Wild Men of Alaska 04 - Wild Men of Alaska - Four Book Bundle

Not vith how you blamed me. You needed time, Katja.”
    “Fuck time. Who the hell are you to manipulate me, decide what’s best for me, and use me as bait to lure out Perry, leaving me in the dark?”
    “Okay, I’m out of here,” Ivan said. “I don’t want to get between the two of you and your domestic dispute. Besides, it’s Christmas Eve. I wouldn’t mind being home with my kids and wife by morning to open presents.”
    “I’m going with you,” Kate said, turning for the stairs.
    “ Nyet , Katja.” Sergei grabbed her arm, pulling her into the side of his body. “ Pozhaluista. ” It was a whispered plea in her ear from deep within him that caused emotion to choke off her throat.
    “Perry vas vatching you,” he added. “Ve couldn’t prove it, or fish him out. Leaving you in the dark kept you safe. Kept you alive.”
    She’d been sent to kill him. Ordered by her government, or so she’d believed. “Why take the risk that I would have killed you?”
    “I couldn’t vait any longer. I love you. The only thing I had to build on vas your vengeance. I had to know if you could love me in return.”
    “You son of a bitch.” Her voice broke on the last word, taking the heat out of it. She hurried up the stairs to gather up her belongings.

C HAPTER N INETEEN

    Kate entered the bedroom, and regarded the broken pieces of the bed.
    How could you build a relationship based on vengeance?
    She gathered up her backpack, realizing that besides the clothes she wore, there wasn’t anything of hers here to take. Sergei had taken everything else, her bra, her winter gear, her heart.
    Oh God. She loved him.
    That line between love and hate was so damn thin and razor sharp, cutting until she bled. How was she going to live without him? He’d been her whole focus since she’d met him two years ago. He’d been everything, and she’d been so blind to the reasons why.
    She wiped at her eyes, realizing that tears were trailing silently down her cheeks, and saw the blood on her hands. She glanced down at her clothes. There was blood on them too.
    She headed to the bathroom and ran the water in the sink, catching her reflection in the mirror.
    Who was this woman?
    Spy?
    She no longer felt like one nor felt the desire to continue being one. As it turned out, she’d been rogue for a while if Ivan was her contact and he worked for Sergei.
    Lover?
    Pain expanded in her chest at the thought of not lying with Sergei again. Not sparring with him. He kept her on her toes while sweeping her off her feet at the same time, and she loved that about him. Loved the woman she was when with him.
    She turned off the faucet and stared at her reflection. She could leave with Ivan or stay with Sergei.
    Slowly she stripped off her clothes and unpinned her hair.
    She stepped into the shower, turning on the water, catching her breath as the iciness stabbed her. She forced herself to stand under the needling spray until it warmed up, then she took the pulsating water as hot as she could handle, washing away all the blood, all the pain, all the indecision.
    There was only one decision to make, and she’d made it when she’d stripped off her clothes.
    The shower door opened. Sergei stood there, naked, his heart bare for her to see. Love and fear warred in eyes greedily taking her in. He waited a heartbeat for her to object. When she didn’t, he stepped into the shower, crowding her back against the wall.
    “Ivan?” she asked, though getting words past her swollen throat was difficult.
    “Gone.” He braced himself for her reaction.
    “The garbage?”
    “With him.”
    She didn’t ask any more questions. A good clean up man was hard to find. Besides, Alaska was a big state with the deep, bottomless seas surrounding three sides of her.
    Kate offered the soap to Sergei. “Wash my back?”
    He took the soap.
    She turned, offering him her back, a thrill shooting up her spine at the strangled sound escaping his throat.
    He slowly worked a lather over her skin, and then reached around her to set the bar down in the dish, his body rubbing up against hers with the action. She had his full attention. He massaged her back, kneading sore, battle-weary muscles until she moaned.
    “Katja, forgive me, but I had to know.” He buried his nose in her hair. “You’d come to me once on orders. I needed you to come to me for love, not duty.” He turned her in his arms. “Duty kills. Love does not.” His eyes intent, his mouth a mere breath from