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“I’ll make him pay for what he did to Maxim—and me, to an extent. But Kat, for what he did to you, I’ll make sure he suffers.”
Wide-eyed, Kat shakes her head. “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”
I shrug. “I know. It doesn’t matter.”
She shakes her head frantically. “I don’t want the weight of an all-out mafia war on my head. I can’t even bear the idea.”
“It isn’t on you, milaya. It’s on him. He knew what he was doing when he came after you. He forced my hand, and I can’t hold back any longer.”
“Nik—” She grabs handfuls of my sweater and shakes me, undoubtedly attempting to force some sense into me. She doesn’t realize it’s far too late for that. “This is madness. You don’t want this.”
I laugh humorlessly. “I don’t?”
“No. Think of your men. Think of Dmitri. I know you don’t want their blood on our hands any more than I do.”
“Kat, I know it’s hard for you to understand this, but they don’t expect or want me to show McGuire mercy. He openly challenged me. It would be a show of weakness. That’s not our way.”
“If something were to happen to you, it’d destroy me.” I silence her with a quick kiss as my heart painfully tightens inside my chest. Her heartfelt cries and pleas out of concern for me—of all things—are dangerously close to destroying me.
“Kat, listen—I can’t hold back any longer.” I’ll lose my mind if she isn’t mine at last before the night ends.
Tears threaten to stream down her face as she glares at me, her hopelessness unmistakable in her expression. She must think my confession is about McGuire. “Nik, please…”
With a shake my head, I lift Kat’s chin until she’s looking into my eyes. I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers before repeating myself unfalteringly. “Kat. I can’t hold back any longer.”
Her frown deepens, and I close the distance between us, kissing her. I try to pour everything I don’t know how to express into that kiss. I need to make her understand how much I crave her… how much I need her.
“Nik—” Kat says with a gasp, breaking our kiss.
Unyielding, I grasp the back of her neck, sinking my fingers into the soft, luscious mass of her dark hair. “I won’t hold back any longer, Kat. Not when it comes to you.”
9
NIK
Kat’s eyes widen.
For a timeless moment, I hold my breath as she stares at me wordlessly. Then, with the same heart-wrenching, resolute decisiveness she does everything else, she eagerly presses her warm, soft lips against mine.
God have mercy.
In the same heartbeat, Kat throws her arms around my neck. She clings to me as if her life depends on it, and her lush curves slowly slide down my frame as she hangs from my neck. Still, she doesn’t pull her mouth away from mine.
I step back, staggering until I lean back against the wall as my legs wobble. The scent of her skin—a mouthwatering blend of bitter oranges and freesias—drives me wild. I sink deeper into our kiss and under her spell as her kips devours mine unabashedly. My mouth craves the sweet taste of her, and I melt under her ardent kiss.
Kat runs her fingers through my hair and sighs into my mouth, clinging to me even harder. “Nik, I need you so much.”
My chest tightens and aches, and I groan into her mouth. “I need you more,” I say against her velvety lips.
Kat shakes her head, but I sink back into her, taking her mouth again. Her lips yield to me, and her tongue welcomes mine. Unable to wait any longer, I scoop her into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist, and, on unsteady legs, I manage to carry her to my bed.
Almost reverently, I place her on top of the deep blue covers, then I step back in an attempt to savor the moment. At last, after all those nights spent by myself here yearning for her, I have her right where I’ve dreamed of her…
Her silky hair fans out around her face, and she breathlessly stretches her hands in my direction. I wrap my fingers around hers and let her pull me towards her.
A small smile curves her mesmerizing lips as my body covers hers. Her mouth immediately finds mine again, and she impatiently tugs at my sweater after hooking her right leg around my hips.
Breaking our kiss as briefly as possible, I hurry to oblige her, quickly pulling my sweater over my head.
