Victoria felt warm all over. Not feverish warmth, but a warm, tingly sensation running up her arms, over her breasts, and down her legs. It felt like a hand skimming over her body, leaving delicious trails of heat wherever it went. Soft, firm lips pressed tender kisses alongside her neck. One kiss touched her tattoo. An explosive bolt of pleasure shot through her body, from her hair to the tips of her toes. She moaned. The kisses continued down her neck and along her throat. Hands massaged her breasts, and her nipples tightened. Then magical lips replaced the hands and suckled her breasts. She grasped and jumped as theunfamiliar sensations wreaked havoc on her body. She moaned again as teeth grazed her nipples and sucked gently. A warm, rough tongue traced her areola. She went mindless with pleasure. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into liquid brown intensity. “Ivan?” she whispered. She couldn’t believe her friend was responsible forthe pleasure coursing through

Zanhoden sat in the head seat at the empty Imvura Council table. He had a lot of things to think about since the meeting with his son. Revenge was so close he could taste its honey. He had waited so long, planned and plotted for decades to get to this point. The fact his soon-to-be daughter-in-law was a DaliliNakissa was an added bonus. Getting Sarim’s heir pregnant was a brilliant move, and even though he’d stressed to his son the importance of doing so, he was never sure Khafil would actually complete the task and certainly not on the first try. He reined his excitement in. First, it had to be determined she was impregnated. Then he would celebrate the success. But he knew if she wasn’t—which was highly unlikely—she would be soon. Zanhoden, couldn't wait to shove his success in that bastard Sarim's face. He had instilled a strong sense of duty in his son at a young age. Khafil was his only son and next in line for the Imvura Council leadership. Khafil was indeed his legacy. He unde

Victoria almost stumbled. Her chuckle dried up immediately. She entered “Seduce Ivan” mode. “No, nothing, just laughing over a dream I had last night.” Ivan raised an eyebrow. “What kind of dream did you have?” “Nothing important.” Victoria felt blood rushing to her face. She dropped her head as she sat on the couch opposite Ivan. She was too embarrassed to meet his questioning gaze. “I had a dream I was supposed to sing at a concert and nothing came out when I opened my mouth.” “Really?” He continued to stare at her, making her even more nervous and flustered. “Yeah, the funny part came when I suddenly grew wings and flew off the stage.” He chuckled. “You always did have an overactive imagination.” She laughed and looked up to find him staring at her. The laughter stopped as she returned the stare, unable to break away from the hungry intensity in his eyes. His usually light brown eyes had darkened to brown. The air between them became charged. Victoria felt little sparks of e

Sighing, Victoria rubbed her eyes and looked away from the computer screen. Ivan had left her again to take care of some errands. Over the last week, she’d noticed Ivan had had to take care of his mysterious errands on a daily basis. She was beginning to wonder what type of errands he was taking care of. She knew whatever business he was involved in was successful, evidenced by his lavish lifestyle. But what exactly did he do? He never talked about it and the few times she’d asked him questions about his day, he never really answered her. Instead, he changed the subject, and they would end up talking about something else, watching a movie, or end up going out for something to eat. She had to admit it was wonderful living with Ivan. Every evening they did some activity together. He had an amazing sense of humor and kept her laughing. She loved debating with him about politics and current events. It was like they had been living together for months instead of days. It scared her. Her

Placing her palm in his, she felt a spark when his palm closed around hers. She allowed him to lead her to the living room where he sat beside her on the love seat. Their knees touched, adding to the sexual excitement already coursing through her body. “I want to get to know you better. I want to pursue a relationship with you.” He turned so he was facing her, looking at her intently. “I know I’m being direct, but this is how I feel. I’ve had a crush on you since we were kids. I’ve thought about you a lot over the years.” He paused. “I even went back home, but you weren’t there.” “When did you go back home?” she asked in a soft voice, unable to believe he wanted the same things she did. “About a year ago, around September. I went to your mother’s house, but someone I didn’t recognize answered the door. They knew you, but didn’t know where you had gone.” “My mother had gotten worse and had to be placed in a nursing home to receive around the clock medical attention. I had to rent o