Page 67 of Stalk Me

“You’re mine,” he growls softly, brushing his thumb across my swollen lips. “Every piece of you. Even the parts that want to run from me.”

“I’m not running anymore,” I whisper, and I mean it.

I trace my fingers along Nikolai’s jaw, marveling at how this dangerous man can be so gentle with me. His steel-gray eyes soften as he leans into my touch.

“I never thought I’d feel this way,” I whisper, pressing closer to him on the leather couch in his study. “Especially not after discovering the cameras.”

He captures my wandering hand, bringing it to his lips. “I was obsessed. Out of control. But now...” His kiss travels to my inner wrist, sending shivers down my spine. “Now I need you to see me. All of me.”

“I do see you.” I shift onto his lap, straddling him. “The control, the darkness, the way you try to protect everything you care about.”

He bunches my dress in his hands. “And you’re not afraid?”

“No.” I roll my hips against him, drawing a sharp breath from his lips. “I’m falling for every piece of you, Nikolai. Even the parts that terrify everyone else.”

He grips my hips, stilling my movement. “You’ve undone me,malishka. Made me break every rule I set for myself.”

I lean forward, brushing my lips against his. “Good. I like it when you lose control.”

His mouth claims mine with fierce possession, but a tenderness underneath makes my heart ache. I melt against him, fingers tangling in his hair as he deepens the kiss.

When we break apart, he rests his forehead against mine. “Ya obozhayu tebya,” he murmurs in Russian.

Though I don’t understand the words, the emotion in his voice makes my breath catch. I’ve never seen him this vulnerable, this open.

“What does that mean?” I ask softly.

Instead of answering, he pulls me closer, burying his face in my neck. His arms wrap around me like steel bands, protective and possessive.

Some feelings are too raw, too real for words. So I hold him back just as tightly, letting my body say what our voices cannot.

25

NIKOLAI

Isit in my office at Ivanov headquarters, my attention split between the financial reports in front of me and the feed from Sofia’s gallery on my tablet. The morning sun streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows, highlighting Sofia’s graceful movements as she arranges a new collection.

“These projections don’t add up.” Dmitri’s voice cuts through my focus.

I tear my gaze from the screen. “The Chinese deal?”

“The numbers from the shipping manifests?—”

My phone buzzes. One of my security detail at the gallery sends an update—all clear, no suspicious activity. I’ve doubled the usual protection since bringing Sofia back to the city. The compound might be safer, but I can’t keep her locked away forever. Besides, the gallery is her passion.

“Nikolai?” Dmitri waves his hand in front of my face. “Are you even listening?”

“Of course.” I straighten my tie, forcing myself to concentrate on the papers before me. “Continue.”

But my eyes drift back to the tablet. Sofia’s wearing that cream silk blouse I love, the one that makes her skin glow. Mysecurity team maintains a careful perimeter—two men inside posing as customers, four outside monitoring all approaches. Not that she needs to know the full extent of her protection detail.

“Maybe we should reschedule,” Dmitri suggests, a knowing smirk on his face. “When you’re not so distracted.”

I shoot him a cold look. “I’m perfectly capable of handling both.”

“Both the meeting and watching your woman every second? Because from where I’m sitting?—”

“The shipping manifests,” I cut him off. “Show me the discrepancies.”

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