A smile broke over her face as Bullet said something from the water. Bone glanced in his direction and her spine stiffened, smile disappearing and he thought now was the perfect time to make his move.
He made his way to her, hiding his smile at the way she tried to look at him while hiding that she was looking at him. “Bone, how are you feeling?”
He’d start off slow, work his way up. Bullet stepped from the pool and made her way to the house.
“Fine.”
Oh, the killer wasn’t going to make it easy.
“How am I, you ask?” he teased.
She turned her nose up in the air and narrowed her gaze on him. “Actually, I didn’t.”
“Didn’t what?”
She huffed. “Ask how you were.”
He smiled and bowed to her. “I’m doing great, thanks for asking.”
“What do you want, Asinimov?”
“Right now?”
She nodded.
“For you to call me, Dmitry,” he answered.
She inclined her head. “Dmitry, I think it best if we keep our association less personal.”
He stepped into her space then, not giving her time to think or contemplate her next move. “By less personal what do you mean?”
She stepped away and placed a hand on his chest trying to ward him off. The feel of her small hand over his heart undid him, rearranging pieces inside the organ until they all clicked together in a perfect, solid piece.
“Don’t do this.” It was a plea for something he couldn’t give her.
He moved forward. She was so tiny yet she fit him just right. His cock hardened in a painful rush, and he did his best to suppress the reaction though her scent wouldn’t allow it. “You always smell like apricots.”
“Huh?”
Her head tilted and she licked her lips. He traced those lips and breathed in again. “How are you feeling, moye?”
“I already answered that,” she reminded him.
And she had. “No, you said ‘fine.’ And that is no answer at all,” he told her.
“I hurt, Dmitry. I am better though. Recovering. Is that all?” Impatience rode the line of her shoulders and the set of her mouth now.
She thought to place distance between them. He was unwilling to allow that.
“No,” he said, stepping into her until the points of her nipples branded his chest. “That is not all.” He leaned down, brushed his lips across her once, twice, and then he sank in deeper, twining his tongue with hers and demanding she respond and she did.
This was what he needed—her body’s reactions telling him everything her mouth would not. He pulled away as quickly as he began his assault.
She stood there, the expression on her face much as it had been on the plane when he’d kissed her the first time. “Don’t do that,” she commanded.
“I will do it. Again and again and again just as I promised you in Virginia,” he said before he turned on his heel and walked away.
She stuttered once, cursed, and then walked into the house. He watched her go and laughed softly.
“That will only work for so long. Then she’ll put you on your ass and you definitely won’t be laughing,” Rand said behind him.
Dmitry turned and waved away his friend’s concerns. “I know what she needs and I know how to go about giving it to her. After what she’s been through, I must woo her.”
“I’m not sure,” Adam said on a laugh as he walked up. “But I think you just used the word ‘woo’?”
“Fuck off, Collins. If I remember correctly your version of wooing was fighting with Saya. How many times did she hand you your ass before you tasted her kiss?” Dmitry needled.
“As many times as it took. Look, man, I’m not knocking that you want the killer, I’m mocking your use of the word ‘woo.’ Man the fuck up and just take her. She can’t keep her eyes off you when you’re around,” Adam said on yet another laugh.
“Maybe you should do something somewhere in between,” Rand advised. “Woo but take her quickly or some shit like that.”
Dmitry shook his head. “How the fuck did you two ever get laid? You have to read your woman, figure out what makes her tick and then you move in, giving her what she wants and taking what you need.”
“Yeah? Well what makes all of those crazy bitches tick is death. So how you gonna use that to your advantage, Russian?” Adam chortled and then clapped him on the back before he walked away.
“I think it’s a solid plan, Asinimov. Woo her. She is fragile right now and you must teach her the softer things. She’s never had them,” Rand reminded him.
Dmitry nodded and then Rand left as well. Dmitry pondered the conversation and decided on his next move. He walked into the house wearing his intent and his heart on his sleeve.
He found her in her room, meditating on the floor. Dmitry knocked and entered without waiting for her to tell him it was okay. They were past that now.
“Sure, come on in.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. “What do you want, Dmitry?”
“You. I want you.”
He waited there, showing all his cards and hoping she’d decide to play.