Page 82 of Scarred Ruin

“Of course. Now, get a good night’s sleep and don’t eat too much candy. That will make your tummy hurt.”

“Papa said I could have two pieces.” She held up two little fingers and she had no idea how much my heart was melting.

When she was safely strapped in and the SUV was on its way, I wasn’t certain if I could spend much more time around her. Not because I didn’t adore her, but because being with her and then never seeing her again just might break my heart.

And I knew that one day when the project was completed and Maxsim didn’t need an architect any longer, the strange affair would end. There was no other choice and tonight, the thought bothered me in an entirely different way. Because I didn’t want it to end.

Only when the SUV was out of sight did he turn around, nodding to Sergei in some unspoken code.

He lifted his head from where he stood and finally for the first time that night, he allowed his gaze to fall very slowly down to my thigh-high black boots. His gaze was penetrating, stealing my breath.

As I’d experienced before with him, the ambient roar of the crowd dissolved into a dull, rhythmic hum. Faces and bodies passing by blurred into a shifting wall of color, stripped of their edges and joyful noise. Nothing remained in sharp focus but Maxsim and the way he was hungering for me. The rise and fall of his chest, the hooded look of his eyes, and the way his jaw clenched left me feeling lightheaded.

It was clenched from a level of desire that spoke volumes about the way he felt about me. About us.

Very slowly he walked closer, the mask hiding his eyes unable to detract from his handsome face. In hearing the story about his wife, I’d been heartbroken yet touched.

He’d trusted me with something so personal, so dark that even after almost a week, every word said through internal pain lingered.

When he was close, his chest rose and fell as his breathing became even more labored. Using a single finger, he traced the bodice of my corset. “You are stunning, but you will never wear something like this for anyone else ever again.”

“Did you think this was for anyone else?”

“Was it?”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. No. I chose this costume with you in mind.”

He tugged at the ribbon holding the corset together, offering more of a mischievous look than I’d ever seen on his face.

“Don’t you dare. Unless you want me fully exposed to the public.”

He curled his fingers while his nostrils flared. “No, I do not want that.”

“Then how about a drink instead?”

“That I can handle.”

“I thought you could handle anything.” Fueled by his earlier tease, I rubbed my hand down his chest, darting a look right and left before sliding my fingers across the thick bulge between his legs.

“You should be very careful teasing a beast.”

“And why is that?”

“Because he no longer bites. He lays claim forever.” He grinned and backed me away.

“I’ll take my chances.”

We found a cozy bar acceptable to the now four Russians who entered the busy location. While people were crammed into the small space, there was still some sense of intimacy. Maybe that was due to the masks we were both wearing. I’d meant what I’d told him. While being able to be anyone we wanted to be, it was much easier to block out the rest of the world.

A plus was that no one was paying any attention. We were just people out on a spooky night determined to enjoy themselves as so many others in the city were doing.

To anyone paying any attention, they might think two girls needed two hot guys each. While the soldiers attempted to act very normal and as if they belonged, their drinks were nonalcoholic and depending on where and how they stood, I could clearly see their weapons.

Hope didn’t seem to mind. We’d found a standing table, claiming it. I happened to notice the choice allowed all four men a clear shot of the front door as well as the hallway leading to the bathrooms and I suspected an emergency exit.

“Interesting choice,” he growled in my ear, which sent a wave of tingles down my spine.

I glanced at the second floor where a balcony allowed others to peer down at the floor beneath. “You should see it on Superbowl week. I know the owner. He’s a very nice guy so do me a favor and don’t beat him up.”