Chapter 38 Chapter 38
Nikolai
She started laughing, and that only pissed me off more. “Are you sick, Mr. Ferro? What wife? Whose wife?” she asked, and I let go of her just long enough to smile.
“What did you think you signed the day you returned here?” I asked, watching her eyes widen as her memory flickered. I saw it the instant she realized the paper she’d signed, and her hands began shaking. She jumped off the bed and stood there, staring at me.
“You… what the hell have you done?” she whispered, her voice trembling. I stepped closer and grabbed her, forcing her to look at me.
“You are mine. The very day you were brought here, you became mine. Every single woman around you is a shield to protect you. Do you have any idea what would happen if anyone ever found out that you are the most important thing in my life?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “I can’t be married to you,” she whispered.
“I wasn’t strong enough to protect you five years ago. To keep you safe, I had to send you away.” Her eyes shot up to mine, and I caressed her cheeks gently.
“You would have died if I had kept you by my side. I had to let you go,” I continued, my voice low and steady but filled with everything I felt.
She shook her head. “Nikolai, you don’t love me. You love the idea of…”
“No,” I cut her off sharply. “You don’t get to decide what my feelings for you are. Do you know why I’m obsessed with your birthmark?”
She blinked, confused.
“Because it’s you who saved my life. You were just a child; I would have fallen over that cliff if it hadn't been for you. I searched for you for years, never finding you, and then, as if the world itself was toying with me, you were delivered right to me. But you were weak and broken, and I knew my family would swallow you whole, so I hurt myself and sent you away.”
She pushed me away and began pacing the room, shaking. I folded my arms and watched, waiting.
“That’s not love,” she said, eyes burning into mine. “This… this isn’t love. It’s gratitude.”
I chuckled, slow and low.
“I’m not done yet,” I said, advancing toward her. She backed away, hands up, trembling.
“Nikolai, don’t,” she whispered.
I didn’t stop. I closed the space between us until I was directly in front of her, looking down at her, feeling the shiver of her body against mine. My hands came up, resting lightly on her neck. She shook with it. I leaned closer, pressing into her, heat radiating between us.
“Gratitude?” I said, voice low and deliberate. “No, Kitten. Gratitude would have been giving you a few million and sending you away. Gratitude would have been walking
out of your life. Not wanting to fuck you until you can't walk, not consuming you so completely that you forget everyone else in the world, in the entire fucking world.”
Her body trembled, and a sound escaped her lips, a moan or a gasp; I couldn’t tell, and it was enough to make me lose all restraint. My grip tightened just slightly as I took her mouth, kissing her hard and deep.
I didn’t expect her to respond the way she did, but it didn’t matter. She was mine, in every sense, and she would understand it eventually.
When she leaned into me, I picked her off the floor, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, her back against the wall as she returned my kiss.
ISLA
Oh god, why did I feel this way? His hands cupped my breast, making me moan into his mouth. I heard a knock, and I pulled away from him; I couldn't even look at him. He began walking towards the door.
“Nikolai put me down."
“No, hold me properly or you’ll fall," he said. He opened the door, and Wesley was standing there; Wesley looked ashamed. I could feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. I tried to get off of him, but he just held me tighter.
“What?” he asked.
“Madam, Ms. Rhodes had an incident at the mall. It is on social media. It’s taking effect.” Wesley said, and I spun my head around and looked at him.
“Great, I'll be down in a few minutes.” He nodded and walked away. Nikolai closed the door and stood there bracing me against the door.
“Please put me down."
“No. Because of your little jealousy act, I have to get rid of her; she has already probably called Lucas and told him about this.” He said, leaning down and licking my neck, which made my body shiver.
“I need you to be a good girl and stay out of my sight for the next two hours, or I'll break my word and fuck you," he said, and my body betrayed me. I grabbed his neck and kissed him.
"Fuck," he said with a groan. He ripped my shirt off, and when his mouth closed over my nipple, I grabbed his neck tighter. Someone else was knocking on the door, and I heard him groan.
“I’ll murder whoever is on the other side of that door," he said with a growl. My face was hot. He made me stand, and I walked into his closet. I found a shirt and wore it. When I walked out, he was gone.
I went back to my room on unsteady legs and locked the door. I sat on the bed. My face was hot, my breathing was short, and my heart was beating too fast. I stayed there for a few minutes to calm myself down. But one thought kept repeating over and over in my mind. He was in love with me.
The king of the underworld was in love with me; I wasn't sure how to feel about this yet. There was a sharp knock on my door; I stood up slowly and opened the door. Maria was standing there. “Madam, dinner is ready," she said, and I nodded.
As we headed down, He was in the living room, and Sophia was there. I ignored her and headed to the dining table; a few minutes later he came and sat down, and so did she.
Maria served us, and I began eating. “So Natalie, what exactly do you do?” she asked, and I looked at her.
“What exactly do you do?” I asked her.
“Oh, I'm Nikolai’s assistant," she said with a smile; it was more of a smirk. I nodded.
"That's nice; I guess that's one way to see how the elite live," I said, and she looked at me, then at Nikolai. I didn't even care about him.
“What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice rising.
“Oh, nothing. It's just sad that you wanted to climb the social ladder but chose the wrong ladder.” I said and drank my wine. Nikolai began coughing, and she stared at me.