Page 31 of Diamond Don

I know so little about her, but this attraction is hard to resist. The mere sight of her mesmerizing eyes—or the echoes of her sensual voice—is enough to affect me, viscerally bombarding me with memories of that maddening scent of hers, her mouthwatering taste I can still savor in my mouth, and the soft feel of her lips against mine.

On the bright side, at least I’m no longer underestimating the woman and her power over me. Only by being fully aware of it will I be able to prepare myself. If I accept that this temptation will only grow as we work together, then maybe I can try to steel myself against it.

It’s not like I have any other options. I didn’t miss how secretive she was when I questioned her about her involvement in the Flame of Mir’s theft. Kat didn’t even bother hiding how unwilling she was to divulge anything that could be of value to me.

I caught the little thief red-handed. She seemed to have an appropriate amount of fear upon learning who I am and what I do for a living. One would think the woman would be eager to share anything that might make her look less guilty, or do anything to earn my favor. Instead, Kat has told me nothing.

Sure, she denied being involved in Maxim’s murder. But it’s not like I expected her to admit to it in the first place.

I can’t ignore all these red flags. By all accounts, Kat is an extremely smart woman with a healthy sense of self-preservation. Surely, if she feels the need to keep the truth from me, it must be even worse than what I already know about her and her participation in this mess.

It would be reckless to trust her at this point. I can’t afford the risk. There’s too much I don’t know, too much she won’t tell me. Years of experience indicate that can only mean one thing—Kat must be kept at arm’s length.

I learned a long time ago not to give my trust to people who don’t deserve it. I know what happens when you let yourself care about those who only care about themselves They destroy you. They make you weak.

It’s a lesson I learned thirty years ago. One I will never forget. It was, after all, the only one my parents bothered to teach me.

Now more than ever, I can’t be vulnerable. I have to keep my guard up with her.

“Very well, Nikolai. You got yourself a deal. I accept your terms,” she says, squaring her shoulders.

“Good girl. You’re making the right call, Kat. Since we’re on the same team now, let me get you out of these cuffs. They’re probably chaffing you by now.”

I pull the keys to the restraints out of my pocket and approach her. Kneeling next to the bed, I work on releasing her from the leather straps as efficiently and dispassionately as I can manage.

My fingertips graze the impossibly soft skin on the inside of her wrists as I unlatch the cuffs. I fully intend to pretend that nothing happened until she inhales sharply.

I glance at her face, my fingers stilling where they rest on her arms.

Her eyes lock with mine, and I’m lost in their deep blue beauty, just like the first time I gazed into them.

I half expect Kat to glance away, breaking our unspoken connection. But she surprises me by inching closer to me. It’s a slight, almost imperceptible movement, but I’m so hyper-focused on her that it’s impossible for me to miss it. My senses are completely attuned to her—her sounds, her scent, the softness of her skin, the sight of her—desperately trying to make up for all the time lost since the moment we parted.

I should resist her pull. It’s a bad idea to give in to this temptation and let this irresistible attraction defeat me. But I can’t help it. I can’t stop myself from wrapping my hands around her and bringing her even closer. The need to taste her is too overwhelming.

She will probably pull away from me. After all, I had her abducted and restrained against her wishes. Even now, I am bending her to my will. I’m likely her least favorite person in the world right now.

Yet again, she doesn’t resist me. Her eyes widen as I inch closer to her, but her only other reaction is a small sigh when we are close enough that I can feel the heat of her body against mine.

She shouldn’t want my touch, just like I shouldn’t want to touch her. Still, like a couple of moths drawn to a flame, we can’t seem to resist this need to be closer and closer to each other, inch by inch.

If she isn’t pulling away from me, then she must want me as badly as I want her—even after everything I have put her through today. This realization only makes it harder to resist the urge to be inside her again.

I lean a little closer to her, our gazes still linked. Kat’s erratic breaths hit my lips, making me even hungrier to taste her again, to feel her tongue tangle with mine once more.

I’m careful not to make any sudden moves. I don’t want to spook her or dispel the magic feeling of this moment. Kat closes her eyes, and I choose to take it as a sign to end the distance between us. But just as I’m about to do so, her hand pushes my chest, stopping me.

The haze dissipates, and over the thundering beats of my heart, Kat clears her throat.

“Nik,” she says, but I don’t even need her to finish her sentence. I know where this is going, and, for once, I’m happy she had the presence of mind to stop me before things went any further. It shames me, but there’s no point in pretending otherwise—I wouldn’t have been strong enough to stop my emotions from taking control if she hadn’t.

I move away from her to sit on the edge of the bed, my back to her, needing a moment to clear my head.

“Nik, we agreed it would be best to keep things professional between us.”

“I know.”

“I just think it’s important that we keep that in mind. This situation is already complicated, and hot, passionate sex has a way of complicating things even further.”

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