Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (36 page)

I
sighed contentedly. “Hmm?”

“I’m
still going to try to make love to you.”

“That’s
nice,” I murmured as I drifted back to sleep.

His
voice was soft and low as he continued coaxing information from me. “Tell me
about this man you were engaged to, the one who looks like me.”

A
single tear slid from the corner of my eye as a lump formed in my throat.
“Michael,” I breathed. “He still loves me, but he’s worried he can’t keep me
safe.”

Maxim
stilled. “Safe? From what?”

“The
terrorists,” I murmured, “… and the man who tried to drown me.”

Maxim’s
tone grew dark. “Where is this man now?”

My
eyebrows furrowed. “Rafael killed him, but Michael still sent me away. He’s
worried the terrorists will come for me.” I pulled my feet onto the couch and
tucked into a small ball. I sank further into Maxim’s chest. I was too tired
for this conversation. I didn’t want to think about terrorists. I wanted to go
back to sleep.

“Why
would terrorists want to hurt you, Kristine?”

It
didn’t seem to matter whether I was awake, asleep, or suspended somewhere in
between. I still felt like sobbing. “Because Michael loves me.”

“He
broke your heart when he sent you away,” Maxim murmured thoughtfully.

“Yes,”
I whispered. “My heart is still broken.
I’m
still broken
.”

Maxim
rubbed my arm in silent contemplation.

“I
still miss Michael,” I confessed a few minutes later.

“I’m
sure he misses you too,” Maxim responded.

I
sighed softly, then drifted back to sleep.

*
* * * * *

I
woke up cradled in Maxim’s arms. At some point during the night he had eased us
both onto the couch so he was lying behind me with my back tucked against his
chest. I could see the hotel clerk working silently behind the desk as my eyes
fluttered open. Cory was gone, and different men were standing guard in front
of the door.

Maxim
nuzzled my neck. “
Dobroe utro, angel moy.
”

I
rolled over in his arms so I could face him. He pulled me close so I wouldn’t
fall off the couch. I studied him for a few heartbeats. His hair was tousled. His
face looked younger, and his smile was relaxed. There were no hard edges. “Thank
you,” I whispered softly.

His
eyebrows furrowed. “For what?”

I
studied his face a bit more closely. It was truly devastating how much he
looked like Michael. “For being such a gentleman last night.”

He
grinned. “I don’t think anyone has ever called me that before.”

I
ran my hand over the stubble along his jawline. “Why are you trying to keep us
safe, Maxim? What’s in this for you?”

He
sighed as he pressed my hand against his cheek. His eyes softened as they met mine.
“You are like this beautiful tropical oasis in the midst of a never ending
storm. If I can just gain some reprieve from the storm… enjoy something
beautiful and sweet for just a little while… then maybe it will prove easier to
survive the storm.”

Tears
pricked at my eyes. “I think that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever
said to me.”

A
small smile teased at the corner of his mouth. “I can be a pretty romantic
guy.”

I
smiled. “I’ve noticed.”

His
eyes fell on my lips. “What were you planning to do today?”

I
giggled as he continued staring at my lips. “We were going to do some
sightseeing. Do you know any good tour guides?”

He
grinned. “It so happens that I do.”

I
frowned.

His
eyes shot toward mine. “What’s wrong?”

I
sighed. “Well, it’s just that Nonna, Oni, and Igor have been camping out here
pretty regularly. We can’t seem to do anything without them accompanying us.
I’m surprised they aren’t here now. They know we’re planning to go sightseeing
today, and I think they’re planning to escort us.”

Maxim
relaxed. “They may be sitting outside. My men haven’t let anyone enter the
hotel since I arrived last night. I’ll talk to Nonna. I’ll let her know that we
will be accompanying you today. She’ll back off if she knows you guys are with
me.”

Maxim
tightened his arms around me as I tried to sit up. “Your pretend boyfriend
would like to start the day with a kiss,
kotyonok
.”

 “Just
a kiss?” I asked warily.

He
sat up, snapped his fingers at the desk clerk, and waved him away. “For now.”

I
shook my head. “What have I gotten myself into with you?”

He
grinned. “If you only knew.” He slid my body beneath his. He held my face in
his hands as he bit at my bottom lip and chin. His eyes flared with desire just
before he fit his lips to mine. His tongue breached my lips and immediately
sought mine. He circled, then stroked my tongue until a small moan escaped my
lips.

My
heart stalled as he hardened against me.

A
low growl slid from his chest as he deepened the kiss. His fingers wound
through my hair until he held me tightly at the scalp. He tugged gently as he ground
his hips into mine. My body wound into a tight coil even as I fought the desire
that was now coursing through me.

I
groaned as his tongue swiped at the sweet spot on my neck. He pulled my head to
the side so he could gain better access to my neck. Then his other hand slid
over my breast. His thumb stroked my nipple through the thin silk camisole until
it hardened. “This is more than a kiss,” I rasped.

My
back arched as he sucked forcefully on my neck. He nudged my legs open and
rocked into me. I tried to wedge my hands between us, but he bit down on my
neck and pinched my breast as he rolled every hard edge of his arousal against
me. My entire body clenched, then shattered forcefully. He stilled as I gasped,
then trembled in his arms. I scrambled to the other side of the couch. “You…
you… how did you do that?!”

A
smug look fell over his face. “I’m a really good kisser.”

“Holy
crap,” I breathed. I yanked the blanket around me. “We cannot do that again.
Ever.”

His
eyes grew hooded as he edged toward me. “Imagine how much better that would
feel if we didn’t have any clothes on.”

