11. Viktoria
11
VIKTORIA
I hit send on the email I’d spent too long drafting and turned on the small TV mounted in the space above my desk. Instead of a familiar news broadcast station, I found a map of the United States filling the screen along with a plane icon showing our flight path as well as our destination in the bottom corner. Interesting, but not really. I turned the TV off and sat back in the simple computer chair.
I preferred the desk area in the main cabin, but I didn’t have the energy at the moment to maintain my unaffected fa?ade in front of Lee’s security team. The trembling had finally stopped by the time I’d finished my shower, but flashes of memory still kept on coming, not all of them surrounding the kidnapping attempts. I couldn’t stop thinking about my afternoon with Lee—his deep, rumbling laughter; his rough, burning kisses. God, his mouth was magic. One touch of his lips, and I was transported, floating out of my body in a pleasant daze.
I shifted, and my silk robe brushed my thighs. I hadn’t bothered dressing after my shower, and for the last hour, I’d been working in nothing but black silk. A breach in work decorum, but I’d already broken so many rules today, why not another? Besides, no one would ever know.
Tap. Tap.
“Viktoria,” Lee whispered from outside the door. “You awake?”
“Yes,” I answered huskily, spinning the chair to face the door. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “Come in.”
Lee shut the door behind him and stopped in the middle of the room. Those exotic amber eyes zeroed in on my exposed legs. He swallowed hard, then raked his gaze up the length of my body to meet my eyes. A stillness fell over him, and the air around him pulsed with tension.
My nipples pebbled beneath my silk robe, and I shifted just to feel the material rasp over the buds. Shivering at the sparks erupting in my lower belly, I placed both hands on the armrests, opening my posture for his inspection. “Is there something I can do for you?”
Lee’s eyes narrowed, hungry, but he didn’t take the bait. “Our destination’s changed,” he answered, his voice low and gravelly. The air ripened with thick, exquisite danger. I wanted to provoke him to attack. I leaned back in the chair, exposing my throat.
“Our destination?”
Lee cleared his throat. “We’re rerouting to a different airport. I’m hoping this time, it’ll throw off whoever’s following us.”
“Good idea.” I trailed my fingers along my lapel, tracing the soft curve of my right breast. “Has your boss unearthed anything on our attackers?” I asked, not really paying attention. I only wanted a way to prolong the seduction.
His hands clenched by his sides, and I licked my lips at the way his tight T-shirt showcased his magnificent chest. His jeans hugged his hips, and I pictured myself in his arms, my long legs wrapped around him, pulling him in.
“We’re working on it,” he replied, his tone even huskier. “But they may be from Iceland.”
I froze. “What?” I leaned forward. “Why would you think that?”
“Something I heard.” He shrugged and stepped closer. “With that in mind, do you have any idea who might be behind these attempts?”
“No.” I stood, and my robe slid off my shoulder. The fabric bloused open over my cleavage. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” I toyed with the soft belt tied at my waist.
“Viktoria,” Lee growled, fists clenching, then loosening with barely leashed control. “I’m not allowed to touch you.”
I stalked closer, teasing at my belt. “But you already have.” The bow unraveled, and Lee turned away, deliberately not watching my robe falling open.
“I shouldn’t have,” he said.
“Say that like you mean it.”
Lee said nothing at all. He stood, breathing hard.
“Lee.” I drew out his name, almost a moan. I leaned on my desk so my robe played peekaboo with my body. “You want me,” I said. I needed to hear him say it, for reasons I didn’t want to examine right now. “Tell me you want me.”
His nostrils flared, and he inhaled sharply. “God, yes,” he croaked. “I want you, Viktoria.” His bruised knuckles whitened, and my heart thumped harder. “Maybe when this is over?—”
“It won’t be,” I said, cutting him off. “This is my life.” My feet shushed on the carpet as I stalked closer. “There’s always something going on.” I stopped an arm’s length from him and cocked my hip, forcing the robe to part over my belly. “But, by all means, go, if that’s not what you want.”
Gathering my willpower, I thrust my shoulders back to dislodge the robe. The silk flowed off my body and pooled on the floor.
Lee froze and seemed to stop breathing.
“If you’re not interested,” I continued, and trailed off, throat tight. This was it. An ultimatum. Lee might say no. He might walk out on me, and then we’d be done, from meet-cute to breakup in under eight hours. Less than a workday. Did I really want?—
Lee started to say something. I held up my hand.
