Page 152 of Ruined Vows
“Observant.”
“You know what it does to me.”
She shrugs, mouth twitching at the corner. “That’s your problem.”
I let my fingers trace the rim of my glass, lazy and slow. “You keep poking the bear, Princeza.”
“And you keep mistaking me for prey.”
I laugh—low, warm, real.
She rolls her eyes and grabs a biscotti. “This is supposed to be a date, not verbal foreplay.”
I lean forward, dropping my voice to a growl. “Then stop looking at me like you want to break it off in the middle of the sidewalk.”
She arches a brow. “You mean the date, or your resolve?”
I grin, sharp enough to draw blood. She’s too good. Too easy.
Dinner passes in a haze of wine, soft laughter, and the constant, aching pulse of wanting her closer. Every brush of her hand against mine sends lightning through my veins.
When dessert comes, I push the plate aside. I’m done pretending to be patient.
I hold out my hand. And when she doesn’t hesitate, and gently puts her hand in mine, it’s as if she’s given me the keys to the kingdom, and I want for nothing.
I led her toward the private elevator. The doors slide shut with a soft hiss. I’ve barely hit the button before I’m on her.
I press her against the mirrored wall, my mouth crashing onto hers, devouring her like I’m starving.
She gasps into me, clutching my jacket, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us. My hands roam over her hips, up her back, into her hair.
“Vukan,” she breathes against my mouth, desperate and wanting.
“Sreco,” I growl, the word tearing out of me like a prayer.
Her hands find the back of my neck, dragging me down into another kiss, bruising and messy. The elevator hums around us, but I don’t hear it. All I hear is her—all I feel is her.
Her fingers tug at my shirt, nails scraping skin, and I groan into her mouth, my restraint snapping thread by thread.
I kiss her like the world is ending. Because maybe it is. Because perhaps I’d let it.
We’re exiting the elevator, and the air shifts…
45
VUKAN
A SINGLE SHOT
Just before a shot cracks the night apart, glass shatters. Screams break loose. Chaos erupts.
I yank Bianca behind the nearest column, shielding her body with mine. Another shot whistles past us, slamming into the marble.
“Down!” I bark.
I see Luka’s earpiece, and his voice roars. “Shots fired! Pull up the Hummer. Secure the perimeter—now!” He yells, “Get them out of here!” to Dragan.
Another bullet zings too close, but Dragan is on us, sheltering me. I’m covering Bianca. I pull my gun, leaning out before her as I scan the angles. She’s mine to protect.
