Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

annoying the hell out of Prakenskii.” There was a wealth of satisfaction in Aleksandr’s voice. He opened Abigail’s hand and pressed a kiss into the exact center of her palm. “He likes to be the chameleon, never noticed.”
    “Prakenskii? The man you said was a…”
    He drew her finger into his mouth, distracting her. Her gaze jumped to his face. She looked wary.
    Excited. Interested. He smiled at her. “You taste good.”
    “You better pay attention to your job. Which one is Prakenskii?”
    “He’s standing up against the wall, one hand in his jacket, very aware I’m in the same room with him. I’ll have to go over and acknowledge Nikitin. It would be poor manners not to do so.” He kept his gaze firmly on hers, the picture of a man enthralled with his date.
    A small crumpled napkin hit Abigail on the side of the head. She turned to see Joley making faces at her.
    “Does she need help?” Aleksandr asked. “Is she having some kind of fit?”
    Abigail dipped the wadded-up napkin in her water glass and threw it back with accuracy, smacking Joley’s cheek. “She’s warning me. And she’s about as subtle as a bullhorn.”
    “Warning you about what?”
    “Not what. Who. Sylvia Fredrickson has arrived. The resident man-eater. Sylvia doesn’t much care for me. I’d much prefer not to go into the details. Suffice it to say my magic went a little wrong and her marriage ended. Not only her marriage, but also her lover’s marriage.” Abigail sighed.
    Aleksandr read her body language easily. He had trained all his life to read the smallest details in expression and posture. Abigail was uncomfortable with the other woman in the room. He glanced at the newcomer, a blonde with a low-cut top and the generous curves to carry it off. She looked brittle, laughed too loud, and touched every man as she worked her way through the crowd.
    Aleksandr slipped his arm around Abigail. “I feel sorry for her. She’s desperate. Desperation often makes people do things they’re ashamed of. Her life can’t be easy.”
    “No, I’m sure it’s not. I’d hoped when she married Mason Fredrickson that she’d settle down. Mason’s a good man and he really loved her and seemed to understand her need for constant attention, but she Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    cheated on him as well. Unfortunately, along with making her own life difficult, she makes everyone else’s life around her the same way.”
    The band swung into a faster dance rhythm and at once the dance floor was crowed with swaying people. Aleksandr watched as Carol joined the Drake sisters in a small circle where they danced together. His gaze shifted back to the Russians and he frowned as he laced his fingers through Abigail’s.
    “I don’t like the way Nikitin is watching your sister.”
    His chin rubbed across the back of her hand. Abigail found the small gesture sensual. Her awareness of him was so heightened she felt she could feel every breath he took. She tried to look over toward Nikitin casually, as if she were just sweeping the room. All the while she leaned into Aleksandr, wishing she were in his arms again. Wishing she could turn back the clock. If she only had confidence in her magic as a Drake, in herself as a woman, but she was more shaken than she’d known.
    Nikitin was staring at the dance floor, even leaning forward in his chair. As she watched, he signaled to someone at his table without ever looking away from the dancers, put a wad of bills in the man’s hand, and sat back, still watching. Abigail followed his gaze to Joley.
    Her sister was a wild, uninhibited dancer. A true musician, she lost herself in the beat, eyes bright with laughter, her body moving in a sexy interpretation of the rhythm. As Abigail watched, a stranger approached her sister, inserting himself behind her, moving with her in an attempt to “freak” dance. The moment his body touched her, Joley spun around, jarred out of her enthrallment. Beside Abigail, Aleksandr tensed and half rose.
    “Joley can take care of herself,” Abigail assured him. “And the others are there. She won’t want attention when she’s having fun. Look, that’s the manager.” She indicated a man moving through the crowd with her chin. “Joley comes in here a lot just to relax and listen to music. He’s not going to allow anyone to mess with her.”
    As she watched, Ilya Prakenskii came out of the shadows and caught the man