by Alexia Adams
…
Kat forced her muscles to stop quivering and her smile to remain fixed. Wolfe stood next to her trying not to look bored. But as his eyes strayed more and more often to her chest, she was sure he’d much rather be somewhere a helluva lot more private. That he’d do this for her meant a lot. She pushed down the need to confide in him. She hadn’t told anyone about her sister’s disappearance, not even Liam who had helped her escape from Russia. So why did she want to spill her soul to Wolfe? She’d already told him more about her past life than anyone.
With all the Russian being spoken in the room, she had to keep her brain focused on English. It would be all too easy to slip into her native tongue and blow five years of very hard work. Faking an American accent was not easy. But she also hoped to find some clue as to her sister’s whereabouts, and she may not be able to do that in English. Maybe she could ask in very bad Russian.
Speaking of Russians, she searched the room for the security goon she’d seen earlier in the bar area. She doubted he’d recognize her but even a glimpse at the face of the man who had the power to make her disappear sent a chill through her. He’d hunted her crew for years, capturing a few, but as they only knew each other by code names, his department had never been able to round up the rest of them.
Maybe this was a bad idea, but if she didn’t find where her sister had moved soon, Natalya would be gone too long for anyone to remember her. Short memories were a necessity in Russia.
Kat glanced again at Wolfe. He was so sexy in his tuxedo, it was hard not to accept the invitation in his eyes and return to the Shard, to either her hotel room or his flat. She knew eventually she’d give in to the incredible chemistry between them and, as Margaret-Mary suggested, strip him naked, fling him on his back, and ride him like a bucking bronco. In the meantime, she had to reinforce the firewall around her heart so if, or more likely when, they did get physical, her emotions stayed well clear of the action.
“Here come your men in tights, although it looks like they’ve changed,” Wolfe said.
She wasn’t interested in the male dancers, or the women for that matter. She figured she’d get more info from the backstage staff as their position didn’t require that they spout the company line so much. Besides, her sister had been a real sweetheart; she’d have endeared herself to the people behind the performance.
“Actually, can you excuse me for a minute? I need to use the restroom.”
His smile was tight, but he released her. She skirted around the back of the room, avoiding the recently arrived dancers who were acknowledging another round of applause. Kat knew from the few letters she’d received from her sister that after a three-week tour and twenty-one performances, they’d be exhausted and only stay a few minutes. She had to be quick.
“Izvanutue, pozhaluysta,” she said in mispronounced Russian as she approached one of the set designers who packed up some scenery. The man in his late fifties smiled and directed her to the ladies’ room with gestures. “No, I want to talk to you,” Kat continued, careful to keep her Russian simple. This would go a hell of a lot quicker if she just blurted out what she wanted to know. She asked the man how long he’d been with the Bolshoi.
He leaned against one of the fake Corinthian columns. “Five years,” he answered. “And pleased be to God, I’ll have a job for another five.”
“Did you know Natalya Smirnova?” Kat held her breath as the man straightened and glanced around.
“Da.” A wave of relief swept through her. At last, someone who acknowledged her sister’s existence.
“Is she okay? Is she still alive?” The words rushed out and she forgot to disguise her proficiency with the language. The man’s eyes narrowed and he turned back to his packing. Kat put her hand on his arm. “Please, we were once very close,” she whispered through a huge lump in her throat.
“She lives as far as I know. She left many people angry. It is better for me not to speak of her.”
Kat kissed the man on the cheek and quickly returned to the party room. Wolfe was talking with two of the female dancers, one even had her hand on his arm as she hung on his every word. He was strikingly handsome, the best-looking man in the room. She wanted to claim him as hers but had no right. Instead she snagged a glass of champagne and stood across from him. Within seconds his eyes connected with hers and he excused himself from his companions. As he approached, she once again was mesmerized. How could a simple walk across the room hypnotize her?
“I was about to come look for you,” he said.
“Using the restroom in this dress is nearly impossible. I’m ready to go now if you are.” She hadn’t even finished the sentence before he took the champagne flute out of her hand and placed it on a passing waiter’s tray.
“Thank God, for a minute I thought I was going to have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out.”
“That would have raised a few eyebrows.” His arm had once more anchored her to his side as they made their way through the crowd to the exit.
“Sometimes expediency is more important than propriety. If one more man leered at you, I was going to hit them.”
She expected his possessiveness to irritate her. It didn’t. “Really? The only man I’ve noticed checking me out has been you.”
He followed her into the back of the luxury car and pulled her onto his lap as soon as the vehicle pulled away from the curb. “I was making sure none of the jewels came loose and got lost in your cleavage. I’d hate for anything to discomfort all that soft flesh.” His finger traced the line of the necklace, then the top of her dress, lingering on the swell of her breasts. His caress sent shivers over her skin and liquid heat pooled between her thighs.
“Nope. They’re all present and accounted for.” Although there were a couple of hard nipples about an inch south of where his finger rested. “And you’ll get them back safe and sound as soon as we reach my hotel room.”
