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“What?”
He turned quickly, his darkened eyes down as he pushed away from me. I took a step closer to him, my uninjured hand reaching forward and barely making contact with his cheek. His head turned slightly, but he didn’t move away.
“Payment for all the ways I’ve hurt them.” He looked down at my face, his eyes intense. I pulled my hand away, but he grabbed my wrist, placing my fingers this time against his bare chest. The first touch sent a shiver down my legs and a flutter deep in my belly. “And a reminder once they are gone.”
“What happened?” I asked. He scoffed and left the bathroom, leaving me reeling. “Why does your brother have bullet wounds in his chest?”
“Drop it, Darya.”
“No!” I yelled, following after him. “I deserve to know!”
“Because we’re the fucking cartel,” I shrank back from the power in his voice. “You didn’t think it was all rainbows and unicorns, did you?”
“Of course not, but…”
“But what?” he roared. “You thought just because I didn’t beat the shit out of you and rape you every night that somehow we’re the good guys? That nothing bad ever happened to us? We’re untouchable?”
The air rushed from my lungs. Was that how I saw things? A part of me did imagine the Zaragozas were untouchable– like, throughout all the ugliness they inflicted on the world, they always walked away unscathed. But of course, that wasn’t true. There was an edge to Yuri, a terrifying edge. But there were also moments of tenderness that could only come from a man who had seen suffering, had felt it firsthand, and chose not to exact it on everyone.
“What about Lucia?” I breathed, my heart racing as Yuri fumed in front of me. “If you were the monsters you pretend to be, you wouldn’t have shielded Lucia from it all. You kept her innocent in all this.”
His eyes narrowed. “And you think you know my intentions?”
“You want to protect her.”
“What if I told you we keep her that way just to marry her off for an alliance? Serve her up on a platter for the better of the business?” He stepped closer as I grew smaller in front of him. “You don’t know anything, Darya. Don’t pretend to.”
“She loves you,” I murmured, “they all do.”
“Just shut up,” he spit out.
“You won’t let that happen,” I whispered. Suddenly it became so clear to me— I didn’t believe for a moment that Yuri was as monstrous as he claimed to be. It didn’t feel right, my heart screamed the opposite. “You don’t look at Lucia that way. If you did, you wouldn’t give a shit about her or about Luka’s wounds.”
“Being a part of this family is going to get them killed.” He confessed. Anger rolled off his skin like steam, but I launched myself toward him, jumping up until I could lock my arms around his neck. Our chests pressed together, only the thin t-shirt I was wearing separating us.
Words weren’t working. He wasn’t hearing me. Or maybe he was and didn’t care to listen.
His fingers tangled into my hair before gripping the back of my neck. His touch sent chills down my spine, and he pulled back until our faces were only inches apart.
“The fact that you care so much is what makes you who you are,” I whispered. His eyes lowered to my lips. “It’s why they follow you.”
His jaw ticked and I let out a slow breath. The silence stretched between us but I didn’t back away, didn’t hide from him like he wanted me to. It was easy for him to scare everyone away and disappear into his own guilt. It was harder to face the truth.
“Yuri,” I whispered again. With a grunt, he surged forward and crushed his lips against mine. My fingers dug into his neck, holding tight while my head swam from his touch. His mouth was sweet and hot, and I gasped when his tongue darted forward, seeking entry. I gave it to him. If he didn’t want to listen, I wanted him to taste my words and commit them to memory.
His hands wrapped around my waist before he lifted me and walked us back against the wall. My legs wrapped around him on instinct and the pressure of him beneath my legs pulled a whimper from my lips. Something inside me snapped— the thin veil constructed between us faded away until my skin craved his, and my lips reveled in the taste of him.
“Fuck,” he growled against me before pushing his hips into me. His hard length stroked the flames inside me, and my arousal turned to an ache. “I need you,” he said, his voice gruffer than usual. “I can’t control myself any longer.”
He spun and darted to the bed. At the edge of it, he peeled my legs from around him and threw me back into the soft duvet. He climbed forward and licked his lips, looking like a predator as he settled over me. His wide body crushed mine into the bed, the pressure of his hips between my legs so delightful I let out a tiny whimper before his lips captured mine again.
I had never felt arousal so strongly, my pulse ripped through my body in places I didn’t realize I wanted him. When his mouth traveled lower, exploring the line of my jaw and the hollow of my neck, my breathing quickened, all thoughts of the dangers outside his bedroom door fading away.
“Yuri,” I moaned as his lips dipped to my neck. He sucked and dragged his teeth along the sensitive skin while his wandering hand found my breast. He squeezed and then growled, dipping his hand below the hem of the shirt in search of my hardened nipple. I moaned aloud, the sound halting him.
Looking down at me with a lidded gaze, he grunted, “I can’t stop myself.”
My words escaped just a whisper— like a secret I only wanted Yuri to hear. “So don’t.”
