His sister.

  Lilia. How much did she know about her brother’s dangerous persona and why hadn’t she told me? No, why hadn’t she warned me to stay away from him? Had she not noticed us together the night of her wedding? What was I saying? She’d been too googly-eyed over her husband. And to think I’d been jealous.

  “That doesn’t give you the right to break in.”

  He laughed. “It gives me every right. You certainly weren’t interested in providing the truth about your identity.”

  “And why the hell is that? Because you’re a gangster.” Heat flushed my system, the distinctive throb deep within my core pissing me off. He was obviously a monster. How could I still be attracted to him?

  “A gangster. I haven’t been called that in years. You seem confused as to why I’m here,” he said in his dark tone, allowing his eyes to sweep over me.

  “I’m only confused as to how a talented, intelligent woman could have a monster as a brother.”

  He seemed amused, both corners of his upper lip curling in a smile. “Both my sisters are protected within my world. They chose not to be a part of the family business. However, it would appear you’ve been talking with someone about the Dmitriyev family and our less than scrupulous reputation. I’m curious who. Although I have my thoughts. You were my sister’s roommate in college.”

  He’d already researched my life and my past. “So what?”

  “So, did you try and manipulate Lilia into telling you trade secrets?”

  “Are you crazy? She was and still is my friend. We studied together. We laughed together. Other than the fact she had a twenty-four/seven bodyguard, she was just another student.”

  His laugh was sardonic. “And you weren’t curious as to why?”

  “Oh, please. There were a half dozen rich kids with bodyguards.” I was winging it, although the idea seemed plausible. I couldn’t provide him with any ammunition to hurt me. Would he?

  Snorting, I folded my arms across my chest, shivering, the realization that even if I screamed, no one would be able to hear me creating a wave of terror. I had to allow him to think I was no danger to him.

  “Very true, Bristol, but you’re no fool.” He narrowed his eyes, watching me. Studying me.

  My skin was beginning to crawl.

  “Maybe I am since I became tangled with you,” I threw back, instantly regretting it. Irritating him wasn’t in my best interest. “I saw your interview on television. You were threatening.”

  “Was I?”

  “You’re dangerous.”

  He shifted in his seat. “Yes, I am.”

  “What are you doing here? Why hunt me down?” I had to buy some time. I needed to get my phone.

  “I think you know that answer, Bristol. I’m curious if you are experiencing a guilty conscience.”

  “For what?” My legs were trembling.

  “For crouching over the body of a very good friend of mine. For having your long, lovely fingers wrapped around the murder weapon.”

  Oh. My. God.

  A single bead of perspiration formed just above one eye.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  When he took a deep breath, his eyes became more penetrating. “I can handle many things, many foibles of human nature, Bristol, but one thing I can’t handle is lying. You were seen at the home of Sergio Pavel. Don’t bother denying you were there. You either went there to seduce or kill him. Perhaps both.”

  “That’s not true. I’m not that kind of girl.” My skin began to crawl. What was he planning on doing with me?

  The air between us crackled with electricity just like it had a few nights before. Yet it was supercharged, leaving me close to suffocation.

  His sigh was heavy, full of disbelief.

  I took a step away, mentally going through the number of steps I’d need to take before racing through the back door, which was closest.

  “Then what kind of girl are you?” His question created another trickle of fear.

  “The kind of woman who senses when a man is threatening her.”

  “At this point, I’m doing no such thing. We’re simply having a nice discussion.”

  Leaning forward, Mikhail placed the remote on the bedside table before rising to his feet, his actions forcing a whimper to escape my mouth. I hated that I was afraid of the man.

  “I have nothing to talk to you about. Now, get out.”

  His laugh was as electrifying as it was disturbing. I inched backward toward the door and he wagged his finger. “I suggest you don’t attempt to escape. That won’t bode well for our relationship.”

  “We don’t have a relationship.” I calculated the odds of being able to get downstairs and out the door before he reached me. They were not in my favor. Yet I had to try. Before I had a chance to bolt, his deep voice penetrated every cell.

  “You’ve been a very bad girl, Bristol, but you already know that, don’t you?” He crossed the room within seconds, gripping both my wrists and dragging me against the heat of his body. He was so strong and tall, his chiseled cheekbones and high forehead only adding to his dangerous appearance.

  “No. No! Let go of me.”

  “Hmmm… Not until I’m finished with you. What you might not have realized, sweet, precious Bristol, is that no one crosses either me or my family without paying a significant price. Now, all you need to do is to tell me the truth about what happened in Sergio’s home. If you do, then we can consider this chapter closed.”

  This chapter. Why did I have a terrible feeling he thought I’d been hired by my father to spy on him? Because in a way, that could be true.

  “I didn’t see anything, Mikhail.”

  “But you admit you were there.” He cocked his head, his eyes narrowing.

  “I was.” There was no point in lying to him, at least not about where I was. Within a phone call, he could figure it out. Then he might kill me.

  “If you lie, I’ll know. There is no reason for you to hide the truth. It would seem that you had nothing to do with Sergio’s death, but from all appearances, you were the only one at the scene.”

