Russian Mobster's Forbidden Mistress Read Free

well recalled that drop. It was why the tree was a fine vehicle for escaping the house, but a poor one for returning after a night of fun. He and Mikhail had taken turns standing on one another’s shoulders to be the first one up, then pulling the other up onto the first branch. But the fall to the ground had always been jarring.
    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