Was it her kiss or the fact that I hadn’t been kissed in three years? Any sane person would have come out of prison and landed between a set of willing thighs, but not me. Nope, I had to get straight to work. Alex didn’t have time to run the casino and his development company too. My little brother was packing up his apartment in Boston after finishing his law degree at Harvard. All he needed to do now was pass the bar exam and come home.

“You want a coffee?” Mrs. Price peeked her head inside my office.

“Yes, surprise me.” I pulled a ten from my pocket, and she waved me off.

“You own the shop.” The click of her heels faded.

My mind went back to Katya and the kiss. Lips that tasted of honey and champagne made the kiss that much sweeter. With the way her tongue made love to mine, I could only imagine what her body could do. I got hard thinking about it. One thought of my brother’s warning gave me a softie. I had to respect his wishes to stay away. Katya Petrenko was my kryptonite, but I’d be damned if I didn’t want her anyway.

I opened my laptop and virtually snuck inside her room. Had she slept last night, or were her thoughts on that one damn perfect kiss—a kiss that erased the memory of all kisses before it? Did she touch herself while she thought of me like I had her? Did she find her release behind closed eyes and the cloak of a dark room, where she could pretend anything was possible? Or did she climb into bed beside that damn monster? And what the hell did she mean last night’s kiss was better than the first one? Unless I was missing chunks of time from my memory, I’d never kissed the woman before. I would have remembered.

On the screen in front of me was nothing but an empty unmade bed with the right side of the comforter crumpled and the left side of the bed smooth and pristine. At least one question was answered. Katya had slept alone.

“Boss?” Sam poked his head inside the door. “Sorry to bother you, but there’s a woman here to see you.”

“Tell her to make an appointment with Mrs. Price when she gets back.” I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone just yet. To focus on something else would mean I’d have to let the memory of that kiss leave my mind, and I wasn’t ready to let it go.

Sam closed the door behind him. Minutes later, he knocked and opened it again. “She says it’s urgent.”

I slammed my computer shut, pushed away from the desk and stomped to the door. What the hell could be so urgent? When I flung the door open, there stood Katya.

“I got this,” I told Sam and quickly ushered Katya into my office before locking the door and pressing her against it. “What are you doing here? Did you come here for more?” I leaned forward and breathed in her scent. Everything about her spoke to me, or at least to my dick. I pushed my hips into hers to let her know how much she affected me. “I was just thinking about you.”

Her hands lay flat against my chest. She didn’t push me away. She lifted and twisted her neck to give me access, and I took it. My lips brushed along the milky white column. Goosebumps rose as I trailed my tongue from her collarbone to the shell of her ear.

“Why are you here, Katya?” I sucked in her lobe and nibbled at the soft skin.

“I needed to see you. I need—”

“I know what you need.” I covered her mouth with mine. Just like last night, I got lost in the kiss. Every cell in my body was on alert. Not the kind of alert that warned of danger, but the kind of alert that told me I was screwed because danger was in front of me and I refused to heed the warning.

The kiss started off demanding and desperate and settled into soft and sensuous. When her hands left my chest to wrap around my back, I knew she was all in. When they traveled down to my ass, I let my hands explore her body. Every delicious curve felt like lightning under my fingertips, and every spark of electricity hit me between my legs.

I grabbed her ass and lifted. She immediately wrapped her legs around my waist. I was exactly where I wanted to be—right between Katya’s thighs. Too bad her jeans and my slacks separated us. In this position, I could have slid right home.

Like a teen on his first date, I ground into her, trying to find some satisfaction in our proximity, but the friction wasn’t enough.

“I want you,” she whispered. “Once, just once, I want to know what it would feel like to have you inside me.”

She had me at I, but when the words you inside me came out, I was already on my way to the leather sofa. I laid her down on the butter soft surface and stood back to take her in. She was so damn beautiful. A warrior dressed in an angel’s body. How could I turn down what she offered? No sane man could.

“You sure about this?”

She pulled off her shirt, leaving only the white lacy bra underneath. Her pert nipples poked against the delicate fabric and begged for the heat of my mouth. I covered one and sucked it through the lace. The moan that broke free from her spurred me on.

“Is this what you came for?” I bit down gently and listened for that little mewl of pleasure I was certain I’d hear. She didn’t disappoint me when that sexy, deep sound echoed through the air.

“No, this is not what I came for, but I want it anyway.” She reached for my pants and fumbled with my belt. Her deft little fingers had it loose in seconds. She unzipped my slacks and set my length free. The heat of her palm wrapped around me and stroked my shaft. Nothing ever felt so good.

I pulled the cups of her bra down and took turns suckling perfect pink nipples. My lips grazed her skin, leaving a trail of wet between her breasts and down her flat stomach, where I met the barrier of her jeans. Her hand left me and went straight for her zipper.

