The Russian's Proposal (Friends Forever Book 3) Read online

  He stood there taking it all in and, as he watched, he saw her nipples pucker beneath the thin material. As before, his body reacted almost instantly when faced with her own arousal and he groaned, pulling her into his arms. “We need to get in the water,” he growled. Kissing the top of her head, he pulled back, unable to deal with all of those incredible curves against his already aroused body. Taking her hand, he moved quickly towards the end of the yacht where the swimming platform had been lowered. The water swished over the wooden slats, getting their feet wet before they even stepped into the water.

  “Sergei, I really…”

  His hand tightened on her. “Just come into the water with me. The depth isn’t too bad here. We’re actually on a sand bar so you have more control than you’d think. You don’t have to swim, just stand there and the stingrays move around you.”

  She wanted to believe him but…the grey creatures were everywhere! Some were small and looked pretty cute. But others were enormous! “Sergei, this isn’t good!”

  “You’re going to love it,” he promised. “Let me get in first and I’ll hold you until you feel more secure, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, he slipped smoothly into the water. The waves lapped around him and he moved about easily, showing her that there wasn’t anything to worry about.

  She looked at the various sea creatures swimming around him, but none seemed to be acting aggressively. And before she could even make up her mind, he was coming back to the swimming platform, his eyes telling her that she was next. As he’d promised, the water came only to his lower chest so it would be around her breasts when she stepped in. Somehow, he was right and that did make a difference. It meant she could run away if something started to eat her instead being at a disadvantage and needing to swim. She was a strong swimmer, having learned to swim at the county recreation center simply because she didn’t want that to be a weakness that anyone could use against her. But she wasn’t sure if she could swim away from these guys. Their entire body was made to swim and glide and streak through the ocean’s currents.

  “They don’t bite, right?”

  “Nope. They don’t even bite when they eat. It’s more of a suction type of movement.” He turned around and lifted his arms to her. “Come on in. The water is actually pretty warm right now.”

  She cringed, wondering if the water’s warmth was due to the extra sea creatures stirring up the water. “Fine, but if I get bitten, you’re going to fix it!” she warned and warily moved to the edge of the platform.

  He laughed, and put his hands around her waist when she sat down, lifting her off of the platform. “And don’t think I’m going to be impressed that you can hold me like this,” she grumbled, lifting her arms to wrap around his neck as she stared over her shoulder at the approaching grey creatures. “Sergei!” she yelled, pressing herself against him when one of the larger creatures approached.

  But a moment later, the slimy skin of the stingray passed over her shoulder. When she looked down, there was no bleeding. It was just…water! The creature moved away and she looked around. “It didn’t bite me?”

  He chuckled and held her close. “No. They don’t bite or attack unless provoked.”

  Katia loosened her hold on his neck and looked around, startled when several of the smaller stingrays moved in. Stretching her hand out, she let her fingers glide over the creature’s back. The back was a bit rougher than the creamy underside, but not nearly as slimy. “Oh my!” she gasped and turned around, but kept one of his arms around her waist. “They are beautiful!” she laughed when one of them came closer and flapped his “wing” at her. Some water splashed her but she didn’t mind.

  She was in love!

  The stingrays swarmed, and it was a bit disconcerting at first, but they were so gentle and playful and she loved it! She and Sergei stayed in the water and played with the rays, fed them octopus pieces, and she screamed when she first experienced the suction-like movement of their mouth, but once she knew what to expect, how to hold her hand flat so they could just swim up and “inhale” the treat, it wasn’t so crazy.

  When he finally lifted her out of the water and placed her back on the swimming platform, she stopped his movement by placing her hands on his broad shoulders. When he looked up at her, she smiled. “Thank you. That was a wonderful experience.”

  Suddenly, the heat from his hands sliding along her thighs registered and she held her breath, trying not to react.

  “I’m glad that you enjoyed the adventure,” he replied, and once again, his accent thickened, telling her that he was feeling the immediate increase in the tension as well.

  She looked down, noticed his tanned hand as it rested on her thigh and the contrast to her own, paler skin. She didn’t know what to say and the tension increased, the silence lengthened. Clearing her throat, she laid her hand over his, thinking to push his hands away so she could stand up and walk away. But as soon as her fingers touched his, he slid his hand along her skin. The image was intoxicating, making her feel as if she were directing his strong hand. The contrast was not just pale skin against tanned, but power versus softness. His strong hands were well muscled with a light coating of dark hair along the back. Hers were pale with short nails, but her fingers appeared elegant and dainty as they rested on top of his. The sight was erotic. Combined with the heat of his hand against her thigh, she was having trouble remembering what she’d been about to do.

  “You’re a strong swimmer,” he commented.

  She shivered as his fingers tightened and her gaze pulled away from his hands to look into his eyes, worried that he’d felt her reaction. Sure enough, his eyes heated even more. She was surprised that the water wasn’t steaming around them as the sexual awareness increased.

  “I like to swim. It’s good exercise.” What an inane reply, she thought. And whose voice was that? She sounded all breathy and…excited.

  “Is that something else you taught yourself?”

