by Wendy Rosnau
She leaned forward and kissed his chest, kissed the scars one by one, then circled one of his nipples with her tongue. The act left her hungry for him. Hungry for what had been missing in her life.
“What are you doing?”
She looked up to see Pierce’s eyes locked on her. “I could ask you the same question. Why are you in bed with me? What happened last night?”
“It’s the only bed in Lazie’s flat. Like you, I drank too much.”
“Before or after you cut me?”
“After.”
“So the tracker is in place?”
“Oui.”
“What about the couch in the living room?”
“Too short.”
“I didn’t do anything stupid before I passed out last night, did I? Sometimes when I drink too much I get a little crazy.”
“Oui, you did something crazy.”
“What?”
“You asked me to kiss you.”
Casmir hesitated, then asked, “And did you?”
“Oui.”
“And then what happened?”
“You asked me to make love to you.”
“And did you?”
“No.”
Feeling foolish, she struggled for something witty to say. “I guess I used the wrong word.”
“Say again?”
“Never mind.”
There was an odd silence.
She sat up, started off the bed.
“Where are you going?”
She turned back. “Shouldn’t we be getting back to the cabin?”
“It’s still early. What did you mean, you must have used the wrong word?”
“I should have asked you to fuck me, right? For a man like you, the word love must have—” She stopped. “Never mind. I have a headache. It hurts to talk.”
“Come here. I’ll rub your temples.”
He sat up and pushed himself against the headboard, then parted his legs. “Right here. Lie down. Put your back into me.”
She studied the open space between his legs, then lay back down, fitting her spine against his bare chest. She closed her eyes, and when he started to massage her temples, she moaned.
“That feels wonderful.”
“How’s the neck? Hurt?”
“Just a little stiff. What I said before…last night. I was drunk. I—”
“Shh…”
“I really don’t expect you to—”
“Fuck you?” He leaned forward, whispered in her ear, “How about if I make love to you? Last night you wouldn’t have remembered any of it. This morning it would be a different story.”
A shiver washed over Casmir’s entire body. A real shiver—an emotional and physical shiver. The kind that made a woman question her sanity.
She sat up and turned slowly. When he kissed her she wasn’t expecting so much heat, or the explosion of passion that erupted between them. She responded with another moan, a moan from deep inside.
When he broke the kiss, she said, “It would be nice if you wanted me as much as I want you, but it’s all right if—”
“You don’t think I want you?”
“I…”
“I want you, amant. I think it’s time we stopped kidding ourselves and just went with it, oui?”
Then he was kissing her again and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her on top of him.
“Equals,” she whispered. “No toys or games. Just you wanting me, and me wanting you.”
Her intimate request was followed by silence. Then he sat up and slowly stripped off her camisole to expose her breasts. “Equals,” he murmured, then buried his head and kissed her breasts.
More shivers attacked her. She was breathing hard when she said, “It’s your turn to lose something.”
She watched as he removed his shorts, then slid next to her and settled his warm body around her. Cupping her ass, he pressed her into him.
“God, you feel good,” he said.
He was hard as stone, and she inhaled sharply as he began to stroke her, his touch unhurried and full of desire.
His mouth trailed kisses over her cheek toward her mouth. She captured his lower lip and sucked hard on it. The next thing she heard convinced her that it was true—Pierce desired her.
The groan was gut deep, and she moved her mouth over his jaw, then down his neck, wanting to hear it again.
“Don’t stop,” he groaned. “Keep going.”
He let her take control of the moment for a little while, and in that time he surrendered to her. Suddenly he rolled her to her back and stripped off her thong. Slowly, he caressed her breasts, sucked on her nipples, then slid his hand between her thighs.
“You’re beautiful to look at,” he murmured, his lips moving lower over her neatly trimmed mons.
His fingers parted her and slipped inside her. She inhaled, felt herself melt around his fingers.
She knew he was watching her, watching her response, maybe even gauging it to see if it was real. In truth, it was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Pierce on his way to making love to her felt like her first time.
It must have shown on her face, because he groaned, then buried his face against her breasts as he took possession of her body.
The moment was pure magic, each one sharing and giving, offering up their vulnerable side to the other.
She pushed him onto his back and began kissing him and touching him. Without reservation, she closed her hand around his thick cock and felt him pulse and grow.
She took her time stroking him and loving him. She suddenly wanted to know everything about him—the Sleeper who kept his emotions in a box.
For once she didn’t have to worry about what she was saying, or how she was feeling. There was nothing false about this moment.
She moved her head lower, captured him in her mouth. He groaned, arched his hips.
He was so big. So hard.
In a matter of seconds she was on her back, and he was fitting himself between her legs. She welcomed the torture of his body moving hard against her, arousing her center. Seeking entry.
She could feel her own wetness, and she arched into him, kissed him hard, telling him she was ready. Oh, so ready.
