Chapter 17

"We should stop," she said, but her tone wasn't convincing even to her own ears.

"Please don't," Alexei murmured against her lips, his hand cupping the back of her neck as he pulled back slightly. "I don't want to stop."

"Alexei," she breathed.

She didn't pull away again. She didn't ask if this was a good idea or a mistake. He kissed her and she didn't hesitate in kissing him back. Instead something inside her melted, like it finally clicked in place. 

She groaned when he was the one to break their kiss.

Alexei lifted his hand, tracing the line of her jaw, the pads of his fingers along her jawline his touch warm against her skin. Keira met his gaze.

He was a man of contradictions, one who provoked and frustrated her, but also one who had stood between her and danger. If they ever got out of here, did she dare tell him he had stolen a piece of her heart? Was she ready for that? For him? This is all they might have.

Alexei's thumb traced her bot