Page 81 of For a Price

“Fuck the game. It can wait. My kitty cat smells so good.”

His arms tighten around my hips and he leans close to press a kiss on my throat. I shudder at the feel of his lips against me. My eyes close and I slide my hands over his rock-like shoulders. It’s the first teasing kiss of several as Roman clutches me in his lap and drops kisses across my throat and bare chest.

Roman unleashes the desire I’ve usually kept under wraps.

He turns me on with a simple kiss. His hands smoothing over my brown skin.

In a matter of seconds, as Roman sucks a breast into his mouth and I cry out, I’m forgetting about the game we’re playing.

I’m even forgetting about thesekretthat’s been on my mind the last few hours.

“Does my kitty cat want to be fucked?” he growls, sliding his hand into the back of my panties to grope my ass. His thumbcircles the puckered hole he finds and makes me jerk in his lap like I’ve been shocked by electricity.

Lips returning to my throat, Roman squeezes the soft flesh of my backside. His crotch area tents, growing ’til it’s a large, hard bulge under me.

I’m lost to the feel of his kisses and touches, practically begging.

Then I remember what’s been on my mind for hours and I jump backward, almost falling out of Roman’s lap altogether. His hands manage to catch me before I do, holding me in place.

“Devochka, what the fuck’s the matter?”

“We can’t… I can’t… not ’til I… I have to tell you,” I ramble breathlessly. “Even if it’s nothing… I feel like I should tell you… and I thought I could wait… but maybe I can’t…”

“Shhh,” he hushes, his eyes narrowing. “Calm down. Breathe and then tell me slowly.”

I follow his advice. Inhaling a deep breath, I stare at a point past his head. “I know I’m not supposed to get involved in bratva matters… but I overheard something. I don’t know Russian, but I’m pretty sure I heard what I did. It didn’t sound good.”

“Heard what? Explain, devochka.”

“Are we alone? Like truly alone?” I glance over my shoulder out of paranoia, scanning the open space of the penthouse’s living room.

“All staff have been relieved of duty tonight except essential workers like security. But no one else is inside the penthouse right now. It’s just us,” he says, cupping my chin. He turns my head back toward him. “Now tell me. What is it?”

“Earlier today I heard Polina on the phone. She was speaking in Russian to someone.”

“You don’t know Russian.”

My brows knit. “I know… but… but I heard your name—Zver—that I do know.”

“And?”

“The word sekret was said. I’ve learned that word. It means secret, doesn’t it? She was saying something about you and a secret. Then she said ‘da’ and hurried up off the phone. It seemed like she was rushing through the conversation.”

Roman’s face hardens, his jaw holding his tension. “That is interesting to hear. Polina wasn’t speaking to me or any of the men with me today. I know that much.”

“I wasn’t sure if I should tell you, because I didn’t want to seem like…”

…I was meddling.

Like I was targeting the only other woman on the premises.

Like I was trying to get you into even more deep shit than I already have…

Roman draws my mouth to his, his fingers still curled around my chin. He kisses me softly and then says, “It’s good you told me. I will address it.”

“But… you won’t tell her it was me…?”

“You have no reason to be paranoid, kitty cat. My staff is to respect you. They know what happens if they don’t,” he says. “Polina included.”

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