Read Online Sarim's Scent by Juliette Springs - Free Book Online

again. Yep, he was a real class act, his father’s son. He had been raised to fulfill his duty, no matter the cost.
    He gently shook Victoria’s shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, then sat right up.
    “We’re here,” he stated. Seeing her confusion, he clarified, “At my place.” Where he would secure her fate.
    Sitting, Victoria took a few seconds to allow the last dredges of sleep to leave her brain. She still couldn’t believe she had changed her mind and had agreed to spend the night at Ivan’s.
    Once outside the parking garage, the cold air did the trick and she felt on high alert, although she remained quiet as she followed Ivan to his apartment. His place was nice, very nice, the ultimate bachelor pad. She followed him across a plush carpet to the living room where a fifty-inch flat screen television dominated the far wall.
    “Have a seat,” he said, nodding toward the sofa. “I’m going to put your luggage in the guest room.” He vanished down the hallway.
    She sat on the black sectional, then placed her purse on the glass table and surveyed the room. Paintings of all kinds decorated the other three walls. Some were modern with splashes of colors. Others landscapes, and the ones on the wall closest to her were portraits. Her gaze rested on a rather formal drawing of a man who looked quite familiar. She rose to her feet and went to the painting to get a closer look.
    The man was so attractive, he looked unreal. He stood tall, with chiseled features showcasing high cheekbones, sculpted lips and smooth café au lait complexion. His long black hair was gathered in a ponytail pulled back from his face. Turning her gaze to the picture beside it, she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d met him before. Or at least caught a glimpse of him. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? She hadn’t seen Ivan in years. The other picture contained a black skyscraper standing against a full moon. A chill crept down her spine. She rubbed her arms and headed toward Ivan’s kitchen. It looked rarely used and contained a pub-style table with two high-backed chairs.
    Turning around, she took her seat and relaxed, waiting for Ivan to reappear. He had been gone for a while. Noticing the remote on the table, she picked it up and pressed the ‘on’ button, surprised to find it set on her favorite channel, The Food Network . Funny, Ivan didn’t strike her as the culinary type, more the take-out type.
    What would she and Ivan talk about? If their conversation grew serious, she was afraid she’d blurt out her suspicions about her father. Tell Ivan all about the tattoo. The possible implications it meant for her.
    But it was too early to claim fatigue and head to bed, which would have been the coward’s way out. But being scared was something she had given up after deciding to track her father down. No, fear was not an option for her any longer.
    “What are you over there thinking about?” Ivan entered and crossed to within a few feet of her.
    “How strange that you watch cooking shows. I never pictured you as someone who enjoyed working in the kitchen.” That earthy, woodsy scent played havoc with her mind. Realizing she was leaning toward him, she caught herself and straightened.
    “Oh, I know my way around the kitchen, as well as other things.” His voice deepened, and she felt a familiar tug in her lower body. The intensity of his gaze burned into her, so she averted her gaze and stared at the TV. She couldn’t afford to look into his eyes.
    Funny things happened when she looked into his eyes, and she needed all of her senses alert.
    Ivan clicked off the TV just as the host was preparing to plate the duck and faced her, giving her no other option except to pay attention to him. “You never did tell me why you were doing here.”
    Why did he keep asking that question? Glancing at him underneath her lashes, she once again found herself staring into liquid brown eyes.
    Licking her suddenly dry lips, she began to feel