Her Russian Hero (International Romance Series) (9 page)

“You have a real feast here.”

“Come sit on the sofa. It is more
comfortable.” He gave her a hand to help her out of her chair. She smiled,
appreciating his ever-present courtesy and then realized the colonel had
disappeared. She scanned the room, her pulse racing in discomfort.

“Where’s your officer?”

“He has gone home for dinner with
his family. He will be back in a couple of hours and will drive you to your
hotel.”

“He doesn’t mind being at your
beck and call?” Cecile asked, somewhat bewildered by the low-key role the
dashing colonel accepted.

“Nicolai is my most loyal officer
and friend. I trust him implicitly. We grew up in the same neighborhood and
attended the local schools. We joined the military academy together. Being a
married man, the colonel can walk with a woman without generating gossip.
People will assume you’re a relative or a friend.” Sergei shrugged and added,
“Or even a lover. Nobody cares about the private life of a simple colonel.”

She heard the bitterness
underlying his comments. “How about the private life of a general? Is it
different?”

His lips stretched into a
disillusioned smile. “For me, it is quite a different matter. Because of the
visibility of my position, my every move is dissected. Any woman seen at my
side is scrutinized. I can’t date a foreign woman, particularly an official
envoy to my country. The paparazzi would have our picture in the front page of
every newspaper with a big title, Major General and American Program Manager…
Stormy Affair… Unpatriotic Business.”

“Oh my God!” Oppressed by the
lack of privacy, she twisted her head right and left, surveying the darkened
office. “Are you sure no one is watching us, or hearing us right now?”

“Positive, my dear. Nicolai and I
checked every inch of this room. We turned off the light bulbs that could be
bugged. This lamp is safe.”

She trusted him on the subject of
surveillance—more like the KGB spying in her opinion—and crossed her legs,
relaxed against the back of the sofa.

He filled both glasses with
vodka. “
Na zdorovie
, to you,
Cecilya
, my beautiful American.”

No one had ever made her feel so
special. For her colleagues and friends, she was the brainy executive they
consulted and rarely dared to contradict.

Granted, she’d like the general
to acknowledge her professional capability but right now she basked in his
compliment.

Sergei lowered himself onto the
sofa and clanked his glass to hers. As usual, he swallowed his drink in one
gulp. A crooked smile appeared on his lips. Extending his arm behind her
shoulder, he bent and kissed her. A light kiss, which made her dizzier than a
drink of vodka. Her shot glass in her hand, she didn’t resist. He nibbled on
her lips, then released her and refilled his own glass.

“Are you planning to make me
drunk?” she jested, tilting her head.

He captured her gaze and shook
his head with a large grin. “Neither of us will get drunk. For every toast, you
will take a sip and I will empty my glass. How about that?”

She chuckled. “And…you never get
drunk…right?”

“Absolutely right. A general should
always be sober. As you well know by now, we Belarusians toast a lot. Tonight I
suggest we start a new tradition. We will end every toast with a kiss. I
promise you an unforgettable evening.”

She swallowed, mesmerized by his
suggestive words and his tender gaze. Would she survive unscathed after an
evening in his arms? At the moment, all she cared was to experience the passion
he offered. She raised her glass and wet her lips. “Can I make a toast?”

“By all means.” He touched his
shot glass to hers and waited.

“To us,” she whispered with a
strangled voice and sipped her vodka.

A burning fire lit in the deep
blue of his eyes. He stared at her, downed the whole drink and deposited both
glasses on the table. “You look so beautiful with your hair down and a silky
shirt…less managerial…more vulnerable.” He enfolded her in his arms and stroked
her hair, curling a tendril around his finger. “It feels like golden silk. Why
do you often pull it in such a severe bun?”

Cecile laughed. “I try to project
the image of an older, strictly professional scientist. Remember, I work in a
masculine atmosphere and need to gain the respect of my colleagues. Some of
them are male chauvinists.” She raised a dubious brow. “Isn’t it right,
General?”