  “I…”

  Inhaling, he tilted his head back and forth, his eyes sparkling in the dim lighting. My God, the scent of him was full of exotic spices and cedar wood, the fragrance entirely too intoxicating. I was thrown by the haze forming around my eyes as I was forced to stare into his. The same frigid cold, soulless cavern that I’d seen on television peered back at me, but this time, his gaze was filled with something else.

  Burning desire.

  I struggled in his hold and in doing so, the towel slipped from around my chest, sliding ever so slowly to the floor. Mortified, heat rose across my jaw.

  He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring, and the look of lust intensified.

  “Talk to me, Bristol. Did you kill Sergio?”

  “No!”

  “But you saw something. Didn’t you?”

  “Like I said, it was dark, Mikhail. I didn’t see anything. I was there to deliver a goddamn pizza.”

  He chuckled. “Some truth, but not enough. Keep talking or you will be punished.”

  “You’re not going to bully me. You stand in your expensive clothes and hide behind your mask of legitimacy while engaging in illegal activities, so you’re not allowed to judge me.”

  “Quite the contrary. I am a legitimate businessman, but you’ll soon learn I’m ruthless, refusing to accept apologies or excuses. At minimum, you were at the scene of a crime, yet you didn’t stay where you were until the police arrived. You fled the scene, merely calling in the tragedy. What were you afraid of, Bristol? That I’d find out?”

  “I was shocked, Mikhail, when I noticed a dead man lying on the floor. Certainly, even someone like you could realize sticking around wasn’t in my best interest.”

  His laugh only increased. “Have you been listening to your father, the great mayor of our city? Did he promise to protect you? Did he suggest you lie to protect his illustrious career?”

  Oh, shit. He knew everything about me. He did think I was involved in a conspiracy against him.

  “To hell with you,” I snapped. “I don’t need to listen to anyone. I can read, including between the lines. You’re Russian Bratva and you think you can threaten anyone who gets in your way. I’m not one of your enemies. I delivered a pizza based on an order from Door Dash, which you can easily check if so desired. He was dead when I got there. I called the police. End of story.”

  His sigh was heavy. “You’re still lying.”

  I’d had enough of playing games with him. Even though more than a trickle of fear swept through me, I jerked away, immediately spinning and kicking him in the gut.

  Stunned, his body was pummeled back against the bed when he thumped down. That didn’t stop him. He lunged forward, but there was no anger on his face, only sheer amusement.

  I didn’t hesitate, managing to get off one hard kick then a second, but he caught my ankle, twisting me around. He wasn’t expecting my quick reactions. I jammed one fist under his jaw, breaking the connection. Only this time, I stumbled backwards.

  That gave him enough time to regroup.

  He snagged my arm, jerking me toward him.

  “Your penance begins now.” Ripping my arms over my head, he grabbed both wrists with one hand, wagging his finger with the other. “You’re a very clever girl, moy ideal’nyy angel, but playing games with me will never be in your best interest.”

  I’d never felt so vulnerable, scared to death about what he was going to do. When he backed toward the bed, sitting down and yanking me over his lap, my mind began to shut down. I was lost to the fear, my heart hammering to the point the thudding sounds echoed in my ears. Was he going to… no. No! I had to fight him. I refused to be some weak girl he could terrorize.

  The second I began to struggle in his hold, he brought his hand down against my bottom with enough ferocity I gasped. Pain skittered down the insides of my legs, creating a wave of fire. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be possible.

  “Things would have gone so much better if you would have told me the truth from the beginning.” I hated how his deep baritone created a wave of desire even stronger than I’d felt before. I wiggled on his lap, wishing I could be horrified that his cock was hard, the intense throb pressing in between my legs.

  Mikhail smashed his hand down again, delivering several brutal smacks in a row. My stomach twisted and I managed to pitch my body forward and backward, horrified when I gathered a whiff of my desire. He was enjoying this too. When I was almost able to roll my hips off his lap, he released my wrists, fisting my hair instead.

  “That’s not very nice, Bristol. I don’t think you want to cross me any further.”

  I hated the way he said my name, the syllables far too seductive. He was spanking me, but he was also reawakening the same desire from two nights before. I was in some kind of shock, my tone turning into pleading. “Please, just let me go. I was telling you the truth.”

  Mostly.

  Had there been a camera inside the house? If so, why hadn’t it caught the person responsible?

  He issued a single deep growl, the sound subtle yet even more provocative. “That’s not going to happen.” He continued the spanking, bringing his hand down in rapid motions, moving from one side of my bottom to the other.

  I bit back my whimpers, refusing to allow him the satisfaction of hearing me cry. The pain was building, tears of frustration and fear drawing near. I kicked my legs in frustration, feeling more like a petulant child than a lawyer to be. I’m not getting away. The thought rolled through my mind as his actions became rougher, the sound of his palm striking against my ass cheeks floating into the room.

  When he caressed my skin, rolling the tips of his fingers up and down my heated ass, I threw my arm behind me in some crazy attempt to stop him.

  He wrenched it against my back, his fingers digging into my wrist.

  “I can tell you’re going to need to be taught a much stricter lesson. All in good time.” He slid his fingers across my seared flesh then down the crack of my ass to my wetness.

