Page 40 of Saint

“Sit,” she ordered, nodding to the bed. “We need to take that shirt off.”

He obeyed and she frowned at the dry, crusty blood on his sleeve.

“Has this been cleaned?”

Nik sighed. “I’ve been a little busy.”

Turning all business, Mia helped him remove the ruined flannel shirt, then paused to study the wound, doing her best to ignore all the ink and delicious muscles he possessed. She wasn’t an expert and figured it could probably use some stitches. Since they were hunkered down in a blizzard and Nik was grumpy as ever, that was a no-go. So, instead, she got a warm washcloth and carefully cleaned all around the abrasion. After applying some antibacterial ointment and handing him some ibuprofen, she gently wrapped his arm. When she finished, she looked up and he was staring at her so intently, her heart tripped in her chest.

“What?” she murmured softly.

“There was a moment at Petrov’s when I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back.”

Outside, the wind whistled and a shiver ran down Mia’s spine.

“But, I pushed through,” he continued, “because I kept thinking about getting back to you.”

“Me?” she asked doubtfully, her mind racing. Then it clicked. “Oh, so you could track down my father.”

“No.” He laid a large hand on her cheek, slid it around her neck and squeezed. “So I could do this.”

He tugged her forward between his legs and caught her mouth in a kiss, and Mia’s world exploded in pure sensation.

Chapter Thirteen

Saint wasn’t a good guy.

He released his hold on the back of her neck, let his hands float down to her waist, and pulled her closer. His mouth moved against hers with an urgency that made his pulse pound. He felt frantic, like a starving man who just had his first taste of the most decadent dessert.

Saint knew he shouldn’t be kissing or touching Mia, he didn’t care anymore. Unfamiliar emotions knocked through his chest. If he had to describe what he was feeling…well, he couldn’t. Not only did the words to explain it escape him, but he also wasn’t sure it was something he could even put into words. Normally, he didn’t experience a lot of strong emotions. Annoyance and anger? Sure. Boredom and disgust? Sometimes. But right now, it was all desire. Hot, molten, throbbing desire. And while he’d experienced his share of lust in the past, this was an entirely different level of need.

Kissing her didn’t just feel good, it felt right. Comfortable. He’d say like home, but he’d never had a home, so he wasn’t quite sure. The idea that he could finally have a secure place and a woman who cared about him was a pipe dream. Not something he could even imagine.

Impossible.

Despite that, he was done pretending the feisty blonde didn’t affect him. He could’ve died earlier that day, nearly did,and never getting to kiss Mia again would’ve been a tragedy. But he was alive, hot blood pumping through his veins, looking for an outlet. As long as Mia was on board, he was going to do everything in his power to give them both a night they’d never forget.

Deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers, he took several long moments to taste and savor her. “Why do you taste so sweet?” he asked, voice husky.

Mia blinked, looking a little dazed. “You taste like spearmint. You haven’t smoked.”

He met her gaze and willingly fell into the azure depths of her eyes. Over the years, he’d kissed plenty of women, but none of those kisses had felt like this. He couldn’t figure out why Mia was so different, but he wanted to because it was driving him a little nuts.

“No. Maybe I’ll quit.” He’d never thought about it or had a reason to before. But if Mia liked him more now that he didn’t smell like the burning butt of a cigarette, maybe he’d give it a shot. Besides, he was developing an entirely new addiction. An even more dangerous one that had him craving her sweetness.

“You should,” she encouraged him.

They stared at each other for a long moment, on the verge of crossing the line. Even though he knew it would be a potentially huge mistake, Saint slid his hands from her hips around to her back, pulling her body against him. Making sure she understood exactly how she was affecting him.

He captured her lips in another kiss, this one harder and more demanding. It wasn’t his style to hold back or be gentle. The word tender wasn’t in his vocabulary and he’d certainlynever applied it in the bedroom. And he wasn’t going to start now.

The urge to touch and explore her body was making him a little crazy and a lot desperate. Her sweet vanilla scent was sheer torture, and when she shifted, brushing against his throbbing erection, he groaned. In a quick move, he lifted her up then lowered her back down to straddle his thighs.

Her hands pressed against his chest and she returned his kisses with a fervor he hadn’t expected. The kiss grew wilder and her hands slid up, wrapping around his neck, drawing him closer, crushing her breasts against his chest. When they finally broke apart, Mia pressed her center against his rock-hard cock, slowly circling, and he gritted his teeth.

“Fuck, Mia,” he hissed, hands moving around to slide under her ass and adjust her position. “You feel too good,kotyonok.But keep doing that and I’m going to blow.”

“Sorry,” she murmured.

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