“Am I one of them?” He tilted his
head, considering her question. “I’m sorry,
Cecilya
. I didn’t realize.”
He gave her a sheepish grin and looked contrite with an endearing boyish
expression as if he couldn’t imagine himself being chauvinistic. Her gaze
lingered on the blue horizon of his eyes and she wholeheartedly forgave him.

“General, thank you for saying
this. Your trust is so important to me.” Cecile reached and caressed the rough
cheek.

Sergei pulled her onto his lap
and crushed her against his chest. It would be so easy to let go and forget the
world in his arms. She cuddled against his torso and anchored herself to the
man she wouldn’t mind claiming as her own. Linking her hands around his neck,
she held on to him as if she would never let him go. Tingles spread to her
breasts and stormed her belly.

He rubbed her lips softly and
feathered a caress that taunted and incited. Enflamed by desire, she allowed
him to capture her mouth and parted her lips under the demand of his passion.
His tongue invaded her mouth, playing and stroking.

With all her senses attuned to
Sergei, she resolutely shut away the rest of her life. One coherent thought
twirled through her mind as she snuggled against him and clung to his
shoulders, if only time would stand still.

His hand slid under the jacket,
toward her breast and cradled a lace-covered mound. He fondled and teased. Heat
unfurled from her chest, spiraled down and focused between her legs. Her face
flushed, her body ablaze, Cecile eased away, removed the blazer and nestled
back against him.

He caressed her cheek and probed
her eyes. She nodded her approval to the unvoiced question. He undid the pearl
buttons of her blouse and peeled both sides away. His rugged fingers traced the
contour of her lacy bra then slid under its edge. A quiver vibrated down her
body. As of her own volition, her hand covered his and pressed it against her
flesh to appease the tingling sensation.

His eyes mirrored her growing
hunger. She raked her fingers through his hair and sought his mouth. Without
interrupting her kiss, he reached around under her shirt to unhook her bra.

They glided down on the sofa and
his lips drifted from her mouth to her throat. Half-lying over her, he cupped
both breasts in his palms, trailed his tongue around each tip in a blazing
dance and suckled on a rigid peak.

Cecile forgot time and place,
past and future. Her marvelous present encompassed one man, his sturdy body
molded against hers, his gentle hands skimming her flesh and his sensual lips
playing havoc with her senses. She moaned and squirmed against her magnificent
man, swearing to keep her hero forever.

Far away a clock chimed.

Cecile suddenly froze. God, what
had she done?

There was no forever in the Major
General’s arms, only slivers of present, in his office—the same office where
they met and worked every day. Cecile struggled out of his embrace.

“What is it?” He groaned,
breathing heavily. With the tip of his finger he smoothed away the frown that
lined her forehead.

“The colonel will be back any
minute,” she said with a cold edge to her voice while gripping the top of her
blouse.

Sergei leveled a sober look at
her. “He knows better than to barge into my office without knocking. I will not
apologize for taking you in my arms.” He helped her rearrange her clothing then
reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “Cecilya, my darling, I could
kiss you and caress you all through the night.”

She had come to his office and
slipped into his arms willingly. Why was she resenting him now? “We’re in your
office. We’re coworkers,” she wailed as she scooted away and tried to recover
her cool façade. “It doesn’t sound right.”

“Cecile, this office is my home.
I invited you to the only place where I could see you in peace, without
worrying about curious or indiscreet ogling. I wish I could date you without
restrictions. I wish I could spend hours with you.” He sighed, then poured more
vodka for both of them and tapped his glass against hers. “I drink to the most
beautiful hour I have had in a long time.”

She lowered her eyelashes. How
could she blame him when she wanted him as much as he seemed to want her?

Sergei emptied his glass and
gently smiled at her. “Cecilya? Relax.”

She inhaled and stared at him.

Cutting the bread and sausage, he
prepared little sandwiches. “We had the dessert before the meal.” He fed her a
bite. Dear Sergei, he was trying hard to restore her easygoing mood. “If you
eat while you drink, your head will remain clear. Here, take another bite.” He
gave her a mischievous smile.

“I’d think it’s a little bit too
late for this advice.” She chuckled but she ate the rest of the sandwich and
licked her lips. “Your black bread is delicious.”

