He watched her brush her hair out of her face, and it hung loosely over her shoulders. Nikolai followed the wave of a long raven curl with the tips of his fingers. He grasped her chin gently, as he had so many times in the past when he’d wanted her attention.
“You’re everything to me. If you believe nothing else. Please believe that ” he whispered before clasping her face in his hands and bringing her lips to his. The kiss was both tender and insistent as his tongue sought eagerly to rejoin hers in the dance they had begun months before.
They kissed until he thought his heart would break, not from the fear of her power over him, or the pain her loss would mean, but from the exquisite joy he felt in his surrender. Every cell in his body heaved a sigh of yes as if he wasn’t complete unless he possessed this woman.
Harper broke away from the kiss first and nuzzled into Nikolai’s neck. “God. I should not be doing this. No self-preservation whatsoever.”
He felt her smile against him before her tongue teased his pulse point. He moaned and stumbled slightly, his knees weakened, and coherent thought vanished as she discovered one of his many hot spots.
“Hmmm,” she breathed into his ear, “you always like that place.” She trailed her hand down to his chest and deftly unbuttoned his shirt to bare more of his neck.
“Christ, sono pazzo di te.”
He knew she didn’t understand his words, but her smile said she knew what he meant.
“No matter how much I try, I can’t seem to get enough of you,” she whispered before gently sucking and biting along the exposed flesh, her tongue soothing each bite as she went.
Nikolai thrust against her body and groaned inarticulately.
“Cat got your tongue, Nik?” she teased. “Something you want?”
He shuddered as her breath seared his tender flesh and panted, “Ho voglia di te.”
“English, Nik,” she countered and slipped her hand into his open shirt and gently twisted a nipple.
Nikolai rasped out, “I want you.”
“You have me.”
Harper finished unbuttoning his shirt and moved her mouth to the other nipple, teasing and sucking at it.
“Need…nnnehg,” Nikolai stuttered.
He managed to back up a few steps toward the bed before forcibly pulling her head up and capturing her mouth in a sloppy, desperate kiss. It did not aid in his attempts to get her into the bed but did allow him a moment to regain some semblance of control. He took command of the kiss and tugged clumsily at the tie to her bathrobe.
He growled in frustration as the knot held and she giggled into his open mouth, “Tell me, Nikolai. I want to hear you say it.”
He continued to tug blindly at the belt as she kissed him, finally giving up and instead undoing his pants.
“Tell me, Nikolai,” she demanded for the second time.
He pulled away from the kiss and put a hand on each of her shoulders.
“Your tongue. My cock,” he said gruffly. “You naked and on your knees. Now.”
She smiled and reached inside his open pants.
Stroking him through his briefs, she asked, “What else?”
Nikolai gasped as she pressed her hand against him. “Wanna fuck you.” He tore at her robe, abandoning the knotted belt and roughly shoving it off her shoulders and down over her hips instead. “Voglio fare l’amore con te.”
Stepping out of it, Harper slid to her knees and pushed Nikolai’s pants down in a single motion, leaving him clad only in his snug fitting boxer-briefs. She pressed her face against his groin and smiled as she felt his erection twitch eagerly against her cheek. Nikolai sighed in pleasure as she sucked him gently along the length of his cock before closing her mouth around the dampened cloth at its head.
She reached up and tugged at his waistband. Nikolai silently stepped out of the clothing that had pooled at his feet and stood in front of her, naked and hard. “Eager,” she teased as she cupped his balls in one hand and stroked his cock with the other. Nikolai moaned again. “What’s that, Nikolai?”
Nikolai growled, “Suck it. Fucking hell, Harper, just…”
She licked him from balls to tip and then swallowed him deep into her throat, sucking and tonguing him as she slid up his thick shaft before taking him even deeper. She swallowed around him, using her throat muscles to best advantage and enjoying the noises he made each time she did it. He grunted encouragement when she slid up and focused her attention on the glans and teased the slit. She felt his cock swell and knew he would spill into her mouth in mere seconds.
“Oh no,” she scolded and grabbed the base of his cock hard. “Not so soon.”
Nikolai cried out in desperation, “Cazzo!”
“Exactly.”