  She smiled slightly, flattered by his admiration of her abilities. “Not really.” She took a deep breath. Or tried, actually. The way his hand was sliding back and forth, moving closer and higher to her waist, caused her mind to focus on his hand and the way it was heating up her whole body instead of trying to form a reply to his question.

  “Not really?”

  She shivered again and this time, they were looking right at each other. Her fingers tightened on his hand, but he didn’t remove it. Instead, he slid his hand down to her knee, all the way down her calves and then back up again. The closer he came to her hips, the deeper her breath tightened. Then his hand moved back down her leg, circling along her ankles. Her breath came out in a whoosh, but her relief was short lived as his hands moved higher again. And this time, his fingers came perilously close to her inner thighs.

  Should she move? Shouldn’t she discourage him from his touching? Yes, she should.

  But… it felt shockingly good.

  She liked the way his hands touched her, the way the calluses sent extra sensations spiraling throughout her body. She loved the way he gripped her legs, her muscles tightening wherever he touched her. It was a heady sensation that she wasn’t willing to give up. Not quite yet.

  “You don’t get out into the sunshine much, do you?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. But she heard every word. Every vibration sent a thrill racing to her soul and her body reacted.

  Thankfully, there was no need to respond since the answer was obvious. Her skin was too pale for him to conclude anything else. “Your skin is so soft.”

  “The water…” she offered as explanation.

  “No, Katia. It has nothing to do with the sea water. You’re soft.” He looked at her breasts, noticed the sharp peaks under the thin material of her bathing suit and groaned. “I have to stop touching you.”

  But he didn’t. His fingers continued moving up and down her thighs. “I don’t want to.”

  She swallowed, her eyes entranced by his blue ones. “I don’t want you to…�
�� Whatever she’d been about to say was interrupted by a stingray as it swam past, splashing both of them with one of its wings. Katia jerked backwards, closing her eyes as the salt water stung. “Oh!”

  Sergei’s laughter hit her next, but that was nothing compared to the shock when he pulled himself up out of the ocean to sit down next to her on the swimming platform. Then he was gone, standing next to her. His muscular legs were…amazing and so close! She wanted to reach out and touch his legs, like he’d done to hers moments ago.

  Instead, she curled her fingers into tight fists, resisting that temptation. She shouldn’t touch him, she reminded herself. This was only a temporary arrangement.

  She pushed her feet up underneath herself, intending to stand up. But strong hands pulled her up by her waist and she was lifted higher. With a gasp, she was standing there next to him and…he lowered his head and kissed her. Another one of those annoyingly brief kisses that left her panting for more, but he pulled back before she could protest. Or even react!

  “Here,” he offered and grabbed a huge, fluffy towel that some efficient staff member had obviously brought to the swimming platform because she was fairly sure that they hadn’t been there when Sergei had coaxed her into the water.

  “Thank you,” she beamed as he wrapped the towel around her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her up.

  “Why don’t you choose one of the staterooms to shower and get the salt water off, then change and meet me on the top deck for dinner?”

  She thought that it would be nicer if he joined her in the shower. Maybe he could finish what he’d started on the swimming platform. But she wasn’t that brave. At least, not yet. And he was more than slightly intimidating.

  So instead of offering to make this temporary “marriage” into something more interesting, something that both of them seemed to want, she turned around and took the steps up to the mid-deck. She stumbled slightly when she realized that a steward was standing there, obviously waiting for both of them to come up from the swimming platform. Her cheeks flamed with color at the thought of the steward, or any of the staff members, watching the way Sergei had been touching her. That intimate moment was private and she hated the possibility that someone had seen it.

  Then again, the whole point of this excursion was to be seen. They were supposed to be doing things to draw attention to their presence here.

  Was that all Sergei had been doing? She smiled politely to the steward who showed her to a beautiful stateroom. Walking inside, she closed the door and leaned against it as she closed her eyes in an effort to get her head on straight.

  Had that all been for show? Had Sergei only been touching her like that so that someone else might see them and…?

  She shuddered, thinking about someone taking a picture and posting it online. To her, that moment had been intensely personal. Private. She hated the possibility that someone had seen them and snapped a picture.

  But she couldn’t eliminate the possibility, the probability, that an isolated picture had been exactly what Sergei had been hoping for. Good grief, she hoped that he attributed her silly reaction to her just playing her part. Surely he didn’t think that she…

  Okay, so he probably did. She’d fallen for the act and now she’d have to wing it through the rest of the evening. Leaning her head against the closed door, she took several deep, centering breaths. This was crazy! She shouldn’t be here. She should head out to another city and just continue on with her plan. She’d married Sergei. He could take their marriage license and shove it in her father’s face. He could claim her inheritance and be done with everything. There was no need for her to be involved in this sham!

  She’d just leave. She’d get on a plane and fly away, find another small town and start living her life. Sergei would destroy her father now that he had the means. And Katia could just let those two battle it out. She had complete confidence that Sergei would finish off her father. He was a master tactician. Much better than her father, who relied on brute and brutal force to get his way. Sergei used intelligence and planning. A stronger method, in Katia’s opinion.

