Hold Me

She would’ve been dead before long in Moscow anyway.

“Did you already negotiate this with the Russians?” I ask as we resume walking.

Lucas nods. “Initially, they tried to say they’d only deal with Sokolov, but I convinced them it wouldn’t be wise to get on your bad side. Buschekov saw the light when I reminded him of the recent troubles at Al-Quadar.”

“Good.” If even the Russians are inclined to accommodate me, then my vendetta against the terrorist organization achieved its intended effect. Not only is Al-Quadar utterly decimated, but my reputation is substantially enhanced. Few of my clients are likely to double-cross me now—a development that promises to be good for business.

“Yes, it’s helpful,” Lucas echoes my thoughts. “She’ll be arriving here tomorrow.”

I raise my eyebrows, but decide against commenting on the speed of this development. If he wants to play with the Russian girl this badly, it’s his business. “Where are you going to keep her?” I ask instead.

“In my quarters. I’ll be interrogating her there.”

I grin, picturing the interrogation in question. “All right. Enjoy.”

“Oh, I will,” he says grimly. “You can bet on it.”

* * *

After I take a shower, I go looking for Nora. Or, rather, I check my computer for the location of her embedded trackers and go directly to the library, where she must be studying for her finals.

I find her sitting at a desk facing away from me, typing furiously on her laptop. Her hair is tied up in a loose ponytail, and she’s wearing a huge T-shirt that falls down to her knees.

My T-shirt, from the looks of it.

She’s started doing that lately when she has to study. Claims my T-shirts are more comfortable than her dresses. I don’t mind in the least. Seeing her dressed in my clothes only emphasizes the fact that she’s mine.

Both she and the baby she’s carrying.

She doesn’t react as I step into the room and walk up to her. When I reach her, I see why.

She’s wearing headphones, her smooth forehead wrinkled in concentration as she pounds at the keyboard, her fingers flying over the keys with startling speed. For a second, I consider leaving her to it, but it’s too late. Nora must’ve seen me out of the corner of her eye, because she looks up and gives me a dazzling smile, removing her headphones.

“Hi.” Her voice is soft and a little husky. “Is it dinnertime already?”

“Not quite.” I smile back and place my hands on the nape of her neck. Her muscles feel tight, so I begin kneading them with my thumbs. “I just did a few rounds with my men and came here to take a shower before I go back to my office. Figured I’d check on you on the way.”

“Oh.” She arches into my touch, closing her eyes. “Oh, yeah, right there . . . Oh, that’s so good . . .”

She sounds like I’m fucking her, and my response is instantaneous.

I get hard. Very hard.

Fuck.

Drawing in a breath, I rein in my lust, like I’ve been doing for the past two weeks. When I take her tonight, it will again be in a careful and controlled manner. Regardless of the provocation, I will not risk damaging the baby.

“Is that your Psychology paper?” I keep my tone even as I continue to massage her neck. “You seem to be really into it.”

“Oh, yeah.” She opens her eyes and tilts her head to look at me. “It’s on Stockholm Syndrome.”

My hands still. “Is that right?”

She nods, a dark little smile curving her lips. “Yes. Interesting subject, don’t you think?”

“Yes, fascinating,” I say drily. My pet is definitely getting bolder. Taunting me—likely in the hopes that I’ll punish her.

And I want to. My hands itch to bend her over my knee, hike up that giant T-shirt, and spank her perfectly shaped ass until it’s pink and red. My cock throbs at the image, especially when I imagine spreading open her cheeks afterwards and penetrating her tight little asshole—

Fucking stop thinking about it. I see Nora’s smile deepen as her eyes flick down to the bulge in my jeans. The little witch knows exactly what she’s doing to me, what kind of effect she’s having on my body.

“Yes, I’m loving it,” she murmurs, her gaze returning to my face. “I’m learning so much about the topic.”

I inhale slowly and resume rubbing her neck. “Then you’ll have to educate me, my pet,” I say calmly, as if my body isn’t raging with the need to fuck her. “I’m afraid I skipped Psychology at Caltech.”

Nora’s smile turns sardonic. “You’re just a natural then, aren’t you?”

I hold her gaze silently, not bothering to reply. There’s no need for words. I saw her, I wanted her, and I took her. It’s as simple as that. If she wants to label our relationship, to make it fit some psychobabble definition, she’s free to do so.

She’ll just never be free of me.

After a few moments, she sighs and closes her eyes, leaning into my touch again. I can feel her muscles slowly relaxing as I massage her shoulders and neck. The challenging expression fades from her face, leaving her looking peculiarly young and defenseless. With her eyelashes fanning over her smooth cheeks, she seems as innocent as a newborn fawn, untouched by anything bad in life.

Untouched by me.

For a moment, I wonder what it would be like if things were different. If I were just a boy she met in school, like that Jake I took her from. Would she love me more? Would she love me at all? If I didn’t take her the way I did, would she have been mine?