Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Win
I wake to the sound of my phone buzzing.
Katarina is curled into the crook of my body, warm and soft, her muscles relaxed into mine.
Even having my finger inside her was heaven, and I’m instantly hard, remembering the tight silk of her pussy.
Which now belongs to me.
I’m going to be inside her very soon.
The phone stops and I close my eyes again, burying my nose in Katarina’s hair. I haven’t been this relaxed in years.
I know what I started yesterday with her father, and I know how to finish it. But what comes after my revenge has always seemed of no consequence.
It was a life full of obligation. Marry. Have babies while I still could, build enough of a fortune to sustain the dukedom for several more generations. There was no fun. No joy…
Now, I’m beginning to wonder.
My phone starts buzzing again. I clench my jaw, pissed at the interruption. I’ve had so few moments of peace. Why is someone intruding on this perfect moment.
“You’d better just answer and get it over with,” Katarina says, her voice slow with sleep. “Then we can get back to snuggling.”
I smile into her hair, then bend lower and lightly nip at her neck. “Promise?”
“Are you kidding, this is the most comfortable I’ve ever been.”
“Me too,” I say and then roll away.
But I don’t pick up. Instead, I watch her climb from the bed, completely naked, and walk to the bathroom.
I saw her naked last night. But the sight of her body, in the light of day, is enough to still my hand and steal my breath.
The next time I have her naked, I’m kissing every single one of those scars. I know I won’t make them go away, but they should be worshipped, just like the rest of her.
She’s strength and delicate beauty combined, and I’ve never been more entranced.
The phone stops again, even as my feet hit the floor and I sit on the edge of the bed.
What’s she doing in the bathroom? Would she care if I followed? I want to watch her all the time, no matter how mundane the task.
That’s when the phone begins again.
I pick it up, hitting the button and bark into the phone. “What?”
“Your Grace,” Ken replies, sounding affronted. “Am I interrupting?”
“Yes,” I fire back, hanging up the phone. I don’t want to talk to anyone, but if I’d looked and realized it was him…
One, he’s been allowed his one overstep, and he’s no longer in my employ. He doesn’t get my time.
But two, I have no interest in choosing a bride.
I could never court another woman while sharing a bed with Katarina.
I’m many things, but a letch isn’t one of them.
I know what the doctor said, understand that I’m taking a risk in delaying my search.
I don’t care. One of my brothers can produce the next duke after all. I choose Katarina.
But that’s when the phone rings, Ken once again.
If that fucker thinks he’s strong-arming me… I pick up the phone, but I don’t speak.
“Your Grace?”
I don’t answer.
“Don’t hang up. This is about Ivan.”
For one second my eyes widen as I realize that my marriage consultant either was or has become an inside man. Fuck.
How did I not see that? No regular consultant would be that impertinent. Ken didn’t pick me up at the airport because he had two mediocre candidates. He was gathering intel for Ivan.
“Is he already in England?”
“Oh, yes.”
Double fuck.
“And he’s aware you’ve got his daughter.”
I made sure of that. “Both of them, really.”
“Yes,” Ken replies. “And most of the casinos.”
“What is it you’re calling about?” I ask, wanting this call to be done.
“Ivan would like to meet. He’s got a proposal.”
“I don’t want anything he has to offer.” I pull the phone away from my ear, about to hang up. If I just sit tight, Ivan will come to me, and then I will put the final nail in his coffin.
“You’ll want this,” Ken’s voice drops low and dangerous. Is that little shit threatening me?
“I think you forget who I am and what I’m already going to do to you.”
“I’m just the messenger, Your Grace.”
“So what’s the fucking message?”
Katarina appears in the doorway. Still naked, but her hair is brushed to a high shine, her cheeks rosy and her full lips looking a bit bruised from my attention last night.
“If you don’t come, it’s Katarina’s life he’ll take.”
“Impossible,” I grit out, standing so quickly that Katarina’s eyes widen.
