“Stop.” She sent him a smoldering reprimand. “The library is a sacred place. You can’t think those thoughts in here.”
She was either reading his mind, in which case his fantasies weren’t scaring the crap out of her—and they should be because he had a lot of them—or she was adept at reading him, and no one had done that yet, not even his brothers.
“You think about those things in here,” he whispered, his tone deliberately wicked. He stepped closer to her. Crowding her right into that desk of hers. The one she thought she was so safe behind. The one he had used in very inventive ways in a great number of his fantasies.
She gave a little gasp. “Aleksei. You have to stop. Really.” She looked around the library, saw that no one was close to them and lowered her voice until it was a bare thread of sound. “I’m very susceptible to you. I don’t know why and I’m not certain even why I’m telling you the truth, but there’s a reason I haven’t dated very many men. I’m not normal. I don’t do well with most men. I just want you to know that up front, so you don’t waste your time on me.”
Her skin had gone to a delicate rose color that spread like a wildfire from under the prim-and-proper blouse that was buttoned up the front with tiny little delicate butterflies to match the ones taking flight on her swing skirt. The same buttons fluttered up the side of the skirt, but all were closed, so there were no little glimpses of her thigh, which made it all the more enticing.
“Babe, I’ve got to confess, I’m as fucked up as they come. Never dated. Never been in a relationship. Had a lot of women for a few hours only, but none I wanted to keep. Thinking there’s a hell of a difference with you. I don’t know why, only that there is, and I want to pursue it. You make me want to smile when I haven’t had a reason to in years. You talk and I don’t want to blow my head off because you’re really intelligent and you know what you’re talking about. Just listening to the sound of your voice is something special.”
Scarlet pressed her lips together and then shook her head. “You know this could end up bad, right? We’re weird together. We have this …” She trailed off and her hand fluttered between them.
“Connection? Chemistry? Explosive chemistry? The ability to read each other?”
“Whatever it is, Aleksei, it could be dangerous to both of us,” she warned, still trying to dissuade him, or maybe it was herself she was trying to warn off.
He couldn’t deny that. It was bound to be dangerous for both of them, especially because his woman was hiding something from him, and he intended to find out what it was. She was mixing truth with lies in telling him what she was doing tonight. He didn’t doubt that she was meeting someone, but the rest of her story—that was suspect. He intended to follow her and see what she was really up to.
Lana had spent a little time observing her, and Lana was very, very good at observation. She had indicated that Scarlet was concealing several weapons under her blouse, the one that hugged her rib cage and full breasts. He couldn’t imagine where her gun was, but he had known all along she was armed. He knew there were other weapons stashed in her beautiful boots, the soft leather ones, a light midnight-colored suede with chains wrapped around the ankles and going up the boot midway. He had a feeling that chain came off fast when she needed it.
“I can handle dangerous. So can you,” he said with confidence. “I think we’re going to be perfect for each other. Maybe a little explosive now and then, but that just adds to the chemistry.”
“Any more chemistry and we really are in trouble,” she muttered. She lifted her lashes and looked directly into his eyes. “Are you certain, Aleksei?” Her vivid green eyes searched his.
She was looking for reassurance. He wasn’t letting her get away, no matter what was spooking her. No matter what her past was. He was her future. She knew it. She just wasn’t accepting it yet.
“I’m certain.” He poured conviction into his voice. “You have fun with your friend tonight and I’ll see you at eleven tomorrow.”
She had glanced at her watch several times. The library was emptying as the time to close neared. He didn’t want to hold her up. He needed to be “long gone.” Lana had used one of the several sports cars the club kept. This one, a fast little Porsche she liked to drive because she was a little addicted to speed, was going to be difficult to hide from someone experienced in watching for a tail. Absinthe was certain Scarlet was more than experienced. The last thing he wanted was for her to catch him following her. That would put an end to their relationship faster than anything else he could imagine. It was a very good thing both Lana and Absinthe were excellent at tailing someone. They weren’t about to get caught.