I stood and kicked off my shoes before I let my pants fall to the floor. When I looked back at Katya, she was naked on my couch with her legs open and arms wide. I’d gone to heaven.

I gripped my shaft and stroked it slowly while she watched. “You want this?”

Her hips rose as if somehow she could meet me halfway. “Yes. Just once.”

I chuckled. “You think once will be enough?”

Sadness crossed her expression. “It will have to be.”

I climbed between her welcoming thighs and pressed inside her velvet-like glove. She quivered around me. I closed my eyes and willed myself to not erupt like a twelve-year-old watching his first porn. Buried deep inside her, I stilled and let myself acclimate to her heat and the fist-tight grip she had on me.

“Oh, God,” she moaned. Her hips lifted, urging me to move.

“So good, Katya. So damn good.” I tested out slow motions and built myself up to a pounding pace when someone banged on the door. “Come back later. I’m busy.” I never lost my rhythm.

“I’ve got your coffee,” Mrs. Price answered.

“Later,” I shouted as I kept up my pace. When Katya’s moans got louder, I covered her mouth with mine. While the kiss was perfect, what was happening between our bodies was so much better. There was a point of no return for a man, and I’d thought I’d reached it several times. Maybe I knew this would never happen again. My body understood this was all it would get of this sexy woman. How I kept up, I had no idea, but the ebb and flow of my arousal kept me hard and inside her.

When she gripped my hips and pulled me tight, I knew she was close. I changed my position to one that would bring her the most friction and pleasure. Seconds later, she exploded beneath me. Not once in all the times I’d had sex had I felt anything so powerful as Katya’s muscles milking me to climax. My final thrust took me over the edge, and I poured my heat inside her. None of this was wise, especially the no condom part, but it felt right. Like somehow this one time was supposed to be perfect.

Sweaty and spent, I collapsed on top of her. When she wheezed from my weight, I flipped us over and held her body close to mine.

“Can we stay like this for a moment?” she asked. Her head moved across my chest until she found a comfortable spot to the side of my tie.

“I’ve got you.” The truth was, she had me from the minute I sank inside her body. We’d always had this connection. We felt it in the air when we were together. We arced off each other’s current our whole lives. Sparks that ignited each time we came into contact with each other. Today wasn’t an accident. It was inevitable. The next problem was what we would do with the truth. Katya and I were made for each other.

My fingers traced the soft skin of her curves from the globes of her perfect ass to the dip between her shoulder blades.

“Why didn’t we do this years ago?” Her breath floated across my chest.

“Because you were engaged to my brother.”

She lifted her head and stared at me with soul-piercing blue eyes. “But now I’m engaged to Sergei.”

Her words hit me like a hammer to the chest. The pain crushing the passion we shared to bits. “But you don’t love him.”

She pushed up and straddled my thighs. “No. I don’t believe in love.”

“No? Such a skeptic for someone so young.” I ran a finger across her nipple and watched it pucker under my touch. “You should be able to choose your husband. Why do you allow your father to decide?” Here was the question of the day. Why did Yuri give his daughter to a man who brought nothing to the marriage?

She leaned back so my hand could no longer tease arousal from her breasts. “I am a woman. In my family, that means my worthiness is connected to my marriage.”

“Why Sergei?”

She scooted off me and grabbed for her clothes, but I caught her hand and pulled her back to my chest.

“It’s a punishment. I’m not sure if it’s my father's or mine. I don’t think Sergei was his choice. I think it was the Bratvas' doing.”

My head swam with options, and only one came to mind. “They are going to kill your father to gain power over his assets.” Saying it out loud only confirmed it in my mind. “Your dad will be dead the night of your wedding. With Mikhail in jail, there’s only you left to run things. The marriage is to get access to your father’s holdings.”

She squirmed in my hands, but I wasn’t ready to let go. Finally, she gave up and relaxed in my arms. “I have no choice. What happens to me and my father is about his choices.”

“That’s a big sacrifice.”

She laughed. “It’s not beyond him. He has tried to sacrifice me twice. The first time to your brother, and now to the Bull. My father loves the business, but he never loved me.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “Not true. Remember the pony party you had for your seventh birthday?” Her father had brought in a dozen Shetlands for her party. What I remembered was how her mother screamed when they ate her roses.

“It all changed when my mother died. One minute she was planning my birthday party, and the next she was dead. After that, my father acted like he hated me. Like somehow I was the reason for everything awful in his life.”

I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Katya. I forgot your mom died right before your birthday.”

“It’s old news, but can you believe I haven’t celebrated since? Not a cake or a card or a present?”

