Page 81 of Close Protection

‘Then stop looking at me like that.’

A groan erupts from deep in his chest. ‘You know I can’t do that.’

‘Well then, we seem to be at an impasse,’ I whisper, biting down on my bottom lip. ‘But don’t worry, Mr Petrov, I think I know how to fix that.’ My mouth crashes back onto his as his fingers make their way through my hair, tugging gently to move my head into a better position. He breaks the kiss, one hand starting its way down my neck, while the other rests on my lower back.

‘You smell so good,’ he rasps against my throat.

I don’t respond. I’m in a breathless haze, the air heavy and thick around us. He lifts me on top of him, bunching up the dress slightly so I’m more comfortable, and I shed the jacket, letting it drop haphazardly to the floor.

I pull his mouth back onto mine, nibbling lightly on his bottom lip, smiling against his mouth when he lets out a groan.

‘You’re gonna make me go crazy, Daphne Green.’ His voice is warm and his Balkan accent heavy.

Butterflies take flight in my stomach.

I embed my hands in his soft hair, playing with it. ‘That’s the plan, Mr Petrov.’

He chuckles deeply as he brings his mouth back down,lazily stroking his tongue along mine, his hands cupping my jaw.

I pull back, looking him dead in the eye. ‘Stop being so sweet with me, Milosh.’

‘No problem,’ he growls.

All at once he brings one hand up and yanks on my hair, while the other grips my hip. Hard.

He pulls me by the hair to where he wants me and dominates my mouth. At first, I controlled the kiss but now he sets the pace.

His tongue is aggressive and greedy, taking up space in my mouth, while his hand moves from my hair down my spine, past my hip, to my thigh, branding me.

It’s too much and not enough at the same time.

I need more.

I need him.

‘Milo,’ I whimper. Tracing his strong arms with my hands.

He groans into my ear, his other hand tightening around my hip. ‘Say that again.’

‘What, your name?’

He hums in response. ‘I love when you say it.’

‘Which one?’ I whisper, moving my hands to rest on his chest. ‘Milo, Milosh or Mr Petrov?’

‘All of the above.’

I smile as I bring my mouth to his neck, kissing and nibbling lazily. ‘We should probably stop and get some sleep.’

‘Yeah,’ he agrees.

His hands run down the length of my thighs and my breathing shallows. I buck against him, instinctively, beginning to roll my hips but he stops me, hands firm on my thigh.

‘No, like you said, not now. I want to do this right.’

‘What do you mean?’ I breathe against his neck.

‘Daphne…’ He pauses, moving his neck back and tipping my face to look at his. ‘I wanna make this work. You and me. For real. Long term.’

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