Page 58 of Vengeful Embers

Silence.

His body tenses.

I look up. His eyes blaze.

“But I didn’t,” I whisper. “I didn’t hit the floor because you caught me.”

“I will always catch you, Tara. No matter what,” he says, his voice hoarse.

Then he kisses me.

It’s not soft. It’s not sweet.

It’s everything I’ve held back crashing into one hot, consuming kiss. My hands grip his jacket. His mouth moves over mine with a hunger that sets my blood on fire.

We stumble toward his room, clothes falling in our wake—his jacket first, then my wrap, his bow tie, our shoes. At the bedroom door, he starts to undo the back of my dress and stops. His eyes are dark pools of desire.

He rests his forehead on mine. “We can’t do this, Tara.” His voice is a tortured whisper. “If things were different…”

“Is it because I’m pregnant?”

“Oh God, no.” He tells me there is nothing more beautiful than a woman carrying a baby in her belly.

“Are you married?” I ask

“No.” He shakes his head.

“This is about your boss isn’t it?”

“There is so much you don’t know and so much I can’t tell you,” Konstantin whispers.

“Would you just hold me then?” I ask.

Konstantin bends and scoops me up, then lays me down on the bed like I’m a precious gem. He lays next to me and I snuggle against him with his arm around me and my head on his chest.

“This sounds like a weird question after we’ve been texting like crazy people the past week,” he snorts. “What about you?” Any broken hearts, unrequited love?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah!” He smiles. “What is your most recent heartbreak?”

“I’m not sure if I’d call it heartbreak.” I tell him truthfully.

“A passionate encounter with a stranger who drove away on his Harley into the sunset.”

Tara laughs. “You should write romance books.”

“Well what was it then?”

“He changed me. In one night.” I look at him. “I know that sounds ridiculous.”

“Life’s ridiculous.”

I stare at the ceiling. “It was just one spontaneous, impulsive night. You know the story. Girl gets stood up at an elegant bar, then in walks the handsome stranger who nearly knocked her over in the middle of the road that afternoon.”

“Mm,” Konstantin plays with my fingers. “I think I’ve seen this movie.”

I give a soft laugh and sigh. “It was just one night. It had been a really weird day. I’d just found the puzzle box, and then Gavriil and Irina asked me to…” Fuck! I nearly blurted it out. “Let’s just say it was a weird day. Then I’m rushing to get to the storageunit for my mother and nearly become a hood ornament to one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen…” I squeeze my eye shut. “Fuck. Sorry.” I turn toward him. “It was a one-night stand complete with me sneaking out of his room at the crack of dawn. My first walk of shame.”

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