Page 167 of Sweet Deception

They filed out, grunting affirmations, leaving the room empty except for her. She stayed put, watching me as I crossed to her, slow, deliberate. I stopped inches away, towering over her chair.then grabbed the bottom of it, wood scraping loud against the floor, and yanked it toward me. She gasped, clutching the arms, her body jolting closer until her knees brushed my legs.

“Enjoy the show?” My voice was low, edged with something dark.

She looked up, eyes wide but defiant. “I was just... listening.”

“Bullshit.” I leaned down, one hand gripping the armrest, caging her in. “You were looking at him. What was it? His hands? His voice?”

Her breath hitched. “Gleb, I wasn’t...”

“Don’t lie to me.” I straightened, grabbing her wrist, not hard, but firm and pulled her up. She stumbled into me, her body soft against mine, and that contact alone set my blood on fire. “You don’t get to look at anyone else like that.”

She glared, but her voice trembled. “You’re jealous.”

“Damn right I am.” I backed her against the wall, my hands sliding to her hips, pinning her there. “You’re mine, Anna. Every look, every thought. Mine.”

Her lips parted, but before she could argue, I kissed her hard, punishing and claiming. She gasped into it, her hands fisting my shirt, and I pressed myself against her, letting her feel how much I meant it. My phone buzzed in my pocket, probably Dmitri or Borris but I ignored it. The world could wait.

I pulled back, breathing ragged, and growled against her ear, “Upstairs. Now. Or I’ll make good on that text right here.”

She shivered, eyes dark with heat, and nodded. I let her go, watching her walk unsteady, already half-wrecked, toward the stairs. I followed, every step a promise.

She wouldn’t be walking straight tomorrow. I’d make sure of it.

As we entered the spacious upstairs room, its tall glass windows casting reflections across the floor, I pinned her to the desk. My hand slid toward her waistband.

A sharp crack split the air.

Glass shattered.

Instinct kicked in. I lunged to shield her, but Anna, damn her, moved faster. She shoved me aside, her body twisting in front of mine as the shot rang out. She gasped, stumbling back against the desk a red stain blooming across her shoulder.

“Anna!” My voice broke as I caught her, my hands trembling. Blood soaked through her shirt, warm and slick under my fingers.

Another shot rang out, ricocheting off the walls. I pulled us both behind the desk, shielding her with my body as I scanned the shadows.

Footsteps thundered. Dimitri and Boris burst into the room, weapons drawn.

“Gleb!” Borris shouted, eyes wild. “Stay down!”

Dmittri crouched beside us, his gaze fixed on Anna, “She’s bleeding badly, boss.”

My hands pressed against her wound, desperate to staunch the flow. Panic clawed at my chest, stealing my breath. “Hold on, Anna. Please, hold on.”

Her eyes fluttered open, dazed but focused on mine. “Gleb... I’m okay...”

“No, you’re not,” I snarled, my voice raw. “Why the hell did you do that?”

She tried to smile, wincing. “Couldn’t... let you die.”

Those words shattered me. For twelve months, I’d kept her at arm’s length, hating her at first, blaming her for a war that wasn’t her fault, then guarding her from a fate I couldn’t control. But now, bleeding out in my arms, she’d chosen me over herself. And I’d almost lost her.

Borris fired into the dark, then yelled, “They’re gone! We need to move, now!”

I scooped Anna into my arms, her body limp against mine, and bolted down the stairs toward the car. In the back seat, I cradled her, pressing firmly on the wound to stanch the bleeding. Borris slid into the driver’s seat, the engine roaring to life.

The drive to the hospital was a blur, flashing streetlights, the hum of tires on asphalt, Anna’s shallow breaths. I whispered fervent pleas, my voice trembling. “Stay with me. Don’t you dare leave me.”

At the hospital, they pried her from my arms. I stood there, blood staining my hands, helpless as they wheeled her away. Borris gripped my shoulder, his voice low. “She’s tough. She’ll make it.”