“Ivan,” I repeated. “That’s strong. I like it. I’m Addy. Obviously.”
“I know.”
“Right. Good.” I nodded, like all of this was completely normal. Sasha’s hand slid around my waist from behind, firm and already familiar. I looked down at his tattooed fingers splaying across my stomach possessively, my nipples hardening at his open claim.
“You don’t need to introduce yourself to everyone,” he said quietly.
“That feels socially irresponsible.”
“They know who you are.”
“Yeah, I’ve gathered as much. Kind of weird.”
Ivan looked faintly amused. Or maybe that was just my projection.
Another man passed by with a bag, and I stepped aside automatically. “Hi. Addy. I assume you already know my name but I like clarity.”
He nodded once. “Viktor.”
“Great. We’re making progress.”
Sasha turned me gently so I was facing him instead of his entire organization.
“This is not a networking event,” he deadpanned.
“You sure about that? It feels like one.”
He leveled me with an unimpressed look. “It’s not.”
As we moved further into the villa, he shifted seamlessly back into Russian, issuing instructions to the men near the terrace. His voice changed when he did so — it was lower, steadier and less teasing. There was no hint of seduction, just authority, yet my nipples still hardened at the guttural, gravelly quality of his voice.
The men listened to him without question, and I got the feeling they truly trusted him.
I leaned against the edge of the kitchen island, pretending to observe casually while actually staring intently.
He gestured once toward the windows and the perimeter, speaking quickly, decisively. One of the men asked a question. Sasha didn’t hesitate before answering. No second-guessing or over-explaining.
It was fucking sexy, and I could feel a slow, molten wave of heat spreading through my body.
Sasha looked like he’d been waiting to stand in this exact spot for years. He switched back to English with his intense, piercing gaze now focused entirely on me, pinning me to the spot.
“You will not go outside the compound alone,” he explained calmly.
My eyebrows lifted. “I just got here.”
“Yes.”
“A little restrictive, don’t you think?”
“It’s supposed to be. If you want to go out, I’m going to assign you guards.”
I folded my arms. “You can’t just impose boundaries on me without discussion.”
“I can …” He walked towards me slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “And I will. Formysanity and foryoursecurity.”
My pulse kicked up in a way that had nothing to do with rebellion.
“Yoursanity?” I echoed, my disbelief dripping off the words.