Page 16 of Disgraced (Russian Sinners 3)

He leaned back in his chair, observing me. “Whenever I can help it, I keep regular working hours,” he spoke, locking eyes with me.

I could imagine having dinner with him, decompressing together after a long day at work. He struck me as a man that would be home for dinner. My father always tried too but couldn’t succeed all the time. His otherbusinessactivities kept him away sometimes.

“That’s good,” I mumbled.

It bothered me to think of Sergei having dinner on a daily basis with another woman. So stupid! I was due home in less than two weeks and then serious preparation would commence for my wedding. Yes, I hoped to ditch it somehow but honestly the odds were slim to none. “So did you grow up in St. Petersburg?”

It was better that we stick to more neutral subjects and stop dreaming of the impossible. But even as I told myself that, I still couldn’t shake the feeling how much it bothered me to think of Sergei with someone else. I’ve known him for two days and already wanted more with him.

“No. I grew up in Moscow.” Sergei’s hard voice had me give him a double take.

“Oh!” Silence lingered so I continued. “Any recommendations on what to do there?” I tilted my head, watching him. The flirty, easy mannered man was switched off with a tense version of Sergei. “That’s where we are going next and then we fly back home.”

“People usually flock to Red Square.” I didn’t think Sergei liked Moscow too much. “Tsaritsyno Palace is pretty good. But if you don’t care for sightseeing, you won’t enjoy it very much. I prefer St. Petersburg but there are some good theater shows, restaurants, and bars in Moscow.”

“You don’t seem to like Moscow at all.”

He shrugged his one shoulder. “Like I said, I prefer St. Petersburg. However, I would like to take you out on a date in Moscow too.” He transitioned back to his charmer playboy grin. “If you’d let me.”

And just like that, his playboy charm shattered all my observation skills and my insides melted at his offer.

I will see Sergei next week too.

When I was with Sergei, time just flew. It was almost midnight when he pulled up in front of the hotel. I felt disappointment that he didn’t take me to his apartment and ravish me. Now, talk about reversed roles. For years, my boyfriends tried desperately to get between my legs. And now, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sergei devouring me between my legs. Or me devouring him. My body literally quivered with need for him.

“Spend the whole day with me tomorrow,” Sergei startled me, pulling me away from my fantasies of him. There was nothing I wanted more than to spend a whole day with him but there was guilt associated with ditching my girlfriends too.

“I want to; I really do,” I told him. “But my friends would throw a fit.”

“I’m sure they’d understand. We can have breakfast together. Afterwards, I can take you on a boat ride and we can go swimming.”

I frowned. “Here in the city?” Swimming in the river here didn’t sound very appealing to me.

“No, in Peterhof,” he explained. “It is on the southern side of the Gulf of Finland. About an hour away. You’d love it.”

“It sounds so tempting.”

“Then do it, solnce.”

Shit, I really wanted to. Spending all day and night with him sounded like a perfect day. And maybe I could learn a bit more about him.

“What does that mean?” I asked him instead. “Solnce?”

“It means sun,” he answered. The way he watched me reminded me of a little boy who hoped for something good but knew he wouldn’t get it. “Star of my days. It’s just an old Russian endearment.”

Sergei might have had a playboy side to him but there was also a soft side to him. I had nothing to base that on but something deep down told me he could be hard and ruthless, but also soft and sensitive.

He exited the car and came around to open the door for me. Extending his hand, I took it and he helped me out of his sports car.

“Okay, take me boating tomorrow,” I told him with a smile, his body flushed with mine. His happy grin was the best reward I had received in a long time. He was so close, I wished he’d pulled me into a tight embrace. I wanted to feel his hands on me. “What time should we meet?”

“About seven-ish?”

“Okay, I’ll send a text to my friends in the morning so they don’t worry.”

“Thank you.” His arms wrapped around me and my stomach did somersaults while my body melted into his. He felt warm and hard, his muscles pressing against me. My hands closed around his neck, needing him closer. God, I wanted him so much. It was on the tip of my tongue to beg him to come up to the hotel room with me.

Before I could say anything, he bent his head and pressed his mouth softly against my lips. It was so gentle, it stole my breath and a sigh escaped me. My body pressed harder against his, needing him. A shiver ran through me, making me feel weak in the knees.

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