Page 40 of Scarred Ruin

Or her ability to ignore our chemistry until we’d both been doused with gasoline.

Which was why claiming her mouth had been on my mind for two hours.

She didn’t fight my actions, but she also didn’t surrender as I would expect. Her palms were pressed against my chest, lightly and with her body remaining stiff, I knew there was a chance she’d slap me when the kiss was broken.

I’d take that chance.

I pulled her onto her toes while tasting every inch of her sweet mouth. The heat between us was explosive, enough so I could feel her increasing pulse. We were both electrified, something I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

For a few seconds and after feeling some of her tension slipping away, I thought a barrier had been broken. She crawled one hand over my shoulder and within a few seconds she’d curled her fingers around a handful of my hair. It had also been a very long time since I’d wanted a woman to touch me tenderly, as lovers would do.

The thought was both irritating and extremely pleasant.

When I broke the kiss, I didn’t let her go at first, shifting my hand until I’d cupped the side of her face with my thumb underneath her chin. “Ty—slishkom sil’noye iskusheniye, kotoroye mne ni k chemu.”

“You speak Russian when you’re frustrated. Am I the cause?” Her lilting voice held similar amusement to what I’d heard before. She was taunting me, both because it was the basis for her personality and that she was determined not to find anything to like about me.

Yet she adored my daughter.

I had to laugh. Around her doing so was a necessity. “I said that you were far too much of a temptation that I don’t need.” After having made a truthful statement, I yanked the back of my shirt from my jeans.

Isabel watched me intently as I removed the weapon I’d carried.

“Then we agree on something.” She purposely jerked her head away, using one hand to shove me backwards. “I’m not doing this with you. I was very clear.”

There was no real animosity in her tone, yet she was standing her ground. Somehow, I had a feeling she was testing her own willpower even while trying to issue rules of her own.

Watching the way she fought with her inner demons was entertaining. All while she kept her gaze locked on what I was doing. Her visual trail followed as I placed the weapon on the edge of the bar. I had no concerns about being interrupted.

No one would be that stupid.

“Aren’t your men close by?”

I wasn’t certain whether it was a question or an accusation. “Are you worried they get their jollies by interfering with my privacy?”

“Do they?”

“They know better.”

“What you mean to say is they know their place.” Her chest rose and fell as her eyes drifted very slowly down my chest to the bulge between my legs. When she looked away, it wasn’t from embarrassment of being caught merely calculating how large my shaft and whether or not it would fit in her tight pussy.

“That too.” Her doubts were showing and her wheels turning.

She took another step when I advanced, shaking her head. She really believed she had some sense of control over me.

“I think you misunderstood me, Isabel. Both this project and everyone involved are under my full supervision.”

Her laugh was almost bitter. “You mean me. Right? You couldn’t care less about anyone else. You’re under the crazy impression you own me. Right?”

Every act of defiance both infuriated and enticed me. Which was exactly her intention. She had similar thoughts as I’d had for over a week. Why had we been brought together?

“Since you’re so insistent, then yes. I mean you. Tell me something, Isabel. Why do you think you were in the right place at the right time?” This time as I moved closer, she didn’t budge, standing up to me with her eyes flashing the fire I so coveted.

“Trust me, Maxsim. Other than the enjoyment of meeting your adorable daughter, if I could go back and decide not to take a walk to my favorite peaceful spot in the world or indulge in having a couple drinks with my friend, I would. That way I wouldn’t have been tempted to save your life.”

“You’d prefer my child was abducted and I was killed?”

Her frustration in realizing what she’d insinuated was evident by her mouth twisting. “No, of course not. However…”