No, this wasn’t acting.
I stood, dragging her out of her chair and crushing her to my side. “These newlyweds are leaving,” I said to cheers and more laughter.
“Wait, what about coffee?” Lilia asked, cracking everyone up with her sarcastic tone.
We were already halfway out the door.
Chapter 17 - Clem
Being married to my boss without knowing about it was a lot. Meeting his family and loving them immediately, so much that I leaned into the act more than I should have, was also a lot. Being swept off my feet by Rurik after the kiss that should have been just for show, but shook me to my core, was way too much.
As soon as we were out of the restaurant, he pulled me into another embrace, one arm locked around my back, his other hand slicing into my hair. His mouth was back on mine, where it was starting to feel like it belonged. Heat flooded me, my muscles all turned to jelly, my bones as soft as the rich piece of cake he fed me. Not for the first time, a valet had to discreetly remind us that we were in public.
Rurik raced to the driver’s side as soon as he opened the door for me. Reaching across to pull my seatbelt across me, he gave me another searing kiss, long enough to make me squirm for more. A short beep from behind had him laughing as he took off toward home.
Or rather, his house. It was dangerous to think of it as home.
The drive did nothing to quench my desire. Not even nerves could get me thinking about anything other than the fact that his kisses drove me wild. I should have been recoiling, keeping my distance, and protecting myself. Was my memory so short?
Instead, I was eager to get back in Rurik’s arms after he pulled up in his courtyard. His hand grazed my back as I went through the doors ahead of him, the heat of his fingers blazing through my dress. All I could think about was how they’d feel when they were touching my skin.
“That was a success,” he said. “Excellent work, Clem.”
His hand fell to his side, his face was closed off. What the actual hell? Now he was back to being all business? There was no way he was acting at the restaurant. I blinked at him, waiting for him to tug me back into his arms.
“I’m sure you must be exhausted,” he said, motioning for me to go upstairs.
He had to be messing around, teasing me. He had to be. I kept my head down to hide my secretive grin as he followed me up, keeping his distance. Instead of turning at his bedroom door, which was before my guest room, he escorted me all the way down the hall to mine.
This was it. He’d start kissing me again. His hands would move slowly around my waist to pull me close. His tongue would slide between my lips. I would…
“Goodnight, Clem,” he said, stepping back.
That was it? He was really going to go to his own room?We aren’t really married,my brain shouted. My body wasn’t listening.
Something in me I didn’t know existed rose up and took over. He had brought it to life, so now he’d have to deal with it. I launched myself into his arms. He caught me, his hands strong against my back, his chest hard against my breasts. Was I really doing this?
His lips crashed against mine, making it impossible to come to my senses, even if any last shred of me wanted to. And no part of me wanted to, not anymore. I had been warring against this attraction for too long, and we were already in so deep. Lines had already been crossed, hadn’t they? What was one more?
Things may not have been completely settled; hell, they were far from it. But for the first time since I left Vermont, left everything I knew and cared about, I felt completely and utterly safe. It had nothing to do with the walls that surrounded me, or the gates that surrounded them. It had everything to do with Rurik.
He didn’t just give me opportunities I didn’t dare dream of in my situation; he gave me peace of mind. A feeling I barely remembered when I took off in the middle of the night. Something I thought I’d never feel again.
His hands roamed down my back, his fingers digging into my heated flesh as he yanked me closer. A growl tore from his throat as my body collided with his rock-hard bulge. I moaned with satisfaction that wasn’t purely physical.
He was definitely faking that professionalism earlier. This was what was real, if nothing else.
My mind went happily blank, my body taking over. Tightening my grip around his neck, I rose up on my toes, sighing as I felt his hard heat rubbing against me. Almost lifting me off my feet, he backed me into my room, kicking the door closed behind him.
“Clementine,” he said, making me smile against his lips at the sound of my old-fashioned full name in his slight Russian accent. He said something I didn’t understand, but loved the clipped musical sounds.
“Tell me in English,” I said, leaning back, trying to focus on his dark green eyes as he gazed down at me like a hungry wolf.
“You’re the most beautiful, vibrant woman I’ve ever known,” he said. “Something like that, anyway. You make meforget…” he trailed off into more Russian words, finally falling silent as his lips crashed against mine once more.
My legs hit the side of the bed as he continued backing me into the room. “I want you so much,” he rumbled, smoothing his hands up my sides.
I breathed out, arching my back as his palms moved over my breasts. His thumbs stroked my taut nipples, and I pulled my hands out of his thick hair to start tugging at my dress. “There’s a zipper,” I breathed at the same moment he had it zipping down my back.