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“I am complicated because of the life I chose.”
“Aren’t we all?” She sipped her iced water. “But, you honestly intrigue me. I feel there’s so much to you, and all I’m seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“That is American slang?”
She grinned. “Yes. We’re great at slang, aren’t we? Do you know what I meant?”
He nodded his head. “I took an advanced immersion course in English when I was in the military. My friend, Alex Kazak, did not. He never could grasp contractions. And he’s awful at slang. But,” and he gave her an amused glance, “I don’t pretend to be a complete expert on American slang, either.”
Daria laughed outright.
Her laughter riffled through him like a lover’s caressing hands. It was a rich, full-bodied sound, husky, straight from Daria’s heart. His chest expanded with so many emotions that Nik couldn’t process them all. But among them was happiness. It had been such a foreign feeling to him. Untilshewalked into his life. The sparkle in Daria’s eyes whispered through him. There was real joy radiating from her to him. And that delicious mouth of hers that he’d tasted earlier, and instantly become addicted to, was his undoing.
CHAPTER 6
Daria could feelthe tension in Nik as they ate their dinner. It was nothing obvious, but it was there. They sat close enough together so as not to be overheard because of the booth he’d chosen.
“Are you concerned about Brudin watching us?” and she saw him hesitate fractionally as he lifted the fork to his mouth. The change in Nik, just from a clothes standpoint, was amazing. They were out in a jungle where sweat and high humidity were the norm. Yet, tonight, he looked like a self-assured corporate lion. His confidence was rock solid and she knew he’d become that way through his life as a black ops soldier.
“Yes. Korsak always sends Brudin to do his bidding.”
“Do you think you’ll be hit with a lot of questions when you get back to the hotel tonight?” She cut some of the carrots on her plate with her knife and fork. They’d been drizzled with local Peruvian honey and were amazing. She saw the corner of his mouth draw in fractionally in place of a verbal reply, and then she continued, “I take it that’s a ‘yes’?”
He met and held her gaze. “Brudin is a bully. He lives to hurt others.”
“Do you think they’ll buy our burgeoning relationship?”
“Yes. Tomorrow? I want to pick you up around tena.m. There’s a lot of different trails around Aguas Calientes. The Pachamama trail, which winds around her base south of town, along the railroad tracks. I’d like to take you there. We need to verify your cover as a Kiev university botanist in hunt of local orchids.” He gave her a slight smile. “That particular trail is loaded with orchids hanging off the branches of the trees all along either side of it.”
“Mmm, sounds nice. Away from prying eyes too?”
“Can’t assume it. Brudin knows how to hide and trail with the best of them. We’re going to assume they have eyes on us any time we’re together, unless I tell you different.”
She felt her lower body twinging with need again as he gave her that dark, heated look of his. How she wished she could kiss Nik again. It wouldn’t even be to show Korsak’s team. It would be because she wanted to. The memory of his strong mouth cherishing hers was…unforgettable!
“Have you given any thought to staying overnight with me in my apartment?” she asked.
“Yes.” He wiped his mouth with his white linen napkin before putting it back across his lap. “They’ve never seen me have a woman in my life until now. But they know I’m a cautious person, a conservative one.” He frowned and cut into his beef steak. “I’ve given a lot of thought to this, Daria. I think by the third night, I can stay with you all night, and the team will expect it. If I do it too soon, it may come off looking fake and raise their suspicions. On the second night, I’d like to spend about an hour with you on the plans when we go back to your apartment. I can get you up to speed on the villages we frequent. There’s pictures I can draw for you that will help everyone, including the Army Special Forces team that is trying to shadow Korsak. Staying over will have to wait for a few more days.”
She thought about Nik being in that apartment with her. “You know them, so I’ll trust whatever you say.”
He studied her for a moment. “Trust me, I would like to go home with you and stay all night.”
Daria wasn’t sure how he meant it. To love her? To finish that kiss in the bedroom? Or to give her the information she was seeking that would help the Army teams shadowing Korsak? It wasn’t something she could ask lightly about out in public. “Whatever you think will work best to convince them is fine by me.” She saw the look in his shadowed blue eyes and felt a powerful longing within him. It was sweet, sharp and poignant. Nik opened his mouth, but then frowned and shut it. What was it that he’d wanted to say to her?
Nik walked Daria up the flight of wooden stairs to the door of her apartment. Overhead, going on tenp.m. now, the white, gauzy clouds had lowered to just above the town still rocking with drums, flutes and wandering tourists crowded on either side of the street. He followed Daria up the stairs. It was chilly, and the dampness ate into his clothes. He enjoyed the view of her hips swaying in front of him, his fingers itching to cover those shapely cheeks and feel her warmth and her mouth upon his once more. It was impossible to wipe that kiss from his mind and heart.
The nape of his neck prickled in warning and Nik knew Brudin was nearby. Probably invisible somewhere in the crowd below, watching. Always watching. Reaching the platform in front of the brightly-painted red wooden door, he took the keys Daria had in hand and opened it for her. The humidity had made the tendrils of dark hair around her face soft, and his heart took off.
“I need to kiss you goodnight,” he said in a low, gritty voice, slipping the keys into her awaiting hand. He saw her give him a playful smile as she placed them into her purse.
“Yes, Brudin would expect that.” She slid the strap of her purse over her left shoulder and lifted her arms, sliding them around his shoulders. “I’m looking forward to it…,” and she leaned upward as his hands cupped her shoulders, gently drawing her against him. There was a hint of confusion in Nik’s eyes for a split second. Did he not want to kiss her? If she had any question about that, he expunged it by leaning over, his mouth brushing hers gently ‘hello’, as if asking permission. Daria felt the tension within him as his fingers curved around her back, drawing her closer until her breasts lightly came up against his jacket and chest. His breath was warm and she opened her lips, wanting more contact with him. Daria thought she heard him groan, but wasn’t sure. His mouth slid across hers, capturing her, and Daria felt heat flood her lower body. This was a man who wanted to kiss her. If he was unsure, it didn’t feel like it now as he coaxed open her lips more, sipping from her like a bee gathering nectar from a flower.
Daria felt cherished, and sensed his wanting to take her along with him. This was no raw, sexual kiss. This was a man exploring the woman he held in his arms, almost worshipfully, as he caressed her lips, deepening their sacred connection. A small sound of pleasure vibrated in her throat as he brought her fully against him, his mouth masterful, stirring her to bright, aching life. She was lost in him, in his scent, in his strength that he monitored as he claimed her mouth more surely. Daria wanted so much more. Nik felt solid and trustworthy against her. She knew without proof that he would protect her, that impression swirling around her. She could feel him guarding her and she knew obliquely, through the heat and fire flaring to life within her, that he would give his life for her without hesitation.
That jolted her. Daria felt as if they were in telepathic connection with one another, feeling his intense, consuming hunger wrapping around her own, his mouth taking hers to a level where she could no longer think, only feel. Onlyneed.
As their mouths reluctantly parted, her breath was shallow, and as fast as his. She lifted her lashes, staring up into his stormy, blue gaze. He held her solidly against him and she could feel his erection pressing insistently into her belly, flares of heat throbbing down through her.
