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Her fingers curled into fists and her eyes were blazing, tossing axes back at me. “You’re evil! You are a horrible man!”
I shrugged. “That is your perspective, krasotka.” [Pretty one.] I am only doing what needs to be done. To teach your cousin a lesson.”
The amber shade in her eyes darkened when she said, “And that’s not the definition of evil? What, can’t you see that you’re keeping me hostage here? You kidnapped me. I am a prisoner. Or is that just my perspective as well?
“Depends.”
“Depends?” She nailed me with a you’re-full-of-shit look. “On what, huh? Is that how you treat innocent women?”
Bickering with her was strangely more satisfying than I had expected. I straightened my legs, ogling the tantalizing curve of her elegant neck. “If you consider yourself my special guest, maybe things will turn out differently.”
“Just so you know, that will never happen. I’ll never see myself as anything but a prisoner here because that is what I am. You know, you’re unbelievable,” she scoffed and pointed to her dress. “And what’s this?”
I rubbed my lower lip with my thumb and wiped a growing smile from my face. This woman ... she was fascinating, interesting, and infuriating all at the same time. And it was funny how easily she elicited a smile from me. “I thought it was pretty obvious. It's a dress, isn't it??”
Her eyes narrowed. “I know what it is. I’m not stupid. It’s just ... I look like the first doll that was ever made.”
I angled my head. “And is that such a bad thing? I always thought antique has more value.”
“Yes, it did. Centuries ago.” She fired back.
“That dress was Yulia Yanina’s first design.”
“I don’t care about that.” She battled with the tears, her determination and resolve strong. “I want to see Liam and Ava. I want to go home.”
Game time was over. I pounded a fist on the soft bed, making her flinch, and leaned forward. Close enough to catch a whiff of lemon soap and perfume on her skin. “You don’t get to make demands here, krasotka. You do as you are told and shut the fuck up when I ask you to do so. Get used to it; you are stuck with me for a long, long time!”
A tear spilled from her lashes and dropped on her cheek. “What did Liam ever do to you?”
“A bad thing. A terrible thing.” I pushed my body forward and she inclined closer to the headboard. “Your cousin is a traitor. He betrayed us, probably for a few measly dollars. Ten years ago, that bastard tried to kill my uncle after we did so much for him.”
Her head shook from side to side in doubt and her eyes held mine, motionless. “That can’t be... That’s not true. There’s no way Liam would ever have something to do with someone like you.”
Someone like me.
For unknown reasons, her intended jab shot like an arrow through my heart. It wasn’t the first time I had those same words directed at me, but coming from her, it made me angrier. Made me want to teach her lessons she would not forget. “You are so naïve.”
I caught the flex of her jaw. “I am not naive—”
“Shut the fuck up.” She was starting to get under my skin. “You are so fucking gullible. So clueless. You think your cousin is a fucking saint, don’t you? News flash, krasotka: he is not. He worked with us for years in the Bratva. Blended in. Dined with us. Pretended to be a part of us and uphold everything we stood for. And then he turned around and stabbed us in the back, he has blood on his hands.”
Another tear dropped; the grit of her teeth was more evident. “Liam would never!”
“Liam did.”
To my surprise, her head moved forward, her eyes holding mine fiercely. “Liar!”
It was low, yet the many accusations behind that word sounded louder than her screams. I saw a flash of red. Without processing the thought, I grabbed her wrists again, pressing down on the bruises as I pinned her hands to the wall above her head. She hissed and winced, her lips quivered, and her shoulders trembled.
I hurt her before and now I hurt her again. But there was no weakness in her eyes, she shot me a sharp and defiant look. That spurred me on even more.
“Call me that one more time, and I swear, I will sink my teeth into your skin so hard, you’ll see the stars.”
“Don’t you dare!”
“Oh, I would, and you want to know why?”
I lowered my body, tall and broad, against hers, small and slender, and the softness and warmth scrambled my senses. Her sweet scent sifted through the air and past my nose, and her soft breasts rubbed against my shirt. A primal need assaulted me like I had never experienced before.
