Page 10 of Rurik
They ate the rest of their dinner, conversation flowing easily between them. She was surprised how much he seemed at ease with her and she with him. He was charming, more so than she ever expected of a nightclub owner who rode a motorcycle, but then, he was more than a thousand years old and had been born into an age ofchivalry.
“So, your two brothers…” She pushed her empty plate away and waited to see if he would talk more aboutthem.
“Grigori and Mikhail.” A glint of humor made his eyes sparkle. “Both are my elders. Grigori is the head of the family. He only recently married. He and his wife are already expecting a dr—a child, I mean.” He corrected himself, but Charlotte suspected he’d almost saiddrakeling, the dragon shifter term forchildren.
“That’s wonderful.” She leaned back in her chair,relaxing.
“It is. I cannot wait to see that child run circles around my uptightbrother.”
“And Mikhail…the international jewel thief and all-around man of mystery?” She tried to sound teasing. Most women wouldn’t stay for a midnight snack in a man’s apartment when he told her that his brother was acriminal.
His expression was suddenly shadowed with sadness. He played with his empty bourbon glass, rolling it between his palms. “Mikhail was gone for a long time. Our father made a rash decision. He disowned Mikhail and prevented him from returning to Russia, but my father is gone now. Mikhail is finally home. He too has settled down and married. He kidnapped a gemologist when he stole his jewels.” That flash of humor was in his eyes again. “It worked out in theend.”
She laughed, playing along with his comments as though he were still telling talltales.
“And you? Any siblings? Any overprotective brothers I should knowabout?”
Charlotte was caught off guard by the alarmingly accurate query. A nervous giggle escapedher.
“Yeah, actually, I do have two very protective brothers. Neither of them even knows I’m here.” Now that was certainly thetruth.
“They wouldn’t approve of you beinghere?”
“Not in Russia. Not anywhere, really. I’ve never even left the United States before, if you can believe it. They would flip out if they knew I’d come herealone.”
His brows rose. “You’re alone in Moscow? No friends? Noone?”
She shook her head veryslowly.
A scowl stole over his features. “Your brothers are right. That is very dangerous. Moscow is a dangerous place. You had a taste of it tonight at the club. I love my country, but it has a heart of darkness beneath the glittering surface. You aren’t safe here alone.” He rose from the table and towered over her again, his eyes darkening to a burnished gold. She backed up even more as he invaded herspace.
“Imagine. A man like me could take you, little rose. He could make you his, possess you in every way, and you would have no chance of escape. No way to get home. No recourse. No salvation. Do you understand? A man like me would be very tempted by an innocent young creature like you.” His words softened into a deep, threateningpurr.
She peered up at him from beneath her lashes, trying to still her shivering. “But you won’t…right?”
He curled his fingers under her chin, lifting her face up to his. “Are you quite sure aboutthat?”
3
Don't look back and don't run. You must never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention. ?Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn
Charlotte was lostin his gaze all over again. “You… It’s like you’re making me dizzy… How do you do that?” she murmured dreamily. It was just like at the club when he’d convinced her to dance in the cage for him. She wanted to do anything he asked—anything. It had to be the power of hypnosis dragons had. It felt like he was mesmerizing her. Her being turned on by all this, however?Thathad to be the pheromones atplay.
He blinked, his eyes no longer golden, and with a low growl he turned his back on her. She watched him pace away from her, and her thoughts soon cleared of that strangefuzziness.
“I should escort you home before I change my mind,” he said in a darktone.
She stood, slipping her heels back on. “Change your mind?” Her body felt a little shaky, as though she’d just had a wild burst of adrenaline and was coming down from thehigh.
“Yes.” He turned back to her, eyes lingering on her face, then sweeping over her body in that peculiar way that felt like a caress. His hands clenched into fists, as though he was suppressing the urge to reach for her. “I’m tempted to carry you over my shoulder into my bedroom. I’d spend the next several hours having my way with you, fucking you into blissfuloblivion.”
She tensed at his harsh words and the rough fantasies they conjured up in her mind. Rurik was a man who took what he wanted, a dragon in full control. She suppressed the thrill that came with that thought. She’d always dreamt of being with a man like that, who knew exactly what to do next in bed. A man like that was hard to find. It was probably the reason she was still a virgin. She just couldn’t picture herself with a man who wasn’t like Rurik. She’d probably spend the rest of her life a virgin if she compared every man to someone likehim.
“Fuck, you smell sweet.” He raked his hands through his chocolate-brown hair, and his eyes seem to turn from green to gold again. “I have no control, not with you smelling like heaven.” He braced his hands on the kitchen counter, staring straight ahead, not ather.
“Rurik…I think I should go.” She reached for her purse, but he stepped closer and caught her wrist. She looked up at him, and he tugged her to him, pinning her against the counter, hip to hip, as he captured her mouth with his. It was another drugging kiss that set her head spinning. It reminded her of when as a child she’d sat on the swing at the park, twisting her seat around so the chains twisted tighter and tighter. When she let go she was rocketed around in a wild, unstoppable spin that ripped a cry of joy from her before she did it all overagain.
“Tell me to stop.Beg me.” He cupped her face in his hands and murmured this between slow, deepkisses.
