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“I didn’t tell you,” Nikos continued, “or press charges, because I was trying to protect you I cut off his lines of credit and inforer responsible If he’d just asked iven it to him, for your sake But he stole from me I couldn’t allow that to continue”

She turned to stare blindly at a nearby gold and lacquer globe Turning the sers rested near St Petersburg She wished with all her heart that she was still there, in the dark, cold, cru palace without a ruble to her naed her back to luxury Russia was numb peace compared to this hell

“And so he went bankrupt Then died fro back tears

“He eak And a coward to leave his family behind” She felt his hand on her shoulder as he brushed back her hair with his thick fingers “I’ you from the truth You stole from me Just like him”

Barely controlling her body’s involuntary tre to contain tears that threatened to spill over her lashes She pressed her nails hard against her palms If he sees me cry, I’ll kill myself

“I hate you,” she whispered

His grip on her shoulder tightened “Good We’re even”

“Let o”

Pressing her back against the wall of leatherbound books, he ran his hand along the bare flesh of her arm “You chose to co?”

Heaven help her, but even now, hating hi his back, to touch the strength of his muscles and the warh the curls of his short dark hair and pull him down to her, to taste the sweet hardness of his mouth

Oh, God, what had co from the effort, she forced her body to stay still and betray nothing “You’re not soeon and torture me into surrender”

He gently traced the back of his hand down her cheek “We have no dungeons here But I could keep you in ht And you wouldn’t escape” He whispered in her ear “You wouldn’t want to”

She sucked in her breath as a hard shiver rocked her body She couldn’t stop it even though she knew, pressed against her as he was, he’d be able to feel the movement

He rewarded her with a s, ainst the soft flesh of her ear, his breath hot on the tender skin of her neck “Would you like to sleep against ain? Or would I have to tie you to the bed and force you to reood it once was between us?”

She felt his closeness and power over her and she hated it, even as part of her longed for hith of her body’s memory

“I don’t want you,” she gasped, but even as she spoke the words she felt her traitorous body slide against hiainst his well-muscled form

“We’ll see”

He leaned forward, lowering his head Involuntarily she closed her eyes, licking her lips as her body ainst him

She felt the warmth of his breath She could smell his skin, a scent of soap and hot desert sun and so she couldn’t describe but that made her yearn for hiered for Christmas as a child

But Nikos was in no hurry The seconds it took before his lips finally touched hers were exquisite torture And when he finally kissed her the world see her knees weak

She’d expected hie her lips, to try and break her in his eentle Pure Just like the very first tiht he’d shown up at her door half-rief…

He deepened the kiss, brushing his hand through her hair as his tongue caressed her own She clung to hi passion

He lingered possessively in her arh of pleasure cah his dark, wavy hair

Then, without warning, he released her

She blinked up at hiuorous finger, he looked down at her with cold, dark eyes

“You hate h to kidnap my son,” he observed coolly “But then you kiss me like that”

He dropped her wrist and stepped away froain

Her whole body hite-hot with huentle kiss had beenfor brute force All he had to do was give her the chance to betray herself One loving, lying kiss froround

She took a deep breath, trying to regain her balance “You surprised ”