Swell. He thinks I’m an alcoholic, Kat thought with amusement. Especially humorous since they’d drank half the bottle and she’d only taken two sips.
Nadia shook her head and touched his arm. “You should be sainted.”
Kat climbed onto the wall and swung her legs over the edge, listening to the hard click of high heels growing distant.
Strong hands gripped her shoulders. “Hey, this is dangerous. You might fall.”
She patted the spot to her left. “Live on the edge, Charming. You get a whole new perspective on life from this seat versus the one behind you.”
Prince straddled the wall and gingerly lifted one of his long legs over the edge, leaning back at first, then peering down with curiosity at the twinkling lights below.
“What are we looking at?” he asked.
She handed him the bottle of Italian wine and pointed at the smaller building across from them. “Vlad was here. He must have jumped over from that rooftop and was moving in on you guys when you were about to lock lips.”
Kat could feel the intensity of his gaze as he studied her.
“Sorry I ruined your dinner. Again,” she said, still looking at the building in front of them. “It was either that or watch you guys take an unplanned free fall. He’s messing with my head. I don’t think he knows Nadia is related to me, or I’m positive he would have gone through with it. He probably thinks she’s just one of your floozies.” Kat snorted and then snatched the wine when she noticed he wasn’t drinking it.
“Vlad is a man who doesn’t give empty threats. If he was here on this roof, then he meant to go through with something. Had you not intervened, he would have taken us by complete surprise. I don’t believe he was taunting you. He wouldn’t have been able to fight all three of us, and he’s just the sort of man who would rather stab someone in the back than fight with honor.”
“I’m such an idiot,” she said under her breath. “I led him right to you.”
A gust of wind blew from behind, and Kat leaned back to keep her balance. Prince did the same and made no attempt to get up. In fact, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, an indefinable expression painted on his handsome face. A look that was relaxed and introspective, and she stole a private moment to admire his profile. She was drawn to his confident nature, and yet she couldn’t help but notice a hint of sadness beneath it all.
“This is nice,” he said. “I’ve never sat on the edge of a building. People would find it foolish for someone with my responsibilities to be so impetuous.”
His leg brushed against her knee and it gave her butterflies. Katarina Kozlov—bounty hunter—felt a flutter in her tummy over a man.
“Being important sounds like a drag. You’re so busy trying to do the right thing that you don’t actually do the stuff that matters.”
“Sitting inches from death matters?”
Kat set the bottle down behind her. “Sure. Sometimes you have to get close to the edge to remind yourself what life’s about. It’s not just about rules or what’s on TV tonight. It’s about taking a second to look up and admire the universe.” They both simultaneously glanced up at the sky. “It’s about taking a deep breath and listening to the sounds of life. Maybe it sounds corny to you, but it’s how I get past all the drama with Nadia. I just sit back and remember that this won’t last and how thankful I am that she’s in my life. Sitting on the edge reminds me that someday I’m going to be nothing more than a handful of dust, so I need to make the most of every opportunity. The only way to live life is to live in the present. You can’t put things off thinking you’ll have time later. There may notbea later.”
Right there, on the ledge of a building with stars above and city streets below, Prince leaned over and kissed her. The moment their lips touched, the entire world melted away, and it felt as if they had been lifted by the wind and embraced by the stars. His tongue met with hers—insistent and experienced. Nothing about his kiss was clumsy or hurried, and it was as if they’d been lovers for centuries.
Kat reached up and pulled the band out of his hair so she could run her fingers through it. He moaned against her mouth, kissing her harder, and her body pulsed with need. When she peeked through her lashes at him, his brows were drawn together in a slant—an intense look that was so hot she shut her eyes and kissed him harder. She drew closer to him as he slid his hand around her lower back, and all she could think about was the stupid flannel shirt creating a barrier between his palm and her flesh.
When she nibbled on his lip, he pulled back.
“Wait,” he said with a throaty growl.
She glanced down and noticed he was holding her right thigh with a forceful grip.Oops. Kat had gotten so carried away that she’d tried to straddle him.
On the ledge of a high-rise building.
Tripping over her feet was one thing, but plummeting to her death while making out with a Packmaster was something entirely different.
His charismatic smile made a graceful appearance, and Kat couldn’t help but notice that Prince looked like a different man with his hair down. There wasn’t enough light to see the differences in his eye color, only to notice how they lit up when he looked at her. “You’re one of a kind.”
Kat’s heart clenched. No one had ever said romantic words to her—not like that.One of a kindwas the best kind of compliment given she was an identical twin. “Why are you so nice to me?”
He leaned in, his warm lips against her neck, his breath heating her skin, the moon reflecting off his hair as it tangled in the wind. “I want you, Kat. My wolf sings for you whenever you’re near.”
Breathless, she pushed him back and swallowed hard. “You barely know me. I’ve almost gotten you killed. I hunt men for a living and wear a knife strapped to my chest. I talk too much. I eat like a horse and—”
“And if you keep talking, Katarina, I’m going to make love to you on this ledge. Everything about you I want. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just you as you are.”
