Page 43 of Defiant Devotion

“You know more about me than I do you. I know nothing, Ben. Not who you are. How we ran into each other again. How you knew to save me and—” I drew in a quick breath, not ready to ramble this quickly.

Holding his hand, I admired his ass as he led me from the bed and to a small bathroom.

“I have been told nothing for eleven years. I haven’t had access to anyone. No phone, no TV, no devices to keep me aware of anything happening outside the room I was kept in. So I am in the dark more than you could be.”

He started a shower, watching me as he turned the faucets. Then without a word, he got into the steamy stall with me.

“My name is Ben. Ben Warner.”

I narrowed my eyes at him as he hugged me close. Water streamed over us, soothing me. “Warner? I heard you curse in Russian at that strip club.”

“I lived in Russia until my mother brought me to the States. I’m a contractor.”

“An assassin?” I guessed. No man could shoot that many dead with ease like he did without experience in murdering before.

He nodded. “I’m an independent contractor.” He shrugged, then slicked the water off his hair. “Until now. Maybe.”

That needed more explanation, but later. “How did you find me?”

“The first time, I didn’t. You did. You found me at that bar. I saw you come in and scan the crowd. You came to me.”

I nodded.

“Why?”

“I told you. I wanted to lose my virginity. You were a stranger who caught my eye, and that was that.”

He peered at me for a long moment, seeming to search for his next words. We were both so guarded, tiptoeing around each other verbally in what had to be the oddest connection. Steam swirled around us, calming me, but I remained tense and eager to hear what he’d say next.

“I was in that area to kill an Ilyin guard. And then there you were.”

“Go on.”

He arched a brow, not wanting to divulge too much and still expecting me to fill in some blanks. “Go on to what? You took off and I never saw you until that night at the strip club.”

“Why were you there?”

He began washing my hair gently, worrying me that he wouldn’t reply.

“I was following a target,” he said as I shivered under the caress of his fingers on my scalp. “I’ve done hits for all the Mafia families as an independent. I’d killed for the Cartels and gangs too. But lately, I’ve been on jobs near you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So I’m supposed to believe we just happened to be near each other? It was a coincidence to run into you there?”

“Yes.” He ceased the heavenly massage on my head that I wanted to moan at. Rinsing my hair felt just as good.

“And no. I heard about you in passing. When I heard your name, I wondered if those people could be talking about you, the virgin I couldn’t stop thinking about. The sexy woman I wanted again.”

He kissed me deeply then stepped back to grab a loofah and soap to wash me.

I refused to melt under his sweet words and tender touches. I had to stay focused before I’d let myself relax. “Who was talking about me?”

“Igor Petrov and Geoff Ilyin. They were discussing how they wanted to end the Baranov family and power.”

I growled. Our rivals would plot the Baranov demise. I didn’t doubt that for a second. “What do you mean, theywantto end us?” It felt good not to have to pretend I wasn’t a Mafia princess around him, that I wasn’t Sonya Baranov. “Wearedone.”

He furrowed his brow at me, washing me.

“My father was killed?—”

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