Page 66 of Deceptive Vows
“Do you disapprove?”
Shaking her head, she smiled. “On the contrary, I heartily approve. I’ve always thought a man with tattoos is sexy.”
“But none for yourself.”
“Yet. Maybe one day I will.”
I stepped closer, invading her personal space. “I’d hate to see this perfect skin marred by anything.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “What if I was marking myselfforsomeone?”
A low growl rumbled in my throat. I could picture her branded with my name.Mine.
Hooking a finger beneath the hem of her shirt, I tugged her flush against me. “I have an excellent suggestion on who that could be.”
Her lips parted, her gaze flickering to my mouth, and for a heartbeat, I thought she mightclose the distance between us. But instead, a slow, mischievous smile tugged at the corner of her lips. With deliberate ease, she stepped back just enough to create space between us, her fingers trailing down my chest in a lingering, featherlight caress as she retreated.
“Do you now?” she asked, her voice low and teasing. “And what makes you think I’d want your name on my body, Nazar Volkov?”
The way she said my name, full of challenge and heat, sent a current of electricity straight through me.
“Because…” I watched her take another step back. “You can’t seem to stay away from me.”
She laughed, the sound rich and warm in the night air. “Is that what you think? That I can’t resist you?”
“I think.” I moved toward her, matching her retreat step for step. “That you’re as drawn to me as I am to you. Fighting it seems... pointless, doesn’t it?”
She backed up until her legs hit the lounge chair. For a moment, her eyes flashed with something that looked like surrender. Then she ducked, feinting left and slipping past me with thegrace of a dancer.
“Maybe I like the chase.” She was halfway to the door, her hand reaching for the handle when I moved.
I caught her wrist in one swift motion, tugging her back toward me. She spun into my chest, her free hand bracing against my bare skin, warm and electric. She looked up, surprise and desire mingling in her eyes.
“Maybe it’s time to get caught,tyomnyy angel.”
I didn’t give her time to respond. My mouth claimed hers with a hunger I’d held back for weeks. Her lips parted with a gasp, and I deepened the kiss, my free hand sliding around her waist to pull her flush against me.
For a heartbeat, she was still—shocked, perhaps, or deciding whether to pull away. Then she melted against me, her hand sliding up my chest to curl around the back of my neck, fingers threading through my hair.
The kiss caught fire, raging into something wild and unrestrained, both of us pouring weeks of tension and unspoken desire into this singular moment. She tasted of mint and something sweeter, something uniquely Thea. I released her wrist to frame her face with my hands, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. Her lips were slightly swollen, her eyes dark with longing. I kept her close, my thumb tracing the curve of her cheek.
“Still want to run?” I asked, my voice rougher than I’d intended.
“I’m exactly where I want to be.” This time, she was the one who pulled me down to her, her kiss just as demanding as mine had been.
Her hands explored the tattoos on my shoulders and back, tracing patterns that left a fire in their wake. I backed her against the door, caging her between my arms as I trailed kisses down her neck.
“Nazar,” she whispered, her voice catching as I found a sensitive spot beneath her ear.
I lifted my head to look at her, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the way her silk pajama top had slipped to reveal her collarbone. She had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment, slightly disheveled, completely craved.
“What happened to ‘just business’?” I couldn’t resist teasing her, even as my hand slid beneath the hem of her silk top to caress the warm skin of her belly.
She laughed softly, her fingersdrawing circles on my chest. “I may have... reconsidered my position.”
“Is that so?” I murmured against her lips.
