Chapter 6 Chapter Six
Nikolai's POV
"Kiss me..." the words slipped out of her mouth. I shake my head; I didn't bargain for this when I came after her. Fine, I stay for the party because of her, but not to throw myself under the bus.
Rafael would kill me if he found out I touched his woman. I will never even live to tell the story. But I am caught up in this mess right now. Maybe I should have left the moment Matteo kept telling me to leave, but I kept saying a little more time, then we would go.
I hated everything going on here and I was finding it boring and was about to leave when she stepped back into the party.
She was still that plain beautiful Jane. Her wide-eyed, and she smiled even when Rafael was flirting with another female in front of her, she remained composed and didn't throw tantrums
I couldn't help but watch keenly
Elena.
There is something about her and her name kept finding its way into my lips, and I wanted to try it on my lips but it's too dangerous
She looked around the room like a child at her first carnival not naive exactly, just... too pure for the kind of poison that lingered here. The way her dress shimmered under the light, the soft flush on her cheeks, the way her fingers brushed her hair when she got nervous... I noticed everything.
And I hated that I did.
“Boss,” a voice murmured behind me.
I didn’t need to turn. Matteo. My second-in-command. The only man who had known me long enough to read me without trying.
He followed my gaze and smirked. “You’re staring too much.”
I didn’t answer.
“You know,” he went on casually, “the last time you looked at a woman like that, you ended up punching someone’s teeth in.”
“She’s not like that.”
“Like what?” he teased. “The kind that makes you stupid?”
I shot him a glare, but he just chuckled, swirling the drink in his hand. “Don’t tell me you’re catching feelings for the little princess.”
“She’s Rafael's fiancée,” I said flatly.
“Didn’t ask whose she was,” he said with a shrug. “Just asked if she’s getting under your skin.”
“She’s not.”
Matteo’s grin widened. “Right. And I’m the Pope.”
“Drop it.”
But even as I said it, my eyes found her again laughing at something Rafael said, though her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Something in my chest twisted painfully.
I knew that look. That careful, polite smile you wear when you’re trying not to show the world you’re uncomfortable.
Rafael didn’t notice. He never did.
He was too busy basking in the attention, charming his guests, letting his hand linger too long on the waist of another female while he was supposed to be holding her.
I gritted my teeth and looked away.
“She’s off limits,” Matteo murmured, reading my silence again. “You know the rules. Rafael’s woman, your brother’s woman that’s a death sentence if you even think about it.”
“I know the rules,” I said sharply.
But knowing didn’t stop the feeling.
It didn’t stop the way my pulse reacted every time my eyes singled her out from the crowd, or how the sound of her laughter cut through the noise like it was meant for me alone.
It didn’t stop the ache that came when I saw her take another drink she clearly didn’t want, her small hand trembling around the glass.
She wasn’t used to this world. I could see it in the way her gaze darted nervously around the room, in the slight wobble in her steps.
Now I wondered how Valktor Moretti's daughter turned out this delicate.
He knows the world we are in. It's a dangerous world yet he trained his daughter like a princess. Princesses are not part of our world. Our world is filled with hooligans, brutes, and monsters.
“She’s had too much,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone.
Matteo raised a brow. “And why do you care?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t have a reason that made sense.
I tried to look away again, to focus on the conversation at the bar, the laughter, the meaningless chatter. But I couldn’t.
Every time I looked, she was there.
She kept taking another glass after finishing the last one. She laughed again, forced this time, and took a sip.
Then she swayed. Just slightly.
My body moved before my brain did.
“Damn it,” I hissed, stepping forward.
Matteo grabbed my arm. “Don’t. You’ll draw attention.”
“I don’t care.”
“She’s not your responsibility, Nikolai"
Maybe she wasn’t. But I couldn’t just stand there while she struggled to stay upright.
I watched her blink a few times, trying to focus on the room, and something inside me snapped.
I turned abruptly, pushing my glass aside, when I noticed Rafael was by her side.
“Where are you going?” Matteo called.
“Outside,” I lied. “Before I do something stupid.”
He sighed behind me, but I didn’t wait to hear what else he had to say.
The air outside the ballroom was cooler, quieter. I could still hear the thump of the music from inside, but at least here I could breathe.
Or so I thought.
Because when I turned, I saw her again, just beyond the corner of the hallway, her hand trying to catch something for balance
“Elena,” I said before I could stop myself.
She looked up, startled, and then she mistook me for Rafael, "Rafael..."
Her voice was small, confused. She still thinks that bastard will come for her.
Helping her to her room was all that was on my mind, and now this.
"Kiss me please..." The words came up again
"You don't know what you want, I am Nikolai, so I can't..."
"Nikolai..." She whispered, and I nodded
"Yes, I will..." She didn't let me finish my words, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me towards her, my mind went blank, as my body pressed against her soft, delicate body. I felt heat spread through my body. It was tempting, my eyes lingering on her lips but I was fighting the urge not to cross the line.
She is Off-limit
I chatted in my head
Then she smashed her lips against mine and kissed me.
Fuck me, I couldn't resist her, so I kissed her back.
Her lips were hot, and my lips were cold as the blend of fire and ice. My tongue invaded her mouth, she had that look of longing in her eyes that made my blood boil. It was inevitable.
All the desires to push her away vanished as she clung to me. I couldn't control myself any longer. Our kisses grew more passionate, and she returned my Kiss with the same passion.
Her hand encircles my neck. I slowly moved down to her neck and kissed her carefully on the neck. She gasped, yearning and fire tearing through her. My big hands slid along her slender waist to comfort her, not pulling from her lips. Her hands tangled in my hair as she pressed her body more against mine. Our kisses become heated as my palm moves on her bare skin.
Then her hands moved suddenly, finding their way to my belt, fighting with it, my body frozen as she grabbed my zipper and pulled it down when she couldn't undo my belt. I grabbed her hand suddenly, before she could slip it into my pants.
"Please... don't stop me... I beg you..."