“Thank you, Alexi.” I step closer to her, feeling my heart race in my chest. “I’ll interrogate her from here.” I set my hand on her arm and pull her close, inhaling her sweet, feminine scent. It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I touched her, but damn did I miss her.
“SIR,” he says, bowing.
Lyov steps up beside me. “So you aren’t coming to find Igor?”
“No, I need to question Vera.”
A knowing smile twists Lyov’s lips, but he says nothing. The first time I’ve ever seen even a hint of a smile from him. I watch as he walks down the corridor and out toward the front door.
“Vera,” I breathe her name, once we’re alone.
“Andrei,” she says my name in warning, before lifting her top.
A bug is fitted beneath her clothes. I pull her into my bedroom. “Strip,” I command, my voice cold and calculating.
“But, I-I.”
“Now,” I growl, ensuring my act is convincing. Igor might think he’s clever, but he’s not.
What did he think I’d purchased a virgin for?
If I act as I’m expected to act toward her, sex would be the first thing on my mind. Once I’ve forced her to strip, I’ll destroy the bug and send a message to that bastard.
Vera licks her bottom lip, before unzipping her jeans and pulling them down her hips. Her lacy panties are wet already, and I haven’t touched her. “Good, now take off your shirt.”
She gives me a questioning look, before moving her hand to buttons on her blouse. I feel the blood rushing south, as she reveals her perfect breasts and peaked nipples to me.
I groan, playing up for the man listening to this conversation. As the bug comes into view, I growl. “What the fuck is that?”
I step toward her and her face pales, as I rip the device from her. “Whoever the fuck thought they could snatch my property and then bug her is mistaken. Watch your back.” I throw the device on the floor, before stamping on it and crushing it to pieces.
Vera gives me a wary look, wondering where we stand.
I step toward her and take her hands in mine. “Vera,” I mutter her name, before pulling her into me. Her tongue slips into my mouth, and I suck on it, making her moan. The need to claim her tugging at me deep inside, but I know this isn’t the time.
“I’ve got something to show you,” I mutter against her lips.
She pulls back and looks into my eyes. “What is it?”
I wince, as I pull the photos out of my pocket. “I’m not sure whether you want to see these again, without the photo manipulation.” Her family’s death was brutal, and I don’t want to hurt her by bringing the past up.
“The original photos?” she asks, eyes glossy.
I nod, clutching them to my chest. “It is up to you whether you look at them, or I can tell you who it was.”
“It was my uncle, wasn’t it?”
Vera’s last surviving relative is Igor Popov, even his daughters were killed a year ago in a bomb blast aimed at him. I swallow hard. “Yes.”
She nods her head and holds out her hands for the photos. I pass them into her hands and wait, heart beating out of my chest.
Is she going to trust me now?
She returns her gaze to me and her eyes are burning with fire. “I will kill that bastard.” Her hands clench by her side.
I can’t help the warm pride spreading through my chest, as I pull her close, kissing her forehead. “I’ll help you.”
She pulls back, staring at me like I’m mad. “Why?”
My brow furrows and I gaze at her for a second, contemplating the question. “For one, he tried to kill me… As pakhan I can’t let that go unanswered.” I slip my hands to her waist and squeeze. “For two, I’d do anything for you,” I breathe into her ear, making her shiver.
She licks her bottom lip and averts my gaze. I can’t believe I uttered those words, but they’re true. Thank God no one else is around to hear them. I would lose my reputation as a ruthless and heartless son of a bitch if anyone knew the truth. I care for the woman I purchased.