“I look forward to that.” He retraced the neckline of her dress, but this time his finger dipped just below the fabric.
“How long is this car ride?” she asked as his lips began exploring her collarbone.
“Not long enough.” He released her and she moved to the opposite seat. When he was near all she could do was feel and imagine how good it would be. But as she said last night, she still had to be able to walk away when this job was done. She’d made too many mistakes, too many sacrifices, to put it all on the line now. Too bad she couldn’t download some sort of anti-lust software.
Once they reached the Shard, they were joined in the elevator by two other couples. Wolfe had a possessive hand at her waist and glowered at one of the other men when he dared to look at Kat. He was taking this boyfriend thing way too seriously.
Finally, they arrived at her room. Her hand shook as she tried to slip the key card into the slot, so Wolfe opened the door then waited for her to enter the room first. When the door closed behind him, he leaned against it rather than follow her.
“You left the boxes for your jewelry at the front desk,” she said.
“I have plenty more.”
She pulled off her gloves to remove the necklace when he stopped her. “Wait. Allow me.”
Turning her back to him, she steeled herself against the brush of his fingers on her neck as he undid the delicate clasp, but it never came. Instead, his lips touched her shoulder and his hands grasped her waist before pulling her against him.
“Is this a talent of yours, undoing necklaces with your teeth?” She had a hard time catching her breath but that could be because her corset restricted her breathing.
“You tell me.” His hands slid back up her torso and lingered for a long moment on her breasts. Unfortunately, not long enough. She stifled a groan of disappointment as he released her and moved to undo the necklace. Rather than the heavy gemstones slipping free, the zipper on her dress slid south. His lips returned to her shoulder and she shivered but not from cold. The man had serious skills.
The silk dress fell
to the floor, puddling around her ankles. Wolfe released her and moved to stand in front. He stared at her so long she had to fight the urge to cover herself. Had he really never seen a woman in a corset and stockings before?
“Are you okay?”
He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again they blazed with passion. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. You have to keep the jewels. No other woman will ever do them justice.”
Her heart squeezed tight. “And what will you get in return?”
“Nothing, except seeing you like this.”
“I don’t believe you. Men always want something.”
“Then you’ve known the wrong men. I don’t pay women to sleep with me, and I’m sure as hell not trying to tie you down.” He stepped around her and moved to the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned. “When you stop hiding behind your past, Kat, and are ready to embrace the moment, let me know.”
As the door clicked closed behind him she flung herself on the bed. She was such a coward. No risk, no gain. If she hadn’t fought for her future, she’d be dead or in prison now.
Was it time for another gamble?
Chapter Six
Wolfe wiped his damp forehead with his sleeve. He’d been in the production room since six that morning. After another sleepless night, exhaustion bordered on delirium, but he was determined to finish this prototype. He’d just completed one of the delicate silver filigrees when his phone rang. He thought of ignoring it but saw Kat’s name on the caller display.
The image of her in her sexy black corset, stockings, and his jewels would be forever etched in his brain. The necklace had been the first of his family’s gems that he’d reset, and it had been collateral on the bank loan that had launched his company. His empire started with those sapphires and diamonds and he’d offered them to her. As soon as the words had left his mouth, he’d known it was too much, too fast. What kind of spell had she put on him? He’d left before he did or said anything else stupid.
“Yes?” he answered on the fifth ring, tone harsh. Silence greeted him. The pause on the other end was long.
“I need to see you,” Kat finally said.
He closed his eyes and wiped his brow again. “I’m working.”
“I’ve found something.”
The elation he expected never even flicked to life. If she solved the puzzle of who sabotaged his company, she’d leave. And he’d never know what could have been. It would be better to get this over with and get back to what was really important—the royal commission.
“Where are you?”
“Reception.”
He didn’t ask how she’d gained access to his floor during non-office hours. Another security issue he needed to address.
“I’ll come and get you.”
She waited in the front office, wearing a black dress with a gold zipper that ran from between her breasts to the hem. How easy it would be to slide the fastener down and reveal her body. And they’d be right back to where they parted last night.
“Hi,” she said. For the first time since he’d met her, her gaze skittered from his.
Her dress was a little fancy for a Saturday. “Are you going someplace?”
“Just here.”
He led her through the series of locked doors to the production room. The silver he’d been working with earlier should be hard enough now to attempt the second strand. “You didn’t need to dress up, you could have worn jeans and a T-shirt.”
“I’m not a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl.”
Understatement of the year. “Why?”
She stopped walking. “Are you complaining about what I’m wearing?”
“No. I only want to know why. Is it another piece of your past invading your present?”
Her eyes narrowed and her chin lifted. She resumed walking and he gave up expecting an answer. They entered the production room and she looked around before perching on an empty workbench. All the precious stones and metals were locked away in clearly marked drawers. Not that she made any attempt to open them.
