I closed my eyes and took in another deep breath, and that was when I sensed him. I threw my eyes open but didn’t turn around as the scent of his cologne filled my lungs.
“Alexei,” I whispered.
Even though I hadn’t seen him yet, I felt him as he approached.
“You shouldn’t stand out here alone,” he murmured, his voice like silk but wrapped around steel.
I turned around to face him, and he held my gaze, his left hand resting casually in his pocket.
“Social battery is drained, I guess,” I said, chuckling.
Best thing to say, smartie.
When he didn’t say anything, I went on, “Not a real battery. It’s just a term. Like, the social part of me is tired and needs recharging.”
“Hm,” he muttered, standing in front of me with his eyes locked on my face. He didn’t even touch me, yet it felt like he was holding me. I was suddenly feeling exposed, and heat crept up my skin as he just stood there like he had nothing better to do.
“I bet you’re happy Anya is about to get married. She’s your only sister, after all,” I remarked, desperate to fill the silence.
“I am.”
Does he have something against full sentences? God!
“I mean, you’ll miss her, but it’s inevitable,” I said. “It’s a good thing.”
He nodded.
“It’ll take some adjusting for Anya, too. Leaving this house and all,” I went on.
Another nod.
And then he started moving again, making my heart speed up within my chest. I swallowed, my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth as he slowly closed the distance between us. I instinctively took a step away and my back touched the wall.
He didn’t stop moving until I had nowhere to turn or run to.
I looked up and his hazel eyes burned into mine.
His lips touched mine before I could blink or think. It wasn’t a tentative kiss in any sense; it was claiming. His lipsmoved over mine like it wasn’t the first time. I couldn’t help but kiss him back. I felt his left hand on my waist as his hard body pressed against mine, his other hand held the side of my face. He nipped my bottom lip, and I let out a soft moan, granting his tongue access.
If I was hot before, I was close to combusting as his tongue danced along with mine, urgency and fervor in every lustful stroke.
As I ended the kiss out of breath, I was grateful that a wall was behind me. Else, he would have noticed that the kiss left me dizzy.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice even deeper than I remembered.
Fuck, he’s sexy.
I looked up and those darkened orbs gazed into mine, searching. I didn’t know what to say. I doubted if I could even form coherent thoughts without rambling like I did before.
“Yeah, I’m—”
My words died on my tongue as a flash of reddish yellow filled the sky. The thunderous boom that accompanied the light told me I wasn’t seeing things. The sound of screams and shattering glass surrounded me, the blaring alarms adding to the sense of danger in the air. I could hear the echo of relentless gunshots and the scrape of chairs as people scrambled around the ballroom.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm. I looked up from the steely grip to see a masked man. He yanked me forward before I could think or understand what was going on. My heart slammed into my ribs when he pulled me to the edge of the balcony.
Then I was pulled backwards suddenly as the man was shoved. By Alexei.
He delivered a blow to the masked man’s neck, making him release his hold on me. Alexei’s movements were swift and precise, his eyes deadly. He slammed the man against the wall and snapped his head in one fast motion.