I sat up, forcing her to sit with me. Her legs sat on each side of my thighs, and my erection probed her for entrance. She moved until the head slipped inside, and she sighed. “This is what I give myself in advance of my birthday.” This time, the pace and pressure were determined by her. She gave, and I took. She took, and I gave her every inch I had. Bouncing on my shaft, she grabbed my hand and pressed my thumb to the exact place she needed friction. I stroked and rubbed. Her breaths came jagged and edgy. She bit her lips closed and rocked on top of me until she found the release she sought. When her insides fluttered against me, I jumped off the cliff with her. She swayed gently as if to get every last good feeling owed to her.

When we caught our breaths, she looked down at me. Softness not normally found on Katya’s face emerged. She lifted my shirt and traced the border of my scar. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

I covered her hand. “It wasn’t your fault.”

She frowned and climbed off my body. While I lay naked on the sofa, she hurried to dress. “Yes, it was my fault.”

I swung my feet to the floor and reached for my pants. While I pulled them up, I said, “This was your father’s fault. He sent me to prison. He had me stabbed.” Her face had gone pale. “I hate that you have to marry Sergei, but if he kills your father, I won’t hate it too bad.”

Katya slipped on her shoes and walked to the other side of the room. “I need to tell you something.”

I finished dressing and went to the bookshelf and opened the bar. I poured us each a shot of top-shelf vodka.

“Is this where you tell me you seduced me to get my child inside of you? How the best way to get back at your father is to put a Wilde in the mix to inherit?”

She looked appalled. “No, although no one would have to kill my father, he’d die from heart failure if a Wilde stood to inherit his kingdom. Besides, if I carried your child, he’d kill me to get rid of us both.”

Something feral rose up inside of me. “If you were carrying my child, I wouldn’t let him near you.”

Her hand went to her stomach. “I’m not carrying your child. You’re safe.”

I offered her a drink, and she moved close enough to take it, then moved back to safety across the room. Whatever she was going to tell me required distance.

“What the hell do you want to tell me that requires this space between us?” I pointed between her and me.

She brought the shot to her lips and tipped it back. A shudder raced down her body. “You are angry at my father for things he didn’t do.”

I emptied my glass and slammed it on the desk. “Now you’re protecting him. He’s whoring you out. You owe him no loyalty.”

Her head fell forward. “I just whored myself out to you because after what I tell you, you’ll never want to be with me again. You think marrying Sergei is the worst thing that will happen to me?”

I tried to rise, but she held out her hand and shook her head. “Remember our kiss last night?”

“It’s my second favorite memory with you, but nothing will top today. By the way, why did you tell me it was our second kiss?”

She took in a long, deep breath that seemed to straighten her spine and pull back her shoulders. “Sergei kissed me to seal our arrangement. I didn’t want his lips on me, so I closed my eyes and pretended they were yours.” Her eyes glassed over, and a tear ran down her cheek. She swiped at it and continued.

“Come here and let me kiss you again.”

She shook her head. “I can’t because when I touch you, I realize how much I’ll be missing for the rest of my life. So, I’m going to make this easy for both of us. I’m going to tell you something that will make you hate me, and then I’m going to leave.”

I know my expression showed my confusion. My forehead ached with the pressure from my scowl.

“I got through prison thinking about you. I felt guilty each day I pictured you when I pleasured myself. You were supposed to be my brother’s wife. Nothing could make me hate you more than I hated myself.”

She took a step forward but rocked back to her place against the wall. I’d give her the space she thought she needed until she was finished. Then I’d kiss the hell out of her so she’d remember what we shared until I could figure out a way to free her from her engagement. I glanced down at her hand. The bastard hadn’t even put a ring on her finger. That would have been the first thing I’d done.

“Go on,” I said. “Try to make me hate you.”

Her lips moved, but nothing came out. Her hand brushed through her hair. Long strands fell over her eyes when she looked down to the ground.

“I called the feds. It was me who sent you to prison.”

Before I knew it, I was out of my chair and had Katya pinned to the wall with my hand around her throat. Not hard enough to choke her, but enough to send the message that I could strangle the life out of her if I wanted.

The floor fell out from under me. Everything I knew about that day was a lie. All the anger I harbored and the revenge I planned was misplaced. While I still hated Yuri and held him responsible for my father’s death, I hated his daughter more. “You ruined my damn life.”

She pushed my hand away and sucked in a breath. “I saved your life.”

I looked at the beautiful woman who rocked my world minutes ago and destroyed it seconds later. For years, her memory had soothed my pains and sorrows. I’d survived prison knowing I’d saved her from her father’s wrath. When Alex came to visit and told me he wasn’t marrying Katya, my hopes buoyed that maybe there could be some chance for us.

I was no longer in the game, and she wanted out, but knowing she put me in the position to get me killed was unforgivable.

I unlocked the door and swung it open. “I’m saving yours because if you don’t leave now, I might kill you myself.”

She raced past me. A stunned Mrs. Price picked up the coffee she’d brought me and shoved it into my chest. It splashed my shirt, leaving a stain over my heart.