“What’s wrong? Talk to me.” She sounded so concerned. “Yvgeny.” She whispered his name. “Please, talk to me.” Alexa reached out, just about to touch his chest, when something in him snapped.
He wasn’t going to be able to hold back, he knew it.
I don’t want to.
Alexa saw something shift on Yvgeny’s face. It looked primal, intense.
He looked just like he had when they’d been together all that time ago.
Her body heated instantly, became ready for him … primed.
Alexa’s hand was on his chest, and she felt how tense he was. She glanced down, seeing his thickly corded neck, the tattoos that were just visible under the collar of his shirt. He turned her on like no other. And she knew her love for him would destroy her.
He pulled her inside his office, shut and locked the door, and for a second, they just stared at each other. He was breathing like he’d just run a marathon, and flashes of their time together went through her mind. She was ready for him, wanted him like a fiend, and she just wanted to forget about everything and anything except right now.
“Want to explain to me what happened back there?” Although she wanted to think he was jealous, that he didn’t want anyone touching her, she also wasn’t going to be delusional. She wasn’t going to pretend there was something more between them than there was, no matter how she “thought” he looked at her at times.
He was protective toward her, but then again, he was with all women. Just because he kept her close, made sure she was taken care of, didn’t mean he felt anything more than that.
No, I see the way he watches me, the fact he isn’t as close with the other women. That has to mean something more, right?
“I’d never hurt you, Alexa, you know that, right?”
She smoothed her hands over her thighs, listening to the thickness in his voice. He wasn’t looking at her, but even though he wasn’t, his huge body and his aura made her feel like he was.
“I know,” she whispered.
He looked at her then. “And I would never let anyone hurt you,” he said, harder this time. He took a step closer. His eyes were glossy, and she knew he’d been drinking for a few hours. But his speech was clear, his movements precise. “If anyone thought of touching you, thought they could have you…” He shook his head slowly and stared right in her eyes. “I’d make them wish they hadn’t, Alexa. I’d make them beg me to show mercy.”
She swallowed. “Yvgeny…” she whispered, not sure what to say. She knew she had wide eyes. This seemed surreal, and the heat and electricity bouncing between them had beads of sweat forming along her body.
He took a step closer to her. “I’d kill anyone that thought they could touch you, could take you from me.” He looked at her mouth, and she wanted him to kiss her so damn badly. “I have been a fool for staying away, for trying to pretend what we shared that night was nothing more.” He looked at her eyes again. “It meant a hell of a lot, Alexa.”
She felt her breathing shift to something deeper, faster.
“You’re drunk?” She meant to say it like a statement, not a question.
He took a step closer, shaking his head. “I know what I want.”
“I…” God, what could she say?
“I want you.”
Oh. God.
“Do I frighten you?”
She didn’t answer right sway, but finally shook her head. “No. But why now?” She moved backward until she felt his glass and chrome desk stop her retreat. “Why after all this time, Yvgeny?”
He didn’t answer right away, but he did walk closer to her.
“I was a fool, Alexa,” he said and looked down at her lips. She licked them involuntarily. “You’re all I want.” He stopped when he was only a foot from her. Alexa braced her hands on the cold, hard, and unforgiving desk behind her and held her breath. “You’re all I’ll ever want.”
4
“I could ruin you, Alexa,” Yvgeny said honestly. He didn’t want to lie to her. “That’s why I stayed away, pretended what we’d shared had never happened. I don’t want my life ruining you.”
She shook her head, this truth written on her face. “It’s my choice to be here. I want this … you.”
“I don’t want you to be a casualty because of the way I live my life.”
A moment of silence passed between them, but then she lifted her hands and placed them on his chest. “I want you. I care about you, Yvgeny.”
He groaned and closed his eyes. With her hands on his chest, her scent invading his head, Yvgeny tried to control himself. “Seeing that fucker touching you, trying to have you…” He shook his head, not finishing what he was saying. “I can’t stand the thought of you being with anyone else.” He looked into her eyes, ones that were so receptive, so emotional.