Royce hated planes. He didn't used to, but since he lost his parents, he'd viewed them as giant deathtraps. The pilot announced their flight time and the weather conditions on the way to Moscow, and Royce's stomach knotted. He'd flown often over the years but had never gotten over the ache of his memories of that tragic night.He would sit frozen in his first-class seat of the Boeing 747 and not be able to breathe. The engines would come to life and the flight attendant would walk the length of the cabin, calm and casual, but nothing could distract him from his fear. He would grip the armrest until his knuckles were white, even before takeoff.Every time the memories of losing his parents came back, they were as dark and heavy as a midnight sea, drawing him down into their depths.Royce grinned as he, Wes, and Emery raided his dad's liquor cabinet and sat in the den watching TV. His parents wouldn't get home until late tonight, and they could hide the empty bottle of Jack Daniel's l

"So, are we going to talk about it?" Hans asked as he and Royce climbed in the back of their hired SUV.Royce leaned back, resting his head on the headrest as he stared straight ahead. "Talk about what?" Hans had the most amazing way of making him feel like he was a ten-year-old boy and not a man of thirty-three."About the fact that you basically told your grad student you want to fuck her brains out. Are you fraternizing with students now?""No. There's a fuck ton of paperwork involved, for one thing. And I would have to stop working with her. If it's handled wrong, it could damage the academic integrity of any research we did together.""Jesus. Why didn't you send her somewhere safe if she's such a temptation to you?" Hans asked. "She would have been fine at Fenn's ranch in Colorado."Royce watched the streets of Moscow blur as their driver sped up when the street cleared. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd told Kenzie the truth. As a Dom, he had a natural urge to protect his

One, two, three, fourKenzie fell into the cathartic pace of counting her strokes as she did laps in the massive underground pool of the Lotte Hotel. The square blue tiles along the pool bottom seemed to glow like neon from the underwater pool lights. She felt weightless, as if she were swimming in a distant galaxy of glowing stars rather than a pool in Moscow.She swam until her arms burned. With each stroke she tried to banish the memories of the horrors she'd faced.Monte gripping her throat, squeezingwood splintering above her. Glass and splinters raining down on hergunshots piercing the night, louder than she'd ever imagined they could bebullets embedded in the wall where her head had beenbroken glass glittering on the expensive stone floors like hundreds of diamonds.She'd never been close to death. She'd never seen the ugliness of true violence or crime. She had lived a sheltered life full of love, happiness, and her textbooks. Dinosaur bones over human bones. She could neve

She kissed him, unleashing everything she'd buried inside her. Everything she was ashamed of. All of the dark desires. The secret needs she'd hidden even from herself. All of it poured out of her and through her, infusing that kiss with the hot wave of her own inhibitions unbinding. For so long she'd held her life in perfect balance, keeping out of trouble and free from complications. But now she craved the danger she'd fed with her recklessness.Royce was the one man who could upset her fine edge of discipline and send her world tumbling. She didn't care. Consequences be damned. The burning connection of their mouths consumed her until there was only this man, this glorious kiss.A soft whisper of pain made her gasp as he fisted a hand in her hair and pulled her head back from his. Their eyes held like a key settling into a lock. Everything inside her went wondrously still. Kenzie clung to that feeling, digging her nails into his shoulders, afraid it would shatter this perfect feeli

Kenzie reached for the buttons of her flannel nightshirt. "So" She slowly revealed her body to him. The moonlight pouring in from the windows illuminated her breasts as she unwrapped herself like a Christmas present.He knew just what he wanted to do. She sat on her knees next to him as she let the nightshirt fall away. He reached out, cupping one of her breasts, rubbing his thumb over one tight nipple. She arched her back, offering herself to him, and he groaned as he reached for her, gripping her by the waist and pulling her on top.She settled onto his lap, straddling him. Her breasts were now close enough that he buried his face against them. He drew a nipple into his mouth and squeezed gently on her other breast. How could she taste so sweet? He let his hand slide down to her ass, tugging on the black panties. The urge to rip them again was almost overwhelming. Kenzie brought out a savage side in him. He always loved to be a bit rough, sure, but something about her made him feel