Russian Mobster’s Blackmailed Bride (20 page)

His belly knotted with tension. Daniella was staring at the ground as though she were having second thoughts. He had almost started to relax, thinking that she would change her mind for sure, when she abruptly dangled from the branch.

“Oh shit,” she muttered. “That’s a long damn way.”

Josef couldn’t remain a silent observer anymore. He let out a low whistle, already smashing his cigarette beneath his heel. The sound seemed to startle her. Josef moved faster. He saw her lose her grip completely and he sprinted toward her.

Daniella gave a tiny squeak as she fell from the tree. Josef lunged at the last second. He stretched out his arms, trying to gauge exactly where she was going to land. He launched himself into the air and caught her lithe body, tucking her into the curve of his as he landed with a thud in the grass.

***

Daniella had no idea what had just happened. One second she was pitching downward in a stomach-wrenching free fall toward the hard ground, and the next she was cradled in a set of strong arms. She felt utterly shocked.

“Are you all right?”

The husky voice was undeniably male, both strange and familiar. Daniella squinted in the dark, trying to see whom it belonged to. It felt good to be in his arms. That was for sure. He had a firm chest beneath his tailored dress shirt. His sleeves were rolled to the elbows and she could feel the strength in his corded forearms.

“Why did you do that?” she asked breathlessly.

He chuckled. “Because you were going to break your neck.”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t know?” He seemed honestly surprised.

She felt a little miffed that he didn’t seem inclined to enlighten her. “It’s dark out here.”

“I’m guessing the darkness is what you were using to hide your decision to run away?”

“I’m not running away,” she argued. “I’m just trying to go meet my friends at the club.”

“Ah.”

The rumble of his voice in his chest sent a pleasant tingle through her body. He was warm and he smelled good. Considering she’d spent most of her growing-up years at an all-girls prep school, only to continue on to an all-girls college, she was sadly inexperienced with men. Now that she knew what she was missing, the club was looking more and more enticing.

“What?” She struggled to breathe normally. “Aren’t you going to threaten to go tell my brother or my father?”

“Why?” His calm tone was incredibly soothing. “Aren’t you a grown woman who can make her own decisions?”

“Way to make a girl feel stupid,” she said mournfully. “If I say no, I look like a complete nitwit. But if I say yes, I’m completely ignoring the fact that sneaking out is basically acknowledging that I’m
not
a grown woman. Or maybe it’s just alluding to the fact that my family doesn’t allow me to make my own decisions. I don’t know.”

“Sometimes families have a tough time recognizing that someone who used to be a child, is an adult,” he suggested. “Perhaps sitting down and having a rational discussion would be the best way to help them make that transition.”

His tone was so reasonable that she could almost believe what he said was true. She gently poked him in the chest. “You’ve obviously met my family, because you came from the direction of the back door. But you can’t possibly know my father or my brother very well, because you actually seem like you believe that nonsense you were just saying.”

“You don’t think I know your family, hmm?” There was open amusement in his voice now. She could sense he was smiling. “You truly have no idea who I am?”

“I told you, it’s dark.”

“Stand up then.”

Dani struggled to stand up without accidentally kneeing him in the groin, or something equally embarrassing. She felt like the most awkward teenager instead of the grown woman they’d only just been discussing.

Her rescuer gained his feet with the grace of an athletic individual completely comfortable in his own skin. He seemed to rise from the ground with almost no effort at all. It was rather intimidating. Then the barest hint of light from the carriage lamps outlined the features of his face and the bottom utterly dropped out of Dani’s stomach.

“Josef?” she gasped.

“
Da
.” He smiled, the expression appearing almost rakish in the half light. “I cannot believe you did not know it was me.”

“Me neither,” she said, swallowing the lump that had appeared in her throat.

In fact, she was dumbfounded. How could she have not known that the object of her every girlish fantasy had been cradling her against his chest?

“Are you all right?” He seemed worried. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I did sort of treat you like a human football.”

“No! No harm done,” she said quickly. “So, are you going to tell Mikhail?”

“No.”

“So quickly!” She couldn’t decide if this was a trick of some kind. “My brother is your best friend. You used to rat me out to him quite regularly, as I recall.”

He leaned in close, so close that Dani almost forgot to breathe. “That was when you were a girl.” She felt as much as saw his gaze raking over her body. “I don’t think either one of us could make an argument that you’re not a woman grown now.”

Her tongue felt like a wad of cotton in her mouth. She struggled with a desire to seem worldly and experienced, even though she was anything but. “So you have no problem if I go clubbing with my friends?”

“No.”

“Not even if I should meet a man and decide I might like to dance with him?” she teased. “Since I’m an adult, I should be able to make those decisions for myself, right?”

“I don’t know.” His voice sounded tight. “Is that what you want? To find some stranger who will dance the night away? Or would you rather choose a man who would respect you and put your pleasure above his own?”

Dani couldn’t speak. Josef wasn’t really saying anything inappropriate, but her mind was drawing all sorts of erotic images. She couldn’t be sure if Josef was suggesting what she thought he was suggesting.

Was she brave enough to find out?

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