“Of course. I hope he recovers quickly. Is he your relative?” Kate was proud of the casual steadiness of her tone. Hopefully, the man wouldn’t realize how he affected her.
“My bodyguard.”
Kate’s eyes widened. So she’d been right—this man was a big fish. Bodyguard? Did that mean— “Was he shot in the course of duty?” she asked, holding her breath.
“He took a bullet meant for me, yes.” The man’s tone was matter-of-fact, but Kate got a sense of tightly suppressed rage underneath those words.
Holy shit. “Did you already speak to the police?”
“I gave them a brief statement. I will talk to them in more detail once Igor is stabilized and regains consciousness.”
Kate nodded, not knowing what to say to that. The man standing in front of her had been shot at today. What was he? Some Mafia boss? A political figure?
If she’d had any doubts about the wisdom of exploring this strange attraction between them, they were now gone. This stranger was bad news, and she needed to stay as far away from him as possible.
“Well, I wish your bodyguard a speedy recovery,” Kate said in a falsely cheerful tone. “Barring any complications, he should be fine—”
“Thanks to you.”
Kate nodded again, gave him a half-smile, and took a step to the side, hoping to walk around the man and go to her next patient.
But he shifted his stance, blocking her way. “I’m Alex Volkov,” he said quietly, looking down on her. “And you are?”
Kate’s pulse picked up. She could feel the male intent in his question, and it made her nervous. “Just a nurse working here,” she said, hoping he would get the hint.
He didn’t—or he pretended not to. “What’s your name?”
Kate took a deep breath. He was certainly persistent. “I’m Katherine Morrell. If you’ll excuse me—”
“Katherine,” he repeated, his accent lending the familiar syllables an exotic edge. His eyes gleamed with some unknown emotion, and his hard mouth softened a bit. “Katerina. It’s a beautiful name.”
“Thank you. I really have to go . . .” Kate was feeling increasingly anxious to get away. He was so large, standing there in front of her. She needed some space, needed a little room to breathe. His nearness was overpowering, making her edgy and restless, leaving her craving something she knew would be bad for her.
“You have your job to do. I understand,” he said, looking vaguely amused.
And he still didn’t move out of her way. Instead, as she watched in shock, he raised one large hand and lightly brushed his knuckles down her left cheek.#p#分页标题#e#
Kate froze, even as a wave of heat moved through her body. His touch had been casual, but she felt branded by it, shaken to the core.
“I would like to see you again, Katerina,” he said softly. “When does your shift end tonight?”
Kate stared at him, feeling like she was losing control of the situation. “I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
“Why not?” His blue eyes narrowed, and his mouth tightened again. “Are you married?”
For a second, Kate was tempted to lie and tell him that she was. But honesty won out. “No. But I’m not interested in dating right now—”
“Who said anything about dating?”
Kate blinked. She had assumed—
He lifted his hand again, stopping her mid-thought. This time, he picked up a strand of her long brown hair, rubbing it between his fingers as though enjoying its texture.
“I don’t date, Katerina,” he murmured, his accented voice oddly mesmerizing. “But I would like to take you to bed. And I think you would like that, too.”