“You’ve already seen me.” Head dropped back and eyes closed, her voice was breathless, but the husky confidence was utterly delicious. She lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. “And whether or not I’m yours is still open for debate.”

Bozhe, she was sexy. A sensual goddess that appealed to him on every level. “A challenge is it?” He toppled her backward, but caught her head before it hit the mattress, his knees braced on either side of her and one hand anchored beside her head. “I do love a challenge. Especially when the prize is as exquisite as you.”

She hooked her fingers in the waistband of his slacks and worked the fasteners. “Kir, stop talking. Start doing.”

“Oh, no.” He stilled her hands and backed off the bed. “Getting you naked quickly was one thing, but rushing the rest of it? That will not happen.”

A tiny sliver of moonlight cut between the drapes closed over the windows and highlighted a small lamp on her nightstand. Kir clicked it on.

Soft white light further dimmed from the lamp’s dark shade cast the room in a comfortable glow. Like the rest of the house, the room was a riot of color—pillows the color of a mango, drapes to match Caribbean waters and walls painted a comforting shade of green.

But the real focus was Cassie. With the bold red silk comforter beneath her, her silvery-blonde hair, blue-gray eyes and smooth, porcelain skin were even more pronounced. Like an ethereal goddess sent straight from heaven to save him from his past.

She rolled to her side, cocked her elbow and rested her head on her hand. While her figure was more that of a runway model than pinup girl, the sexy way she drew one of her knees inward accented the curve of her hip. “One of us has too many clothes on. If you’re going to stare, the least you can do is balance the equation.”

Balance? There would never be real balance between them. Not so long as the impulse to see to her needs and keep her for his own burned as bright as it did in this moment. As it had since the day he’d laid eyes on her.

And that had been the biggest fear he’d had to face. His father had shown no limits with his mother and paid the ultimate price.

You are worth another’s love and trust as well, brother. Don’t let your parents’ past rob you of it.

Cassie wasn’t his mother. Wasn’t greedy. Wasn’t a liar and didn’t use people. She’d proven her character the day she’d shown up at Bacchanal, offered her humble apology and the truth behind her actions.

“Kir? Is something wrong?”

So much warmth and concern behind her voice. He wanted to hear it every day. To have those inquisitive and caring eyes aimed at him as he crawled into bed at the end of the day. To have the same unwavering support and partnership Sergei had earned with Evette.