Chapter 35 chapter 35

Chapter 35 chapter 35
But when the heavy double door opened, it felt like someone had hit me. Nicolai walked in. And the bastard wasn't wearing a shirt. He wore absolutely nothing except a loose pair of black pajama pants that sat so low on his hips you could almost see too much. His hair was still tousled, his skin pale and perfect in the pale morning light. No more scratches, the Yvette thing was washed away, his skin was completely flawless again--and that was exactly what made it so damn bad. Every single line of his upper body was exposed. The white plaster on his temple looked almost like a joke next to it. He strolled to the table as if he owned the place. Not like a prisoner. And damn, the blood rushed into my loins so violently instantly that my jeans almost burst. My jaw tensed until it cracked. Under the mahogany top, I became painfully hard in a matter of seconds. That was his revenge. His goddamn revenge for the shower last night. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew how much this sight triggered me, and he enjoyed it. Nicolai didn't even look at me. He pulled back the heavy chair right next to me--not the one on the other side, but the one right within my reach--and sat down. His bare shoulder was so close to my arm that I could feel his body heat. He smelled of soap and bare skin. "Good morning, De Luca," he murmured. His voice was still rough from sleep, but that dirty, mocking grin on his lips almost drove me out of my mind. He calmly poured himself coffee, took a sip, and only then slowly turned his head toward me. A murderous twinkle lurked in his eyes. I didn't move. My whole body was under voltage. I wanted to grab him, sweep the dishes off the table, and take him right here, just to beat that grin off his face. "You forgot to get dressed, mio sposo," I forced out. My voice was way too deep, rough from pure, pent-up horniness. I leaned so close to him that my breath grazed his shoulder. "Or do you want to show me that you're going to follow the slave contract particularly thoroughly from now on? Clause nine. Physical readiness at all times. Looks like it." Nicolai didn't even flinch. He turned to me, the malicious smile on his lips driving my pulse to immeasurable heights. "I thought you wanted us to keep up appearances, Alessandro," he whispered, looking me straight in the eyes. He held my gaze without blinking. "And in a good marriage, you simply share the bed. So get used to the sight. If I'm not allowed to touch other women anymore, then you're damn well going to have to live with the consequences. Every single second." I clenched my fists under the table so hard that my knuckles hurt. He wasn't even threatening me, he was just playing with fire because he knew I was on the verge of losing control. Before I could reach for him, there was a knock. The door opened. Antonio walked in, followed by two guards with wooden crates. And right behind them, Sebastian walked into the hall. When Nicolai's bodyguard entered the room, he stopped mid-stride. He saw my battered face, then his gaze wandered straight to Nicolai's completely naked upper body. Sebastian exchanged an absolutely stunned look between the two of us, paused, and then his eyebrow went so high up it almost looked ridiculous. He looked like he had to keep from laughing any second while assessing the situation. The predators' breakfast had just gotten a whole lot more complicated. Sebastian stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, looking at us as if we were the main attraction in a pretty weird circus. But instead of grabbing a shirt in shame or jumping up, Nicolai just leaned back even more relaxed in his chair. He reached for an empty cup, serenely poured fresh coffee, and pushed the chair on his other side back a bit with his foot. "Morning, Basti," he said, his voice suddenly completely changed. No trace of the icy, hateful sharpness he had just hurled at me. It sounded warm. Familiar. From a past where I had no place. "Sit down. The coffee is damn good, at least the kitchen here gets that right." Sebastian didn't hesitate a second. He completely ignored Antonio's grim look, marched past the table, and dropped into the empty seat next to Nicolai. He took the cup, briefly toasted Nicolai, and took a deep sip. "Thanks, Nico," Sebastian murmured with that insolent grin that had already gotten on my nerves over the weekend. He glanced briefly at Nicolai's naked upper body, shook his head, and then looked right at me. "I see the master of the house is recently saving on heating. Or did you spend all his money on your suits, De Luca?" I didn't move. My fingers lay flat on the tabletop, and I felt the adrenaline making the blood roar in my ears. Nicolai was playing this damn clever. He wasn't crowding Sebastian indecently, there was no flirting, no false approach--it was just this pure, goddamn familiarity. The way they sat next to each other. The way Sebastian just called him "Nico" without thinking. The way Nicolai presented himself to him completely casually and naked, while he treated every touch from me like a toxic scalpel. It was a pure, calculated provocation. A blow straight to my gut. He wanted to show me that there were people who really knew him. People he trusted, while to me he was nothing more than a ghost on a piece of paper. And the worst part was: My own obsession boiled over so violently at the sight that I wanted to jump up and throw Sebastian out of this hall with my own hands. "Glad you're settling in so fast, Sebastian," I finally broke the silence. My voice was so low and rough that Antonio by the door involuntarily put his hand on his belt. I fixed the bodyguard with my icy, gray eyes. "But you're here as Nicolai's right hand, not as his breakfast guest. Antonio, show him later where he can put the crates. And afterwards, I expect our people to check the security areas at the gates again." Nicolai gave a low laugh. A dry, mocking sound. He turned his head toward Sebastian, ignored me completely, and reached for a piece of pastry. "Don't worry, Basti. He's all bark." Sebastian almost snorted into his coffee, managed to swallow it down with difficulty, and casually patted Nicolai on the bare shoulder. "You haven't changed a bit, Nico. Still the biggest mouth in the room." I felt my cock in my pants tense up even more painfully. The combination of Nicolai's bare skin, his dirty provocation, and the sheer rage at this bastard next to him drove me to the absolute edge. I couldn't take it anymore. With a quick, hard movement, I reached for the black leather folder with the harbor reports that was lying next to my plate, and slammed it right between Nicolai's coffee cup and his pastry so that the porcelain rattled loudly. The mocking banter between the two stopped instantly. "Enough talk," I forced out between my teeth, leaned in so close to Nicolai that my voice could only be heard by him and Sebastian, and bored my gaze into his dark eyes. The poker face was gone. All that remained was the hungry, merciless predator. "These are the documents for the handover of the port of Genoa. Viktor wants your signature on them. Right now. So take the pen, mio sposo, and start fulfilling your duties. Otherwise, I'll find a very private way to show you what happens when you push my patience at the breakfast table." I looked down at the black leather folder that Alessandro had slammed so brutally between my breakfast dishes that the coffee spilled over the rim of my cup. Basti was sitting right next to me. I could feel his muscles tensing, ready to pounce on anyone who got too close to me. But I was completely calm. The ice-cold burning in my chest was back. The familiar feeling from my past, when I didn't have to wear a mask for Selena. I reached for the folder, opened it, and skimmed the pages with a casual slowness that visibly provoked Alessandro.