Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
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I JERKED BACK IN fear as the bathroom door slammed shut behind Aleksei, and he locked the door.
He turned to face me, the warmth in his eyes from earlier long gone. Now, he was a raging storm looking to wreak havoc on everything in his past. Unluckily for me, I happened to be the one in his path.
I stumbled backward in my heels as he took a step toward me, eating up the distance between us. My back collided with the sink, forcefully bringing me to a halt, and giving him the time to close the remaining short distance between us.
"What—and I cannot stress this enough—the fuck is that on your wrist?" He hissed, glaring down at me. "I got you a bracelet with the necklace, didn't I? Why didn't you wear that instead? You couldn't go a fucking day without throwing him in my face?"
I jumped at his harsh tone, instinctively shrinking into myself.
A muscle jumped in his jaw, his head cocked to the side like he was trying to figure me out. "What does he give you that I can't? Money, cars, jewels? All you have to do is fucking ask."
I shook my head, blinking back the tears that had started to form in my eyes.
"No, what? You don't need me or my money? Is that it?"
I shook my head again.
He slammed his hand down on the counter on either side of me, caging me in. "Then why the fuck can you not let him go? If you loved him so much, why didn't you marry him instead before I saw you and took you?"
Stop yelling, I wanted to yell at him. It was ironic, yes, but I was on the verge of breaking down if he kept yelling.
"Why do you keep clinging onto him when I'm right fucking here?" His voice was almost unrecognizable; tight and low with immense anger.
He grabbed my wrist, the one with the bracelet around it, and he reached for the silver bracelet with his other hand.
Panic slammed into me like a freight train.
No!
I jerked my hand back before he could reach it, cradling it against my chest. Anything but this. He could take anything away from me but this bracelet.
Aleksei broke into a peal of laughter that sent chills down my spine. It lacked any humor, and it sounded sinister; something straight out of a horror movie. "So, you're protecting him now."
His laughter abruptly vanished, and he caged me in with his arms once more, lowering his head so we were at eye level. "Do you think I couldn't find him if I wanted to? I'll tear the world apart just to find him."
He couldn't even if he tried.
"I'm giving you something I never give others — a chance. Let him go. Throw out the bracelet, or watch him bleed at your feet." I thought it wasn't possible, but his tone grew darker; more menacing, showing a peek of the man beneath the tailored suit and charming smile. "His blood will be on your head, and you can go on for the rest of your life bearing that weight. Is that what you want?"