I
bolted from the couch and immediately began pacing across the room. “I… I… I
think I just cheated on Rafael. Crap! Crap! Crap! Why did you have to give me
an orgasm? That’s cheating. That’s definitely cheating!”

Maxim
laughed. “It was only a kiss.”

I
stopped pacing so I could stare at him. “That was
not
a kiss.”

He
looked amused as he rose from the couch. “Then what was it?”

I
backed up as he slowly approached me. “That was sex… with clothes on!”

One
of the guys standing guard in front of the door laughed.

Maxim
glared at him. His eyes were heated as he slowly stalked me across the room. “
That
was a five minute kiss. If you had sex with me, you’d know the difference.
You’d be pinned under me for hours, clawing my back, and sobbing for more.”

All
of the air rushed out of my lungs.

My
eyes were wild as he reached for my hands. “Calm down,” he said soothingly. “It
wasn’t sex.”

I
bit back a sob. “God! I’m a horrible person.”

His
eyes flared with anger. “Don’t.”

I
stilled, then eyed him cautiously.

He
took a deep breath. “Look, I don’t know this guy, Rafael, but I can see you want
to remain faithful to him. I don’t understand why you’d feel committed to him
when you are still in love with Michael.” He shrugged. “Maybe neither of them
is the right man for you. Maybe I am… or maybe it’s someone you haven’t even
met yet.”

He
looked frustrated as he sought the right words. “What I’m trying to say is you
can’t know who you are meant to be with until you’ve dated… and kissed a
handful of people. You weed out the people who feel wrong and you linger with
the people who feel right until the moment your soul recognizes the one it’s
meant to be with. You aren’t a horrible person for kissing another man. You’re
just going through the process of figuring out who you are meant to be with.”

My
eyes welled with tears.

Maxim
swiped at my eyes before giving me a hug.

I
started giggling as he pulled away.

His
expression hovered between amusement and concern.

I
shook my head. “I can’t believe I’m getting relationship advice from the
Russian mafia.”

Maxim
laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m going to back off on the advice because it appears to
be conflicting with my interests. I’m used to getting what I want… and I can’t
shake the feeling that I’m giving it up instead.”

My
heart clenched. “You are so much like Michael, it’s scary.”

Maxim’s
eyes hardened. “I am nothing like Michael. If you had agreed to marry me, I
would have never let you go. Michael was a fool to think you’d be safe simply
because he let you go. His actions put you at risk. He should have kept you
with him and had the threat eliminated.”

I
tightened the blanket around me. “Thank you, Maxim, for offering to protect me and
for being so understanding. You really are a very nice guy.”

He
smiled as he glanced around the room. “Don’t tell anyone else that. It could
ruin my reputation,” he whispered conspiratorially.

I
reached for his shoulder, then softly kissed his cheek. “I’m going upstairs to
shower. Do you still want to take us sightseeing?”

He
grinned. “Yes, of course. I’ll have a man stand guard outside your room while I
run home to shower and change. I’ll meet you back here in one hour.” He began
to walk away, then stopped. He turned to face me again. “The government will
make multiple attempts to replace the bugs in your rooms, so don’t be surprised
if my men come by to make regular sweeps. I’ll make sure they knock before
coming into the room.”

I
nodded, then turned toward the stairs.

“Oh,
and Kristine?”

I
slowly turned around.

Maxim
smiled. “Will you send Konstantin down? Evidently, he slept in your room.”

I
grinned. “Sure. I’ll send him right down.”

I
sprinted up the cold cement stairs, then softly knocked on the door to my room.

Konstantin
opened the door and immediately blushed.

I
laughed. “Maxim would like to see you downstairs.”

Shae
joined us at the door. She kissed Konstantin between the shoulder blades before
wrapping her arms around his waist.

I
slipped inside the room. I eyed Shae curiously while Konstantin retrieved his
shirt. “I’m not sure if either of you is interested, but Maxim has offered to
take us sightseeing in an hour. Maybe Konstantin can join us…”

Shae’s
face immediately brightened.

Konstantin
grinned. “I’d love to show you around.” He pulled Shae in for a passionate
kiss, then reached for the door. “I’ll be back soon.”

I
locked the door behind him. “So the door got fixed…”

Shae
laughed. “Yes. Watching them try to replace that door was one of the most
entertaining experiences of my life.”

My
eyes softened. “You’re practically glowing. How did things go with Konstantin
last night?”

She
sighed dreamily. “Last night was amazing.”

I
smiled. “Then it was a good birthday after all?”

She
giggled. “Best birthday ever!”

*
* * * * *

I
reached for my cell phone as soon as I was showered and dressed. I had texted
Rafael the minute we had returned to the hotel, but I was feeling really guilty
about not following up with a phone call. My stomach turned when I saw that I
had missed three calls from him. He had also left a number of text messages. I
grew more nauseous as I read the texts.

We
need to talk.

Call
me.

 I’m
worried about you. Please call me as soon as you get this message.

I
walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. “Shae, I’m going to step outside
and call Rafael. I don’t want to have this conversation in our room in case
Maxim’s men missed a listening device or planted one of their own. I’ll be
right in front of the hotel.”

I
opened the door and walked straight into a well-muscled chest. “
Déjà vu
,”
I muttered. I took a step back to examine the guy Maxim had asked to guard our
room. I wondered if his English was as good as Maxim’s. “
Vy govorite
po-angliyski?
”

He
smiled. “Yes, of course.”

I
nodded. “Okay. I need to step outside and make a phone call. Is that going to
be a problem?”

He
reached for his cell phone, dialed a single number, then began speaking in
Russian. Ten seconds later another man exited the stairwell. I studied the two
of them as he joined us. “Do you guys ever wear anything besides black?”