Page 68 of Mercenary Princess

That made him smile. He shouldn’t have been amused by her chagrin, but the frown that marred her brow was adorable. He wondered about the sweet little princess she’d been as a teenager. He hadn’t noticed her interest then, but he’d been a fully grown man with no interest in children.

“What else did he say?”

“That you were always kind and were smart.”

Her lips turned up, and that sweet smile warmed her eyes. “He was a good kid. I’ll give him that, even though he divulged my secrets.”

His lips twitched at that. Feliks was only two years younger than she was.

Her smiled faded. “What did you tell him?”

“Only that you were staying in the same hotel.” Viktor didn’t like the worry creasing her brow. His fingers slid to that slight indent and tried to smooth it away. “Only my men know you climbed that wall, and they would never speak of it.”

She was assessing him closely, looking for a lie she wouldn’t find.

Only people he trusted knew about her at all. He had shared some information with Titian and Daire because she was using equipment she shouldn’t have had—a matter they still hadn’t discussed but would in time.

After a moment, she nodded, but there was a hint of regret in her eyes that he didn’t like seeing there.

He wanted to get her back to the playfulness she was showing him. “Aren’t sweet little princesses supposed to have crushes on princes?”

She laughed, and he enjoyed the sound. “Maybe you looked like a prince to me.”

His brows shot up.

“You were only twenty-four, but you were so commanding. If only you would have looked at me.” The last was said with a hint of reprimand.

He shook his head, frowning. “You were a child.”

“You didn’t notice me later, either. And I was definitely not a child then.”

The sweet, offended look on her face made his grin widen. “Is that what you believe?”

“Considering all the times I nearly tripped over potted plants in hotel lobbies because I was watching you, I’d have to say yes.”

His bark of laughter seemed to surprise them both. “I may not have noticed the entire time, but for the last couple of years, I was very aware of a beautiful little princess who gazed at me with lust in her eyes.”

“If I was so beautiful, why not take me up on the offer?”

“I hate to disappoint you, but beauty isn’t enough reason to make me go to the trouble I’ve gone through to have you in my bed. I thought you an innocent princess who likely didn’t know what she was offering or who she offered it to.”

She scoffed at that. “So climbing a wall was truly the key to gaining the elusive Viktor Popov’s attention?”

“You obviously haven’t seen the picture you make.” Imagining her on that wall made his tone grow lower.

*****

Her Russian was sexy when aroused and playful, so much so that she wanted him again. But she found she wanted even more that evening. She wanted this teasing part of him. Their days were too numbered, and every morning when she left his bed, she felt the loss. She shook off the morose thoughts.

“I swore I felt your eyes on my ass that night.”

The rumbling in his chest vibrated against her fingers as she rose over him. There was no mistaking the darkening of his gaze. The air grew charged between them, sending a tremor of desire through her.

“I’m very interested in your ass.”

The way he looked at her made her ache. The raw intensity between them couldn’t possibly last much longer. It would have to burn out at some point, but thank God it hadn’t yet.

Before she could respond, he’d rolled so that she was beneath him.

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