I helped Danny carefully ease his shoes off. Two of his toes were badly bruised, possibly broken. We strapped them with tape and he sighed with relief as the pain eased. Then he took my hand again and led me through the apartment, hobbling a little, glancing into each room as we passed it. I was about to ask him what he was looking for when Luka wandered out of a room ahead of us.

“Bedroom?” asked Danny breezily.

Luka looked at our joined hands, then grinned approvingly and pointed to the end of the hall. Danny nodded his thanks and towed me towards the door with me flushing down to my roots.

Like the rest of Vasiliy’s apartment, it was sumptuous and classical. There were oil paintings of landscapes on the walls and a desk and chair that looked like they were antique. But the main feature was a four poster bed carved from glossily dark mahogany and hung with long, green velvet drapes. Outside, the snow was being whipped past the window by the wind. But there was a fire burning in the grate and the room was cozy and warm.

As soon as we were inside, Danny pushed the door shut. We were alone….and we didn’t have to hold back. Danny let out a groan, pulled me to him and kissed me, gentle presses that immediately started to build into something hotter, deeper. His tongue teased my lips and I moaned and molded myself to him. But as his hands started to trace down my body, I forced myself to pull away.

“Wait,” I panted. “What about JD?” I didn’t want him to pull away again afterwards. I couldn’t take that.

Danny took my head between his hands. “JD’s just going to have to live with it because I’m not giving you up for anyone.”

I melted. My hands came up to stroke his shoulders and I gave myself up to the kiss. It was gentle at first, his lips tasting me, exploring me, as his thumbs stroked my cheeks. But then I felt his muscles start to harden under my hands. Each kiss became stronger, until he was pressing me back a half-step with each one, his breath coming faster and faster. Then I felt the post of the four poster bed against my back and he pinned me there, the kiss becoming a circling, grinding, open-mouthed tussle, both of us out of control.

He broke the kiss. Looked down at me, his eyes absolutely burning. Then he grabbed my waist with both hands and—

I yelped as my feet left the ground. There was a second of weightlessness and then I landed on my back in the middle of the bed, my glasses askew. He put one knee on the bed, looked down at me and—

He shook his head and grinned. “How do you do that?”

I adjusted my glasses. “Do what?”