Chapter 16
16
Katie watched happiness fill Alex’s dark gaze, and realization that he was happy follow soon after.
He rolled away from her abruptly, swearing luridly in Russian if his tone of voice was any indication. In English, he demanded, “What the hell are you trying to do to me?”
“Show you what it feels like to be loved and appreciated?”
“I’m not falling for it. You can’t suck me in. I won’t be suborned.”
“Suborned?” she echoed, not understanding.
“It means bribed, blackmailed, or corrupted,” he spat. He jumped out of bed and strode to the far end of the room.
She sat up, yanking her silk nightgown down as far as it would go. Why couldn’t the stupid thing be a gunny sack? “I know what it means. You already made it crystal clear you’re not blackmail-able, so why would I even try?”
“You tell me.” He whirled and stalked back toward her.
Why was he lashing out like this? She hadn’t done anything to?—
—Oh. She must have scared the hell out of him. Which meant she had broken through his emotional armor, after all.
“There’s nothing to be scared of,” she said matter-of-factly. In her experience with terrified patients, if she sounded like there was something to be scared of, no matter how hard she tried to convince them not to be afraid, she would fail.
“I will not be trapped!” he exclaimed. Away he went again, pacing the length of the spacious room.
“Okay,” she said reasonably. “Who’s trying to trap you?”
Her question stopped him cold. He stared at her like she was crazy. “Your CIA. My father and the FSB.”
“Who else?”
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
“Well, there’s obviously me. Who else?”
He frowned. “You admit to trying to trap me?”
“Not at all. I’m trying to understand who you think is trapping you.” She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She wished she could go to him. Hold him. But she highly doubted he would let her touch him right now.
He threw up his hands in frustration.
She kept her voice light as she said, “I think it’s you trapping you.”
He turned to stare at her. “How’s that?”
God, she wished she could read him better. But he’d gone still, his face a mask. His voice gave away nothing. Was he angry? Surprised? Upset?
“You’ve built so many emotional walls to hide behind, so many rules to live your life by, that you’ve practically paralyzed yourself.”
“Wouldn’t you build walls in the same situations I lived through?”
She sincerely hoped not . “I’m not you, so what I would do doesn’t matter. You did what you had to in order to survive. And you made it. Here you are.”
“I don’t need psychotherapy,” he announced.
“Of course you don’t. You need more sex.”
That threw him. He looked over at her, startled.
Suddenly, his need for control in bed made perfect sense. He was desperately seeking control of his life. Look at how badly he’d reacted when she took control of their lovemaking and took it to an emotional place not of his choosing. No matter how badly he craved the affection and caring she shared with him, he couldn’t allow himself to accept it if it wasn’t of his taking.
“Go ahead, Alex. Make me beg. Do whatever you want to me. I dare you.”
That dark fire flared in his eyes again, and the hurt little boy retreated, leaving behind the dangerous man who made her breathing speed up and her heartbeat go wonky.
“You really do like to live dangerously, don’t you?” he murmured.
“Show me how dangerously,” she challenged him.
He stalked her slowly, panther-like. An urge to bolt shivered through her, but she ignored it and stood her ground. He needed this.
Alex stopped in front of her. Reached out slowly and took the low neck of her silk gown in both hands and gave it a violent yank. She jumped as the fragile silk ripped apart, tearing all the way down her front and falling away from her body in shreds.
He moved aggressively, grabbing her wrists and backing her up against the wall, her arms yanked high over her head. His thigh jammed between hers, forcing her to open her legs and ride his thigh whether she liked it or not. His head bent to her neck and he bit her on the shoulder.
She cried out and arched into him, shocked at how attracted she was to his aggression. Thing was, he still hadn’t hurt her. Well, the bite hurt a little, but just enough to be sexy.
He lifted her right leg and draped it around his hips, then he rammed into her, filling her with his heat and hard length. He slammed her higher against the wall and she stood on tiptoe. But then he yanked her left leg out from under her, forcing her to cling to his shoulders and wrap her legs tightly around his waist while he supported her bottom with both hands.
The position left her completely vulnerable to him. He slammed into her again, filling her and stretching her almost to the point of pain. She had no defense against his invasion, and he took full advantage of it, thrusting again and again into her.
If she was supposed to fight him, she refused. If she was supposed to be angry at him for plundering her like this, she embraced it, instead.
He needed this, and she willingly gave it to him. In fact, she pulled his hips closer with her legs, pulled his head down to her neck, offering herself freely to him.
He increased the force and intensity of the sex, and she urged him on, opening herself fully to him physically and emotionally.
“More, Alex,” she panted. “Give me all of you. Take all of me.”
He growled as if frustrated by her reaction. He spun, carrying her still impaled on him to the table. With a sweep of his left arm he sent the plates and glasses flying, laid her down on the edge of the table and drove into her. The hard surface at her back forced her to absorb the full ferocity of his sex and he slammed all the way to her core.
“Yes, that’s it,” she groaned. “More. I want it all.”
“You make me crazy,” he ground out from behind clenched teeth.
“I want crazier,” she panted back.
He grabbed her knees and shoved them wide. She helped by grabbing them and holding them apart. His eyes closed as he lost himself in her body, thrusting mindlessly, over and over.
