He scanned the room in a single smooth sweep before taking the empty chair at the far end of the table. The man was late, yet he offered neither apology nor explanation.
My kind of person.
“Gentlemen,” Alexei began. “Meet Rodion Tarasov. Your cousin.” The last statement was directed at me.
Rodion Tarasov?
No wonder he looked so familiar. I’d met him once before, seven or eight years ago. He was my distant cousin. The Tarasov line branched far enough back that the connection was more symbolic than biological.
“You must be Karik,” he said, looking right at me.
I held his gaze across the table. “I am.”
Silence.
His gaze shifted toward Ellie, and it lingered for about two seconds. It wasn’t interest. More like inventory. She didn’t look away, didn’t speak either.
He looked at me again, his expression unchanging. At first, I thought he was going to make a derogatory remark about her presence in this room. And I was more than ready to engage him if he crossed that line.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he said calmly, “I’m certain there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why some rules are broken.”
He was referring to my wife’s presence.
I stared right at him, as if daring him to speak out of tone. “Indeed.”
Again, silence.
The others exchanged hidden glances amongst themselves, but no one dared say a word.
“Excellent.” He leaned back in his chair. “Carry on, Alexei.”
I might not be a big fan of Rodion Tarasov, but he and I weren’t so different after all. Cold. Ruthless. Calculating. Intimidating.
***
The drive back was quiet.
This time, I was the one at the wheel while she sat in the front passenger seat, gazing out the window. I’d instructed Sergei and the other men to move out first while I followed behind.
Driving always helped me clear my head. Besides, dismissing them meant I could enjoy my wife’s company. Just the two of us.
The scent of her perfume and that of my cologne filled the car’s cabin, charging it with something unnamed.
I glanced at her exposed lap—her fresh, alluring thighs. The sight awakened a deadly desire in me, the kind that tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
My heart raced as crazy thoughts formed in the back of my mind. I clenched my jaw, struggling to remain composed even as a storm was already brewing within me.
Focus, Karik. Focus,I thought to myself, fingers combing through my hair.
She looked so gorgeous and sexy. All I wanted to do was pull over and eat her out, claim every part of her body, and remind her that she was mine alone.
“You’re awfully quiet,” her voice sliced through my thoughts.
I blinked once, eyes on the road. “You’re the talkative one, remember?”
She let out a soft chuckle. “True. But I can’t help thinking this has something to do with your cousin.”