“No, wait,” I said, hardening my voice and all my defenses. I wouldn’t beg, but standing before him naked and asking him to touch me had exposed more than I’d intended. I couldn’t bear to be vulnerable one second longer. Lee had to choose now, yes or no. In or out.
“If you’re not interested, walk out that door. I’ll forget this afternoon ever happened.”
Lee
I growled deep in my chest. Not interested? Was she joking? Had she seen herself? Those rosy nipples, those full, perfect breasts! My mouth watered to taste that smooth, creamy skin, worship the hourglass figure that had taunted me all day.
Her chin tilted up a notch and her expression turned cold, but her blue eyes still burned, ice and fire in one. I met her gaze, and I saw through her. Her tone said she didn’t care if I stayed or left, but the flush in her cheeks betrayed the turmoil beneath. I could glimpse the passionate woman behind the fa?ade—a woman with wants, needs, dreams, a heart that could break. That woman, the real Viktoria, could play, laugh, and joke, be an exhibitionist and a warrior all rolled into one. She was a woman too tempting for me to resist. A treasure too precious to cast aside.
Screw Boom and his rules .
If I was going down, it might as well be in flames.
“Forget my kiss? The hell you will.” I yanked her forward into my arms. She fell against me, and I sealed my mouth over hers, an ardent reminder of what I’d never forget.
Her arms wound around my neck, and she straightened up, pulling back just enough to bite my lip hard. She then licked the sting away with a hot, teasing tongue.
I let out a grunt, pain and pleasure in one. “Take my shirt off,” I said.
“Take your own shirt off,” she retorted, her hands already busy unbuckling my belt.
I wanted to tease her by keeping my shirt on, refusing to remove it till she did it herself—undressing me slow and tenderly, penance for her defiance. But she’d run through my patience, burned it away. I whipped my shirt off and pushed her down to her knees. “Untie my boots.”
Viktoria laughed at me. “What am I, your butler?” She met my eyes, insolent despite her position, and unbuttoned my pants, sliding the zipper down an inch at a time. “Some girls like feet,” she said. “I’m more interested in what’s under here.” She patted my bulge, and I felt my cock throb. Still, I couldn’t resist goading her. Playing the caveman.
“If you want me to fuck you properly, untie my boots.”
Viktoria’s brows shot up, but she only smirked. “You think I want to be fucked properly ? Properly is boring. I want you im proper, my filthy heathen.” She got to her feet and waltzed to the closet, fiddled with a suitcase, then closed the door again. When she turned to face me, she had a foil packet. My pulse picked up, and my cock throbbed harder. She had her own goddamn condoms, and she was proud of it.
When I have sex, I own it .
Well, two could play at that game. I’d own her every bit as much as she owned me .
Closing the distance between us, I crowded her against the wall. “Do it, then,” I ordered, snarling into her neck. I slid my hand down to cup my hard dick. “Show me what you want.”
She squirmed against me and inhaled through her teeth. When she spoke again, the words came out ragged. “Pants off, and I’ll think about it.”
Goddamn, but she knew how to turn me on! I gripped her hard by the back of her neck. “Touch me, make me shiver, and I’ll get rid of my jeans.”
Viktoria slid her free hand up my back, then over my shoulder before her nails dug in. She squeezed my dick at the same time, and electricity pulsed through me. I was so hard it hurt.
“Jesus,” I murmured, my self-control fraying. I shoved my jeans and underwear down and set my cock free, the tip slick already and yearning toward her.
Her eyes widened, then smoldered as she licked her lips and unabashedly traced her gaze over my body. “Another tattoo,” she whispered, then leaned forward. Her tongue glided over the black crosshairs inked over my heart, the same crosshairs I saw when I peered through the scope of my sniper rifle. Or rather, what I used to see. What I’d lost, but?—
“Hey. Where’d you go?”
I blinked, snapping back to the present. Viktoria kissed me, sweet on the mouth. She ran her hands through my hair, and the world came back into focus. This world, this moment, this woman in my arms.
“Nowhere,” I said. “I’m with you. Keep going.”
She kissed me again, worked her way down my body. Her tongue flicked my nipple, and need flared anew, a white-hot shot of desire straight to my balls. I slapped the wall with one hand to keep from falling over and snatched the condom with the other. Her tongue traced a path to my left bicep, and she kissed the Ranger Airborne tattoo below my shoulder.
Her kiss was too much and not enough. My tattoos represented everything I’d once thought I was. Everything I’d thought I’d lost until I met this courageous, intelligent warrior woman.
She gripped my cock just right and I groaned, resting my head against her shoulder. She thumbed at the slit, stroked me up and down.
