Sinful Promise (Koslov Bratva #6)

19. Emily

19

EMILY

I was wrong in hiding things from Danil, but I hate the fact that Danil lied to me, and I wanted to make sure he knew it.

Leaving through the emergency exit was a dumb, dangerous move, I know that, but I chose to purposefully ignore the tiny voice in my head telling me it’s dangerous favor of punishing him instead.

I haven’t done it again, because though I hate to admit it, he was right when he let me known that I’m not just pissing him off but endangering myself too.

The thing is, I haven’t had a problem since Dimitri chased that guy from my room, so maybe this whole thing is behind me?

His threats and the possibility someone may harm me are scary, but it’s been so long since anything happened that despite the fact that it’s a Wednesday and I have an early morning class tomorrow, I practically jumped at the chance to go drinking with Jana after our final this afternoon.

Not wanting Danil to intrude on this one little moment, I once again chose to leave through the emergency exit.

Dumb? Maybe. But am I not allowed to just live a little?

As we sit at the table, Jana laughs. “I honestly suggested drinks tonight because I thought we would need to drown our sorrows with tequila.”

“I’m surprised by how many of those questions I actually knew the answers to.” I set down my empty glass on the table.

“That’s because you actually study, Emily. Wanna have another, or are you heading out?”

I groan as I tap my phone to light up the screen. “I have a class tomorrow morning. I can’t be completely irresponsible.”

It’s already half-past eleven and by the time I get back to the penthouse, it will be well over midnight, and I have a class at ten in the morning.

Jana’s gaze moves to a spot over my shoulder, and I know she’s watching Danil, but I pretend not to notice.

I should just suck it up and forgive him, but it’s difficult. I’m hurt, more than anything, so I can’t just forget. No matter how much I wish I could. Especially since I was in the wrong too.

Our friendship has seriously suffered because of this, and I wonder if we’re past the point of no return…

“Text me when you get home,” Jana says as I climb off the bar stool and shoulder my bag.

“Will do.”

I take a deep breath and brace myself for Danil’s wrath as I turn my back on Jana and head across the packed bar.

It doesn’t take long for Danil to appear at my side, but I walk straight past him toward the exit of the bar without acknowledging his existence.

“Seriously, Emily?”

I can’t deny the fact that I’m no longer just punishing Danil for lying to me. It’s also because of the kiss. After the other night where we almost crossed the line, again , I’m even more confused. Maybe I’m just self-sabotaging my relationship with Danil as a way to protect my heart. But from the dull ache in my chest that I’ve been carrying around for weeks, I fear that it might already be broken.

“Emily!”

I bristle at the sound of Danil’s voice as I bypass the people waiting to get inside the bar and start heading down the sidewalk.

His steps are loud as he jogs to catch up with me, but I force myself to keep my eyes forward.

I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking that I care.

“Talk to me, Em.”

I bite my tongue to stop myself from responding. He knows how much I melt when he uses that nickname.

“I get that you’re trying to punish me, but to what end? This isn’t you . The drinking, the flirting with random guys.”

Still, I say nothing.

“You’ve made it perfectly clear that you’re upset with me, but hell, you’re putting yourself at risk here! I thought you were smarter than that.”

I stop dead in my tracks and whirl around to face Danil.

Now that his little side hustle of being my own personal bodyguard is out in the open, he’s ditched the hoodie and jeans disguise and replaced it with his usual sleek black ensemble that has me practically drooling at the mouth.

Why does he have to look so damn good?

“What I do is none of your business, Danil.” I turn my back on him and storm away.

I can’t deny that he’s right. I am acting out and whether I admit it to him or not, some of my choices lately have been… questionable .

My stalker is still out there, and now that he’s been linked to Igor Ivanov, he’s even more dangerous than I originally thought.

If anything were to happen, Danil would think nothing of throwing himself in the line of fire to protect me, and that’s what I need to remember.

It’s not just my life that’s at risk now.

It’s Danil’s too.

What if I’m the reason something happens to him?

The thought sends me into a spiral for the rest of the walk back to the penthouse.

By the time we get back, the ache in my chest is almost unbearable.

I wish I never worked that stupid party.

As the elevator doors slide open, Danil steps out, and I suddenly wonder if he’s been instructed to stay the night since Zara and Dimitri have taken the twins over to Alexei’s house for a few days so I could study for my final in peace, and they’re not due back until tomorrow afternoon.

