Page 144 of Shattered Altar (Makarova Bratva Duet)

“You are cold,” I comment. “You shouldn’t linger in there or you’ll get sick.”

“Are you going to turn around while I get out?” she asks.

“Not a chance in hell, kiska.”

“Asshole.”

I smile. “I’ve seen you naked before, Olivia. This won’t be new or spectacular for me.”

The voice in my head tolls again: Liar. Liar. Liar.

I know my words are harsh, but they have a purpose. She needs to learn the rules if she wants to play the game.

She’s getting better, though. Little by little. Her face falls the way it always has when I treat her cruelly, but she schools her expression quickly into indifference.

Then she wades through the water towards me. I push myself off the tree and take a few steps closer. The moment I see her breasts come out of the water, rivulets pouring around her chest and dripping down her flat stomach, electric desire tears through me.

Then I see the perfect V between her legs. Her slim thighs wobble a little as she steps out of the lake and tiptoes across the bank.

She moves quickly, reaching for the dress that she discarded on the grass and holding it over herself.

“Let me know if you need a hand,” I drawl.

She ignores me and pulls on her panties. They’re simple white cotton, but somehow she manages to make them the sexiest lingerie I’ve ever seen.

She shrugs into the dress afterwards, though the water on her skin immediately starts to turn it see-through. I wonder how long it’ll take her to realize.

“What are you smirking about?” she demands.

I shrug. “Just appreciating the show.”

She blushes, but tries to hide it behind a scowl. “Like I said—asshole.”

“I am curious as to what brought it on, though. Is there something you want from me, Olivia?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Okay then. Since you’ve gone gun shy on me, I’ll tell you what I want.”

She tenses immediately. “What do you want?”

“I want you to make a call to your brother,” I say. “A casual call, so that he doesn’t suspect I’m the one who put you up to it.”

She frowns. “Why?”

“I need information on the investigation.”

“How many times do we have to go over this? He’s not going to disclose that kind of stuff to me.”

“I think he will,” I demur. “Especially because you’ve been calling him regularly, haven’t you?”

Her eyes go wide with realization. “That’s why you allowed the calls,” she gasps. “So that Rob wouldn’t suspect anything when I called him up and started asking questions about the FBI.”

“I never do anything without a good reason.”

She shakes her head. “I’m not doing that.”

“As a matter of fact, you will do it,” I snarl, pulling out my phone and handing it to her. “And you’ll do it right fucking now.”

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