He pulled her roughly to her feet and slammed his mouth into hers in a bruising kiss. “How the hell did you even know what that meant?”
“I may not speak Italian, but I seem to be fluent in Nikolai,” she said, grinning.
Nikolai covered her mouth with his own. His tongue relentlessly pressed inside, his teeth biting at her lips. She moaned and thrust against him. He kissed and sucked at her neck, breathing hotly against her ear. Harper’s breath hitched as his hands began to explore her breasts, rubbing his thumbs across her nipples.
“So sensitive, aren’t you?” He pulled back and laughed before bending to capture a nipple in his mouth, tonguing it while he stroked the other.
Harper shuddered against him before throwing back her head and crying out in ecstasy. “Something you want?” he mimicked as he slipped his hand between her legs and covered her mouth with his. Harper spasmed as his fingers stroked her. Nikolai panted in a hoarse voice, “So hot…God…so hot…”
“Don’t stop,” she whined in protest, as he slipped his fingers out of her.
Catching her eyes, he slowly and deliberately brought his slippery hand to his mouth. She whimpered as she watched him suck two fingers inside and swirl his tongue around them.
“You’re so sexy,” he whispered before unceremoniously picking her up and carrying her to the bed.
She lay back panting and wild-eyed. “Nik…please,” she implored huskily. “Need…”
“Need what? This?” He spread her legs wide and buried his face between them, sliding his tongue into her folds and teasing mercilessly around and around her throbbing clit. She was so close already, and he knew it. She writhed and thrashed against him, trying to pull him to her but he held her legs down and continued to torment her.
“Nik,” she moaned. “Nik. God. Please…” He circled her clit a few more times before sucking it into his mouth, his tongue stroking against her. “Please, please, please …” she moaned as he increased his pace. He felt her surrender at last as she arched off the bed and howled her release, hot spurts of her delicious juices covered his chin. “Nik, Nik, Nikolai…” she cried as he took her into another climax. Finally, she collapsed on the bed. “Please, I want you inside me now.”
“Thank God. Ho bisogno di essere dentro di te,” he groaned.
He crawled up her prone body and reached for the side drawer, pulling out a condom. Tearing it from the wrapper, he made quick work covering himself and leaned forward, feverishly kissing her as she took him into her. Overwhelmed by her wet heat, he lay still for a moment before he began to move.
“Not gonna last…” he breathed out raggedly. “Wanna…but…”
“Take me,” she demanded and thrust up against him.
They moved together, allowing the moment to gather its own urgency but eventually their bodies demanded more. Nikolai slammed into her with more and more ferocity, crying out hoarsely as her orgasm gripped his cock and he released, shuddering and jerking.
Nikolai collapsed onto her, and Harper held him tightly, stroking his back through the aftershocks.
“Ssshh…ssssh…” she soothed, rocking him slightly while they both calmed.
After several moments, his wits returned, and he rolled off her feeling boneless and pulled her onto his heaving chest. Harper snuggled against him, entwining her legs with his. Neither of them seemed ready to speak or even attempt to clean themselves up. The only sound was Nikolai’s labored breathing and the soft sighs of his contented lover. The air was heavy with the aroma of roses and sex, and words left unsaid.
Holding this woman in his arms, so content and at peace for the first time in years, Nikolai became aware of one extremely important fact.
He was so fucked.
Stepping into the ensuite, Harper reached inside the shower and turned on the hot water, and adjusted the cold tap when it was warm enough. Once she had the temperature just right, she slid under the spray, leaning against the wall and dropping her face into her hands with a groan.
“I’m an idiot,” she mumbled.
She woke up several minutes earlier to a gruff and distant Nikolai telling her that his handler would be there shortly. He then handed her a towel and stormed out of the room, every step more furious than the last. At first, she thought the anger was directed at her, but then she’d seen his eyes. They were filled with confusion, fear, and longing. It broke something inside her.
While she had been asleep, Nikolai had clearly been in further contact with his handler. Whatever happened had set off Nikolai, and Harper had a funny feeling she knew what it was. There was only one way all of this go. If the FBI decided to protect her, they wouldn’t allow her to stay. She doubted Nikolai would either.