“Try it with the orange caviar,
another delicacy of Belarus.”

He filled the glasses. “
Na
zdorovie
, to the loveliest scientist to set foot in Belarus.”

Flattery tumbled easily out of
his luscious lips. She arched her brow. “An hour ago you claimed scientists
were lazybones wasting time in endless research.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth. I
never disparaged this particular American female chemist.” He shook his head
vehemently and gave her a heart-stopping kiss to prove his point. “Cecilya, you
are very special to me.”

“Sergei, I’m sorry. I really
enjoy being with you,” she admitted. “I didn’t mean to…to…”

“Don’t apologize, please. I
understand your feelings. I’ll come up with some better place for our next
date.”

He still wanted to see her. A
happy feeling danced in her heart. She didn’t protest a next date but she
noticed the puzzled look he gave her.

“Why are you alone, Cecile?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Explain to me how such a
gorgeous young woman, with stunning figure, lovely green and hazel eyes, is so
involved in her work. Are your friends and your colleagues blind?”

Cecile chuckled, a blush warming her
cheeks. “My last relationship with a fellow scientist brought only
frustration.” She shook her head, commiserating at her failure to choose the
right man. “My work is my life. I enjoy every minute of it.”

She could never give up her work,
her career, the only staunch, permanent and immutable entity in her life. Men,
lovers and friends, came and went and left her empty or hardened. So far, the
challenge of her work and the success of her career had been exhilarating and
uplifting. But now…

“Is work enough to fill a life?”
Sergei’s voice echoed her thoughts.

Befuddled, Cecile tilted her head
and frowned. Now, she had found a hero and she wanted to experience again the
passion she’d tasted in his arms. She wanted to borrow happiness and fill the
vacuum in her life. “I don’t want to lose you, Sergei.” She didn’t realize
she’d voiced her innermost feelings until they echoed in her ears.

He took both of her hands and
pressed them to his lips. “If it was up to me, Cecilya, you would never lose
me,” he promised but they both knew there were boundaries and obstacles, even a
powerful Major General and an assertive Program Manager could not predict or
control.

What a mess. The Major General of
Belarus couldn’t wreck his reputation by dating a foreigner. And she, the
Program Manager on an official mission, couldn’t damage her career by fooling
around with her client.

Yet, she’d dare the unthinkable.
She wanted the inaccessible, powerful Major General of Belarus with every cell
of her body. And he seemed to crave her as much.

Damn their positions.

They heard a soft tapping at the
door, followed by a loud grunting.

“Come in, Nicolai.” The colonel
had returned as discreetly as he’d left. Sergei bowed over her hand. His lips
smoldered on her palm and his tongue traced a fiery mark upon her wrist. “Good
night, my dear Cecilya. Thank you for coming.
Spacibo bolshoye
.”

“Thank you, General, for the
drink and a lovely time.”

After a speedy drive through the
dark roads, Nicolai dropped her in front of the hotel.

As she rushed toward the
revolving door, a hand clamped on her shoulder and she shrieked.

Chapter Eight

“Dr. Lornier, I hope I haven’t
scared you?”

The balding head of Colonel
Roussov shone under the flickering light of the entrance door and his glittering
eyes narrowed on her face. The man had scared her out of her wits. She bet he’d
done it on purpose. Anger helped her recover from her fright.

She recoiled from him, jerking
her shoulder out of his grasp. “Colonel Roussov, this is no way to accost a person.
I’m glad I’m not the skittish type. I could have screamed my head off and
alerted the security.”

“Dr. Lornier, we both know that
you are a strong businesswoman. Right? I admire you for that. It’s quite cold
here. Shall we go in?”

He gestured for her to precede
him inside the hotel. Cecile cursed his untimely visit. She inhaled deeply to
calm her jittery nerves. Spinning around, she entered the lighted lobby and
paused. With a questioning look, she waited for him to explain his presence.

“Dr. Lornier, I came to pay you a
courtesy visit,” he said, a benevolent smile glued on his lips. His lethal gaze
reminded her of a snake trying to hypnotize his prey.