Free Russian Enforcer's Reluctant Bride by Nic Saint Page B

Jonathan and she had had sex during the five years their relationship had lasted, but it had never felt this wonderful—this earth-shattering—this… blissful.
    She couldn’t help but smile at the recollection of her recent union with the man who was starting to dominate not merely her body but also her heart. Had their meeting in the forest been preordained? Had fate finally smiled upon her and decided to bring the blossom of hope to adorn the tree of her future?
    How odd, that Jonathan’s gambling debts would have brought Vitaly Loganov into her life. How… auspicious.
    And she was just giving her mind free rein to outline a future that prominently featured Vitaly, when a voice spoke in her rear. Her mood of careless happiness was suddenly ruthlessly crushed like the fragile blossom it was.
    “I see you’re enjoying the fruits of my labor, Miss Royale?”
    Without turning, she stiffened, and replied, “A very fine garden, Yury. You must be so proud.”
    “Oh, but I am. As I am proud of all the things that belong to me.”
    She did turn now, the inflection in his voice giving her pause. She wondered if he had been standing there long, but then figured it didn’t matter. Her happiness was not something she should feel ashamed about.
    “Have you lived here long?” she said in an attempt at making polite conversation.
    Ignoring her question, he said, “You will find that I feel very strongly about the distinction between mine and thine, Joanna. It’s one of the reasons I love this country so much that I’ve made it my home. When I was in Russia, everything belonged to the state. And I do mean everything. No private property.” He extended his arm to gesture at his garden. “All this could have never belonged to me if I’d stayed where I was born. But now that it does, I like to protect it with my life.”
    She looked up at the fierceness with which he’d spoken these words. She now saw he was staring at her with a look of indignation mingled with unmitigated hatred, and she frowned, not comprehending. “If this is about Jonathan, I assure you I had nothing to do with what he did. He never even confided in me about his plans for the hotel.”
    Yury slashed the air with his hand. “Screw your ex-husband. I don’t care about him any more than I care about the men who betray me.” He suddenly turned on her. “You were there when Spartak shot my daughter, yes?”
    Ram gave a sharp bark at these words, sensing danger. Joanna knelt down and scooped up the little ball of white, comforting him in her arms. Remembering Vitaly’s words, she realized she must tread very carefully now. Somehow, Yury had discovered the truth about what had happened to his daughter, and it made him furious.
    “I—No, actually I wasn’t,” she returned guardedly. “All I saw was that a woman had been shot, and when I tried to help her, two men were there that I’d never seen before. They frightened me at first, but later told me who the woman was and why she was there.”
    “They say you helped her—that you saved her life?”
    “That—I think at the time it may have looked that way. I’m sure, though, that even without my help she would have been fine.”
    He nodded his agreement. “That’s what the doctors told me. Although the arrow could have killed her if only it had been mere inches to the left.”
    “I’m glad she’s going to be fine.” She spoke from the bottom of her heart.
    “Thank you,” he acknowledged quietly, then told her, “It is very unusual, is it not, for a man to fall in love with a woman on such short notice? In the space of mere hours?”
    Only now did she realize her mistake when telling him she’d never met Vitaly before. She slung a hand to her mouth when she noticed the look of triumph he gave her.
    “It is as I suspected. Vitaly told me how you met, and the story struck me as unlikely in the extreme. He would have told me about you if that had been the case, or I would have heard it from