Page 106 of Sergi
Their moment was heated but brief. When her body squeezed down as the orgasm hit her, he covered her mouth with a demanding kiss, though most of the walls were soundproofed to block a vampire’s exceptional hearing. He wanted her in his room, where the soundproofing was thicker. She could scream like a banshee, and most wouldn’t hear it.
She stayed in rhythm with him until his own release came. Rather than fall over the top of her, he pulled her up and caught her in his arms as they tumbled to the floor.
Alex lifted her head and glanced around. She pulled a file folder from underneath her head and tossed it aside. “I’ve messed up your office.” Her grin said she wasn’t sorry for it.
“I can make Cressa reorganize the files.”
“What’s up with her?”
He grinned, though inside, he groaned at what new hell Cressa would put him through with this new development in his life. “She’s bored with the lockdown and doesn’t have enough to do. As irritating as she can be, she has excellent skills, most of them honed during her time as a thief, and she’s deadly in a fight. She can be a general pain in the ass, and I’ll reprimand you harshly if you ever tell her I said this, but she’s good for this House.”
“Reprimand? Exactly how harshly?” She teased, her eyes glowing with a hint of her wolf.
His eyes flashed with the beast. “I wish I had time to demonstrate, but we have training this afternoon. Perhaps you’d like to join us, and you can see what it takes to be on the counter-strike team.”
She ran a finger down his cheek as her brows scrunched together, and her smile disappeared. “Is this the right thing to do?”
“What?”
“Us.”
He didn’t respond quickly, not wanting to blurt out platitudes. Not with her. “All I know is that this feels right. I don’t take chances often. I’ve been burned rather severely in the past. But I’d be a fool not to give us a try. If we can survive a war, I think we can survive anything.”
She kissed him hard and wrapped her arms around him. He felt her grin as she pressed her lips to his cheek and whispered, “Does this mean I’m on the team?”
“Isthat what you were hoping to get out of this?” Sergi asked me as he settled on the floor, leaning on an elbow. His eyes were intense. Was he judging me?
I stared at him for a long moment, running a finger over his tattoo, following the curves down his arm and then back up to cross his chest. Goose bumps erupted over his skin.
If I’d met him during a business meeting or a social gathering, would this connection between us be this strong? There was a connection, wasn’t there? I’d had my share of boyfriends. Most didn’t last long. I’d either been too young to get tied down, or there was no substance to them. I was wolf, yet there were too many times I ignored that part of me when selecting a male.
One look in this vampire’s eyes and my wolf stirred. If I’d seen him standing in a grocery store, my wolf would have taken notice. But there was no doubt that the situation we’d found ourselves in—him pinned naked to a wall with blood dripping from dozens of wounds and me as much a captive as him—one would think it was a heat-of-the-moment thing.
I wanted to prove it wasn’t. Something I wasn’t sure my uncle would be willing to accept. Was it because this male next to me was vampire, that he was dangerous, or he simply thought I was being foolish? Perhaps he thought I liked this vampire for the simple fact that he saved my life.
Yet, my uncle would be the first to say the wolf doesn’t lie.
“You’re taking a long time to answer my question.” He took my hand and kissed it. “I want honesty, if nothing else, between us.”
I turned on my side and pushed up to lean my head in my hand. “I want the same. So, here it is. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I got home.” I chuckled and glanced at his tattoos. In a strange way, they’d become my own talisman. That first physical connection to him. “To be honest, I still haven’tgotten my head wrapped around the fact that I’m free. That I’m truly home. I knew my uncle would be overly protective. He thought I was dead.” I grinned. “He left my bedroom as it was before I left for the mission.”
I didn’t add that the housekeeper hadn’t bothered cleaning up the discarded clothes and books I’d left all over the place. He’d already guessed I might be messy.
“He never gave up hope.”
Sergi broke me out of my wandering. I gave a half-shrug before glancing around the office, taking in the few knickknacks but noting there wasn’t a single picture of him or anyone who might be dear to him. “When my uncle told me I was to stay at the estate and find a way to help the war that didn’t require my leaving—” I struggled with the right words.
“It was like being locked up all over again.”
I pushed hard to hold back the sting of tears. “I knew you wouldn’t try coming to the estate, especially with your lockdown. I had the same problem with not knowing how to reach out to you, at least not without going through my uncle for a number. It never occurred to me that Braden would take my side.” I shook my head, wanting Sergi to know everything. “That’s not right. Braden has always had my back, but he was never so open in working around my uncle’s wishes when it regarded me. I’d been orphaned young, and I think my uncle blamed himself for my parents’ deaths, though it wasn’t his fault.”
“He couldn’t protect them.”
I nodded. “He’s always so worried about everyone, even when he can’t control everything. So, when Braden noticed the extra guards following me around, he knew I’d chafe with pup sitters.” I blurted out a laugh. “And hell has no fury when Alex is on a bender. I think he was worried for his own self-preservation.” I blew out a breath and looked at Sergi, whosewarm gaze never seemed to leave me. It was more comforting than I cared to admit.
I glanced down at a file folder that lay between us and picked at an edge. “When Braden told me about this counter-strike team, it solved both my problems.”
When too much silence followed, he lifted my chin. “Tell me.”