She wondered if he realized he was slowing his angry thrusts. That they were becoming more strokes than attacks, long and slow and deep. Over and over and over.
His hands came down on either side of her head as he braced himself, eyes still closed, making love to her. She let go of her knees. Gradually let her legs wrap around his waist.
She found his rhythm with her own body, rising up to meet him as their bodies joined, stroking each other to a building climax. The now familiar tingling started at her extremities, racing from her fingers and toes toward her core, growing and growing, clawing at her core until she cried out with the power of it.
Alex’s body tightened against hers. Took on a terrible urgency. She opened her eyes and stared up at him. His face was angelic, his eyes demonic, as he stared down at her, furious and desperate and lost.
Her internal muscles clutched him tightly. She surged up against him one last time, and he detonated inside her. Pleasure ripped across his face and he shuddered hard against her, once, twice. She held him close, absorbing his release into her, opening herself to him in every possible way.
And then the storm was over. His body stilled, and he stared down at her, braced with his hands on either side of her head, his arms trembling a little.
He whispered, “What in the hell are you doing to me?”
Adding real emotion to an act he had managed to detach from his feelings in the past? Of course, she knew better than to say that aloud. He wasn’t ready to hear the truth just yet. Better that he figure it out for himself.
He stepped back from her, and she sat up on the edge of the table, a little wobbly, the remnants of her silk camisole hanging bedraggled at her sides.
“Sorry if the table was too hard,” he said dismissively.
“The table’s fine,” she said lightly. “Next time we do it on the table, though, could you flip me over the other way?”
His gaze snapped to hers, startled. “On your stomach?”
She turned and half leaned over the table, testing it with her palms. “Yes. I think I’d like that. Which would be better: for me to support myself with my hands or to lie flat?”
The expression in his eyes was floored. Was that supposed to have driven her away from him? Passionate sex? Mind-blowing pleasure? A moment of intimacy he couldn’t deny, no matter how unwilling he was to admit it had happened? She snorted at the notion.
She had his number, now. And she wasn’t going anywhere.
Across the room, his computer bag dinged. Curious, she watched as he pulled his laptop out and opened it.
“Sonofabitch,” he breathed.
“What is it?”
“A request for a video call. From my father.”
“What does he want?” she asked, curious.
“How the hell does he have my number?” Alex retorted sharply.
“He does work for the FSB. Last time I checked, they’re a reasonably good at finding out something like that.”
He just rolled his eyes at her.
“You gonna make the call?” she asked.
He stared at the screen for several long seconds before saying slowly, “Yes, I think I will.”
She was relieved. She’d been raised on the theory that it was always better to know what your enemy was up to than to be in the dark about his actions.
Alex initiated the call while she headed for the bathroom and clothes.
An unfamiliar voice said something in Russian, and Alex replied in English, “I’m surprised, too. What do you want, Roman?”
He didn’t call his father, ‘father’? Ouch.
Koronov answered in accent-free, American English, “I’m checking to be sure that you and your little family made it home safely.”
Alex answered dryly, “You know they’re a co-worker and an orphaned infant. And as you can see, I’m fine. If that’s all you wanted, I’ll sign off?—“
“Alexei,” his father said sharply.
Katie grinned as she zipped up her jeans. So. That was where Alex learned that particular tone of voice. She slipped into the main room, being sure to stay out of the laptop camera’s line of sight.
Koronov was speaking again. “I did you a favor and sent you that airplane. Now, I need a favor from you in return. A small one that breaks no laws.”
Alex leaned back in his chair. “How small?” he asked blandly.
She didn’t have to see Alex’s face to know the dark, angry predator would be on full display in his eyes. She could feel the menace rolling off of him all the way over here.
“I need some information. A list of all the places your employer has medical teams deployed.”
Her jaw sagged. Roman Koronov wanted Alex to spy on Doctors Unlimited? Why? What did it say about her employer that the FSB was poking around it?
Alex asked back, “What do you know about a pair of SUV’s that engaged me earlier today?”
God, she wished she could see Koronov’s face from here. But it was best that he not know Alex’s “little family” was more than just a co-worker and a random kid.
Koronov’s voice was even, calm, when he replied, “Nothing. Do you need me to look into it?”
Alex frowned faintly. Thoughtfully. He believed Roman, then? “A list of places D.U. has teams? That’s all?”
Alex wasn’t seriously considering getting Roman that list, was he?
“Names would be helpful, as well. Our government wouldn’t want to accidentally interfere with their work for lack of recognizing them, now, would it?”
“No. Of course not,” Alex answered deadpan.
“How soon can you have it?”
“And then we’re even?” Alex responded, ignoring the question.
“Is there any such thing?” Roman asked wryly.
Alex ignored that, too. “I’ll contact you when I have it.”
“Good boy.” If she wasn’t mistaken, Roman sounded faintly surprised. He bloody well should. His son had just agreed to work for him!
She waited impatiently for the call to disconnect. Alex had barely closed his laptop when she burst out, “What in the hell are you doing? Aren’t you the one who’s all hot and bothered not to get trapped? It sounds to me like you just ran headlong into your father’s trap!”