Page 79 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

“That was a shit shot, Anika.” His hands settled on her hips, turning them so she was square. The heat of his fingers seared through her clothes. “Want to try again? Or should we bring the target closer…say about the same distance as Ivan was to you that night?”

Anika prayed he couldn’t hear or feel the rate of her pulse.

“You’re absurd. I didn’t know touring Romanov properties would get you implemented into crimes,” Anika retorted.

“Only when the client lies about the use of the warehouse.”

“Are you saying my leather goods business is a lie?”

“I’m saying I didn’t see any leather goods in your home when I visited the other night.”

A chill shot up her spine, the sensation unbearable. She couldn’t stifle it, letting it roll through her body as he chuckled in triumph near her head.

“Does this ruse usually work for you?” she asked, quickly changingthe subject.

His body morphed around hers. The nearness of him not only blurred her vision but also the lines of places she didn’t want to cross. Especially with Mikko. He was close enough that she could feel his heart steadily beating against her upper back. His height dwarfed her frame, an uncanny feeling considering she was on the taller side.

“What?”

He was too close—

“Teaching women to shoot all while feeling them up? Accusing them?”

Now he really laughed, the sound low and bright amidst the gloom of the range. “Every single one of my touches has been professional and only to enhance your posture.” He was incorrect, but as her tongue formulated a scathing response, he spoke again. “Besides,malyshka,you’d know the difference between these touches”—his right hand left its resting place at her waist and slowly trailed up over her ribs again before faintly tracing the underside of her breast, making her forget to ask what that accented word meant—“andthese.”

Higher and higher he went, his fingers deftly grazing over her collar bones. Anika was swept into his spell. Maybe this was how he got everyone to fall into place within his world. Maybe she was just as stupid as all those who came before her.

Fuck.

With his breath tickling the flyaway hairs lingering near her temple, Anika lost her will to focus. The sounds of gunfire and people in neighboring booths faded out, replaced only with the dull thrum of her blood rushing through her ears. Her mouth dried up as he circled her shoulder before his finger slipped between her shoulder blades and traced the divot of her spine once more. It was simple, yet too much.

“Along with these touches,” he lilted, his voice deep and wicked.The faint sweep of his lips across the nape of her neck had warmth pooling between her legs.

I should’ve fucked someone before this,she internally chided.Now, I can’t tell if I’m horny or…

Or what? Enjoying herself? Fuck that.

Down, down, down he went until she couldn’t tell if this was another cruel dream or reality. Until she realized her brain had free will, she could tell him to stop, and yet…she didn’t. In all honesty, shewantedhim to keep going. It’d been so long since she’d been teased and touched properly.

“I believe you owe me an apology, Anika.”

“Do I?” A breathy response, but she hoped both of their ear muffs prevented him from realizing.

His hand hovered between the hem of her shirt and the waistband of her cargo pants, a sinful promise waiting to be accepted. His finger hooked onto her pants. “Mhmm, for saying you’d shoot me.”

She audibly swallowed. “I was…joking.”

Mikko leisurely traced the outline of her waistband. “Were you?”

Her mouth popped open,“no”sitting right there on her tongue when he stopped momentarily. Anika’s knees trembled, both from adrenaline and fatigue.

“I think we should play a little game,” he said, “and maybe we can say all is forgiven, hm?”

“I hate games,” she murmured.

His response came too quick, too close.“Too bad.”His finger notched up her spine as his mouth softly pressed against her skin above her shirt collar. Goosebumps erupted in his wake. “For every number I say, you shoot. If you get five head shots, we stop. If not, well…”

She’d be forced to go on forever no doubt. Fuck him andhis games. “Deal.”