AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Then the stream of moonlight allowed me to catch a shadow on his face. When I reached out, touching his cheek, he recoiled. “What happened?”
He took my hand, bringing it to his lips, rolling them back and forth. “Do not ask questions that I cannot answer.”
A cold shiver slipped all the way down to my toes. I’d allowed myself to be fooled by the time we’d spent, almost as if I could ignore the fact he was a brutal man. The reminder furrowed in my mind, thoughts spinning out of control.
“Alexei.”
“Shush,l’vitsa. Tonight is for us.”
Us. Did he really believe there could ever be an ‘us’?
“You left the room,” he stated as he stared out at the ocean.
“You already said that. I’m thirty feet from the door on a fairly private beach in an exclusive resort. I don’t think any boogeymen are hiding behind trees in the off chance the fuck buddy of some dangerous mafia organization will just happen to stop by.”
He turned his head slowly, his jaw clenching. “Stephanie, I realize you’ve only been party to one side of the kind of life I lead. That has you at a disadvantage. You have no real comprehension about how dangerous my life can be.”
“Why are you telling me any of this, Alexei? You know I’m an officer of the court. Anything you say I could be forced to use.”
“I know the laws as well as you do, my lioness. Please don’t try to play me. As far as why I’m sharing anything about my life with you, given you learned my identity, it would be dishonorable of me to keep the reality of what I face every day from you. That being said, it’s important for you to understand that I have enemies in every country in the world. They would stop at nothing to try and infiltrate my operations or destroy my family in its entirety. Anyone who gets in their way is fresh game.”
“I feel sorry for you,” I said as an answer, my throat tightening as I thought about the man at the bar as well as the figure I’d seen sometime before. There wasn’t a chance I could live as if in a prison. I was surprised he didn’t have armed guards with him. Hell, maybe he did and one of them had been the person in the shadows.
“Don’t be. I enjoy my life tremendously.”
I detected truth behind what he’d told me. We sat in silence for a full minute, the tension allowing my muscles to tighten even more.
“You were right about the little store. A seven-dollar bottle of wine that tastes as if it came from the finest winery in the world. The woman behind the counter insisted I try four kinds of cheese before allowing me to purchase anything. You found a treasure, which means you were here before,” he said quietly enough I had to strain to hear him.
“Yes. Once about five years ago and I promised myself that one day I’d return, hoping this hotel had been rebuilt after the devastating hurricane nearly destroyed it. I just love the aging buildings and the courtyard. From what I read, they used to have a band or a piano player. You could sit under the stars and listen to incredible music while drinking wine by candlelight. This is bay water, but they have some of the most incredible pearlescent white sand beaches, water so turquoise and clear that even if you’re in a protected cover, you can see scores of colorful fish and coral.” I took a sip of wine then felt the heat of his gaze. “And I’m going on and on. I’m sorry. I do that when I’m nervous.”
Admitting it to a man like Alexei was out of character for me, but I’d certainly lost every notion of inhibitions around him.
“Why do I make you nervous?”
“Because when I’m with you, I allow my guard to fall. That’s not like me, Alexei. While our two professions are entirely different in some methods used, in several ways they’re just the same. As you’ve so adequately pointed out, I’m a woman in what many to be considered a dangerous profession. I’m certain you’ve researched the cases our office prosecutes. None of the cases are without some level of violence. Murder. Rape. Extortion. Blackmail. I’ve seen the most heinous criminals, men and women I would consider true monsters act as if their crime never hurt anyone. I’ve sat across the table from many who pleaded their innocence while managing to send threatening emails or texts. I’ve changed my phone number at least six times in the last few years. Please don’t assume that I have no real understanding of the kind of man you are or the life you lead.”
His explosive gaze had returned, his eyes boring into me with enough heat my breath was stolen. “Fair enough,l’vitsa. Fair enough. May I suggest we enjoy our… picnic. It’s rare that I’m able to take the time to share with someone special. I wouldn’t want to ruin it by discussing the variances in our respective professions.”
Special. I wasn’t certain I wanted to be his special lady, or his lioness, but breaking away from the moment wasn’t something I was willing to do.
Even monsters deserved a night off.
“Agreed.”
I curled my legs under me, studying him intently. His face was aristocratic, high cheekbones and a broad forehead giving way to his insanely gorgeous eyes. His lips were full, a deep rose in color, the slight hint of stubble crossing his chin adding to the sexiness he exuded.
The moment he shifted his weight on the hammock, the rope swung wildly from side to side. I burst into laughter then slapped my hand over my mouth. He lifted his eyebrows then for the first time broke into a grin.
“It’s obvious I haven’t been on a hammock in years,” he admitted. “If ever.”
“Then you’ve been missing out. Hammocks are the most relaxing piece of furniture in the world.”
“I wouldn’t call this a piece of furniture.” When he reached for the bag on the sand, he almost tipped us over again.
“Why don’t you let me do that?” I reached down, steadying the swinging ropes by placing my other hand on the sand before grabbing the bag.
“You’re an expert at this.”
