Page 25

I rubbed my head and paced back and forth. It felt good to move as I ran through the situation. Alina at the gates, offering to trade me for information. Alina sending the phone and the picture. Alina messaging Nora’s tablet. Thank god she hadn’t sent the picture to the tablet. At least she wasn’t that insane. “So, Alina’s boyfriend worked for you, and he was killed when the money was taken. She never says a word, until today.” I knew my sister better than anyone, and this reeked of subterfuge. “The only thing that makes any sense is that she doesn’t want me to trust you. Right? She thought she’d send the picture, I’d freak out, then not believe your story. Or I’d ask, you’d refuse to tell me, and I’d still freak out.” The longer I talked it out, the more sense it made.

Alina didn’t want me to trust them, but how was I supposed to trust her?

“She came to see me right after.” I willed the memory to come back. I’d been so shocked to see her, especially after she begged me to take her place at the masquerade. “She had a suitcase full of new clothes…and bruises on her wrists. She told me to forget it ever happened.”

I hadn’t been able to. How could I when I had Nora and some very spicy memories of what heaven felt like? My cheeks heated and I turned away from them before they could see.

Kirill shifted, his chin dropping slightly. “Maybe we should all take a seat. We’ll fill you in on what happened.” At a look from Maksim, his eyes darkened. “She’s right. We could hide information, but we’d be shooting ourselves in the process. I’d rather not, thank you very much.” He rotated his arm, showing a gash in the sleeve and blood underneath. “And if Roman would be so kind, I’d appreciate a bandage.”

Half an hour later, Kirill’s arm was wrapped in a thick bandage, and they’d filled me in on Sokolov and a man trying to sneak into the archive. I had no idea what either meant, but now I knew for sure how I’d ended up at the auction. Half an hour after that, the compound had been declared secure enough to release everyone from the shelters. Nora ate a grilled cheese sandwich and fell asleep against my chest. It wasn’t even nighttime, but I had a sneaking suspicion she needed the extra rest. I carried her to the bedroom they’d prepared for her, a room Maksim had shown me when the attack first started. After putting her in bed and tucking her in, I pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and made sure her favorite stuffed animal was under her arm, then kissed her cheek and settled on the edge of the bed to watch her.

It had been a shit day. I needed a little time to acclimate, and there was no better way than sitting in a dark room illuminated by one lamp and watching my daughter breathe.

Five years ago, I’d left a masquerade mortified because I’d slept with three strangers. Today I’d learned those same men were not at all what I’d thought. My life had officially become too dramatic to explain at school pickup.

The door eased open behind me, and Miss Helen slipped inside. She took one look at me sitting rigidly on the mattress and lowered herself into the chair by the window. “Go wash your face and talk to them. I’ll watch her.”

“What if she wakes up?” I shouldn’t leave. Nora had faced so much upheaval in the last few days. My body twinged with an awakening desire I had no right to feel after what they’d done to me.

Miss Helen tsked. “Then she’ll find someone who loves her sitting close by.” She shooed me out the door with a grin and a wink. “It’s all right, honey. You’ve been kidnapped and endured an attempted hostile takeover. You deserve this.”

Did I? I couldn’t reconcile my want with everything else that had happened, but I stood, kissed Nora’s warm cheek, and forced myself to leave.

Roman leaned against the wall in the living area while Kirill paced near the door leading into the hallway.

“Do you make lurking outside children’s bedrooms a habit, or am I getting special treatment?” The relief I felt at seeing all of them dulled the sarcasm and lowered my shoulders from where they’d hiked up to my ears.

Kirill stopped in front of me. “You deserve special treatment.”

In that case…I locked my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. “I don’t want to talk about Alina, Kmitri, or Sokolov. I don’t want to think about anyone.”

“What do you want?” Roman held perfectly still, offering me the world with that one question.

I bit my lip and considered my answer. Nothing about wanting them should’ve been easy, but heat curled in my stomach when Kirill’s attention dropped to my mouth.

Roman’s stayed on my eyes, and I held his gaze. “I want one thing about today to belong to me.” My voice shook, pissing me off enough that I squared my shoulders. “I want you to come to my room.” I nodded at each of them, including Maksim who’d tucked his body into a corner and stood watching us from the shadows.

Kirill’s teasing warmth disappeared, leaving a darkness behind that sent spikes of desire pulsing through my body. “Anika.”

“If you ask whether I’m sure, I might change my mind just to spite you.” I tried to smile, but it wobbled at the edges. Today had been too much, and it was starting to wear on me.

Roman’s mouth twitched, and he held out a hand. “Lead the way.”

My room was at the far end of the hall, close enough Miss Helen could find me but with several heavy doors between us. Roman closed the last door while Kirill took my hand. “You control this.”

“I know.” I caught the front of his shirt and pulled him toward me. “And right now, I want you to kiss me.”

His mouth crashed into mine, hot and hungry. He cupped the back of my head, his fingers splayed through my hair and angling me for a delicious sweep of his tongue into my mouth. The feel of it, of him, tore a sound from my throat that was pure desire. He swallowed it with a groan and drew me against him, letting me feel every hard line, including the press of his cock against my softness.

I reached around Kirill and caught Roman’s wrist. He came toward me the instant I tugged, fitting his body to my back and brushing my hair away from my neck. His kiss caressed the spot beneath my ear that made my knees go weak. I broke Kirill’s kiss and twisted in their arms. “Your turn.”

Roman gripped my jaw, searching my face before his mouth covered mine. He kissed with slow, aching precision and infuriating control. I bit his lower lip, and a growl vibrated through his chest.

Behind me, Kirill slid both hands beneath my sweater, roaming over my stomach before he cupped my breasts through my bra. I arched into him while Roman dragged the sweater over my head and tossed it aside. Maksim was in the room with us, but he’d moved too far away to reach, his eyes twin coals gleaming as he watched.

Kirill unhooked my bra while Roman pulled the straps down my arms, both of them watching as my breasts came free. Heat rushed into my face, but I refused to cover myself. I’d been stripped naked in front of them against my will. This time, I pushed my leggings and underwear down together and stepped out of them because it was my choice, and I chose to stand naked and vulnerable in front of them.

Kirill’s smile vanished. He sank to his knees and ran his hands up the backs of my calves, over my thighs, then spread me with his thumbs. His breath rushed out, and I clenched around the sudden feel of his hands so close to my core.