Page 35 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

He catches my chin, tilting my face up to his. "We're not done talking about this."

"We're not done arguing about this, you mean."

His thumb brushes over my bottom lip, and the touch sends heat straight through me. "That too."

Then he kisses me, hard and possessively, claiming my mouth in a way that makes my knees weak. When he pulls back, I'm breathless and flushed and completely off balance.

"Go," he says, his voice rough. "Before I change my mind and keep you here all day."

I practically run out the door.

Work is a nightmare.

The moment I walk into the office, everyone wants to know about Emil and our engagement. The newspaper announcement has made us the hottest topic of gossip, and it seems like every single person in the building has questions.

"Is it true he's a Russian billionaire?"

"How did you meet?"

"Can I see the ring?"

"When's the wedding?"

I do my best to politely dismiss their questions, offering vague answers and redirecting conversations back to work. But it's exhausting, and by lunchtime, I'm ready to scream.

I'm sitting at my desk, trying to focus on a spreadsheet that might as well be written in hieroglyphics for all the sense it's making, when someone gasps.

"Oh, my God."

I look up to see half the office staring toward the entrance. My stomach drops even before I turn around because somehow, I already know.

Emil is standing in the doorway, looking like he belongs here in his expensive black suit among the fashion company's trendy, artistic crowd. His eyes scan the room until they find me, and then he's walking toward my desk with that predatory grace that makes my pulse race.

In his hand is a small, wrapped box.

16

EMIL

Istand at the window of Kiera's apartment, watching her car pull away from the curb. My reflection stares back at me.

Last night was… fuck. I run a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the memory of her body beneath mine, the sounds she made, and the way she came apart when I was inside her. I've had plenty of women. Beautiful women. Experienced women. But nothing, absolutely nothing, has ever compared to what happened between us last night.

It was the best sex of my life, and that's saying something.

I watch the black SUV fall into position two cars behind hers. My men. They'll keep their distance and stay invisible, but they'll be there. Another vehicle joins from a side street, boxing her in from a different angle.

I should feel in control right now, satisfied that I've claimed her, that I've tasted every inch of that gorgeous body and made her scream my name. Instead, there's this gnawing sensation in my chest, something uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Want or need. The kind that doesn't fade after you've gotten what you came for.

She's under my skin, and I don't know how to cut her out. Not even sure that I want to.

"Boss." Luca's voice pulls me from my thoughts from where he's standing in the doorway. "Ready when you are."

I turn away from the window, forcing my expression into something neutral. Can't let him see how she's affecting me. Can't let anyone see that. "Let's get to work."

For the next three hours, Luca and I transform Kiera's apartment into a fortress. Cameras go up in every corner, tiny and discreet, positioned to cover every angle. The front door gets a new alarm system, one that'll alert me the second anyone tries to breach it. Motion sensors. Window locks that can't be picked. A panic button disguised as a light switch in her bedroom.

"She's going to lose her shit when she finds out," Luca says, drilling a mount into the wall near her ceiling.