Page 9 of His Smile
Leaning into his hands, her eyes fluttered closed. “As longas you’re there to watch me, I wouldn’t care.”
Her pulse was steadily increasing, and her skin felt searingto the touch. The girl was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Never in his life had heever been chased by someone like this, to actually feel a woman’s desire to benear him at all costs and crackle like lightning in the air was mystifying.
His smile faded as he looked at her intensely, trying hisbest to figure her out. “What do I need to do to convince you that pursuing meis a mistake?”
“Why, are you going to hurt me if I don’t stop?”
Smiling, he leaned in closer until her forehead nearlytouched his. “I have yet to decide.”
Chapter 5
Laying on her bed, Rahina let her wet hair hang off the edgeas she held her phone over her face. The contact’s screen glowed in the dimlight of her room. Hovering her finger over the green button she chewed herbottom lip with nervous excitement and pressed the button. The other end of theline rang twice and went silent. Confused, she pulled back her phone andchecked the screen before giving a tentative, “hello?”
“What do you want Rahina?” Roman’s phone voice was deeperthan she expected which only made her grin like a fool.
Kicking her feet in excitement, she stared up at theceiling, imagining his short dark hair, strong jaw line, and his wide creepysmile. “God your voice sounds so good on the phone,” she squealed into thephone. “What’s that sound in the background?”
There was an occasional clanking sound on his end of theline.
“I’m working out,” his clipped reply was followed by aheavier clang. Rahina could picture a heavy barbell being set back on at therack.
“Dear God,” her voice shuddered at the power of the mentalimage that evoked. “Please send me a picture.”
“I’m hanging up.”
“No, no, no, don’t hang up I’m sorry,” she replied quickly.Holding out her hand into the air as if to somehow stop him from where she was.“I knew it was too good to ask for, I should just be happy that you even pickedup the phone.” Hearing that he didn’t hang up, she smiled in relief. “Okay, soat least let me ask, how many times a week do you work out?”
“How many times a week do you work out?” He threw back ather, his heavy accent rolling over the words.
With a smug smile, she lifted one of her bare legs from thebed and admired the defined muscles in her thighs. “I work out every day of theweek, but I do have hard days and light days. On my light days I do yoga.”
He gave a slight sound of approval before answering. “I workout one day less than you,”
“God, that is sexy,” she groaned. Turning over, she huggedone of her pillows with one arm as her mind tried to conjure the image of himshirtless. “I would be willing to pay you for a shirtless photo, name yourprice.”
“To never see you again. Want to make that deal?” She couldhear his evil smile through the phone.
Sighing, she propped herself up onto her elbows, letting herwet hair fall over her face as she spoke. “You know I can’t do that and ithurts that you would even dangle something so tempting in front of me for suchan unholy price.”
She could swear she heard him laugh but couldn’t be sure.Since the day she surprised Roman at the airport, Rahina couldn’t get thememory of his touch off her mind. There had been a level of fear intertwined inher fascination she did not expect to feel. He was right, in that moment shefelt completely out of her depth with him. Everything he did was sounpredictable when she thought he was going to yell at her, she found herselfbeing pulled next to him. And when he stared at her lips as if to kiss her, heonly mumbled about the indecision to strangle her before pushing her away fromhim. The scrape of his calluses against her neck reminded Rahina just exactlywhat type of man she was recklessly chasing. Her imagination conjured images ofhim ruthlessly using his hands to dole out bloody and brutal punishments allthe while grinning madly. She should not be thinking of this man yet aloneforcing herself into his world. Roman Mashir was a hard-indomitable man. A manthat froze a mask of worried fear on her father’s and Riaz’s faces at a singlevisit. He was a man with a personality so deep and so dark she could never hopeto reach the bottom to understand him. But despite it all, she wanted him.There was something in those slate gray eyes that glimmered when he looked ather, promising her every dark secret the world had to offer. She fantasizedabout dancing in his arms, feeling the strength of him as he touched her. Shewanted him dammit, and she would at least give it her best and see if he wantedher to just as much.
“Roman?” She finally asked, after a moment of silence.
“What?”
“What did you do before you came here?” Her voice lighteneda bit with hesitancy as she asked the personal question.
There was silence for a moment. “I was just another criminaltaking orders.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, toying with the frayed edge of herpillow. “Somehow I doubt you werejustanother criminal. Were you likeDimitri, did you have a boss or someone to take orders from?”
“We all take orders from someone, that will never stop,” hesaid dryly. “But yes, I was a captain to someone before I came to America.”
A captain, she mused, so there were titles in theirpositions.
“And before that?” She pressed, praying he wouldn’t put anabrupt end to their conversation.
More metal clanking filled the silence causing her heart toconstrict.
