Snapping his fingers, he hopped off the bed and called Sasha to follow him. He opened the bedroom door and ordered the dog into the hallway. Kelly jumped out of his chair as Sasha trotted by him. Surprised to see the former Marine still awake, he hid his nakedness with the door. "Shouldn't you get some rest?"

"Sleep isn't something I particularly enjoy these days."

Yuri understood what the younger man meant. He'd never seen the kind of ceaseless hell the Marine had on his multiple tours but he could imagine how difficult the effects were to manage after leaving the service.

Clearly understanding why Yuri had put the dog out in the hall, Kelly cleared his throat. "I think I'll, uh, go get some coffee."

"You really should." Yuri shut the door and turned the lock. He didn't want anyone bothering them this morning.

As he crawled over Lena, she giggled furiously. "I don't know how I'm going to look him in the face later."

"The same way I do." He grasped the hem of her nightshirt and dragged it up and over her head. Tossing it over his shoulder, he planted his knees on either side of her thighs. "Now-where was I?"

He skimmed his lips across the swell of her breast. "Here?"

"Um...a little bit lower," she replied playfully.

"Hmmm," he hummed just as playfully. "Was I here?" He dotted kisses up and down her bare tummy.

"Um..."

"No," he said definitively. "I'm fairly certain I was right down here."

Sliding onto his stomach, he pushed her thighs apart and planted a noisy kiss right on top of her clit. She purred and lifted her hips. Remembering how beautifully-and loudly-she reacted to his oral attentions, he mischievously instructed, "Kitten, try not to wake the whole neighborhood..."

Chapter Sixteen.

I had to give it to Yuri. The man had promised me an unrivaled travel experience and that was exactly what he'd provided. Flying on a privately owned jet was so incredibly pleasant compared to the long, slow-moving security lines at airports and the cramped seating.

Jake, Derek, Vasya and Kelly had come with us and were in another section. They were kicked back in their reclining seats reading or watching television with headphones.

On the jet, I'd had an entire seating area to myself while Yuri conducted business in the mobile office in the rear of the plane. The comfy seats and scrumptious snacks had been heavenly compared to the bruised knees and stale pretzels from my last commercial flight.

But the very best part? I'd been able to nap with my head in Yuri's lap while he studied stock reports and forecasts. When he'd invited me to curl up against him, I'd declined out of embarrassment. Some of his employees were travelling with us and I'd already gotten quite a few looks. Then it occurred to me that I didn't really give a shit what those people thought. Yuri wanted me to relax and he wanted to stroke my hair and remind me how much he loved me. That was permission enough for me to enjoy myself.

When we'd finally arrived at the French airport closest to Monaco, I'd been surprised to learn that we would be taking a helicopter to the yacht. The realization that his yacht had a helipad drove home just how huge this boat was. At my first glimpse of the gleaming white mega yacht, I nearly fainted in my seat. Hearing something described as four-hundred-feet long conjured up certain images but seeing it with my own eyes was something totally different.

The damn thing looked like an aircraft carrier floating on the Mediterranean. Stunningly, it wasn't even the biggest boat anchored out there. I spotted two other yachts that made Yuri's luxury vessel look rather modest-and that was saying something.

Yuri leaned closer, pushing his shoulder against mine, and pointed at the big boats that had left me awestruck. His voice was crackly in my ear as we used the in-flight communication system to talk. "That one is owned by a sheikh from Dubai. Nice guy. Fantastic polo player."

"And that one?" I gestured to the other massive yacht.

"Oh, that's the Pyxis. It's Mikhail's pride and joy." He must have seen the curiosity in my eyes. "We were in the military together. He made a fortune in metals and minerals."

"I've got to get my hands on some aluminum or nickel," I muttered.

Beside me, Yuri laughed. "If only it were that easy."

The helicopter began its descent. On instinct, I gripped my hands together in my lap. My belly lurched as I prayed the helicopter wouldn't plunge into the sea. Always alert to my needs, Yuri pried my hands apart and held them in his own. He interlaced our fingers and smiled warmly.