“You know it isn’t. You can’t keep her locked in your house every minute. She’ll have to come out and when she does…”
Her wide eyes meet mine, her lips softly parted. Katarina is a soldier. But she deserves a chance to leave the fight, to have someone else buffer the harshness of the world for her. “When and where?”
“Tomorrow night. The Waldorf Hilton. Nine.”
I hang up. I don’t threaten. But Ken, the matchmaker, will know my wrath.
“Win? Is everything all right?” Katarina’s eyes have gone from wide, to concerned, her brow puckering as she approaches me.
“Fine,” I say, my breath ragged and my voice rough.
“You don’t sound fine.”
I know I told her we’d be partners, and I will do everything I can to help her, but if I tell her that her father wants to meet, she’ll insist on coming. And I don’t want her anywhere near him.
I don’t lie. I haven’t in years and years. But in this moment, the truth could hurt Katarina more than I’m prepared to risk.
So I do something I haven’t done in years.
“Deal gone bad back in the States.”
She wrinkles her nose. “That’s unfortunate.”
“We’ll turn it around. Now, slide into that bed and let me keep you warm.”
She does as I ask, and then I climb in behind her, curling my body around hers.
“I have a delicate question.”
She peeks back over her shoulder. “You? Delicate?”
I smile as I kiss her shoulder. “Your plan to hurt your father…what is it?”
“Are you snuggling me for information?” she asks with a tsk. But she doesn’t sound angry. If anything, she sounds amused.
“Is it working?”
“Maybe. Snuggling might be one of the most underrated couple pastimes. Did you know it was this good?”
“I did not.” I answer honestly. Snuggling has never been part of any relationship I’ve ever had.
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. But I’m inclined to agree. A soft warm woman, namely you, kitten, curled into my body, might be one of the best sensations I’ve ever experienced.”
“Win. From you, that might be actual poetry.”
I laugh softly as I squeeze her tighter.
From that first night, Katarina has been able to pull a chuckle from my lips. I rarely laugh, which means I’ve laughed more in the last few days than I have in years. “No one has ever accused me of poetry.”
She laughs too, a smooth mezzo soprano that makes my cock hard again; it’s so gorgeous. “If I tell you my plan, will you help me make it happen?”
“Of course,” I answer, wrapping her tighter in my arms.
“Good. The idea is solid, but I think I’ve been struggling with execution.”
I can see why she’d think that. “You just haven’t had enough practice.”
“Maybe.” She turns then, propping her head up on her elbow. I pull her tight to my body again. I like having her skin against mine.
“Tell me your plan.”
She draws in a breath, then pushes her bottom lip out, blowing her hair as she releases the air. “My father’s accountant is a degenerate gambler.”
“I like the sound of this already.”
“I have almost everything I need in terms of security information and passwords, but I’m missing the account number of my father’s Swiss account.”
Fuck me. It’s fucking perfect. She details her idea to use the million from the sale of her casino to my brother to buy off the accountant.
First, my brother should have paid her way more, and Ryker and I are going to chat about that later. But second, she’s not spending her money. And third, it’s going to take way more than a million to get the accountant to turn on the head of a major Bratva family. But my pockets are deep.
I lean over and holding her face, I kiss her long and slow. “It’s a great plan.”
She kisses me back, her eyes fluttering closed. “Compliments from you are extra satisfying.”
“I compliment you with alarming regularity.”
She looks up at the ceiling. “I guess.”
“I’ve told you you’re beautiful, and that you’re brave.”
She looks at me then with a smile. “I was teasing, but if you want to make me a whole list, I won’t complain.”
I quickly push her back, rolling on top of her. “Smart. Funny. Too brave for your own good…”
“That last one was a questionable compliment.”
“And the woman I desire more than I ever wanted any other woman.”
“Win. You can’t—”
“I mean every word. So first, I’m going to hear you scream my name and then, we’re going to make your plan happen today.”
“Today?”
“Today.”