  With that plan in mind, she pushed away from the door and headed into the bathroom. The wet bathing suit was clammy and the powerful air conditioning was making her chilly. A shower and dry clothes were her first priority. Then during dinner, she’d simply tell Sergei that she would leave him to his revenge. She could simply go back into hiding until this was all over.

  That was a much better plan, she thought, as she lathered up her hair with shampoo. There was no need to worry about her father being angry about any pictures of Sergei touching her. He wouldn’t care. Well, he might care, but only because he thought he would choose her groom. So yeah, she could sort of see how pictures of her and Sergei together might just fuel her father’s fury. And an angry man didn’t think through issues as well as a calm, rational person. Katia knew from previous experience that her father definitely didn’t have a calm personality. The man blew up over the smallest slight, even if the slight hadn’t been intentional.

  Chapter 9

  Something had changed. Sergei watched her approach and knew immediately that something was wrong.

  She looked fresh and beautiful, her hair dancing around her shoulders like a dark cloud, but something in her eyes that had definitely changed.

  Damn, he thought, as his fingers tightened around the glass. He shouldn’t have touched her like that earlier. He’d scared her off. This whole plan had just gone to hell. Well, not the revenge aspect of his plan, but he hadn’t anticipated wanting Katia so intensely. Hell, they shouldn’t even be here in Grand Cayman! A pseudo honeymoon had been a perfect plan. His idea had been to have all of his team in place, marry Katia, and then his people could move in to take control of Sosta’s companies and homes. He’d been working for months to ensure that everyone was in place, that the bank employees were ready to freeze his assets, he’d hired the right people to take over the running of the companies…everything had been strategically put in place so that they were ready in a moment’s notice to take over and banish Sosta from his homes, his companies, his goon squad, and leave him with no money.

  Sergei had also anticipated that it wouldn’t be a simple matter. Just because Sosta had been kicked out, that wouldn’t mean he didn’t have a battle ahead. But Sergei knew his enemy and had established contingency maneuvers. There were plans in place to stop him from crafting any sort of effective rally.

  The one aspect of his plan that he hadn’t counted on was Katia. She was lovely, sweet, kind, and…so painfully beautiful, it made his body ache! This trip…it had been a perfect way to snub Sosta. Yes, he’d thought about an affair with her. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that they could burn up the sheets together.

  But that was before he’d gotten to know her. That was all before he’d understood that she was kind and generous, so sweetly innocent but still tough and strong, surviving under horrible pressure, even figuring out how to mess with her father’s head and disrupt the man’s infrastructure. Sergei chuckled, thinking about the computer program Katia had developed. It was so brilliant, he wished he’d thought of it years ago.

  No, Katia definitely wasn’t a typical twenty-something woman. His experience had taught him that women in their mid-twenties were career minded, determined, and ambitious, almost single mindedly ambitious. Or the opposite, they were trying to trap him into marriage and the life of leisure that a marriage to him would provide.

  Over the years, he’d learned to enjoy the first group of lovely ladies and assiduously avoid the second group. He’d never considered marriage. Hell, he’d never expected to even survive his war with Sosta. His only plan had been to destroy his enemy and, if he fell during that battle, so be it. He had accepted that fate.

  What he hadn’t expected was Katia. From the first moment he’d met her, he’d found her fascinating. Stronger in many ways than any woman he’d ever met and that turned him on in ways he didn’t really under
stand. And yet, she was softer, more delicate and vulnerable than anyone he’d encountered before and he wasn’t exactly sure how to handle that softness.

  Even after everything she’d gone through in her life, she was still generous and caring. He’d read the reports about her generosity, but had scoffed at the information. No one was that sweet and kind. Altruism was only a façade to an ulterior motive.

  But so far, he hadn’t been able to determine what her scheme was. And his only conclusion was that she was the first genuinely caring person he’d ever met.

  And that stumped him. How did a rough and determined, revenge-oriented man, like him, protect a woman like Katia?

  The only answer that came to mind was that he had to stay away from her. He couldn’t sully her with his presence or his touch. Leave. That was the answer. He had to get her home. And not to that dump she’d been living in before. No, he’d buy her a house and ensure that she was safe. He’d hire an army to protect her and surround her house with that army, if that’s what it took to protect her from her father.

  He pushed away from the railing, determined to tell the captain that they needed to head back to port. He’d call his pilot and warn him to be ready to fly back to Virginia this afternoon. He definitely couldn’t stay here with Katia in the warm, Caribbean sunshine. Not after this afternoon. The way she’d looked at him, the soft longing in her eyes and the eager sensuality of her response to his touch…even now, after a cold shower and a stern mental lecture where he admonished himself to keep his hands off her, he still couldn’t bring his body under control. Just the thought of her walking towards him in those shorts, seeing her long legs….

  No, they needed to leave before he hurt her.

  That was his plan, at least.

  Then she stepped through the doorway and smiled at him. That smile told him that something was wrong. There was wariness in her eyes now and it made him hurt deep down in his gut. No, he couldn’t handle Katia being hurt. Never!