching him. But then there was a subtle movement of him inclining his head and I exhaled all that tension away.
“Making yourself at home here is going to have to stop.” Nikolai said through gritted teeth.
“Is that so?” There was almost… humor in Dimitry’s voice.
Nikolai’s body grew harder behind me. “Yes.” That lone word was hard and tight and pushed through clenched teeth.
More silence. More thickness coating the air.
“Fine. I guess being married now affords you some privacy.”
Nikolai made a deep sound behind me that was reminiscent of a growl.
“How was the flight?” Dmitry said in way of changing the subject.
I felt Nikolai’s body shift a little, then felt his warm breath tease the side of my neck. “The flight was fine.” More warm breath along the side of my throat… more clenching of my inner muscles. “Oh but how we wanted to do more. Isn’t that right?” His voice was low, too low for anyone but me to hear. “Mmm, how I wanted to do so much to you, little doll.”
My breath hitched and my face felt hot that he was saying these things where Dmitry could easily hear.
Dmitry laughed low and a second later he was rising from the chair.
“I told you to wait in the anteroom.” Nikolai’s voice lost all that sexy Russian deepness as he moved out from behind me so he was now blocking my view of the rest of the apartment.
“Sasha was thirsty.”
I looked around Nikolai’s arm, expecting to see a woman come out of the shadows, Persephone to Hades perhaps, but there was just the sound of a clock ticking down the seconds.
“Should have kept her at your place then.”