  “No!” I struggled as hard as I could, my actions only causing me to grind against his legs and the bulge between them. My entire body ached, and I was shocked and humiliated that my nipples had hardened. Fuck. Fuck. I couldn’t be aroused.

  As he dipped the tips of his fingers past my swollen folds, I let off a series of moans.

  “You’re very wet, moy ideal’nyy angel.”

  “Fuck you.”

  His laugh was too husky, too seductive. He pumped his fingers inside several times until I almost fell into the lull of ecstasy. I broke the insane spell, beating my fist against his leg. He wasn’t fazed in the least.

  The spanking began again in earnest, the strikes long and hard. My pulse in my throat, all I could do was close my eyes and pray this would be over soon.

  Then I’d kick him in the balls for using my vulnerability against me.

  Mikhail pushed his hand between my legs again, this time rolling a single finger around my clit several times before thrusting it into my pussy. “You will learn respect as well as absolute obedience. I won’t accept anything less. Do you understand me?”

  My body shuddered, the utter betrayal infuriating.

  “You’re insane.”

  “Perhaps I am, but until you tell me the truth, I’ll continue punishing you.”

  I gritted my teeth, still fighting him.

  He stopped long enough to caress my bruised skin. “We can play this in one of two ways. You can confess your sins, or we can have a much rougher discussion.”

  “Only if you confess your sins.”

  He thrust his fingers inside, pumping several times. My pulse increased and there was no way of shutting down the intense desire threatening to derail everything I was made of.

  “From here on out, I’m your master, the man who will determine your penance for lying. At some point, you will learn to be a very good little girl.” He thrust several of his fingers deep inside, flexing them open as he drove them in hard and deep. Every touch was invasive, deliberate. With every plunge of his fingers, he dragged me toward a climax.

  My breathing stopped short, my mind refusing to accept what was happening to me.

  The passion we’d shared seemed a lifetime ago and what he was doing should horrify me.

  But I was wet and hot, and he knew it. The attraction between us was off the charts, the need building to a steep precipice.

  I tried to remain incensed by his words as well as the way my body responded to him. I was sopping wet, aching for him to continue touching me, furious that I couldn’t control my reactions.

  The bastard repeated his damn chuckle, dark and devious, yet ripped with the most intensely sultry tone I’d ever heard.

  Bucking hard, I managed to dump myself off his lap, immediately scrambling on my hands and knees into the darkness. I turned over and did what I could to struggle to my feet but my legs felt like lead. He laughed, his eyes becoming hooded as he allowed a slow and torturous gaze to slide to my toes.

  The heat was building, every muscle in my body on fire.

  He was even more handsome tonight, the earlier fight tousling his hair. I had a crazy need to run my fingers through the thick strands. Something was wrong with me.

  He’d somehow managed to find me, hunting me down as if I was the criminal. Yet the twinkle in his eyes was a rush, keeping me fully aroused. To him, this was just a game.

  One of domination.

  And possession.

  Hell, no. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

  Bolting, I tried to reach the safety of the bathroom. I heard his deep sigh seconds before he yanked me by my hair, jerking me against his massive chest. He held me in place for a few seconds, cupping my chin as he laughed.

  “You have no idea how much you turn me on, my perfect angel.”

  I almost managed to knee him in the groin, but he twisted his leg in time. “I already told you. I’m more like the devil.”

  “Devils especially need to be tamed.” He captured my mouth, instantly thrusting his tongue inside.

  The strong woman inside of me knew I should fight him in earnest, but my hunger was brutally intense. I fisted my hands to keep from falling into his trap, but as he rubbed his groin against me, my mind spun around the memories of how amazing his cock had felt, how incredible his lips had been on my pussy.

  The kiss was powerful, even more so than the man. He was the most infuriating, dangerous man I’d ever met, yet I couldn’t deny the attraction or the sheer connection we shared.

  He broke the kiss, immediately nipping my bottom lip. His growl was similar to before and every nerve stood on end.

  But I wasn’t going to give in so easily. When I managed to pummel my fists against his chest, stumbling backward, he arched an eyebrow, his grin even more possessive.

  He dragged me back to the bed, shoving me onto my hands and knees.

  I was out of breath, the combination of distrust and fear mixed with intense longing keeping my stomach in knots. But I was certain of one thing. There was no way I was getting away from him.

  “You’re a little fighter. I’m going to break you of that, but first things first.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” I threw out, although I knew exactly what his filthy intentions were. I looked over my shoulder, watching as he took his time removing a weapon, placing his gun carefully on the chairside table. As soon as he took two steps away, I lunged forward, almost managing to wrap my hand around it.

  His hand was around my throat before my fingers were able to touch the cold steel, digging in as he slowly pulled me backward. “That wasn’t very nice of you. You really are a very bad girl. I completely underestimated you.”

  “I warned you.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  Barely able to breathe, I blinked furiously, shivering to my core. When I was back in position, he removed his hand, patting my bottom then yanking me until my feet were dangling off the bed.

  “To answer your question, I’m going to fuck you, my perfect angel, which is exactly what you desire. Isn’t it?”