AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What was I to him? Just some quick fuck when his cock got hard? Was there anyone else?
A sharp pang spiraled in my chest, and I shook my head. Was this jealousy? No. It couldn’t be.
As I paced the room, I couldn’t help but think about the undercurrents of tension that had been building between us. He was infuriatingly stubborn and overprotective, and it grated on my nerves.
Yet, there had been a vulnerability in his gaze, a longing that mirrored my own desires, and I hadn’t missed that when his thumb had grazed across my lip, like he’d wanted to take me into his arms, hold me, and kiss me sweetly like I deserved to be kissed.
I reached up and traced the path of his thumb, his touch still tingling along my lip, and sighed.
But I refused to give in to him completely.
I couldn’t.
I had to stand my ground. I couldn’t give in to him, not when I was in the midst of a world that I never wanted to be a part of. My resolve was my shield, my determination my armor, and I couldn’t let him breach those defenses, no matter how much I craved being around him.
Or how much you crave his cock…
I paced over to the window, annoyed at myself, and him, and at the entire world for putting me in this situation. I shouldn’t have to worry about when and where someone might kill me. This shouldn’t even be fucking real, but as much as I wanted to fight it, the evidence of this world was damning.
Fuck me, I still had very pale marks on my wrists from the handcuffs.
Plus, the welts on my ass…
I reached back, the warmth of my punished cheeks searing through the thin fabric of my leggings, and I drew in a shaky breath.
But a part of me liked those…
And the fact that he had been the one to give me each one of them.
CHAPTER 13
Nikolaos
I paced back and forth in my study, replaying the events of the last twenty-four hours in my mind over and over on repeat. I couldn’t shake myself of my rage.
The more I thought about what they had done to her, the more disturbed I became. They had dared to touch her, and they deserved to pay for that. Not only that, but they’d made a move against me, one that demanded that I retaliate in kind.
I started seeing red.
As I paced, a dangerous sizzling fire burned in my chest. I had been patient, playing the waiting game and slowly building my reputation as patriarch to the Kaligaris family, but now it felt like the Pappas family was mocking me. They had underestimated me, thinking they could get away with this without consequences, but I wasn’t going to let that stand.
I needed to do something. I couldn’t just sit back and let them insult me like that.
My jaw clenched, and I knew that simply keeping Maci safe with me wasn’t enough for me anymore. I needed to do more. They needed to pay for what they had done. I couldn’t let them think they could mess with my family and get away with it. It was time to take deliberate action. They had awakened a beast, and now they would face the consequences.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there was only one course of action.
War.
War would be dangerous, but I had no choice. This demanded a strategic response, and I needed to step up and take it. If I didn’t, my reputation would take a hit, and I couldn’t stand for that.
I sat down at my desk, my mind a whirlwind of angry thoughts. I needed a plan, and I needed it fast. I reached for the phone and dialed Andreas’s number, asking him to come to my study right away.
I waited, my anger seething that much hotter. The more time that passed, the more my rage intensified, until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
When the door finally opened a few minutes later, Andreas walked in, his usual composed demeanor in place. His grey tweed suit gave him a confident edge, and I immediately felt better as soon as he stepped into the room. We would decide on a course of action together.
“You wanted to see me, boss?” he asked.