Harper let the hot water soak into her bones. Exhaustion, both mental and physical, pulled her down. Finding the effort, Harper quickly scrubbed herself, rinsed off the soap, and wondered what would to happen to her now.
Morbidly grateful she had no family to speak off, she still didn’t want to pack up her entire life and move God knows where and settle in a place where she knew absolutely no one. Starting over had been something she’d done as a child more times than she could count. Harper had thought she had finally put that behind her once she graduated from high school and was no longer a ward of the state.
Losing track of time and her surroundings, at the sound of Nik’s deep voice beside her, Harper jumped and gave a startled yelp.
“Trying to hide in here?”
“Oh hell. Do you mind?”
Ridiculously, she crossed her arms to cover her breasts and turned her body slightly, not that it did much good. Although all she succeeded in doing was to give Nik a better view of her ass, which made the man grin.
Nik’s eyes roamed her body, a flush trailed in their wake. “After what we just did...shit, after what we’ve been doing for the last few months, you’re hiding your body from me now? Really?”
“Just get out.” She tried to compose herself. “It’s got nothing do with hiding. I just need some time to myself, okay?”
All of the teasing in his eyes dimmed as he dropped his gaze to the floor and nodded. “I get that, but I’m afraid we’re out of time. We’ve got company.”
She stiffened. “The good kind or the bad kind?”
“Neither are great, but I suppose you’d could say it was the better option..” Nik looked back up with a small grin. “Now, are you coming out? Or do I have to come in there and get you?”
Harper flushed at the multitude of images that flashed in her mind. God dammit. Self-control woman. “I’ll be out in a second.”
Nik quirked a brow. “Uhuh. Sure you will.”
She blinked in surprise when Nik relented and left the room.
Knowing she couldn’t stay in there forever, Harper bit the bullet and stepped out of the shower, dried off, and dressed quickly in the clothes Nik brought in from the dryer. Then she followed the sound of voices to the living room.
Coming to a stop in the doorway, she felt apprehensive as she peered at the tall, muscular man with raven hair and blue eyes similar to her own. She didn’t exactly feel threatened, but there was an edge to him that left her even more unbalanced, and she hadn’t thought it was possible considering her world had already been turned upside down.
The man’s eyes widened when he saw her, and if she wasn’t mistaken, Harper thought she saw a little...guilt?
“Harper, this is Agent Wilks. My handler,” Nik explained, gesturing for the other man to come inside.
His handler. Right. She knew he was coming for her, though now with Wilks standing there, dread filled her. “I thought Nik said you would be a day or two?”
“I consider this a matter of priority.” Wilks shot Nik an indecipherable look, clearly taking in their disheveled appearance. “I’d hate to think of what other trouble the two of you would have gotten into if left to your own devices.”
She bristled. “I think we’ve dealt with all of this pretty well given the circumstances.”
Wilks raised a brow. “You’ve handled this as well as you could as a civilian, Miss Lockwood. However, Agent Holter has certainly not lived up to expectations.”
“You’re not here for a review, Wilks,” Nik interrupted before Wilks could start on what she assumed was clearly an ass chewing. “What’s the plan?”
“The plan is to get Miss Lockwood out of the city and settled somewhere else. You don’t need to know the details. Then you are to go back to your job and do it properly. If you think you’ve been compromised by this little excursion, then you know what to do.”
It took a moment for the man’s words to sink in, and a few more for her shock to wear off before she finally reacted. “Wait. What do you mean he won’t know where I’m going? You can’t honestly send him back in there.”
“I assure you, Miss Loc–”
“Oh for the love of all that’s holy, don’t call me Miss Lockwood again. It’s Harper.”
“Wait...how did you know her last name was Lockwood?” Nik asked suspiciously.
Harper frowned, glancing between the two men. “You didn’t tell him?”
“No. I didn’t,” Nik bit out, coming to stand between them. “How?”
Wilks glared at Nik. “That’s none of your business. We have more important things to worry about right now. I assure you, Miss L-Harper that–”
“The only thing I want you to assure me is that he’s coming with us.” Harper glanced over at Nik to see him refusing to make eye contact with her. “Nik?”
