Page 18 of Claim Me
What in the hell did that mean? I had no idea what to say, but for the briefest of seconds, I felt his pain regarding my brother.
As well as his building anger.
His scent was overwhelmingly intoxicating. At least the musky odor was appropriate, sexy like the handsome man.
For whatever strange reason, I did feel as if he intended on protecting me. Maybe I was out of my mind and would find out from Charlie whether I could trust him, but the feeling was strong, enough so I nodded. Did I trust him? No, at least not yet. “Okay. Thank you for being here for Charlie.”
Kazimir seemed relieved I wasn’t going to fight him. Nodding, he took a step away.
Perhaps in a moment of weakness just before I headed into the room, I moved toward him, placing my hands on his forearms to steady myself. It was instinct or maybe self-preservation, but the strangled sense of feeling uncertain of everything, especially Kazimir, pushed my limits. Forced onto my toes, I started to kiss his cheek when he turned his head until our lips collided.
Instantly, I stiffened, shocked from the rush of electric current. The little voice in my head told me to back away, yet when he placed his hand on the small of my back, yanking me closer, I had no desire to break free.
Between the sweep of emotions and the tingling fear lingering in every cell in my body, I could no longer think as clearly as I should be. He was so strong, holding me protectively, keeping me safe while the world crumbled all around me. His body was stiff yet his actions commanding as he held me close, enough I could feel the rapid thudding of his heart.
He opened my mouth with his, allowing our lips to brush softly back and forth. His hold was possessive, unyielding. Every cell in my body was on fire, the tingling sensations exploding. I shouldn’t want this. I didn’t understand what was happening, my mind a complete blur. A slight moan escaped that he caught.
The moment he darted his tongue inside, I stiffened involuntarily. This was wrong, so very wrong. The sweet trance was broken.
I backed away, a rush of heat sweeping across my jaw from being thoroughly embarrassed. I’d never done anything so impetuous in my life.
His chest rose and fell as he studied me and I turned around, finally managing to catch my breath. Whatever had just occurred couldn’t happen again.
As I walked into Charlie’s room, I felt his eyes searing my skin.
And instead of fear, I felt desire.
CHAPTER 6
Kazimir
Marissa was deaf.
The realization had hit me hard. Maybe she still had partial hearing given her voice was a sweet melody of inflections. However, I’d caught the way she’d watched my lips instead of my eyes, reading the words instead of hearing every syllable. I leaned against the wall, unfastening my coat jacket and shoving my hands into my pockets. I tapped the back of my head against the hard surface several times.
What in the fuck was going on?
Until I managed to get into Charlie’s house and into his safe, the picture painted in my mind was only partially accurate. Either Charlie, his father, or both had established a business relationship with Popov, which could never have ended well. But it had obviously gone south. What had happened to Charlie’s parents? Had they really been murdered? I knew enough about Popov’s reputation he expected obedience from anyone he came into contact with.
Between my instincts and the fear in Charlie’s eyes, I had no doubt Marissa was in danger. She’d confirmed it by telling me someone had been following her.
That person hadn’t been me.
Yes, I’d had more than a normal number of filthy thoughts over the last few months; however, I hadn’t followed her around in an attempt to terrorize or keep her under control. Jesus Christ, she was my buddy’s sister. A sharp exhale left my system. I’d stepped into a shitshow that could quickly have me tumbling into quicksand if I didn’t handle the situation with kid gloves.
My thoughts continuously shifted to the incredible pianist.
She was entirely different than I’d pictured in my mind even though she remained in a black dress, obviously returning to Seattle directly after the concert. While there was a vulnerability about her, she also had a resiliency that few would be able to match in a situation of such great tragedy. She had nothing with her but a small purse that couldn’t contain more than her identification and possibly some makeup. I was watching her entire world collapse.
She had no one to turn to.
Except for a man she didn’t know.
I wasn’t prone to shock any longer. I’d seen way too many things in my life, many of which would make the typical person’s stomach turn.
Not all of which included acts performed by myself or a member of my family either. Dangerous people were everywhere, hiding behind cloaks of finely tailored clothes and Fortune 100 companies.
However, seeing Marissa standing only a few inches from me had me in a moment of disbelief. I’d never fixated on a single person before. Or at least I hadn’t done so in a long time and that hadn’t ended well. Cut to a decade later. I’d accidentally caught one of her performances that hadn’t been intended to be an incredible highlight of her virtuoso talent.
