Dressed in a pair of jeans and a baggy t-shirt, I grab my camera bag and shrug it over my shoulder. Opening the window in my bedroom, I climb through and, using the fire escape, I sneak out of my apartment like a damn thief.
Hey, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do to avoid the damn guards.
After the intense night, I had to spend glued to Nikolas’ side, I need some alone time. I also want to get more footage for my project without the two men hovering behind me like flies.
The fire escape ladder stops just shy of the ground, and I jump down. Walking to the corner of the building, I peek around the side. I see James leaning against the hood of the SUV, reading a newspaper, while Grant seems to be fast asleep in the driver’s seat.
Tess; one. Guards; zero.
Walking in the direction of the David Lam park where Nikolas interrupted me, my steps feel light and free. The streets aren’t as busy yet, a couple of joggers out on the pavements and early risers who are probably on their way to work.
This is exactly what I needed. The whole Saturday just to myself.
Stopping at a Starbucks, I get an iced chai tea latte. I sip on the beverage, my eyes scouring the city for anything I can use in my project.
When I reach the crossing that leads to the park, I finish the beverage and discard the cup. I wait for the traffic lights to turn red, then walk across, thinking back to when Nikolas practically kidnapped me.
My thoughts start to revolve around Nikolas, and entering the park, I drop my bag in the shade of a tree.
The man confuses me. Sure, he’s intimidating, and I still don’t doubt he fully intends on making my life a living hell.
But…
The attraction bothers me. A lot.
Nikolas is fifteen years older than me. He’s my stepbrother. The head of the mafia.
He’s ruthless and clearly doesn’t care about anything but his orders being obeyed.
Still…
I never thought of myself as a person who’s impressed by good looks, so why does the attraction keep growing when the man has given me every reason to hate him?
Shrugging, I let out a sigh, accepting I’ll never be able to figure him out.
I remove my camera from the bag and fiddle with the settings. Concentrating on a view of the park, I adjust the lens’ focus.
When I begin recording footage for my project, time slips away. I spend hours watching the shadows move across the grass, sailboats leave and come back, and ducks scouring the park for food and bathing in the warm sun.
When the sun starts to set, I record the colors streaking across the sky, and only when it’s dark do I pack up and call it a day.
I’ll do the night shoot during the week or next weekend. I have a ton of footage to keep me busy until then.
Happy with the work I’ve done, I stop at Burger King to grab some food. I order the biggest burger and fries, along with a coke.
After dinner, I plan on soaking in my tub.
A happy smile curves my lips until I wonder if the guards found out I snuck away from them.
I’m sure Nikolas would’ve been breathing down my neck, so I’m probably in the clear.
“Tess, I thought we could go shopping next Saturday? Do you have time?” Athina asks.
The Sunday lunch isn’t too bad. Nikolas is grumpy as hell, but at least he hasn’t bitten my head off.
Smiling at Athina, I nod. “Sure. Let me know what time suits you.”
When we went shopping for a dress on Friday, it turned out to be a pleasant experience. I’m still getting to know Athina, but I like her and Basil.
“Nine o’clock,” she replies. “The earlier we start, the better. Afterward, we can grab some lunch.”
“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.” I glance at Nikolas, who’s hardly touched his food. There’s a storm cloud brewing on his face, and he seems to be deep in thought about something that’s clearly upsetting him as he twirls the tumbler of whiskey around and around.
It must be hard carrying the weight of the mafia on his shoulders.
There’s a glimmer of pity in my heart before I focus on the plate of food in front of me. As the lunch draws to a close, the air keeps tensing, Nikolas’ expression growing grimmer.
The second the servers clear the table, I get up. With a smile around my lips, I say, “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
I rush out of the dining room, and I almost make it to the front door before Nikolas grabs hold of my arm, and I’m dragged to his study.
Shit.
Did he find out I escaped the guards? Damn, maybe he found out I donated the bulk of the funds he gave me to charity?
Ugh, just my luck.
As soon as I’m shoved into the study and the door slams shut, my heart lurches to my throat.
Oh, God. I’m in deep trouble.
