Page 16 of Vendetta Vows

"All of them? No." He leans forward, his eyes never leaving mine. "Only the complicated ones holding secrets close to their heart."

I'm hyperaware of how close we are now, how the distance between us has somehow shrunk without either of us seeming to move.

His fingers brush against mine on the couch, a touch so light it could be accidental. Except nothing about him feels accidental. "I think there are other secrets hiding beneath that careful exterior of yours."

I find myself leaning toward him, drawn by some invisible force. "And what if there are?"

"Then I'd very much like to discover them." His voice drops lower. "All of them. One by one."

Before I can respond, Ruslan's mouth finds mine again.

This time, there's no honking car to interrupt us. No outside world to remind me of all the reasons I shouldn't be doing this. Up here, sealed away from everything and everyone, I feel a strange freedom washing over me.

His hand cups my face, his thumb tracing my cheekbone as he deepens the kiss. The restraint from earlier in the car is gone. Now there's only heat and hunger and need.

A voice in the back of my mind whispers warnings.

This is dangerous, you're exposing yourself, what if he finds out who you really are?

Jamie Fields would never do this. Jamie Fields would be hiding, watching her back, afraid of the shadows.

For once, I silence her.

Jamie Fields is dead. She's been dead for seven years.

Aurora Castellanos, on the other hand, is alive. And Aurora wants this man with an intensity that frightens and thrills me.

My hands find their way to Ruslan's chest, feeling the solid muscle beneath expensive fabric. He tastes like whiskey and something uniquely him—something I've been craving since our first encounter in the alley. His stubble tickles my skin as he deepens the kiss, and I part my lips willingly, inviting him in.

Ruslan's hands slide down my sides, settling at my waist to pull me closer. I press into him, a soft moan escaping me as his tongue dances with mine. The sound urges him forward, and his grip tightens just enough to make me gasp.

When we finally break apart, I'm breathing hard, my lips tingling. His golden eyes are darkened with desire as my body hums with anticipation.

"What do you think?" He chuckles, the sound vibrating through me where our bodies touch as he asks the same question he asked me in the car. "Have you reached your quota for being bad this year?"

The challenge in his voice ignites something in me. Something I thought had died with Jamie Fields.

"Not even close," I breathe, pulling him back to me.

Through the layers of our clothing, I feel the unmistakable hardness of his arousal. But instead of dread or hesitation, all I feel is a thrill rushing through me.

I'm doing this to him. Me. Not because I'm being pressured, not because I'm trying to appease someone else, but because I want to.

"I thought you were a good girl," Ruslan murmurs against my lips, his hands finding the zipper of my dress.

"I never said I was," I whisper back, my heart racing as I feel the fabric loosening around me.

The dress slides down inch by inch, cool air kissing my newly exposed skin. I shiver, but not from cold. It's intoxicating.

The last, no, the only time I'd been with someone.

I felt small.

Used.

But here, with Ruslan, even as he slowly undresses me, I'm the one in control.

My hand traces down his chest, feeling the bands of hard muscle beneath his shirt. I'm surprised by my own boldness, by how much I want this.

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