“I was fourteen when my mother left and my father got lost at the bottom of a bottle.” She paused and cleared her throat before continuing. “After Dad stopped paying the rent, I ended up on the street. I pretended to be a boy, which wasn’t easy with a body like mine. I promised myself that as soon as I was safe, I would embrace my womanhood and never hide again in boys’ clothes.” She smoothed a hand down her thigh and when her eyes met his, they were clouded, her usual cocky smile absent.
His chest tightened, and the coffee he’d had earlier roiled in his stomach. He may not have had parental love but at least he’d always had a roof over his head. Kat once again amazed him. The flicker of emotion he’d experienced when she’d spoken of her family before became a steady flame. He moved in front of her and put a hand on her cheek. She didn’t soften or slide her arms around him. Her defensive walls were solidly built. If he attempted to scale them, would the reward be worth it, or would she shoot him for his impertinence? From the glare she gave him, he needed to tread carefully. “No matter what you wear, you’ll always be a woman. I only wanted you to be comfortable.”
“I am.”
The scent of her sensual perfume surrounded him, and he forced himself to step back. Despite his desire, he wouldn’t be one of those men who exploited her.
She jumped off the bench and moved over to where he’d been working. “Is this real?” She picked up the replica of the crown prince’s bicolor sapphire. The tear-shaped gem was mauve at the bottom then ranged through shades of blue until it was navy at the tip. It was an exquisite jewel and the one he was most excited about setting. “When you showed me the design drawing, I’d thought you’d exaggerated the color variation.
“This is a paste copy but entirely accurate. The Adjmani royal family has the original.”
“It’s spectacular. Almost magical.” She caressed the stone once more before returning it to the black cloth. He’d had a similar response when he’d first seen it, but Kat’s reaction surprised him. She’d never shown any interest in gems before.
He cleared his throat. “You said you found something?” He moved back to the filigree he’d made earlier and relit the burner to melt more silver. Work was his distraction, and God, did he need it now. Kat’s confession that she’d lived on the street shook him more than he cared to analyze. The need to wrap his arms around her and promise to keep her safe from now on nearly overwhelmed him.
“Yes, another piece of malicious code. This time in the payroll program. The thing is, I checked that software the other day. So whoever installed it did it yesterday or early this morning. And the code’s different from the first. A different language, different style. I can’t decide if it’s the same programmer trying something new or someone else entirely.”
He stopped pouring the liquid metal before he burned himself. “What did the malware do?”
“Paid some people twice and others not at all. It was random, like the accounting one. This one deleted payment from anyone with the letter ‘P’ in their name or address.”
“Who got double pay?”
“Anyone with an ‘H’ in their name.”
He ran both hands over his face. “Any idea who uploaded it?”
“No, but I’ve locked down all the systems so no one can access the network remotely. That’s why I need a hardline connection.”
“There’s a terminal in here.” He showed her to the computer access point.
“Great.” She connected her laptop to the network, and within minutes, it was as though he didn’t exist. The tap of her fingers on the keyboard was the only sound in the room.
He pulled out a tray of fake rubies they used for prototypes. They both worked in silence for almost an hour until a tone sounded from his mobile. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” She had her bottom lip between her teeth, and it took a moment for her eyes to focus on him.
“Someone’s coming thi
s way. My phone lets me know when the doors are accessed to this restricted area. We’ve got about thirty seconds.”
“And if they see my computer connected to the network the game’s up.”
He nodded.
“Do you trust me?”
Did he? He nodded anyway.
“Pass me two of those rubies.” She pointed at the paste gems.
He handed her the stones but looked at her laptop. “Shouldn’t you put that away?”
“It’s running something. I can’t shut it down. Don’t worry, whoever is coming won’t notice it.” She pulled a scarf from her bag and handed it to him.
“What—”
“Turn around.”
He did, reluctantly, then cool silk slid over his eyes as she tied a blindfold around his head. The sound of a zipper filled the air. Kat’s dress? Dear God, was she taking off her clothes?
“What now?” Wolfe whispered as the whir of the door unlocking sounded through the quiet room.
“Come on, blind miner, you’ve got two rubies left to find.” Kat’s raised voice, husky like they’d been making love for hours, set his heart pounding.
He moved over to where he’d last seen her. His hands reached out and met warm, silky, bare flesh. Bloody hell. Resisting the urge to pull off the blindfold, he slid his hands upward and encountered a band of lace. She was killing him.
“Kat…” Her name was pulled from deep within him.
Her rib cage expanded, and he slid his hands higher to cup her breasts, covered by a bit of lace in the middle but at the sides it was smooth skin. A hard lump on either side, where Kat’s nipples should be, prevented him from touching the real treasure. Through the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears, he heard the door slowly creak open.
Kat’s purr of arousal sent blood rushing to his groin. “Well done, but remember, you have to remove the stones with your tongue.”
“Is someone here?” he whispered against her ear, deliberately aiming for her neck and not her chest. As much as this game riveted him, he wasn’t about to perform for an audience.