Page 19 of Fierce Pursuit

It was wrong to lust after my sister-in-law.

My marriage to Veronika had never been about love. It was business, a calculated alliance. Still, I had told myself I would make it work. That I wouldtry.

But the truth?

Just because I had never loved Veronika didn’t mean she hadn’t been my wife. My responsibility.

And yet, I still held the shawl up to my nose again and inhaled deeply.

A vision flashed through my mind of Marina standing before me, wrapped in nothing but this shawl.

The soft wool barely covering her full breasts, slipping over the curve of her waist before draping over the swell of her hips and thighs. I pictured her lying back on that bed, the edges of the fabric slipping open, exposing creamy skin, the dip of her navel, the gentle parting of her thighs.

One hand trailing lower.

The other flipping through the pages of one of those dog-eared books, lost in whatever sin-laced story she had marked for later.

My fingers curled into the shawl, tightening, as heat licked through my veins.

Fuck.

This was wrong. And I needed to stop.

I forced myself to release the fabric, setting it back down with more care than was necessary. I needed to focus. I wasn’t here to fantasize. I was here to find out why a Russianbratvaboss wanted her. What had Veronika given her?

I searched the room, my movements sharp, purposeful.

No jewelry box.

No loose floorboards.

No hidden compartments in the small desk.

Nothing.

Whatever she had, it wasn’t here.

Which meant the only thing left to do was wait.

She would come back.

Shehadto come back.

I knew she wouldn’t leave without the shawl.

It was a gift from Veronika.

And as far as I knew, aside from whatever Veronika had stolen from Solovyov, it was the only piece of her sister Marina had left.

I went back downstairs, my boots heavy against the floor. The roommate was still unconscious in the middle of the room.

For a brief moment, I felt the barest flicker of pity.

He was probably just some loser college kid, desperate for a cheap place to stay. More than likely, he had been here before Marina. She had probably taken the room because it was the only thing she could afford until she got on her feet.

Still.

Ihatedit.

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