“Not what I heard from my men. You talk about me getting off topic. What about you playing house with the niece of my enemy?”
“Your enemy? Don’t you mean our enemy since the last time I checked, Kazimir, the man you’re supposedly very close with, is still running this empire.”
The quiet between us was exactly as it should be. He wasn’t my friend. I couldn’t give a shit about him. I just didn’t… care. “If what I suspect is true, Nikki Hamilton, Vivian’s sister, married the son of another Italian Don, which will mean your control over New York could be stretched thin. That happened while you weren’t looking.”
“Goddamn it, Kirill. You want a plan? How about this? Do exactly what I suggested before. Marry her. That will ensure another alliance completely unexpected by anyone. If you’re right about the Italians, they won’t be expecting that instead of killing her, you own her. Since you seem to care so much, why not step up to the plate instead of complaining about everyone else?”
“You know what? I think I will. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
He laughed. “Well, then. I guess that’s settled. I suppose should come home so we can get ready for a wedding. Do you have any proof about this arranged marriage with an Italian?”
“Pictures from her phone.”
“Well, email them to me. I’ll get my men to start working on identifying this person. If you’re correct, it could add credence to the suspicions Mikhail was accepted into another organization with open arms.”
That’s what I was most afraid of.
While the call ended, that didn’t mean I was satisfied with the outcome. I glared at her phone, taking gasping breaths. How had I allowed this bullshit to occur? I needed her goddamn face to get back into it. Fuck me.
Charging down the hall, I almost threw open the door until I remembered she was sleeping. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I moved inside. She’d left a light on. I headed to the bed, determined not to become drawn in by her beauty. The moment I approached the bed, every muscle in my body tensed. She was so goddamn beautiful I ached.
No. No. No!
I refused to fall for her tricks.
But as I stood there, becoming even more mesmerized, I realized that what I’d told her before was true. I couldn’t let her go. Maybe I would do exactly what Dimitri suggested. With a smile on my face, I held the phone in front of her, unlocking the phone. And before it went dark again, I brushed my knuckles across her cheek.
When she stirred, I pulled my hand away, bringing my fingers to my nose and capturing her perfume.
And my cock was at full attention.
I… wanted her. As mine. All mine.
Before I backed away, I turned off the light.
As the hunger continued to grow.
The dim lights played tricks on me as I walked back to the security room, furious with myself all over again for falling victim to her feminine wiles. Damn all women. After three tries, I managed to send the photographs, fighting the half dozen emotions with everything I had.
Hissing, the loud buzzing noise I’d heard from before was echoing in my ears. Stumbling forward, I tossed the phone onto the desk, smashing my hands over my ears.
The noise wouldn’t stop.
No peace. No peace.
My thoughts, every vision, every need drifted to her. To Vivian. To the woman who’d awakened my soul. To the woman who’d… betrayed me.
With the moment of control spiraling away, I raked my hand across the desk, tossing everything against the wall.
Before tipping my head back and roaring.
CHAPTER 18
Vivian
What the hell was that?
Jerking up, I clenched the sheets, my heart slamming against my chest. With the darkness suffocating, I blinked several times, trying to ascertain what I’d heard. I was met with uneasy silence, but I sensed something was wrong.