The helicopter set down without incident. When the rotors finally stopped spinning, staff in spiffy navy and white uniforms rushed out to greet us. Yuri reached over and unbuckled my safety harness before dragging the headphones from my head and hanging them on their hook.

Holding my hand, he led me out of the helicopter and onto the helipad. We were quickly taken to a reception room where the rest of the staff stood in lines as if waiting to be inspected. Jake and Derek had come with us on the helicopter and were whisked away by two men who seemed to be the security officers on the ship.

As Yuri introduced me to the captain and crew, I heard the helicopter firing up again. A handful of Yuri's staff,Vasya and Kelly were waiting at the airport. I tried to concentrate on the names rapidly ticked off by the captain of the vessel but I had a feeling I was going to forget half of them. Thankfully every member of the staff wore a nametag.

One face in the second row caught my eye. I'd never met him in person but his face was familiar to me because of the photographs I'd seen around Benny's house and the bakery. "Johnny?"

He smiled at me. "Miss Cruz."

His respectful reply surprised me. He seemed so different from the mental image I'd created of him from the different stories I'd been told. I noticed the gang tattoo from some of his pictures had been covered with angel wings. The collar of his polo shirt hid most of it but the very tips of the wings peeked over the top. Apparently he was making a conscious effort to leave that old, dangerous life of his behind.

Even though I wanted to talk to him, I sensed this wasn't the time. Later I would track him down, but, right now, Yuri seemed intent on showing me some more of his yacht. The mindboggling tour left me reeling. The sleek, modern design elements gave the boat a five-star hotel feel.

"What is it?" Yuri asked as we took our seats in the private dining area overlooking the beautiful, calm sea. A champagne breakfast awaited us.

"I just realized it probably costs more to fill up this boat with fuel for one trip than I made in, like, an entire year."

He seemed to be mentally calculating the costs. "It's probably closer to two years."

"Ouch."

He blanched. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I know what you meant." I unfurled the perfectly pleated napkin and draped it across my lap. "Don't get me wrong. It's a little disconcerting to think of the disparity in our incomes in such real-world terms."

"But?" He waved off the crew members hovering nearby. "We'll let you know if we need anything."

"Yes, Mr. Novakovsky."

When they were gone, I answered Yuri. "But-I agreed to try to not let the money stuff bother me so I'm going to smile and pretend I'm not cringing inside at what it's costing you to help me."

Yuri leaned over and cupped the back of my neck. Holding my gaze, he asked, "What's the use of all this money if I can't do good things with it?"

"I'm not sure giving money to a cartel to ransom my father back is such a good thing," I whispered in embarrassment.

"Will it make you smile to see your father safe and sound?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd gladly spend ten times what this weekend is costing me to see you smile."

He meant every word of it-and I loved him for it. "Thank you."

He tapped his lips. "Kiss me and we'll call it even."

Happy to oblige, I leaned forward and pressed my mouth to his. "I love you."

With a teasing smile, he pushed the wispy ends of my hair behind my shoulder. "You're only saying that because you want me to hand over my credit card and unleash you on those high-end shops in Monte Carlo."

"You know me so well."

He teased his mouth across mine. "I'm not completely joking. I am taking you out for a shopping trip after lunch."

"What? Why?"

"Because I want to spoil you." He lifted one of the covered dishes and started to serve himself. "After last night, you deserve it."

I wasn't so sure about that but I wasn't about to argue with him. He derived immense pleasure from showering me with expensive, beautiful things and I rather enjoyed receiving them. Running my finger over the gold cuff adorning my wrist, I decided this was one of those compromises that I was happy to make for him.

Last night's terrifying experience had shown me that life was too short and too damn unpredictable to be constantly second-guessing everything. Yuri and I were going to have the occasional arguments and there were subjects we'd probably never agree upon-but that was simply part of being in a constantly evolving and growing relationship.

And he was worth it. God, he was so worth it.

"Eat. It's getting cold."

