“Liliya. It’s nice to meet you.” He hadn’t offered his surname and I was hesitant to offer up my own.
My hand slipped into his and electricity sparked like the fireworks on the fourth of July. I snapped my eyes up to his and knew he had felt it too. Our gazes held for another heartbeat or two before I couldn’t stand the contact anymore. It felt too good. Being in this man’s presence for much longer would be a mistake. I didn’t have time to make connections. Kicking myself mentally, I forced myself to remember my plan. Three steps on my list that didn’t and couldn’t include this man or any other.
“Liliya,” he said, his thick accent making the name sound foreign and exotic. “Beautiful name.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and even. Hearing my name fall from his lips made me want to do terribly naughty things to him… with him… for him. I’ve always had a thing for men with accents. I might have been squirreled away in a big house, protected from God only knows what but I wasn’t dead. Dating wasn’t allowed. But I had options. I had tons of men rambling around the house to prey on. It didn’t take long to find one with too little control and too much testosterone. So a virgin I am not.
“Let’s check out the spare. Shall we?”
I followed him to my trunk and watched as he dug around, shifting the few random items around to remove the tire. As he moved around, I couldn’t help but notice how his muscles bunched and rippled beneath the tight black t-shirt he wore or the way the material slipped up, revealing the taut tanned flesh of his lower back.
I licked my suddenly dry lips, unable to force my eyes away from the temptation of his flesh. He was beyond gorgeous. I wondered what he’d taste like, what his hard muscled body would feel like as he pressed his naked flesh against mine. Good grief, this man was driving me crazy. I needed to get control of my body and my naughty thoughts before I did something I would regret. He might be the definition of male perfection, but I didn’t have the luxury of getting involved with anyone. Such a shame, too, because I was pretty sure this man would be more than worth my time.
Ruslan huffed out a breath that immediately grabbed my attention, as if anything the man did wouldn’t grab a woman’s attention. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
That didn’t sound very good at all. “Bad news, I guess. It’s been a shitty few months so why change things?”
“Your spare is toast.” He looked at me with his piercing eyes. “The good news is I can give you a ride… or call a friend of mine to help you get a new tire and a tow if you prefer. What’s it going to be?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. Could I afford a tow and new tire? “Crap! This is really embarrassing. I’m low on cash so how much would a tow and new tire cost?”
Ruslan looked me over again, like he was trying to figure me out, and then glanced at my beat-up old car. I so wanted to know what he was thinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. His presence was overwhelming me in ways I couldn’t explain. He didn’t say a word as he pulled out his phone and dialed up someone. He turned his back to me and took a few steps away before he began to speak to the person on the other end of the line.
He spoke in another language – Russian if I had to guess – and, of course, that sent a bolt of lightning straight to my core. I’d always had a thing for guys that spoke other languages. I knew very little Russian, even though my father was Russian himself. But I had picked up what I could over the years. Damn. This man was freaking dangerous as all hell to my plan. I needed to get some space between us and fast. Several minutes passed before Ruslan turned to face me again. “A friend of mine is on his way to take care of your tire problem. What brings you to Las Vegas?”
I’m on the run from my evil father and murderous ex-fiancé who doesn’t know we’re now a done deal is what I wanted to say, but I didn’t. “I needed a change. The appeal was definitely that old saying ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’”
He grinned, his eyes roaming up and down my body.
Holy crap! Was I flirting with this guy? Not good, Liliya. Just thank the man and let him be on his way. “So,” I finished somewhat lamely, “I’m just hoping to find a little apartment and a job, you know.”
“Right. What kind of job are you looking for? I know a lot of people around here. Maybe I can help.” And then he gave me another one of those panty-melting smiles that made my thighs tremble.