Everything was going so well until he said, “No condom.”
In that moment Casmir had to make a decision. If she went through with this, it was only right that Pierce know the truth.
She said, “A girl in my line of work is expected to make sacrifices, remember? I can’t get pregnant. Not now. Not ever.”
He looked at her for a long minute, and when he finally kissed her Casmir felt tears sting her eyes.
Don’t ever let a man see you cry.
Mama’s words came to her, and she fought the tears. It had been her choice to make certain sacrifices, her choice to become the actress at Quest, and now her choice to make love with Pierce Fourtier.
Her orgasm stole her breath, and it sent Pierce deeper in long smooth strokes. She heard him groan, felt his warm seed spread throughout her inner core.
When it was over, he never left her. With him still inside her, she opened her eyes and found him staring at her.
She didn’t know what to say, and that seemed strange. She had always known what to say afterward.
Suddenly she said, “I desire you again. Will that be a problem?”
He slid partway out of her, then slowly back in. She could feel that he was still stone hard.
Smiling, he said, “I guess it won’t be a problem.”
“Does this mean you finally like me?”
“Oui, I like you.”
“Did you love him?”
An hour later she was curled up in his arms, and Pierce had just asked her the million-dollar question, but it didn’t look like she was going to answer it.
He tried again, “Cass, I asked, did you love him?”
“Who?”
“You know who. I’ve been trying to figure it out. Why you would leave something o
ut of your report after Yurii was imprisoned. What would be so important or damning that you would keep it from Polax.”
“And you think you’ve figured it out?”
“Did you love him?”
“It’s bad manners to talk about past relationships in bed.”
Suddenly Pierce flattened her against the mattress and loomed over her. “Dammit, answer me. Is that your secret? The one you’ve been living with? Did you end up enjoying your work too well?”
She looked away.
“Did you love him?”
She locked eyes with him. “Remember when I told you that I can tell what a man is thinking by his kiss? The truth is, Yurii was thinking of nothing but love and the pleasure I gave him when we were together. He’s an evil-hearted, ruthless man when it comes to business, but when it came to me he was someone else. Do you know what that did to me?” She shook her head. “Do we have to talk about this?”
“Oui, we do.”
“Why, because now you’ve been inside me, and you’re feeling…what, threatened? Possessive?”
“Maybe a little of both. And I know that’s crazy. I have no right to either feeling.”
“Yurii was a man at peace while I was with him. I destroyed that peace. I saw the other side of him, the side no one knows exists. The vulnerable man inside the Russian mobster. I’ve seen him sentence men to death, and I’ve watched him cry in my arms. Did I love him? I loved the depth of his love for me and if that means I loved him, then yes. The answer is yes. A part of me fell in love with Yurii Petrov.”
“What does that mean for the mission? What will he do when he gets you back?”
“I stole from him what no one has ever been able to take. I stole his heart. That kind of deception is unforgivable. If it were me, I would want to see that deceptive creature punished. Wouldn’t you? Maybe even dead.”
Pierce rolled off her and pulled her into his arms, fitting her naked body close. After a moment, he said, “I don’t know what I’d do.”
“We should get up and—”
“Not yet. You said you can’t have children.”
“Pierce, please.”
“I want to know. Was it your choice, or something Polax crammed down your throat?”
“The women at Quest are given a choice, but they are also informed of the risks that come with the job. I couldn’t bring an innocent child into the world that way, Pierce. So I made the only choice I could live with.”
They shared a later breakfast after making love again. Pierce cooked while Casmir watched him, enjoying the sight of him in his underwear. He was rock solid—a very desirable man. She no longer felt like she had to ignore that fact.
She liked him, and he liked her. No more needed to be said. They had truly buried the hatchet.
“We should get back soon,” she said as she sipped her coffee and stared at him across the table.
“Lazie knows what to tell Ruza. We left early to view some real estate.”
“A man who thinks of everything. A woman’s dream.”
He raised his cup. “To dreams and honesty.”
“Honesty?”
“Thank you for trusting me with your secret.”
“And thank you.”
“For what?”
“I peeked under the bandage. No big X marks the spot. Just a neat little line with even stitches.”
He scowled at her. “Polax is going to have to give you a bonus for that. I’m going to insist on it.”
“A chivalrous man. It’s nice to see that some men who appear carved out of granite have a sensitive side.”
“An offhanded compliment?”
“If you like.”
“I like.”
She stood, walked her cup to the sink and rinsed it out. “I suppose I should take a shower.” She turned. “Want to join me? We could be equals again.”
“Equals. It’s an interesting word choice.”
“It means a level playing field.”
“I know what it means.”
“Want to?”
He stood and walked toward her. Sliding his arm around her waist, he asked, “What do you think?”
“Are you going to kiss me now?”
“Oui.”
And then it came. Another kiss. Another caress. Another chance to forget what lay ahead.