I selected portions from the yummiest looking dishes and sipped the crisp champagne. As I nibbled on some crispy bacon, I caught Yuri watching me. Feeling self-conscious, I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin. "What?"

Shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair to observe me better. "I'm simply thinking about how very perfect you look here."

"I don't know about perfect..."

"You are." He picked up his fork and tucked back into his breakfast. "You have no idea how many times I've been on this yacht-"

"With other women," I hazarded a guess.

He had the decency to look chagrined. "Yes-but it never felt like this. With you, this all feels...natural." He paused and seemed to be thinking of the perfect words to describe what he felt. "It all finally feels right."

I understood him perfectly. "I know this is going to sound sappy and overly romantic so don't laugh."

"Never," he promised with a tiny smile playing upon his lips.

"I honestly can't imagine going through this with anyone else. I finally understand why Erin and Ivan were bonded together so quickly. I know why Benny jumped in with both feet when it came to Dimitri."

"Yes. In fact, I suspect I owe Ivan an apology. I wasn't exactly easy on him when he told me he'd asked Erin to move in with him after knowing her for a month."

"It was five weeks."

He chuckled at my correction. "All right. Five weeks."

"And you made me move into your house after a late night taco truck dinner and a bowl of cereal!"

He grunted and stabbed a slice of melon with a fork. "It was a little more complicated than that."

Thinking of our wild week together, I nodded. "Just a little."

As we finished our lovely, private breakfast, I yawned. We'd left Houston around noon on Thursday but had arrived here on Friday morning. The time difference and the lack of good sleep over the last few days was starting to take its toll.

"Let's get you settled in so you can have a long nap," Yuri said as he led me across the public rooms of the yacht to the private corridors.

I rubbed his chest. "What about you?"

"I caught a nap on the flight. I'll be fine."

I studied him. "Are you sure? I can feel the stress radiating from you."

He nuzzled my ear. "You'll have to do something about that later."

I blushed. "Yes, I'm sure I can think of something."

"I'm confident you will."

We entered the spacious master suite. The view of the sea took my breath away. I hurried across the room to stand before the squeaky clean glass so I could take it all in and really enjoy it. "This is so beautiful, Yuri."

Coming up behind me, he embraced me and pressed his cheek to mine. "We'll go sailing in the summer. There are so many gorgeous ports of call I want to show you."

I wasn't quite sure how we were going to make a vacation like that mesh with our work schedules-I assumed I'd be fully employed by the summer-but I trusted we'd find a way to make it gel. "I'd really like that."

"All of your bags have been unpacked. Tatiana, the head maid, will see to any of your needs. There's a card on the bedside table listing the crew member extensions."

A quiver of guilt shook me. "I shouldn't be enjoying this so much."

Yuri stepped in front of me. Hands on my shoulders, he frowned down at me. "Why would you say something like that?"

"My dad is being held hostage by a crazy drug lord and my cousin got his arm nearly ripped off by a dog the other night. They're both hoping they won't be next on the hit list of some cartel assassin-and me?" I gestured to the glittering blue sea. "I'm floating in the middle of the Mediterranean and enjoying the kind of luxurious life most people can only dream about, Yuri."

"I don't particularly care what your cousin thinks of all this but your father? I'm sure your father would want you to enjoy what little pleasures you can find right now. He loves you and he wants you to be happy." Yuri dragged his fingertips down my cheek. "He knows we're doing everything we can to get him home."

"I know."

Yuri tipped my chin and traced his thumb across my lower lip. "When we have all of this ugliness behind us, we'll take your father with us on a long cruise of the Caribbean. How does that sound?"

"Like a lot of fun," I answered with a smile.

"Good. Then it's settled. Now you can enjoy this trip guilt-free."

I had to smile at the simplistic way he sometimes viewed things. It wouldn't be that easy to flip my guilt switch off but I appreciated his advice. I couldn't imagine my father being disappointed or resentful or angry with me about any of this.

"Did Derek fix your phone so you can receive and send calls from here?"

"Yes. I'm hopeless with the time change. When will I hear from my dad again?"