Sergey: Love Me Harder (3 page)

He turned to leave. Then thinking better of it, he turned back to face her.

Leaning over, he placed a searing kiss on her lips before walking away. His beast clawed inside of him, wanting to go back. Ignoring him, he kept walking.

Chapter Four

Lorali stood across the street, staring at the business in question. She’d resisted the urge for a month, until she couldn’t stop herself from jumping into the car and driving in his direction.

She’d gone home that night in a daze, her fingers clutching the steering wheel, glorying in the feel of it. She could still remember the feel of the tree branch under her body, the sheer joy she’d felt when her finger had tightened on the trigger of her rifle. To not have to second guess the amount of pressure to place on it had been a relief.

She’d touched everything she could that night, wanting to hold onto the incredible sensation of actually feeling something. She’d finally fallen asleep late in the night.

She’d woken the next morning to her world of deadened senses. She thought it was a dream and had cursed herself, until she’d caught the sight of something clutched in her unfeeling hand.

She’d fallen asleep with the card he’d given her. A tear she couldn’t feel had tracked down her face, as the coldness of living a life that never changed overcame her.

The children had saved her. The need to make sure they were ok was all she had. She’d worked tirelessly until they were all taken care of. Her own experience of having to suddenly live with a family she’d never met motivated her to make sure they had the best possible placement. Now she stood across the street from a building, scared to go in. Scared that it really was a dream, that he’d never made her body feel those incredible things. Afraid to dream.

She hung her head, wanting to turn around before squaring her shoulders. She’d survived the army. She’d survived horrendous torture, which meant she should be able to do something as simple as walking into an office building.

She was met at the door by a guard who directed her to another guard sitting at a desk in the lobby. She walked over to the second guard giving, him her best nonthreatening smile.

“How may I help you?”

“I’m looking for Mr. Sergey Dare. Can you direct me to him?”

“Are you expected?”

“Yes.”

The guard picked up the phone and had a brief conversation with a woman. His secretary? Then she was directed to take the steps up to the second floor and walk to the end of the hall.

Giving the guard another warm smile, she waved and headed for the staircase he’d pointed towards.

Climbing the stairs, the butterflies in her stomach were making her slightly nauseous. Taking deep breaths, she calmed herself while delivering a stern lecture. She wouldn’t hope for miracles. Her condition wasn’t reversible.

Her soda had obviously been spiked with something able to make her have hallucinations. It was simply a hallucination. Her hands had felt nothing. That searing kiss had been brought on by lack of sleep. It had never happened.

That much she really believed. No woman would let a man go if he kissed like that.

She focused on the open door at the end of the hall, on the glimpse of the secretary she could see. Pasting a smile on her face, she entered the open space.

“Hi, how may I help you?” The secretary was nice. She looked very professional. She was wearing a grey suit, which gave her a sleek corporate look. She was beautiful too. Lorali couldn’t help but notice that.

She was the kind of woman a business owner went for. Feminine with the ability to smile. Lorali felt a familiar ache of dislike course through her. She resisted the urge to touch her short hair that was nowhere as neat as the woman who was looking at her expectantly.

“I’m looking for Mr. Sergey Dare.”

“Is he expecting you?”

“Yes.”

“Your name?”

“Lorali Johnson.”

She picked up the phone and reached for a button. “Mr. Dare, you’ve a visitor. She says her name is Lorali Johnson. Yes sir.”

“Follow me.”

Lorali nodded, her words not getting past the lump in her throat. They left the open area, passing a seating area with wide windows behind it. They came to another door. The secretary knocked before opening it.

“You can go in. He’s expecting you.”

Lorali walked in and heard the small click of the door as it closed behind her. She looked around. His office was huge. It had several loveseats situated at different angles. The windows were wide and let in lots of sunshine. He was standing in front of one of them, looking out.

She walked closer to see what he could be looking at. From his position at the window, he had a perfect view of the corner she’d just spent the last hour standing on.

“I’d begun to wonder if you would actually make it up here.”

“Similar thoughts haunted me as well.” He had on a suit that must have been tailored to fit. The jacket covered his impossibly wide shoulders and tapered down to his narrow waist. The pants flowed over his ass like they were privileged to be there. She ached to be the one covering him.

She called herself some choice names, bringing her libido, the one she could no longer feel, under control.

She felt his rich brown eyes on her as he turned around. Looking up, she lost herself in his gaze. He pulled her in, captivating her, making her want what she knew was impossible. She licked her desert dry lips as she felt her nipples harden into painful buds.

Not happening, she told her brain. One man didn’t have the power to make you feel, the power to make you fly. She wasn’t wonder woman and this wasn’t a Disney movie.

“Lorali, I’m glad you decided to come to me.”

“I came because you offered me a job. I find myself in need of one.”

“Have a seat.” He pointed to one of the numerous loveseats around his office.

She chose one in the middle of the room, furthest away from where he was standing. Her mind screamed coward. She caged it quickly. She was just being cautious.

He smiled as he watched her sit. He walked towards her, making her eyes go round. He moved silently, looking like he was stalking prey. She would’ve appreciated it if she wasn’t the one he was stalking.

He took a seat next to her. “What happened to the children?”

She gave him a genuine smile. “They’ve all been placed in loving families. That wasn’t an easy task.”

“Why not?”

“Many potential parents want babies and not children who already have set personalities. Add to that the language barrier and the problems mount. We were actually able to track down a couple of family members for some of the children. We had to find potential families for the rest of them. Then we had to vet the families.”

“You did this in a month.”

“I have experience.”

He looked at her, waiting for more of an explanation, but she said nothing.

“What happened to the princess?” She asked while trying to calm the rapid beating of her pulse. Something about him was pulling her, she felt him even though she hadn’t touched him.

