“I’m so sorry!” I squeak, scrambling back so fast I trip over the coffee table, tumbling right back to the ground.
Strong arms catch me before I hit the floor.
He pulls me against him, solid and warm, one arm firm around my waist. I cling to his shirt, my heart pounding so hard I’m sure he can feel it.
“I didn’t mean to,” I stammer. “I swear I wasn’t—”
“Quiet,solnishka,” he says softly.
Then he kisses me.
I’ve never been kissed before.
Not really.
Nothing prepared me for this…this explosion of sensations all over—my skin, my nerves, my brain…
Tilting my head to the angle he wants, he deepens the kiss, his mouth moving over mine with searing possession, tasting me with slow, deep licks. I whimper, my hands tangling in his shirt. His answering groan vibrates through me, tightening my nipples and sending goose bumps racing across my skin.
I melt into him, my hands coming around his neck and sink into his hair. He nips my lower lip gently and a sob escapes me.
I fall into the kiss, swept away by the lush carnality of it. At that moment, the world outside his office ceases to exist. All I can think about is the feeling of his mouth on mine, the way his big hands gently caress my face and the way my heart feels like it might burst.
Then his phone rings, the sound jarring us back to reality. He pulls back immediately. His jaw is tight, his breathing controlled but his eyes…they’re brimming with a stormy intensity that makes it hard to breathe.
He checks the screen and answers.
“Yes,” he says. “I’ll be right there.”
He ends the call and looks at me, his expression softening briefly.
“I have a meeting,” he says quietly. He seems like he wants to say something else but then he nods slightly and steps away, heading toward the bathroom to clean up.
I stand there, dazed, my body still tingling in places that aren’t modest. I gather the lunch trash quickly, my thoughts a tangled mess, and retreat to my desk. As I sit down, I raise a shaky hand to my lips. They still feel warm, slightly swollen…from kissing my boss.
What the hell was that?
Chapter Four
Andrei
I’ve been angry all morning, but now it’s curdled into something sharper.
Four shipments.
It’s been four times someone used my name to move containers that never appeared on the books. I stare at the numbers until they blur, then shove the reports aside and stand.
Whoever is doing this knows my company. They know my authority and know exactly which ghost to hide behind.
My father’s.
That’s what makes my jaw lock…the fact that I tore this business out of the dirt with my bare hands, made it clean, and someone is trying to drag it back down using my name.
I push into my office without slowing.
“Mr. Popov?” Mila calls cautiously, quickly following me inside. “Is there anything you need?”
“No. Get out.”