Nik finally looked at her, resignation clouding his handsome features. “I have a job to do.”
Momentarily at a loss for words, all she could do was glare at the two men. “It’s suicide. Even your handler thinks you royally screwed up. Do you really think this went unnoticed by those people?”
“We don’t know. But I have to find out, and I know what to do if things go bad.” Nik folded his arms across his wide chest. “Three years, Harper. That’s how long I’ve put into this. I can’t just walk away. No matter what, I have to see this through. I have a responsibility.”
She felt a wretchedness of mind she’d never known before. “It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you won’t. Even if they’d let you walk away, you wouldn’t. Would you?”
Nik’s lack of response told her everything.
Harper’s face was flushed with humiliation and anger towards herself, for letting hope rise with her. How could she be so damn stupid?
“I see.” Turning away from him she focused all of her attention on Agent Wilks. “We should probably go if you have everything ready.”
The older man studied her expression and nodded. “I think that’s for the best.”
“Harper, wait.” Nikolai reached for her, but Harper couldn’t stand the thought of him touching her. She couldn’t bear to hear whatever excuse he’d make. Her anguish peaked to shatter the last shreds of her control.
“No. You made your choice. I don’t know why I thought you would be any different. My own family didn’t choose me. How could I expect you to do anything else?” She bit her lip, refusing to let her tears fall. Goddamn it. She was stronger than this shit. “Goodbye, Nik.”
“Har–”
“Yes. Goodbye, Nik,” Agent Wilks said, cutting him off.
As the front door closed, it felt like her entire world had been stolen. Which was crazy. She’d only known Nik for a year, only been with him for a few months. How could he have become her world so quickly, when the last twenty-four hours proved how little she knew about him?
She discreetly wiped a tear that had started to fall and took a deep breath. Harper forced herself to focus on what had to be done. Survival. It was all that mattered. It’s all that could matter.
When they reached a non-descript vehicle parked in front of Nik’s apartment, Agent Wilks opened up the back door.
“You’ll forget him.” Glancing up at Agent Wilks she could see he meant his words to be reassuring. “It’s for the best.”
Something about the words and their tone made her pull back. A hint of memory she couldn’t quite grasp. “Excuse me?”
The older man cleared his throat and gestured to the car. “Nothing. Please get in.”
Frowning, she did as he directed, flinching when the door slammed shut. Wilks made his way around the back of the car and slid in next to her, refusing to make eye contact.
“Where are we going?” she asked growing apprehensive.
Nik said the man could be trusted, but something was wrong.
“We have a safe house outside the city. After we get there, we’ll finalize your documents and have you transported to another location where even I can’t find you.” Wilks finally looked at her, and Harper read sincerity and compassion in his gaze which surprised her. “I promise you’ll be safe. You were always meant to be safe, Harpie.”
The name sent her reeling back towards the door, her breath ragged. “What did you call me?”
Wilks let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Harpie. It’s what I used to call you as–”
“A child,” she finished for him. “What you used to call me as a child. Oh, Jesus. Uncle Collin?”
The man she now recognized as her father’s brother, smiled sadly. “Sorry, kiddo. You were never meant to be involved in this. It’s why I stayed away. I know you have so many questions, and I’ll answer what I can, but right now I need to get you away from here. You have no idea what you’re mixed up in. I promise you’ll be okay.”
Before she could react, the man sitting in the front passenger seat chuckled, and he shook his head as he twisted around. As he turned, she glimpsed a flash of metal that came to a stop and aimed between her eyes. Harper froze. For the second time, she found herself face-to-face with a gun.
“Agent Wilks...or is it Uncle Collin?” The man shrugged. “Either way, you really shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Who?” Was all Wilks bit out as he stared the man down.
The gunman grinned easily as though he found the whole thing amusing. “Lorenzo wants to see you.”
A sharp sting as her neck was pricked shocked her. It’s when Harper realized the driver had fired what looked like a tranq gun. A tranquilizer? Seriously?
The edges of her vision began to dim in the low lighting of the car, her extremities slowly losing their sense of touch as Harper lost control over them. Panic like she had never known before welled in her throat. The last thing she remembered before she passed out was her uncle calling her name.