Then, slowly, I pivot, already cursing the way my pulse stammers and the betrayal of that deep throbbing between my legs.
And there he is: Aleksei Marinov. Lust, danger, and everything I’ve tried to forget.
He towers over me, easily six-four to my five-six, standing just a few feet away like he owns the pavement. Like he ownsme. A devil in all his glory.
One hand’s tucked into the pocket of his tailored coat, posture deceptively relaxed. But those eyes, they’re fire and violence and possession wrapped in ice. He rakes them over me, slow and unapologetic, carving himself into every inch of skin they touch like it’s his right.
There’s nothing gentle in it. No pretense of civility. Everything about him is raw and unrepentant, and it hits me like a match to dry kindling.
I should look away, give myself the illusion of distance, but my eyes stay locked on his.
I remember walking out of court near the end of the trial, hands shaking with adrenaline, furious I was losing and even more furious at the low curl in my gut every time Aleksei’s gaze found me. And now he’s like a shadow I can’t outrun. A reminder. A threat. A temptation.
The man I tried to destroy…and the one who’s still destroying me.
He takes one step toward me, and I take one back, caught between craving his touch and retreating from the threat he so clearly is.
“What the hell are you doing here, Marinov?”
I don’t even know why I’m asking. It’s obvious he’s been following me, but the real question is how he’s able to find me every time. I’ve had experts sweep my car, my house, my goddamn phone, and nothing.
He keeps closing the distance until the car meets my back and I have nowhere left to escape him or the way he affects me.
“That’s obvious.” His Russian accent trails over my skin like rope tightening around my throat. “I followed you to make sure you don’t get mugged. I’m quite the gentleman.”
When I scoff, the corner of his mouth lifts in that slow, cocky twist that should repulse me. Instead, it sends need licking down my spine. His presence devours space as he draws even closer, stealing breath, thought, and logic until there’s barely a whisper between us.
“You look different.” The heated pools of his eyes trail the length of my body like he’s committing it to memory.
No, like he already owns it.
“I can’t decide if I prefer picturing myself stripping you out of those uptight little suits you wore to court…” His finger lifts,skimming the edge of my neckline, just beneath the V of my dress. “Or tearing this tight little thing off you instead.”
Every nerve ending lights up, my core tightening painfully. “Just because your brother and my best friend are married, it doesn’t mean I’ll let you fuck me. Now back off.”
But I don’t even convince myself, my voice giving out.
“You are right…” His fingers trace down between my breasts, each stroke unraveling another thread of resistance. “You’re the last woman I should be anywhere near.”
His breath grazes my cheek, while I can’t seem to move.
“Yet here you are,” I whisper. “Following me like a lost little puppy.”
My palm hits his chest, hard muscle beneath cotton. He chuckles—low, dark, amused. I push again, but he doesn’t budge.
“Get away from me.” This time, I mean it.
Maybe.
Footsteps scuff the pavement behind him. Some stranger passing through, unaware of the war unfolding.
Aleksei doesn’t turn. Doesn’t even flinch. His body cages me, pressing into mine, while his gaze pins me just as tightly, like he’s daring me to run. Like he already knows I won’t.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
Aleksei’s jaw twitches as he cups my cheek, the sensation causing me to forget how bad this is. His mouth drops to my ear.
“Say one wrong thing and he will be dead before you can take your next breath.”
