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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
WHEN DID EVERYTHING GO WRONG?
When did I utterly lose my mind until I craved every perfectly crafted lie that escaped her lips?
Surely not all those nights she spent in my arms, my heartbeat pounding in her ears slowly lulling her to sleep. It definitely couldn't be all those times she clung onto me with tears in her eyes, on the brink of a climax only I could bring her. Or the times she stared deep into my soul, whispering those three words she knew I so badly wanted to hear.
I love you, Alek. So fucking much, it hurts sometimes.
Bullshit.
I threw my head back against the headrest, screwing my eyelids tightly shut. As we drew closer to the house, my brewing headache spiraled until my skull throbbed with arguably the worst pain of my life.
"Are you sure you don't need some more painkillers?" Lev's quiet voice asked from the driver's seat.
I didn't have to open my eyes to know he was peeking at me through the rear view mirror, that permanent frown etched into his face ever since I regained consciousness to find him staring down at me at the hospital.
"Any more painkillers, and I won't have my wits about me. I'm fine. How's my father?"
"He's stable now."
"Any clue what might have spiked his heart rate and caused his sudden heart attack?"
He was as healthy as a horse when I last saw him, and that was less than two weeks ago. The timing of his heart attack with my assassination attempt raised suspicions, and I wasn't the only one who thought so.
"An undisclosed nut allergy. The kitchen staff all deny having something to do with it, but Reina believes it was deliberate."
"A coordinated inside attack." That didn't surprise me in the slightest.
"Possibly. I sent Ilya and Anton to take care of the investigation and security. Reina probably hasn't had time to take care of all of that considering the health scare your father received."
I nodded in agreement. "You're right." I didn't know the intricacies of their relationship, but she seemed to care for him in her own twisted way. "And Viktor?"
He shook his head, a spark of worry in his eyes. "Still no word from him."
I winced, curling my hands into fists at my sides as though that would somehow subdue the ache in the center of my chest.
I fucked up, and he'd lost his last remaining close relative in the aftermath. I wouldn't blame him if he stormed New York right now to put a bullet in my skull.
"It wasn't your fault, boss," Lev spoke quietly like he could somehow read my thoughts. "You—we all—thought she had a sliver of the affection you held for her, for you. You can't predict the future behavior of humans. You were simply blindsided."