“She was reunited with her father.” His eyes engulfed her making her heart beat faster.

“Do you think that was a good idea? He did lose her to begin with.”

Sergey thought back to the reaction of her parent. “He’ll never lose her again.”

“Good. So about that job.” She needed to focus on the reason she’d come.

“What would you like to do?”

“Just like that? I name the job and it is mine?”

“Yes.” He smiled at her.

“That’s not how it works. You have to interview me. How else will you know if I’m qualified to do the job?” Her voice rose and fell as she tried to explain what he needed to do.

“I know that you’re military trained. You served in the desert and you use a rifle as if it is an extension of yourself. What else do I need to know?” The nice even tone of his voice set heron edge.

She ran her hand through her short hair in frustration. “I don’t know. You have to ask if it was an honorable discharge. Lots of employers like to ask that question. You need to tactfully ask if I’m stable mentally. Maybe your HR department should conduct this interview.”

“What would you like to do?”

Giving up, she went for the obvious. “Security.”

She felt the wave of satisfaction that rolled off of him.

“Perfect, I have an opening.” Her sense of being stalked made her body give a small twitched even as she considered his words.

“You do?” She brightened. The prospect of a real job made her heart beat faster.

“I need a bodyguard.”

Chapter Five

“I’m not looking for charity.” She stood, feeling oddly disappointed.

“You’re not getting charity. If that’s what I had in mind, I’d put you at a nice safe desk and forget about you.”

“What exactly do you call this then?”

“Trust. There are very few I trust to guard my back. Even fewer who I trust to guard my brothers’ mates. If you aren’t interested in the job, then name another.”

“You’re serious?” He nodded, never leaving his seat. “Why do you need a bodyguard?”

“Recently, the last several months, my family and I have come under attack. Although my brothers and I are more than capable of taking care of ourselves, two of them have mated. I’d like you to watch them as well as myself.”

“I’m sure they will be the ones that are the easiest to protect.”

“Are you implying I’m difficult?”

She gave him her big eyed innocent look. He didn’t seem to be going for it, but if the shaking of his lips were any indication, he agreed with her.

“I need to find a place to stay. When does the job start?”

“Room and board will be included with this job.” He held up a hand, forestalling her protest. “How many bodyguards do you know who live offsite?”

She shut her mouth. He had a point. How could she guard anyone from afar?

“Where will I be staying?”

“Come with me. Where are you parked?”

“Two blocks away.”

“I’ll have Niko gather your car and store it away.”

“That’s unacceptable. I’ll need it to get around.”

“You’ll be provided with another car.”

“I’m only going to be your bodyguard. You don’t own me.”

“You claim to know what I and my brothers are. I didn’t ask you for proof. I chose to extend trust. I see you choose not to do the same.”

She refused to feel guilty. She’d every right and every reason to never trust again. He was an alien, how dare he demand she trust him.

She couldn’t meet his eyes. He’d done nothing, but help her every step of the way.

“Why can’t I use my own car?” She looked up at him.

“Our cars are equipped so they can’t be followed.”

That simple explanation made more sense to her than most things she’d encountered lately.

“Ok.”

She followed him out of the office. Coming through the door was another male. She didn’t know how she knew, but her deadened senses were screaming not human.

“This is Niko. He’ll collect your car and stow it away. Niko this is Lorali.”

“Nice to meet you, Lorali.”

“Nice to meet you also, Niko.” She stuck her hand out, making sure he had no recourse but to grab it.

She wasn’t sure what made her do it, maybe a little imp sitting on her shoulder. All she knew was that she had to know if touching him would bring about the same sensations that had overwhelmed her when she was being touched by Sergey.

He took her hand and pumped it up and down gently. She deflated, disappointed and pleased at the same time. She could feel his hand, the same as she would’ve felt any other hand before her desert experience, but there was no panty wetting desire gripping her. Her once hard nipples had deflated when he touched her. Sergey had a power all of his own.

“Niko has recently mated with Dee. You’ll watch over her when needed.”

She watched as they talked back and forth between them.

“I’ll protect her with my life. I give my word.”

Niko looked her up and down. “I believe you. Welcome to the family.”

She smiled, at a loss for words. She’d never been welcomed to a family before.

They walked out and she led them to her car. She grabbed her bags as well as her rifle and other fire arms that she’d locked safely in a special compartment in the trunk. She handed the keys over to Niko after taking one last look at her car.

Hoping she wasn’t making a mistake, she followed Sergey to his car.

“Where are we going?”

She’d settled in his car and watched as he pulled out of the spot. He quickly left the city roads for the parkway. Finally he pulled off, turning into a more secluded area.

“My house isn’t far from here. You’ll be staying with me. I’ll have a car for you to use in a few days. Then you’ll actively take over your duties as bodyguard when my sisters need you.”

“You call your brothers’ mates your sisters?”

“Yes. What would you call them?”

“Here we would say they’re sisters-in-laws.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why is the in-law tacked to the end of sister?”

“That way we know they aren’t biological siblings.”

“What would make you think they may be related by blood?”

“We humans do a lot of things that don’t make sense.”

“Our kind has no females. There is no chance of us confusing a mate and a sister as a biological sister.

“How could you have no females? It takes two.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean they have to mate and take whatever results. We’re the created. Our genetic material was manipulated before we were born.”

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was whisper soft.

“Why?”

“I know what it is like to be the results of someone’s experiment. The thoughts that plague you, how at times you aren’t really sure you should even exist. You’re different from everyone around you.”

“I had my brothers as I grew up. That kept us all sane. It was difficult when we realized that we were different from everyone around us, but we had each other. We’re here.”

He stopped in front of a beautiful house that sat all alone.

“Where are all the other homes?”