"My uncle would've knocked me unconscious if I forgot any of them." He grins and takes a sip of his wine. "Ro drilled that into me good…" His chest relaxes, but his expression turns slightly sad for a moment. I wonder what his uncle Roman was doing spending so much time in his life. Other than what he's toldme, I know nothing about Kazimir. I don't know what sort of a childhood he had, or parents.
"Smart man," I tell him, finding myself wondering about him more than I should. Bogdan warned me when this was all about Roman Kuzin not to get too interested in his personal life. I know the more I know about him, the more it humanizes him, and the more likely I'll grow a conscience and fail. But what the heck am I supposed to talk about on a first date if not getting to know him?
"He'd love to hear you say that." Kazimir relaxes back into his chair and the nervous energy starts to drain out of him. "Did your brothers lecture you about how to behave tonight?" His eyes sparkle with humor as he asks, and I know he's joking. After what happened at the gala, he probably thinks they're overprotective of me.
I tuck my hair behind my ear and smile at him. "How to survive dinner with a man who's trying to impress me." I can't give away anything. By now, he may even have checked me out to know who I am and who my brothers are. Though, if that were the case, I'm sure he wouldn't be coming back for more.
He laughs again, and the couple at the next table glances over at us. They don't seem amused, but I'm actually enjoying myself.
"My family is complicated. Lots of brothers, lots of opinions about what I should be doing and who I should be doing it with." I trace the rim of my glass with one finger and watch his eyes follow the movement. "I don't get a lot of say in my own life, if I'm being honest."
My chest feels hollow as I speak about the guys. The best way to tell a lie is to keep it as true to the truth as possible so you don'thave to feign emotions or try to remember all the loose threads. I do hate how they control me, and they don't give me a lot of say. None of that is made up, and neither is the emotion all over my face as I say it.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is." I sigh and then force a smile because if I get too real, this won't go the way it needs to go. "That's why tonight feels good. I get to be here because I want to be, not because someone told me to." That one lands deep for both of us. I have to fake a grin completely, and he warms to me, leaning forward.
I can see it in the way his expression changes, and he looks at me like he wants to fix every hard thing I've ever been through. Men are predictable when you give them something to protect. Especially men in my world. They all feel like they're heroes and bodyguards, waiting to bash in a bad guy's face to save the damsel. I'm not a damsel—far from it—but Kazimir wants to be the hero.
I can work with that.
The rest of the night goes smoothly, dinner and drinks, more conversation and laughter, and when he slides a few bills into the folder to pay the check and stands, offering me his hand, I take it and walk with him to the door. I've had a decent time with him, and now we're at the moment of truth. Have I sold myself well enough that Kazimir Kuzin is willing to invite me to dinner again? Or will he say goodbye and send me on his way?
We step through the door into a light mist of cool rain and he turns to me, sliding his coat off his shoulders to drape around mine. I hug my clutch to my chest as he leans in and pressesa soft kiss to my lips. It makes warmth sink down through my body all the way to my toes.
"We got interrupted the other night," he whispers, "and I never got a chance to show you my place."
I smile against his lips and say, "You want to show me your place?"
"I want to show you more than my place, Zora." His lips linger as he nips and sucks at my lower lip. "Come home with me."
His words are not a question, and I have no protest.
I'm in.
And my brothers are gonna have to eat their words for thinking I may fail.
"I'd love to," I say as his hands grip my hips.
And I have a feeling I'm gonna love what this man does to my body too.
7
KAZIMIR
Idrive Zora to one of our safehouses but we don't make it past the hallway. Her back hits the wall before I've got the door closed and her mouth is already on mine, hands pulling at my jacket, shoving it down my arms. I let it fall and kick the door shut behind me and press into her until there's no space between us.
"Greedy girl," I say with a smirk as her fingers go to my shirt and she yanks the top three buttons open, pulling it over my head while I'm still trying to get my arms free. It catches on my wrist and she laughs into my mouth, but the laugh quickly turns into a moan when I pin her hips to the wall with mine and she feels how hard I am.
"God, you're hot," she groans, grinding her hips against mine.
I slide my hands up her thighs, pushing the red dress with them, bunching the fabric at her waist. Her skin is hot and smooth under my palms and I grip the backs of her thighs and lift. She wraps her legs around me and locks her ankles at my lower backas I carry her across the room with her mouth on my neck, her teeth dragging along the tendon below my ear.
The dining table is the first flat surface I reach, and as bad as I want her, I'm not going any farther. I set her on the edge and find the thin straps on her shoulders and pull them down, one side, then the other. The dress drops to her waist to expose her chest and she's not wearing a bra. Her breasts are bare and full and her nipples are tight and dark.
"Holy shit," I groan as I duck my head and take a nipple into my mouth and suck, and the sound she makes spurs me on. Her fingers dig into the back of my skull and her spine curves toward me, pushing herself deeper into my mouth as I drag my teeth across the peak. Then she hisses through her teeth and I feel her shudder.
"Fuck. Do that again," Zora moans, holding my head still until I do it again.