One more time, Casmir thought. One more time to feel alive before I die.
Chapter 14
Yurii’s men hit the cabin just after supper. Pierce had told Casmir that Lazie had taken Ruza sightseeing and that they must have lost track of time. She had been suspicious of his explanation, and when a scream outside alarmed her that it had begun—her kidnappers had come for her—she suddenly knew why.
She hadn’t given much thought to Lazie’s role in this until now. He was her mother’s bodyguard, the man hired to protect her.
It all made sense now. No, maybe not all of it, but the pieces were starting to fall into place.
A sudden wave of relief swept over her. Her mother was with Lazie. He would keep her safe; she knew that. Mama would be all right.
She worried about having to explain the situation later to her mother, then realized that it was likely that she would never see her again. That brought another wave of emotion to the surface, more guilt.
She wished she had told her mother how much she loved her, and how grateful she was for always being there for her.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Pierce leapt to his feet and shouted at her to move.
Another scream ripped through the still night as he hauled her out of the chair and pushed her through the kitchen door.
“What’s happening outside? Who’s screaming?”
“I’d say two of Yurii’s men just found Lazie’s snake pits.”
“Snake pits?”
“Lazie has a strange sense of humor. He also takes offense to trespassers arriving unannounced packing guns, with kidnapping in mind.”
“But they’re suppose to kidnap me.”
“But I need time to get out of here alive.”
She turned around. “You’re expecting them to kill you?”
“Of course.”
She hadn’t considered Pierce’s fate in all this. “Yurii would stand for no less,” she admitted, suddenly more afraid for Pierce than for herself.
“Get in the bedroom.”
“But—”
“Go.”
“Wait.”
“There’s no time.”
“This is it, then?”
“This is it, amant.”
Her feet felt welded to the floor as she stared at him. She knew she had to move, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t prepared to say goodbye. Not yet, not like this.
“Cass, you’ve got to move!”
“But—”
“Stay alive, do you hear! I’ll find you. I’ll find you, amant.” Suddenly he grabbed her and kissed her hard, and the memory of what they’d shared hours ago rushed forward. Then the kiss was over and he was stepping back, looking at her with those deep brown eyes as if he were willing her to survive.
“I have one up on you now. Our own little game, remember? We’re no longer equals. And you don’t like that much. I know you don’t. The ‘actress’ is always the winner. When I see you next, I’ll expect you to level the playing field with a big kiss. Now go. Don’t look back, and don’t make it too easy for them.”
Her lips were still throbbing when she turned and scrambled down the hall and into the bedroom. She had only minutes to prepare. She upended her bag on the bed, strapped her Makarov on her thigh beneath the black garter, then wiggled her feet into the black stilettos.
The window shattered, and she spun around to see a man with wild black hair attempting to get inside. She grabbed the lamp off the nightstand and threw it at the open window. It bounced off his broad shoulder and shattered on the floor. Then he was hoisting himself through the window like a ball of fire chasing the wind, rolling onto the floor as she scrambled aroun
d the bed to get away.
She pulled her gun just as the man sprang to his feet and dived onto the bed and flipped off it just as quickly to the other side. He kicked out one leg, knocking her backward. She flew halfway across the room and slammed into the wall. Dazed, she inhaled sharply, and in that few seconds the man was on her.
He stripped the gun from her hand and pointed it at her so fast she had no chance to move. “Too slow,” he said. “Women always are.”
It was Filip who stood before her. Yurii had sent his brother across the ocean for her. She raised her chin and said, “Hello, Filip. Nice of you to drop in. Still have that chip on your shoulder, or has someone knocked it off since we last met?”
“I never liked you. There was always something about you that warned me off, but I never thought to suspect you for a spy.”
“Maybe it was the fact that you were attracted to me and your brother had already staked his claim.”
“Or maybe it was my ability to see inside your head and know that you were a lying bitch.”
“I think I like my explanation better.” Boldly, Casmir reached up and touched his face. Stroking him like a bad-boy tomcat, she smiled, then slowly rolled her hand and raked the side of his cheek with Yurii’s ring. It cut deep into his flesh, and she smiled at the fact that she’d drawn blood.
“Something to remember me by, darling,” she whispered.
He raised his hand to his cheek. He was furious, but he didn’t hit her, though she knew if she were anyone else, he would.
“Go on,” she taunted. “Do it. Mark me.”
“Alive and unharmed. That’s what he wants. But when Yurii tires of this game he’s playing with you, I assure you that I will be waiting in the wings to leave my mark on you. Move to the window.”
“And if I don’t?”
He raised the gun and fired one shot. It splintered the wood a foot from her head. “Then I will have to explain how you killed yourself when you realized you were trapped.”
“But I thought you said Yurii wants me alive.”
He shrugged. “It would not be my fault if you took the coward’s way out.”