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

hers, he murmured, “And you could not kill me.”
    “That is a dumbass reason. You’ve read too much Dostoevsky—”
    “Actually, I prefer Tolstoy.”
    “Do you have any idea what it would have done to me if I had killed you?” It would have destroyed her. “I love you, you barbaric Russian.”
    “I know.” A pleased smile spread over his face.
    She growled and pushed him up against the tiled wall. Her hands dove into his hair and pulled, bringing his lips down to hers. She kissed him, her mouth desperate, her heart full of love for this infuriating man.
    His arms tightened around her, and he switched their positions, grabbing her bottom and hitching her into his arms, positioning himself between her thighs. Her legs automatically locked around his waist and he surged inside her.
    Grunting with satisfaction, he held her bound within his embrace. He didn’t move as though he needed a moment to get himself under control. “Is after midnight, vhich means tis Christmas. I have not had many Christmases that I could celebrate. I’d like that to change. I vant family, Katja. I vant you for my family.”
    Pleasure lanced through her at his words, and her heart tumbled further.
    He’d stripped her bare. Not just physically but emotionally as well. Tears filled her eyes as he asked her to take everything she’d ever wanted.
    “You have unwrapped me, Sergei. I have no other gift to give you today but me.”
    “You are the greatest gift I’ve ever received, Katja.” He took her mouth, and took her body, giving everything he had of himself. Their release was fast and shattering, promising a new life, a new beginning.
    He turned off the shower, dried them both off, and then bundled her up in a towel. As though she were something precious, he carried her to bed.
    The night was silent, snow drifting on the air in fluffy flakes outside the window. Before joining her in the shower, he’d lit a fire in the fireplace. The flames had warmed the room and gave it a comforting glow.
    For a Christmas scene it was pretty perfect.
    “Do you think you could learn to like it here?” Sergei snuggled her into his arms. “Vill you consent to stay until you’ve experienced vhat I can show you about living on The Edge?”
    “I don’t want to go anywhere, right now.” She burrowed against him, loving the heat of his body, the warmth of the bed, the promise of a treasured tomorrow.
    A prickle of worry intruded. “What about the occupants of the lodge?” she asked. What would they think of her when they returned? Would she be welcomed?
    His arms tightened around her as if to ward off her unnecessary worries. “Ve are a family of misfits, here on The Edge. You vill fit in beautifully. They vill love you as I do, Katja.”
    A family of misfits. They sounded like her kind of people.
    “And vhile I do love a brisk vinter, I’m not averse to visiting the tropics and little scraps of clothing decorating your luscious body.” He kissed her shoulder. “I have a bit of cash to spend.” He glanced around the room, eyeing what she’d done to the bed. “Shopping to do.” He lifted her left hand and kissed her ring finger. “A ring to buy.”
    Her breath caught as her heart expanded in her chest.
    “Katja, let me buy you the vorld.”
    “I don’t want the world, Sergei. I just want you.” She proceeded to show him how much.

    THE END

EDGE PREVIEW

    C OMING S OON!

P ROLOGUE

    Twenty Years Earlier

    The knife reflected the setting sun on its upward arc, resembling a torch as well as the instrument that would end her life of twelve years. She struggled against the ropes tying her down until her skin tore and bled, slickening the rough stones on the altar she lay on.
    All the while Jedidiah Dawson, leader of the Ascension, quoted bible verses.
    Methodically, he sliced a length of her long, golden hair, and turned toward one of the nine homemade beeswax candles placed at strategic points around her body. Like a sick nursery rhyme the candles marked head, shoulders, knees, and toes, with her hips added in. The solstice sun highlighted his handsome, strong features, his smooth shaven face, adding shots of fire to his groomed maple-colored hair. Tonight he had donned a coal-black robe, embroidered with white and blue threads over his simple cotton, button-down shirt and jeans.
    Praying for her deliverance, he brushed the burning locks of hair over her nude body. Sparks flared from the blaze, burning her skin where they