His gray eyes drink in every inch of exposed skin, from my bare legs to the red silk to the way my shirt rides up where I'm still clutching the hem.
"Anton?" My voice comes out breathless.
When his eyes meet mine, they're darker than I've ever seen them.
"How long have you been there?" I should grab something to cover myself. Instead, I stay exactly where I am, frozen by the way he's looking at me.
"Since you entered the suite."
"Since I... Why didn't you say something?"
"You seemed nervous. On edge. I wanted to make sure you felt safe before revealing myself."
"So you just...watched me?"
"I watched you settle. Watched you finally start to breathe normally." His eyes drop to where my hands still clutch my shirt. "I was going to announce myself when you finished whatever routine helped you feel secure."
"And then?"
"Then you started undressing." The words come out rougher, like they're scraping against his throat. "And my brain stopped working entirely."
"You could have looked away."
"No, Fee." He shakes his head slowly, his gaze never leaving mine. "I really couldn't."
Heat floods my cheeks, but something else floods through me too. Something that makes my pulse race and my skin feel hypersensitive where his eyes have touched.
"I just breached a pretty tough security system." His voice carries exhaustion beneath the steady control. "Knocked more than a dozen soldiers unconscious, got inside this mansion without triggering a single alarm."
My grip tightens on the hem of my shirt. "How long did it take you?"
"Three hours to find all the right entry points, disable the right systems." He pushes off from the doorframe, taking one slow step into the bedroom. "Then another hour to track you through this maze of a mansion without knowing where Lorenzo put you."
Another step closer, his presence filling the space between us. "So I had to be precise and patient."
"You did all that just to..." I swallow hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "To test the security?"
"No, Solnishko. I did it to prove a point to your father and Lorenzo. To show them exactly how easily someone with my skills can reach you. To keep you safe, as I said I will always do."
His eyes drop to where my hands clutch my shirt, then travel back up to meet mine. "When I finally found you and you started undressing..."
He pauses, those gray eyes holding mine with an intensity that makes my pulse race.
"I couldn't look away. And I don't want to."
Heat floods my entire body.
"I told myself I'd announce my presence once you felt safe. But then you pulled off those pants, and every rational thought in my head disappeared." He takes another step, close enough now that I can smell the wood scent of his cologne. "You're standing there in red silk and bare legs, and I'm trying to remember why I ever thought I could stay away from you."
My fingers relax slightly on the hem of the shirt. "You're supposed to be protecting me."
"I am protecting you." His voice drops to gravel. "I infiltrated this mansion to prove it's not safe enough. I found every weakness in their defenses. I mapped every entrance and exit." Another step. "And now I'm here, in your room, making sure you're secure."
"In my bedroom. Watching me undress. I thought you were a gentleman."
His hand reaches toward my face, fingertips barely grazing my cheek. "Yes, and I am. I'm also a man who's been thinking about how your lips would feel, how you'd taste, whether you'd pull me closer or push me away. Tell me to leave your room and I will."
"I don't want you to go."
