Chapter Eighteen

Y A N A

I wait for something bad to happen. Maybe this time it won’t be Mikhail throwing up. Maybe this time it would be some sort of unexpected interruption that would inevitably destroy the moment equally.

But to my surprise, nothing happens.

Mikhail just kisses me.

At first, he’s slow, curious. He’s brushing his lips over mine, lingering and light, his breath warm and his scent almost overwhelming. Heat rushes all over my body, and as he threads his fingers in my hair, I just lose it.

I know I should be smarter about this. I know I should take a moment to think and stop and say that hey, Mikhail is technically my boss. He’s funding all of my stuff, single-handedly moving me up a tax bracket by saving my dying business. And most importantly, I’m his employee.

I’m just a hired actor paid to play a role.

I shouldn’t want him this bad. I shouldn’t want him at all.

And yet I do.

Perhaps it’s just because I haven’t been in a relationship in a long while. Perhaps it’s just because I haven