Turning to face Nikolas, terrifying brutality lurks in his eyes. It makes my lips go dry, and I nervously lick them.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Tilting his head, his eyes lock on my face with the intensity of a nuclear bomb. “Do you think this is a game, Theresa?” The thinly veiled rage lowers his voice, so it’s deep and predatory.
A shiver races down my spine. I quickly shake my head, and assuming the confrontation is related to yesterday’s great escape, I try to explain, “I just needed some alone time. It’s not like I’m in any kind of danger. The guards are really unne–”
My sentence cuts off when Nikolas darts forward like a lightning bolt. His fingers wrap around my throat, and my head is forced back to look up at him. Seeing the full potency of his rage darkening his eyes to midnight black, I almost whimper.
My anxiety spikes dangerously high, which it hasn’t done since the wedding. Nikolas has been taking it easy on me, and it let me lower my guard. My right hand clutches my bag holding my calming pills, and my left darts up to wrap around his wrist.
“I’m the one who fucking decides whether you’re in danger or not!” he snaps. There’s no control over his rage, telling me just how volatile the situation is.
I pushed too hard.
God.
“I’m sorry,” I whimper.
“You’re linked to me, Theresa. It makes you a target by default. My enemies will use any of my loved ones against me. Do you fucking get it?”
But I’m not really family. I’m not a loved one.
Then again, when it comes to the mafia, it doesn’t matter how I feel about things.
“I understand,” I whisper, my mouth too dry to say anything else.
Nikolas keeps staring at me as if he’s going to kill me any second. My fear amps up, anxiety tightening my stomach into a hard knot.
‘Dead bitches can’t snitch,’ Irene’s voice haunts me, making everything a million times worse because Nikolas can kill me. Just like Irene, he can hurt me.
He leans down, his breath skimming over my jaw until it’s hot on my ear. “What did I say about disobeying me?”
“T-that t-there will be c-consequences,” I stammer, unable to hide how much he scares me right now.
There’s a rumble deep in his chest, the sound sending shivers racing over my skin.
For the most unnerving minute of my life, Nikolas keeps perfectly still, his breath warming my ear, his fingers imprinting themselves around my throat. Just when the tension becomes unbearable, and a sob builds in my chest, he moves.
“You fucking drive me insane,” he growls. It’s fast, and nothing could prepare me as his mouth slams down on mine. My brain seizes all activity, my lungs unable to function, my heart slamming to a dead stop.
Nikolas brings his other hand to the side of my head, his fingers gripping a fistful of my hair to keep me in place. His tongue breaches my lips, and then all I can do is feel as he brands me with a cruel and searing kiss.
I don’t know what I expected he’d do, but kissing was definitely not at the top of the list of punishments.
Emotions burst in my chest, all in stark contrast with each other. Shame, hurt, confusion, then heat floods my body, and desire joins in the chaos.
His tongue massages mine possessively, his breaths giving air to my lungs.
It’s wrong. It’s a tool to control me.
But…
Nikolas seems to lose his mind, the kiss turning wild as he claims every inch of my mouth. Tingles spark to life beneath my skin, my abdomen clenches hard, and a need I never thought was possible to feel fills me.
A need for more from the man I despise.
Holy shit.
My handbag drops to the floor with a dull thud, my hand numbly finds his bicep, and I hold on for dear life as he ravages me.
I don’t push him away. I don’t put up a fight.
This does not escape my attention.
Instead, I lift onto my tiptoes, pushing closer to him because the kiss is overwhelmingly hot, the best I’ve ever experienced, and nothing in me wants to stop it.
Crazy. I know.
His scent fills the air I’m desperately trying to breathe. A needy moan escapes me, a shock to my ears. I return the kiss, and our tongues start to fight for control.
Ha, who am I kidding? I’ll never have any control where this man is concerned.
Nikolas’ kiss breaks down my resistance. It obliterates it.
I begin to feel dizzy from the lack of air, or maybe it’s from the all-consuming force he’s taking me with. The fear takes a back seat to the desire filling my veins.
I feel him everywhere as I’m overwhelmed. His mouth devouring mine, his hard muscle beneath my fingers, his solid body pressed against me.
And God help me, it’s absolute madness… but… I want more.
