Chapter 88

Alek stared at his phone, seeing Emma’s missed call and the voicemail notification. His finger hovered over the play button, but Katarina’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“More wine?” She was standing in her kitchen doorway, holding a bottle and wearing a silk robe that left little to the imagination.

It was past midnight. They’d been talking for hours about the academy project, about their past, about everything except the obvious tension building between them all evening.

“I should probably go back to my hotel,” Alek said, not moving from the couch.

“You could. Or you could stay.” Katarina moved closer, setting the wine bottle on the coffee table. “We’re both adults, Alek. We both know what we want.”

“Do we?”

“I do.” She sat beside him, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her skin. “I want you. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you again in Toronto.”

Alek’s resolve, already weakened by wine and loneliness, crack