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He pushed my arms above my head, holding my wrists with one hand and only then, when I still couldn’t even pull free from him, did I realise how weak I really was in this moment.

“I like this.” His fingers gently tugged at the bottom of my shorts.

“Thanks, I’ll remember to burn it.” I forced a smile and his dark eyes lifted to meet mine. “Where are we going?” I looked to my left, but when my eyes landed on the window, all I saw was darkness.

“Russia.” He tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear and my eyes widened as I looked up at him.

“Russia?” I repeated. “Antonio, selling me to the Russians is low, even for you—oh my God.” I cut myself off, panic rising in my throat. “He’s selling me to the Russian mafia,” I breathed, looking everywhere but at him. “The—”

“What? I’m—”

“I don’t even like the cold.” I panicked, swallowing a tight lump down my throat. “I’ll be a Russian slave. Sex worker? Forced—”

“Nirah.” He gripped my chin, and my heart drummed against my ribcage, eyes overflowing with fear.

“The Russians are going to eat me alive,” I whispered, staring into his eyes.

“I’m… selling… the Russian… do you… Nirah?” His hold on my chin tightened, but his voice was muffled, and all I could hear was the continuous thud of my heart, tears swelling in my unblinking eyes.

“I’ll never get out of there…” I murmured, barely audible and his face above me blurred.

“Hey.” His voice echoed, and I could feel the repetitive light taps of his hand on my cheek. “Nirah?”

“The Russians… I’m going to die—” my words were cut off when his lips pressed to mine.

My body went rigid as my eyes fluttered closed and suddenly, I’d accepted my fate. This was really happening. And I had no way out.

His knee applied slight pressure between my thighs, pulling a faint, unwanted moan from my throat.

Goosebumps rose on my skin when his large hand rested on the side of my bare thigh.

My eyes shot open. What the fuck? I yanked my hands free before gripping his shoulders and shoving him back to break the kiss.

“Get off me!” I tried to fight him off but he pinned my wrists above my head.

“Hey.” He held me down. “I was just trying to bring you back to me.” His eyes lowered to my lips for a split second. “It didn’t mean anything.”

I scoffed. “It didn’t mean anything?” My deep scowl morphed into a taunting grin. “Please.” I mocked. “You’ve been thinking about kissing me since the moment you laid eyes on me in Las Vegas. Admit it.”

With his expression unwavering, I couldn’t help the devious twinkle that lit up my eyes.

Leaning up I allowed my eyes to fall on his lips before flicking them with my tongue. “And you can’t even deny it,” I whispered.

I rested my head back down, but it was like his words forced me even further. “That’s what you’ve been thinking about all this time? How badly I want to kiss you?”

The cabin fell silent, and my heart beat echoed like a raging drum. His question was obviously rhetorical, but that didn’t stop me.

“Of course not.”

“Yeah?” He leaned in and my head snapped to the left, not wanting him to kiss me again. As if that’s exactly the reaction he’d hoped for, he pressed his warm tongue flat on the side of my throat, dragging it up to my ear as his knee applied faint pressure between my thighs.

Heat coiled at my spine and my lips parted, the traitorous pulsing between my thighs picking up.

“I wanted to lick every inch of your traitorous body,” he whispered before his hand came up and cupped my breast, squeezing it. I sucked in a quick breath, the action having taken me aback. “And touch every single part of you that once belonged to me,” he added.

My eyes fell shut as my body submitted to him while my heart and mind raged war, begging to push him away.

The warmth radiating off his body collided with mine in a dark, forbidden desire that swore to wreak havoc on anyone who fell victim to it. And right now… it was us.