Page 113 of Silent Heart

A creature made of living stone stalked into the room.

Relief mixed with something else rang through me.

Kolya didn’t stop, advancing with rapid steps until he was on me. His rough hands snaked around my waist, splaying over my back. That mouth was all hunger and heat. He kissed me hard.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard the high schooler complain, but her sister shushed her with a “See? He likes her a lot.”

It was true, and I liked Kolya back.

“I need to tell you something,” I murmured against his lips.

“No.” He continued to kiss me, deepening it as his tongue slid into my mouth.

Footsteps receded. A door clicked closed. And then the only sound of breathing came from us, rough and harsh.

Holy cow, he’s going to take me against the conference table!

Crazy me, I would let him.

But I needed to say something.

“Kolya!” I beat against his chest with my palm. “Please, let me go! I need to talk to you.”

“No,” he growled, tugging me close.

“Please,” I breathed with a small laugh.

He captured my face between his big hands. “I don’t want to hear it, Harley. I can’t hear it!”

Something in his wild gaze made me still instantly. That look was fear. Ripe and consuming, it chilled the heat that should have been blazing in his eyes.

“I can’t lose you,” he said, voice gruff.

Oh, sweet man.My heart ached for him. That wasn’t at all what I was going to say, but I could see now how he might think that.

“Kolya, someone is coming for you. I’m not sure what you guys did the other night, and I was mad you didn’t tell me about it. But that makes me a hypocrite, because I didn’t tell you when I got cornered after class this week,” I said in a rush.

Kolya’s eyes darkened with something terrible.

I reached up to cup his cheek. “I’m not scared of your world. But if I’m going to survive it, we need to be able to talk, to tell each other what is going on.”

A violent curse rasped from his lips. The man who was normally so well contained was losing control. Instead of giving him space to storm away, I tightened my grip.

“Tell me everything,” he said through clenched teeth.

I did.

Kolya made me describe the Mr. Smith in detail.

“I don’t think that’s his real name,” I concluded.

“It’s not. It’s Adler. He runs the entire Southwest region of trafficking,” Kolya growled.

“What’s he doing up here?” I breathed, trying to radiate calm when my insides screamed at me.

Kolya worked his jaw back and forth. He pulled back. I could see the animalistic terror in his eyes. He wanted to run. I held him tightly, wrapped my legs around his middle and damn near choked him with how tightly I held his neck.

“Tell me,” I insisted.

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