I sure as hell hope not.

The high from my exam being over, as well as the buzz from the alcohol, has long since vanished, leaving me feeling miserable. I want nothing more than to be alone so I can wallow in self-pity until the sun comes up.

I cross my arms over my chest as I turn to face Danil. “You can go now. I’m home safe and sound.”

Danil tucks his hands into his pockets. “Em, come on. Can we talk?”

“Why would I want to do that?” I catch a flash of hurt in Danil’s dark eyes, and I’m hit by a pang of guilt.

God. This isn’t me.

“I understand that you’re upset with me, but honestly, Em, I’m upset with you too.”

I blink. “You’re upset with me ?”

“Fuck yeah, I am! You accuse me of lying to you, but you lied to me, too.”

“I lied to you ?”

“Yes! You didn’t tell me about all this, even after I asked you directly multiple times if everything was okay. You chose to lie to me! And I thought we were friends. I thought you would come to me if you had a problem. I asked you if you needed any help, to talk to me if you did, and again you chose to lie.”

Danil shakes his head and runs his fingers through his dark hair. “And I fucking hate the fact that I had to find out from Dimitri.”

His eyes are full of pain as he stares at me. “I could have helped you directly instead of having to do it behind your back. But you chose to close me off.”

“You want to know why I didn’t tell you?”

He looks at me, hurt and disappointment plain in his eyes, slaying me to the core.

“I… I was embarrassed.”

Danil frowns. “Embarrassed? About the hostess job?”

I nod as my cheeks burn as I think back to the scrimpy outfit I had to wear and all the creepy guys I had to serve.

I lower my eyes to the floor. “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

There’s a moment of silence that hangs heavily in the air between us.

Danil takes a step closer to me. “Emily… There’s nothing you could do that would ever change the way I feel about you.”

My eyes sting with tears as I stare down at the cream carpet beneath our feet.

I hate that he’s still being sweet to me despite how horrible I’ve been to him. Maybe it would be better if he just screamed and yelled.

After all, I deserve it.

“Because, surely, you must have picked up by now that I have a serious crush on you.”

My head snaps up, and I stare at Danil.

Is he being serious right now?

“What?”

His expression is serious as his beautiful eyes flick to my lips. “I have a crush on you, Emily Mullens. And I have for months.”

He’s had a crush on me for months ? So the kiss was real.

I bury my face in my hands. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for.”

“No, it’s not a bad thing, it’s just…” I lower my hands and when I see the sincerity in his chocolate-brown eyes, I feel the wall that I’ve built around myself over the past few weeks start to crumble.

I am such an idiot. To think that all this time I’ve been beating myself up over the meaning of him kissing me when it was so glaringly obvious all along.

Danil Koslov has a crush on me .

“Why the hell didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Danil’s eyes crinkle as he chuckles.

“The same reason you didn’t.” He reaches out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

A shiver runs down my spine as his finger grazes my cheek.

“Fear of rejection.”

My chin hits the floor. “You thought I would reject you? You have looked in a mirror, right?”

The corner of Danil’s mouth quirks upward as he looks at me. Suddenly, as I look into his eyes, all my anger toward this situation between us dissipates.

“I also didn’t want to ruin our friendship.” His voice is hoarse, and I watch his throat bob as he looks down at my lips again.

My throat dries out. “Don’t worry, I think I already did that.”

“That’s okay. I didn’t want to be friends with you, anyway.”

His lips crash against mine.

It takes my brain a moment to catch up on to the fact that Danil is kissing me. I’m too stunned to do much more than stand there.

But then his tongue licks along my lower lip, and a rush of warmth spreads throughout my entire body.

My arms are around his neck in an instant and the next thing I know, my feet are off the ground, and Danil has me pressed up against the elevator doors.

“Emily,” he practically growls against my lips as he grinds into me.

My brain short-circuits as his hardness presses against me.

I squeeze my thighs around his waist and try to hold on to the small ounce of control I have left over my body as Danil sinks his fingers into my ass to hold me in place.

“I need you,” I gasp against his lips. “ Now .”

I expect him to tear my panties off there and then, but instead, he pulls away, and I swallow a whimper of frustration.

“Are you sure?” His eyes are heavy with lust, but I know if I asked him to stop there and then, he would.

He’s nothing but a gentleman.

I stare at his beautiful face. “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”

“Thank fuck for that.”

