Page 43 of Assassin: Part 1

“The other one is a decoy,” Zakhar calls out. “Someone get our bomb guy here, now! Pakhan, you need to get the hell out of here in case someone tries to set that off when they realize it’s been found out.”

I let them pull me away, but I’m already planning out my revenge in my head. Whoever fucking put that there, is going to pay.

17

ILYA

Iknow I’m not alone before I’m fully awake. My eyes pop open, and I reach for the gun under the adjacent pillow but find nothing. Instead, I look into the eyes of the woman who’s haunted my dreams and thoughts for months.

The same woman I told Zakhar to stop looking for only a few hours ago.

“You,” I rasp, voice husky. I don’t feel fear but a rush of something else. Something hot, volatile, and bordering on obsession.

“Me,” she purrs, her rosy lips pulling up into a pleased smile. She’s lying on her side, head resting on her hand, the shadows shrouding her face doing nothing to diminish her. I don’t think this woman could ever truly hide from me. Even now, my blood hums and my cock thickens. The reaction to this woman is instant. “Hello, pet, did you miss me?”

My brain is screaming at me to be careful. Cautious. The other parts of me are screaming to grab her, pull her into me, and repeat what we started in my office at the club. The taste of her fills my mouth, and I hate her for it.

I don’t move or call for help. I simply watch her.

She’s changed her look again, but not as drastically as before. Her hair is now a strawberry blonde, looking far too tempting on the white sheets it drapes over. Her eyes are the same brilliant blue, but the stud in her nose is missing. Her lips are bare of any lipstick, looking more a dusty-rose color.

I can’t make out what she’s wearing, but I’d have to guess something black.

“Do I dare ask how you got past the guards outside my door and below my window this time?” I keep my voice soft, even. I know she’s been in my room before but still haven’t figured out how. I smelled her in my room for weeks. It was a special kind of hell.

I’m pretty sure I jerked off to the scent of her so much my dick and hand were raw for a week.

Her lips twitch. “And ruin my fun? You should know better than that, Romanov. And don’t dodge my question. Did you miss me?”

Miss her? I give her a bland stare. “You drugged me after fucking me and left me there for my men to find, with a woman who was screaming her head off when she finally came out of it.”

She chuckles softly. “Nothing like a little excitement to end her life, huh? And while you may not realize it, the last thing you needed was me hanging around. I might have gotten trigger-happy with the guards when they came in for daring to let me get that far in the first place.”

I narrow my eyes. “And why the fuck do you care? I don’t even know your name, and you expect me to believe you’re pissed with my men on my behalf?”

She stares at me, the smile dying from her lips. A chill moves down my spine at the look in her eyes. Cold, hard, and a threat that makes me think she’s far more dangerous than any assassin who could get close to me. “They put your life in danger, Ilya. They were very close to dying that day before you’d have ever known I was there. They did nothing to guard your door. I got all the way to you and that whore without anyone so much as stopping me. I fucked with your cameras, and your IT people never alerted you or your brother. Do you think that would make me happy? What if it were someone other than me? Someone who planned on killing you?”

I try not to react to her saying my name and not that ridiculous nickname she gave me. The way it rolls off her tongue has my dick hardening even more. Damn it.

“What, you’re saying you don’t want to kill me?” I sit up, frustrated and confused as I turn on the lamp by my bed. She hasn’t moved, and I can see now she’s wearing an all-black outfit, and it’s skintight, showing off every curve. My fingers ache to trace every one, but I lock down the urge.

She huffs and rolls from her side to her back, crossing her arms over her chest and staring up at the ceiling. “What is your obsession with thinking I’m going to kill you? Do you know how many times I’ve been able to kill you, pet, and never took that shot? Or swiped my knife across your throat? Do you know how easily I’ve been able to reach you when no one is around to save you?”

The ominous words make me stiffen. “And?”

She glares at me, lips pulling down into a scowl. “I’ve made it very clear, pet, you’re safe from me. I have uses for you, and killing you means those uses will end.”

Could she be any vaguer? “So, what, you want to use me as your own personal sex toy?” I’m only half joking, but I realize quickly that was the wrong damn thing to say.

Her scowl transforms to a grin so fast I have to blink to be sure I’m seeing things right. She pushes up into a sitting position, crisscrossing her legs. “See? I knew you were smart, pet. And don’t tell me you’re insulted at the idea of being a sex toy, because we both know that sex is not going to be a problem between us.”

“I’m not going to be anything of the fucking sort.” Why does she sound like she’s talking long term? A small kernel of hope springs deep in my chest.

Fuck, I’ve lost it. This entire situation has fucked up my head. I should not be excited that this woman sees something between us when I should be capturing her. Torturing her. By any means necessary…

Damn it!

She hums and winks. “We’ll see.” She glances around the room. “You know, I never really paid attention to your room before, but I have to say, it suits you. It’s also terribly fortified to keep people out. I’ll send you some notes to get that updated.”