Page 11 of Hunt Me
My breath comes short and sharp.
Not gentle. Nothing about him suggests gentle. He’d take me apart the way he tears through code—methodical and ruthless and completely absorbed in the task. Find every weakness, exploit every vulnerability, make me come undone under those clever hands.
The orgasm hits hard.
I bite down on my free hand to muffle the sound, body shaking as pleasure rolls through me in waves. His name almost falls from my lips, but I catch it, swallow it, let it dissolve into wordless gasps.
The water keeps running as I come down, skin flushed and sensitive. My legs feel unsteady beneath me.
“Christ.”
I lean my forehead against the cool tile, trying to regulate my breathing. That shouldn’t have happened. Shouldn’t have been thinking abouthimlike that.
This is about the game. The challenge. The intellectual satisfaction of matching wits with someone who might beat me.
Not about how he looked when he stood up from that table. Not about what those hands might feel like on my skin instead of his keyboard.
5
ALEXI
Ihate these things.
Charity galas. Fundraisers. Whatever bullshit excuse Nikolai comes up with to parade the Ivanov name around Boston’s elite. Tonight, it’s something about children’s hospitals—a worthy cause, terrible timing.
My phone burns in my pocket. The Phantom’s been quiet for thirty-six hours. Too quiet. They’re planning something, I can feel it in the spaces between lines of code. I should be home, monitoring systems, waiting for their next move.
Instead, I’m trapped in a penguin suit at the Four Seasons, nursing overpriced champagne and making small talk with people who think cryptocurrency is cutting-edge.
“You look miserable.” Dmitri materializes beside me, Tash on his arm, looking far too amused.
“Observant.”
“Miserable doesn’t cover it,” I say. “This is torture. Actual psychological warfare. I’d rather be waterboarded.”
“Dramatic.” Tash sips her champagne, eyes scanning the ballroom. “Though I suppose standing still must be agony for you. What’s it been, thirty seconds without checking your phone?”
I pull out my phone on instinct, then catch her knowing smirk. “Fuck off.”
“Language,” Dmitri warns, but there’s amusement in his voice. “We’re representing the family tonight.”
“Yeah? Where’s our fearless leader?” I scan the crowd, spotting Nikolai by the bar with Sofia tucked against his side. “Oh, right, being disgustingly devoted. Erik’s probably making Katarina blush somewhere. And here I am, third wheeling it with you two lovebirds.”
“You could mingle,” Tash suggests. “There’s a lovely tech heiress by the?—”
“Not interested.”
“You didn’t even look.”
“Don’t need to.” I check my phone again. Nothing. The silence from Phantom grates against my nerves like nails on a server rack. “I’ve got more important things to focus on.”
“The mysterious hacker?” Dmitri’s tone sharpens. “Any progress?”
“They’ve been quiet since their last breach. Radio silence for thirty-six hours.”
“That concerns you.”
“Everything about this concerns me.” I scroll through my monitoring feeds with one hand, champagne forgotten in the other. “They’re too good. Too patient. Most hackers can’t resist showing off, but Phantom just?—”