He adjusts his hold on me so that he can reach underneath my dress. He dips his fingers into the waistband of my panties, and my breath catches as they graze against my bare skin.

The sound of tearing material makes me jump, and Danil chuckles as he tosses the scraps of lace on the floor.

I squeal as I cling to his shoulders. “Danil! Was that really necessary?”

Danil grins at me as he returns his hand to my hip.

“I’m very glad you chose to wear a dress today.” He leans in and presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth.

I’m all too aware of the fact that I’m not completely bare from the waist down. My dress still leaves me mostly covered, but Danil’s fingers are lingering painfully close to where I want him the most.

“If I was more of a gentleman, I would carry you upstairs to bed.”

His fingers stroke my inner thigh. His breath tickles my skin, and I arch into his touch until my breasts graze his chest.

I moan as he grinds against my bare pussy. I can’t be without him for another second. “I can’t wait that long. Please, Danil.”

There’s no going back from this, but I don’t feel as nervous as I thought I would be. Maybe because being with Danil has always felt so right, and he makes me feel so comfortable and at ease.

I pepper kisses along his jawline and down his neck, inhaling the rich smell of his cologne as he works at undoing his belt and readying himself.

At the first nudge of his cock against my entrance, we both gasp.

Danil runs the head of his cock along my core. “Christ, malishka . You’re already so wet.”

“It’s not the first time you’ve made me like this,” I whisper as I grind my hips against him.

Danil makes a choked sound, and I grin at him.

“You’re actually going to be the death of me.”

“I could say the same about you.”

Danil chuckles, but it soon turns to a moan as his cock sinks inside me an inch.

I watch as his eyes go wide, and then he’s kissing me again as he slowly thrusts his hips, giving me another inch.

There’s a brief second of pain, but then my body relaxes, and I melt against Danil.

“Emily,” he groans against my lips once he’s all the way inside me.

My head falls forward against his shoulder. “Oh god.”

He remains still for a moment, letting me adjust to his size.

After all this time, finally getting to feel Danil inside me is more overwhelming than I imagined.

I tighten my arms around his neck and hold him as close as possible, wanting to savor each and every second with him.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he murmurs as he slowly slides his cock free, and I whimper at the sudden emptiness.

He thrusts his cock back inside me. “To hear you moan my name,”

I gasp as he fills me, but he doesn’t give me a chance to catch my breath before he’s sliding out again.

“To make you come.”

“Danil,” I cry out as he fills me once more.

I try my best to match his rhythm, but he’s hitting me so deep that my eyes roll, and my body is overcome with pleasure.

It’s all I can do to hold on, so I don’t go toppling to the floor in a half-naked heap.

A thin sheen of sweat coats my skin as my release builds deep inside my core.

From Danil’s punishing pace, I can tell he’s getting close too, and I want nothing more than to see the look on his face as he spills inside me.

I dig my heels into his ass, trying to get even closer to him as he thrusts into me.

All I can focus on is the feeling of Danil moving inside me. The sounds he’s making as he pounds into me with such force that I’m sure my back will be covered in bruises come morning.

But I don’t care.

Just as I think I can’t take anymore, Danil reaches down between us and grazes a finger against my clit.

“Oh god.”

My head falls back against the elevator door, and my eyes flutter closed as I teeter on the edge of my climax.

“Fuck, I’m close,” Danil hisses, and a rush of wetness coats me between my thighs at his words.

My inner thighs are slick with my arousal and the sound of Danil’s cock slamming into me should have had my cheeks burning with embarrassment, but I’m to overcome with pleasure to care.

“Come with me, malishka .” He rubs my clit faster.

I force myself to open my eyes, and when they lock with Danil’s, it sends us both over the edge.

Danil’s name spills from my lips as I climax.

My entire body trembles as I lose myself in the darkness of his eyes as my pussy clenches around his thick cock.

For a moment, his dark eyebrows pull together, and his lips part, but then his body shudders, and he collapses against me.

His lips find my neck, and I bury my fingers in his hair, holding him against me as we both ride out our pleasure.

I sigh. “That was amazing.”

Danil presses a kiss to my neck. “It really was. Though I really hope the elevator doors don’t open right now.”

I glance at the remnants of my lace panties on the living room floor and I cringe.

I look at him and smirk. “Dibs on not being the one to tell Zara and Dimitri.”