“What’s in it for you?” Gray gave her a wicked smile, and then reached toward her waist. “How about I make love to you every night before we fall asleep?” He undid the button on her jeans and pulled down the zipper. “Then again every morning.”
Kiera swallowed as he inched her pants down.
“And anytime during the day that you want.” He knelt to free her legs from her jeans. “How does that sound?” He raised the hem of her shirt and placed a kiss on her stomach.
Anticipation surged through her, and she looked down at him. “It sounds like we should go upstairs now so you can demonstrate before I make any decisions.”
***
“I believe this dance is mine,” Gray said, as he stopped next to the stunning brunette.
Nadia smiled at him. “I’ve been waiting for you all night.” Nadia put her arms around his neck and melded her body into his.
Gray led her across the dance floor. “You look beautiful.” He leaned in as if to kiss her cheek. “Did you come with anyone tonight?” he whispered.
“Unfortunately, my father never lets me out alone.” Nadia ran a hand down his chest and into his pants pocket. “But you know that.” Her fingers walked back up his stomach and then over his shoulder again. “One of his bodyguards is by the front entrance and another is by the emergency exit.”
Gray glanced at the front entrance only there wasn’t anyone standing by it. Turning in time to the music, he checked the emergency exit. Empty, too. “Are you sure? No one is there now,” Gray whispered.
“They were. Do you think they know about us?”
A beefy hand dropped on Gray’s shoulder before he answered.
“Mr. Danilova would like a word with you,” the owner of the beefy hand said.
Gray didn’t argue. Instead, he followed the well-dressed thug across the dance floor and outside, looking around for a possible escape route.
“Please give me a reason to shoot you.” The thug pressed the barrel of a gun into Gray’s back.
A drip of sweat went down Gray’s spine, but he took a step forward and entered the waiting limo. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving him alone with Nadia’s father and his security guard.
Gray bolted upright as the sound of a car exploding filled the room He studied his surroundings. The explosion had come from the television. It wasn’t real. He wasn’t trapped in a limo with Nadia’s father. He was in Kiera’s apartment. His cover remained intact. It had just been a nightmare.
Gray raked a hand down his face. He should have known better than to polish off an entire meat lover’s pizza and then watch the original Exorcist movie. Even as an adult, he always got nightmares from the movie.
He grabbed the remote from the floor and started channel surfing. The suspense thriller, that had replaced the horror film had to go. He needed an over-the-top comedy or some sports to purge his dream and pass the time until Kiera got home from work. When a pass through all the channels turned up nothing, he went back to the sports channel. The basketball game would provide enough background noise and mindless entertainment until Kiera came home.
The image of Nadia came back to haunt him. They’d spoken briefly two weeks ago at a party, but they hadn’t danced. She’d invited him upstairs, promising they could get around her father’s security guards without any problem. When he turned her down, she’d taken the news well. Or at least, it appeared that way. He hoped that was true. Not only did they run into each other at social events, but she was also his most valuable asset in Russia. Almost all the intel he got out of Russia came from her. If she took his rejection to heart, it could cause some serious problems down the line.
He watched the basketball game for a few minutes, but soon found himself restless. It’d be another hour or so before Kiera came home. Some exercise would kill an hour, but he didn’t have a gym handy. If he was home in New York, he’d consider a bar a good place to kill an hour. Tonight, the thought of a night out drinking while women hit on him made him cringe. He could do some work. He always had Sherbrooke Enterprise emails waiting for him.
Gray switched off the television and retrieved his laptop. The more work he got done while Kiera worked, the more free time he’d have for more pleasant activities. Activities such as those they enjoyed after her mom had left that afternoon.
Gray logged into his email, but instead of reading a message, he considered the problem with Kiera’s mom.
He didn’t want to come between Kiera and her mom, yet he had no intention of ending things because Annette disapproved. That left him with only one option: prove Annette wrong.
He realized she feared it would put her job in jeopardy, but he sensed there was more to it. A woman like Annette wouldn’t put her own happiness above her daughter’s. Did she think he’d hurt Kiera? Both Trent and Jake had dated enough women and left behind enough broken hearts to form a small army; Kiera’s mom shouldn’t tarnish him with the same brush. On occasion, the media did portray him in a similar light, but Annette had known him all his life; s
he couldn’t believe him capable of playing with Kiera’s emotions.
Whether she did or not, he had to prove her wrong because unless Kiera pushed him away, he had no intentions of going anywhere.
Gray was working at the desk in Kiera’s bedroom when she came home. She wore her uniform, but she’d pulled out her bun—just like he’d done when he’d made love to her earlier.
“You’re up. I thought you’d be asleep. You looked tired when I left.” Kiera walked over and kissed his cheek. “What are you up to?”
“Got some work done while I waited for you.” He closed the laptop. “How was your night?” Gray pulled her into his lap.