"Give me your word you won't screw me on this."
My heart rattles in my chest. I was planning to do exactly that, and he knows it.
I shift in the tight space, my hands braced against his chest, my wrists hurting from angling the gun away from him and to his side.
"Like you were going to do?" I whisper back.
Victor's lips curve into a faint smile.
"Yes," he admits. "But we're dead if we try and separate. And I don't want you dead. And honestly, I don't care if you keep a copy. As long as I get one too."
I hesitate. My priority is getting the intel to Ivan. If Victor wants a copy, fine. As long as he doesn't stop me from delivering mine. Even if there is intel on it he could use, Ivan can have all those routes changed in days, and Victor would operate on outdated information.
"Well, I don't want to see you dead either, so fine," I whisper as the footsteps outside start to fade. "Anything else?"
Victor shifts in the cramped space, and his hand slides farther down from my waist, gripping my ass firmly, possessively.
"Since you mentioned it," he says, his voice low and rough. "And since I probably won't have another opportunity..."
He leans down and kisses me.
For a split second, I freeze. The sheer arrogance of it, kissing me here, now, with armed men hunting us.
It should infuriate me, but it doesn't.
Heat floods through me, burning away every rational thought. The air in the tiny closet evaporates, leaving only the taste of him, the pressure of his mouth on mine, the weight of his hand pulling me closer.
I shove him off, gasping for breath. My lips tingle. My pulse roars in my ears.
"You asshole," I say too loudly.
Victor smiles.
And then, without thinking, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him back.
Hard, and with everything I've got. It's fierce and full of a primal hunger and something darker.
His grip tightens, fingers digging into my skin. The kiss turns raw, desperate, claiming, like it was something that had to be done.
His tongue explores my mouth, and it sends a warm sensation low in my belly as I feel myself getting wet.
His mouth moves against mine with bruising intensity as I feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against my hip. A hot, dangerous thrill shoots through me that, if it were any other moment, I'd let him pull this dress off, turn me around, and fuck me right against the wall.
Then, in the middle of all my whirling emotional thoughts, he pulls away.
We stare at each other in the darkness, chests heaving.
"I have a boat," he says.
I lick my lips, still tasting him.
"Where?"
"There's a dock behind the hotel. We just need to get to it."
I bite my lip, shaking my head.
"The entire hotel is crawling with armed men now."