“Last chance for properly,” I grunted. I tore open the condom and rolled it on.
“Fuck me, Lee.” She hooked her leg around my waist and guided me inside her. Our heights lined up perfectly, allowing me to push in easily. Her warmth gripped me, and I groaned from deep within.
She tilted her head back, hazy-eyed, unguarded. “More,” she moaned, and bucked up her hips, offering herself to me, her defenses all crumbled.
The last bit of my self-control snapped and fell away. I forced her off-balance and swept her off her feet, then spread her legs wider and slammed all the way home. Spots danced in my vision, and I had to struggle not to black out, overwhelmed by everything I was feeling. I had her, all of her, and she had me.
“Say you want me,” I snarled. She’d demanded it of me; I wanted to hear it, too.
“I want you,” she murmured, and kissed where she’d scratched. “Fuck me.”
And I did. I fucked her so hard we slammed into the wall, and still I pumped harder. Viktoria met me thrust for thrust. Fire blazed in her blue eyes as she matched my rhythm. Then I saw that fire glaze over, and I knew it was time.
“Come for me,” I ordered as I hit that perfect spot inside her again and again.
Viktoria’s mouth dropped open, and I lunged to capture her cries in my mouth. She pulsed around me, and I couldn’t hold back. Euphoria crashed over me and robbed me of my vision, a pummeling orgasm that left me boneless.
Dropping my forehead on her shoulder, I tried to catch my breath. Never in my life had I come so hard; never had sex felt so good.
“Told you properly was boring,” she murmured, then kissed me chastely on the side of my neck.
I chuckled and forced myself to step away, my legs rubbery and my body well spent.
She strutted into the bathroom and plucked a washcloth off the rack. I gathered my jeans and underwear, pulling them up just enough I could waddle into the bathroom to get rid of the condom. I rolled it in toilet paper and threw it away. As I did, I spied the shirt Viktoria had borrowed from me hanging on the outside of the shower stall, looking much better than when I’d handed it to her. The steam had gotten rid of a lot of the wrinkles. I just hoped the fabric retained her scent.
“I’m going to take a quick shower,” I said. I barely fit into the tiny stall, but I made it work. I made liberal use of Viktoria’s fancy soaps, loving how the fragrances kept her claim on me. When I was done, I strode out to the bedroom and found my duffel bag still sitting on the edge of the bed. I dropped my dirty clothes beside it, then pulled on a fresh black T-shirt and jeans.
Viktoria was sitting in the computer chair in her sexy black robe, watching every move I made. I smirked at the languid way she lounged in her seat. Nothing of the proper, aloof woman remained.
Lacing my boots, I asked, “What did you mean before? When you said there’s always something going on?” Hardly pillow talk, I knew, but I didn’t get the sense she wanted to wax on about hopes and dreams.
She stretched and shrugged. “It’s just a fact of my life. I have money and power, therefore I have enemies.” Pulling her hair from her collar, she met my gaze. Her expression softened into a thoughtful smile. “In my culture there’s something called hamingja . It’s like luck, but not. It’s the cumulative success and baggage of your family line and everything that goes with that, good and bad.” Her palm flattened against my chest. “I inherited Father’s and Grandfather’s hamingja . It’s just how my life is going to be.”
I fastened my belt, then kissed her lips gently. “What about joy and love?” I asked softly. “Where does happiness fall in the equation?”
A strained chuckle escaped her. “Happiness?” She shook her head as if confounded. “I was born to wealth and privilege and invested with power. Responsibility is part of that equation, so I’ll have to make happiness out of that.” Her fingers slid up my neck to toy with my hair. “Are you staying with me?”
I kissed her lips longer this time, riding the line of inciting the passion still simmering in my blood. I wanted her again and I worried that I’d never get enough. “I want to,” I whispered, knowing my longing was evident in my tone. “But I can’t.” I stole another kiss. “I may have broken the rules, but I can’t ask Mike and Andrew to lie to Boom. I should get back out there before they suss out what’s up.”
Viktoria
I stared at the door Lee had closed minutes ago, twisting my belt around my finger for something to do. Happiness. The kind Lee meant…the kind that some people had the luxury of pursuing…I’d never given it a thought before.
Could it be possible to have both happiness and responsibilities?
My body still tingled from Lee’s burning touch. My head kept replaying our adventure in town—the diner, Lee’s laughter, our first scorching kiss. How he’d leaped to defend me when the shit hit the fan.
Was it possible I already had both? Or could have, in Lee?
Picking up my phone to call my assistant, I couldn’t stop obsessing about the answer.