Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60377 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60377 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
“Naturally.”
I walked around the desk, and she took a step back. The move was instinctive and told me clearly, the lust I felt wasn’t one-sided. She wanted me too. We faced each other, and I felt it instantly. We were natural born adversaries. We’d fight like cats and dogs at every turn. Even if I wanted to hire her, I couldn’t.
“Because …” I said, and shot out a hand. My movement so quick and unexpected, she didn’t even have a chance to react. I pulled her towards me and her luscious curves slammed into my body. So hard, she gasped, her mouth falling open with astonishment…and excitement. No mistaking that!
“Of this,” I murmured as my mouth crashed down on hers.
For at least a whole instant, she remained so shocked she was frozen, then she began to struggle.
I didn’t let go. I waited for the natural desire between us to burst into flames.
And it did.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I thought it would be.
It wasn’t a fire, it was a volcano that erupted between our bodies. We devoured each other, my hands slipped to her ass and squeezed. It was a fine ass. I could already see it bare and my palm-print on it. I could tell she was completely and utterly lost. I could have taken her right there on my desk.
And I would have.
If I didn’t have the urgent problem of finding a nanny for little Yulia. No, I’ll save this flower for later. I lifted my head and looked into her eyes. They were half-dazed with lust. Yes, she was irretrievably lost.
She blinked. Once, twice, thrice.
Then she made her own move. She stepped back, swung her arm forward, and caught my cheek in a stinging slap.
It would’ve galled her to know, I could have stopped her hand at any time from the moment she decided to do it, but I wanted to feel the violence I had aroused in her. It felt good to see her face become pale when she realized what she’d done. No one had ever caused her to lose control in that way before. The kiss was one thing. The slap. She’d never imagined herself capable of such a base thing as violence. A pulse fluttered like a bird in her throat.
I smiled.
She stared at me in disbelief for another few seconds, then she turned on her heel and walked quickly out. She didn’t bother to close the door so I watched her ramrod straight back as she crossed the music room. As she got halfway down the room, I saw a small figure slip out from behind the heavy curtains and approach her.
The affronted nanny came to a sudden stop.
As I watched in amazement, my niece curled her hand around April Winter’s middle finger and looked up at her.
Oh, fuck!
Chapter 3
April
Blood was rushing so fast in my veins I could feel it thundering in my ears as I stared down in amazement at the little child staring up at me. I knew immediately who she was. She was the niece, the girl I was supposed to care for. Her eyes were dark pools of some deep emotion, and yet she took the bold step of slipping her cold little hand into mine.
In an instant, I forgot what had happened a few moments ago. Poor little thing was suffering. I took a deep breath. No matter how I felt about her uncle, I had to be as gentle with her as I would have been with a spooked deer. “Hello.”
From a pocket in her dress, she fished out a small pad. It had a pencil hanging off it by a ribbon and began to write on it. Solemnly, she tore off the page and handed it to me.
Don’t Go
I shook my head and looked at her sadly. Something about her tugged at my heart. It made me hate her uncle even more. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
Her chin wobbled and her eyes filled with tears. She sniffed and wrote even more furiously on her pad. Tearing it off, she held it out to me.
I took it and read it.
Don’t leave me
I got down on my haunches. “It’s not that I want to leave you, but I didn’t get the—”
“Miss Winters,” a deep voice called from behind me.
The child jumped, then gave me one last imploring look before she ran away.
I straightened. I could feel my anger return as quickly as it had gone when the child approached me. I turned around.
Yuri Volkov’s tall, intimidating frame was filling the doorway to his office. There was no expression on his handsome face. “Will you come into my study, please?”
I didn’t want to go. I honestly didn’t, but I felt my feet move as if I was a puppet on a string. I had no control. As I reached the door to his dark-wood paneled study, he took a step back to allow me to enter.