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forward, a move that brought her
close enough he could feel her heat, and her scent washed over him
in a delicious wave. He forced himself to pay attention to the
conversation.
    “ That guy at the airport—the one who
tried kidnapping you—he got a look at my face and took in my scent.
It won’t take long before they figure out who I am and were to find
me. This is my primary home. I’ve never bothered hiding
it.”
    “ So Petrov will be able to find
it.”
    “’ Fraid so. It’ll be the first place
they look.”
    She released a loud breath. “Hell. How long do
we have?”
    “ We’ll be fine here for tonight,
what’s left of the night. Time enough to sleep and make
plans.”
    She dropped back again, running a hand through
her hair. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep now, but part of me
wants to just shut down and hide in sleep or…”
    She met his gaze and something he couldn’t
quite interpret moved through the dark depths. A delectable hint of
desire flavored her scent, drawing his full attention. The
attraction he’d been working hard to ignore pushed to the surface.
He held perfectly still, afraid if he moved at all, he’d leaned in
to her and take what he wasn’t allowed to have. But he couldn’t
drag his gaze from hers, and the longer they stared at one another,
the thicker the tension grew.
    She blinked first and looked away. “I should
sleep,” she murmured.
    He heard her reluctance but didn’t trust
himself to speak just yet. He was afraid he’d argue with
her.
    “ You must be exhausted, too,” she
said with a light tone that sounded forced. “I shouldn’t make you
stay up keeping me company like this.”
    “ I don’t mind.” He swallowed and
cleared his throat. His voiced sounded rough and too deep. “I’m
jetlagged, too, so I’m not that tired.”
    “ Really? Where have you
been?”
    “ Nepal on assignment with a detour
to Moscow to meet my grandmother.” Elizaveta didn’t believe in
relaying important information over the phone if she could avoid
it, so rather than telling him about Nila in a call—even using
their secret family language—and sending him directly from Nepal
back to the US, his grandmother had ordered him on this side trip
to Russia, where she was looking into Petrov’s background and
resources. The side trip had cost a little time, but mostly it just
screwed up his sleep patterns.
    “ Assignment?” Nila asked.
    “ I’m a freelance nature
photographer—when I’m not rescuing hapless damsels in
distress.”
    “ Right.” She smirked at his attempt
at a joke.
    Again that edge of desire curled through her
scent, mixing with her natural essence, and catching him in a tight
grip. His gaze dropped to her mouth without his permission. She had
lush, beautiful lips that looked incredibly soft. Despite his best
efforts, his imagination wandered to all the places he’d like to
feel her sexy mouth. When she flicked out her tongue to wet her
bottom lip, he had to swallow a groan.
    She’s not yours to have, Mitch, he reminded
himself as he watched her. Not even for a little while. Not even
for a single night.
    Too bad his body wasn’t listening to his
brain.
     

CHAPTER FIVE

    Nila swallowed hard and tried not to stare.
Mitch looked so intense and so incredibly sexy, she was having a
hard time remembering he was a stranger and she was in a lot of
trouble.
    Her gaze clashed with his before she forced
herself to look away. That expression on his face said he’d happily
fuck her if she asked him to. The thought was thrilling, filling
her with a sense of power, making her acutely aware of her
femininity. In a situation where she felt completely out of
control, knowing at least in this she had some say in what happened
actually helped.
    Being alone with him made resisting the call to
seduce him more difficult. The cabin smelled strongly of Mitch,
which only spiked her need. He had a deliciously masculine scent,
with hints of cedar and musk. She wanted to bury