Page 54 of Mr. and Mrs. Novak

Because the danger is now at our door.

And this time, Stanford knows exactly where to strike.

28. Sophia and Ruslan

RUSLAN

I lean slowly toward her and capture her lips, this simple contact ignites my senses. My arms tighten around her and I kiss her with a devotion I've never had for another woman. Sophia. I don't deserve her, but she is mine. She always has been. Her lips part and my tongue seeks hers. I thirst for her, for her skin, for her body. She moans beneath me, and desire takes hold of me, violent and irrepressible. My hips undulate against hers while she arches against me through our layers of clothing. My erection is hard against her clitoris. I think I can make her come without even undressing her, unless she finishes me first.

My lips leave her mouth to explore the hollow of her ear, descend along her neck. She shivers with both pleasure and desire. Her hands travel over my shoulders, my back, retracing each muscle before attacking the buttons of my shirt. When her fingers make contact with my bare skin, I hold my breath.

Our gestures are feverish, disorderly, impatient.

My hand slides over her waist and moves up under her sweater. I savor the softness of her skin under my fingers. I break our contact for a moment, just long enough to take off her sweater and for her to remove my shirt. We sit up on the bed, facing each other. The rest of our clothes follow without delay, we remain motionless for a moment, just enough time to engrave the image of the other in our memory.

God, she is beautiful. My gaze descends to her firm, shapely breasts. She swallows with apprehension, with impatience. I close the distance between us and capture her mouth. The force of my movement sends us both tumbling onto the bed.

Her burst of laughter brings me to my knees.

I silence her with a feverish kiss. My hands immediately set off to conquer her body, seize her breasts, caress them, knead them, pamper them before venturing lower. I slide two fingers inside her and observe:

"You're already ready for me."

My lips descend along her neck and capture her rosy nipple. It hardens at the first touch of my tongue. Sophia moans softly, her body arched as I build pleasure within her. I immediately go to discover the other breast, giving it the same treatment.

God, how exquisite she is in my mouth! My sex throbs with impatience.

"Sorry," I tell her. "I'll take my time next time but now, I just need to be inside you."

"Come," she tells me. "Come."

I position myself at her entrance and penetrate her gently, savoring every second. God, how I missed feeling her tight warmth around me, feeling this deep connection between us. I've never known anything like it. And as I move in and out of her, I don't take my eyes off her. My lips scatter our passionate embrace with desperate kisses.

"Sophia..."

"Ruslan... Faster," she tells me... "Yes, yes, yes, like that. Don't stop... Aaah..."

The pleasure rises with each thrust of my hips. My desire to mark her becomes more violent, more visceral with each penetration. Pleasure cuts us both down together and I sink deeply into her before ejaculating in successive waves.

Exhausted, I collapse on her body, as we catch our breath. That night, I fall asleep holding her in my arms.

29. The other team

SOPHIA

When I wake up, the first rays of sunlight filter through the curtains. Ruslan is sitting on the edge of the bed, absorbed in his thoughts. I slowly sit up, muscles still sore from our activities the night before.

He turns to me, his dark gaze loaded with questions. "Now, what happens?"

I take a deep breath. He has the right to know. "My... employer knows what happened last night," I say, leaning against the headboard.

"And?" he asks, his tone slightly sharp.

I look away toward the window. "They're going to analyze the risks and different options. Probably choose to put me on the sidelines to avoid exposing me further and protect the confidentiality of the investigation."

"In other words, their priority is the overall operation and you're left to fend for yourself."

His jaw tightens, but he lets me continue.