Page 78 of Impenitent Claim

Survival instinct flared inside me. I didn’t have a weapon, not even a can of mace. Some of the Made Men were armed, but we ladies were defenseless, honored to be protected by them. Well…that was just stupid. Because after the events of the last few days, this man could likely be an assassin.

I would claw. I would kick. I wouldfightwith everything I had.

The pleasant scent of forest trickled through the panic. I inhaled. Cedar…and smoke. The icy prickles suddenly made sense.

It was my spectre.

Relief made my shoulders sag. The size and build of him was familiar. How had I missed that? I leaned forward, inhaling deeply. The fresh, woodsy scent overwhelmed the stench of saltwater and ancient metal.

“Haunting me in a haunted ship?” I mused, taking a step backward, letting him chase me, even if it was simply for a few feet.

This was the man who could destroy everything. Burn my world down. Well, I might as well enjoy the warmth. Here in the dark, the games of the outside faded. I was just a woman, and he was only a man.

My fingers reached for the hem of my blouse and in one smooth move I pulled it over my head.

A rough inhale cut through the air.

Did he have a thing for trapping me in the dark? If so, the joke was on him. I freakinglovedit. I tipped my chin up, my fingers reaching around to my back to unclasp the bra. The material fell away, revealing my hardened nipples.

The monster crossed his arms over his chest.

“What? You didn’t come here to play?” I dared.

A growl, low and menacing, ripped through the air. “You give yourself so eagerly to anyone?”

I cocked my head to the side. “You’re not just anyone, though, are you?Ilya?”

My tongue caressed the syllables.

Electricity sizzled through the silence until I broke it again.

“I thought that’s what we were doing? You’re playing some version of hide and seek.”And I’m not sure what game I’m playing anymore.I let out a long breath. “But I found you. That means I won.”

The spectre reached out, trailing the back of his knuckle down the center of my body. The touch blazed a path from my collarbone across my chest, through the valley between my breasts, and along the planes of my abbs to my navel.

“You? Won?” His voice was strained, rough. “I think not.”

“Prove it.” I was no longer playing with fire. This was a minefield. At any moment, it would go off in my face. But I was a decent dancer, so I continued to trip through the uneven ground.

Standing on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to the side of his throat. My teeth scored his flesh, creating a smaller path down his neck.

The Russian let out a hiss. “Stop it, Izzy.”

“That’s not fair.” I pulled back, bracing my hands on either side of his frame. “Didn’t you come here to spend time with me?”

“I came here to protect you,” he hissed. “Those idiots are parading you through an unsecured location when your crime syndicate is at war.”

I pushed my hands under his jacket, feeling the soft material over his shirt couldn’t hide the hard muscles underneath. My voice came out barely above a whisper. “I’m safe now, aren’t I? I’m locked in here with you.”

With a purely animalistic roar, he pushed me back into the wall. Hands suddenly captured at my sides, he towered over me. This was exactly what I wanted, what I’d been craving sinceI realized he was here. Heat shivered up my spine, and the anticipation of what was to come had my toes curling.

His tongue laved over my shoulder.

I melted from the rush of pleasure.

The Russian cage fighter might not be the safe choice but resisting him was no longer an option. I was going to explode if I didn’t have that hard body on me again. I knew he would be incredible when I’d chosen him, and I’d dreamed of this moment too many times.

“Off,” he snarled, tugging at my jeans. He continued to lick and suck a path down my body as he knelt before me. My nipples ached at the brief attention he spared them. “I’m going to fuck you hard, siren. You’ve tempted me into the dark, and now you’re going to take everything I give you.”

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