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“You know, sweetheart, if you wanted to get my attention, there was no need to make a mess. You already have it.”
5
ALICE
Embarrassment managedto overtake desire as she started to collect the towels that she dropped to the floor. It was her first day cleaning this place, and she’d already made a fool of herself. She didn’t really know much beyond the basics anyway - dust, polish, vacuum - so she was already faking her way through this. She didn’t need to draw any attention to herself, especially if she was going to try to get into one of the rooms that was off-limits.
When she saw a large group of men leave the house and Alek go upstairs, she’d grabbed the freshly laundered towels and hurried down this hallway to see if she got lucky enough for the office to have been left unlocked. She didn’t anticipate finding Nickolay here, much less running into him.
She started to refold the towels right there on the floor, knowing that it was clean because sweeping the downstairs was the first thing that Chloe asked her to do this morning. To her surprise, Nickolay got done on his knees and started to help her.
“You don’t have to do that.” she said.
“I know.”
But he didn’t stop. They both refolded the stack of towels until there was only one left, and they both reached for it at the same time. Alice froze as their fingers brushed, causing a reaction in her body. Heat flooded her system, and a tingling sensation ran up her arm. Her eyes snapped to his face, but he was already staring at her lips with a hunger that made her want to lean forward, closing the distance between them.
The implications of that compulsion snapped her out of it, and she grabbed the towel, pulling it away. She refused to meet his eyes as she folded it, wondering what the hell was going on. Why were sparks flying between the two of them? They were strangers!
She didn’t need this distraction. With all of the towels refolded, she planned to put them away and get back to work, hoping that another opportunity to get into the office would present itself. Gathering the ones she refolded in her arms, she stood. Nickolay took his half and followed her into the bathroom. It didn’t occur to her to object until they were in the small space together.
She placed the towels on the shelf in the linen closet in the bathroom and turned to find him right behind her, so close that she had to tilt her head back to look up into his face. He didn’t wait for her to move before reaching around her to place his towels on the shelf, and only inches separated them.
Alice’s entire body flared to life, her nipples tightening and her pulse racing. He seemed to surround her, his heat and scent giving her a heady feeling.
He stepped back a moment later, but he was still so close that she couldn’t leave the bathroom without brushing past him. She was just debating whether or not she should do that when he rested an arm against the doorframe of the linen closet, his eyes roaming down her body. She was wearing jeans and a blue polo shirt, simple clothes that were suitable for cleaning, but the gleam in his eyes suggested that he liked what he saw.
“I was hoping that I’d run into you again,” he said, oozing charm. “How are you liking your first day on the job?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not exactly changing the world here, but the pay is good.”
Hell, it was great. Alek was wealthy and apparently, he was willing to pay well for good help.
“And what about you?” she asked. “You’re hanging out here in the middle of the afternoon two days in a row. Don’t you have a job?”
“I own a business. A car dealership. But I have a great general manager, so it pretty much runs itself these days.”
A car dealership.That was a good front for the mafia. She tried not to let her thoughts show on her face, but Nickolay must have sensed that something cooled her desire, because he suddenly moved further back, giving her plenty of space.
What a shame.
No, damn it. They were both lying to each other. This wasn’t the kind of situation that she could afford to let herself get swept up in. Nickolay wasn’t the Pakhan, and even if he was, sleeping with him wasn’t supposed to be a part of the job, so she needed to cool her jets.
But it seemed that Nickolay wasn’t thinking the same way. “Why don’t you come to dinner with me tonight?”
“What?” Her jaw dropped. Flirting and a few heated looks were one thing, but a date? That wasn’t something she expected at all.
“Not enough notice? How about this weekend then?”
She couldn’t help laughing. “I…don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“And why is that?” he asked, seeming unbothered.
I’m an FBI agent and you’re a criminal.
“It just isn’t.”
“Well, if you change your mind, feel free to text me,” he said, pulling a business card out of his pocket and holding it out to her.
