Chapter 3 - Yulian
I pull her through my front door into my penthouse, immediately wrapping my arms around her and kissing her again. I can’t get enough of her sweetness. Her lips are soft and inviting, and they belong against mine.
Lifting her, I wrap her legs around my waist as I carry her up to my bedroom.
She giggles when I put her down, standing on the edge of my bed, taller than me, with her arms wrapped over my shoulders.
I slip my hand beneath her dress, letting my touch trace slowly up her smooth legs.
She seems to hesitate for a second, then bites her lips as a nervous smile flickers across her face.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, pausing.
She nods, but I can see there’s something on her mind.
“Kat, are you sure?”
“I’ve, um, never done this before. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it or stop. I don’t want to stop,” she says quickly. “But I just thought maybe it’s something I should tell you, because, well, I’ve never done this before.”
I reach up, lifting her mask off, and for the first time, I let my eyes trace over her face. For a moment, I’m speechless. Fuck, she’s perfect. She’s beautiful, she’s exquisite.
She has freckles scattered over her nose, cute little caramel specks that bring warmth to her face.
Her eyes are a mix of blue and green, making them almost turquoise.
Her lips are full, and cupid-shaped, pale pink, swollen from our kiss.
Her lashes are long, dark and elegant. There is nothing about her that isn’t perfect.
Her nervous tension is clearly growing the longer I take to reply, but she doesn’t realize that seeing her for the first time has me spellbound.
“Do you…Do you want to stop?” she asks, sounding embarrassed.
“So, you’ve never gone home with a stranger before?” I ask.
“Oh, um, no, I haven’t. But what I was saying is that…I’ve never had sex before.”
My cock throbs harder, pulsing with thick veins of desire.
“You’re a virgin, but you came home with me?” I ask in disbelief. Could this moment be any more perfect than it already is? Could she be any more perfect?
“Because I wanted to. I chose this. As I said, I don’t want to stop, I just thought…I don’t know…maybe it’s something I’m supposed to tell you,” she shrugs.
She reaches for my mask and lifts it away. Her eyes study me, slowly, thoughtfully.
A dark smile spreads across my face. “I’ll be gentle, Kat,” I assure her. Relief floods her expression. “So, you still want to be with me?” she asks.
“I want you more than I’ve wanted anything in my life,” I growl.
Her lips crash into mine again, and I push her down onto the bed, crawling over her as my hands explore her body, peeling away the beautiful red dress to reveal even more of her perfection.
***
I fall asleep with her wrapped in my arms and a smile on my face.
I wake up in the early hours of the morning with that same smile, immediately pulling my mouth up at the corners.
I can’t get over how great last night was, all three times she let me take her.
I explored every corner of her body, tasted her in every way, and now, just thinking about it… my cock is growing hard.
I reach my hand beneath the blanket towards where she must still be asleep, but my fingers slide over cold, empty sheets.
She’s not here.
A surge of panic shoots through me, and I sit up, squinting into the dim morning light.
“Blinds open,” I demand, and they roll upwards, letting in more light, filling the room with a soft, hazy glow.
The bathroom door is open, and I can’t hear her in there. But there’s no way she left. Not after how good last night was.
Throwing the blankets off, I stretch my arms over my head and roll my neck.
She must be downstairs making a coffee. I pull on a pair of sweatpants, grinning, picturing her wearing my shirt, her long, shapely legs bare as she stands on her tiptoes to reach the coffee mugs.
It stirs my cock again, and I hurry out of the room to find her. I want her again. I want more.
It doesn’t take me long to realize that Kat did actually leave.
I can’t believe it. She left.
How is this possible? Why?
Standing by the counter, I stare blankly into the kitchen as disbelief washes over me. Maybe she left me her number? In a frantic moment, I search the counter, looking up to see if anything is stuck against the fridge underneath one of the magnets. Nothing.
On the counter is my wallet and car keys, tossed there last night as we walked past on the way upstairs.
I flip it open, squinting down at my driver’s license. I never got her full name. I only know her as Kat.
She only knew me as Yulian. Did she possibly look in my wallet and see who I really am? Is that what chased her out of here? Last night’s party was packed with people who support the Krolik family. An Andreev would be viewed as an enemy by anyone there.
Including Kat.
Kat who? I rub my hand over my jaw and shake my head. Dammit. I let her slip right through my fingers.
Disappointment and anger spike in my chest. I’m not willing to just let her go like that.
I have to see her again. I want it. I need it.
What happened between us was far too good to ignore.
I trudge into the kitchen and flick the coffee machine on, staring at it blankly, lost in thought about how to track her down while it warms up.
The machine clicks and pulls me out of my trance. I sigh and push my hand through my hair as I shove a mug under the spout and watch the hot stream of coffee pour into it. I’ll figure this out. I will get her back.
***
Over the next few days, I have some spies track down the guest list so they can find out who Kat might be. It is much easier than I expected, because, as it turns out, she was the hostess. Katerina Krolik. Artur’s little sister.
As soon as I find out, I know I need to back off.
She’s my enemy’s sister.
But I’m staring at my phone, at the photograph my guy sent me, a photograph of Kat in blue jeans and a white sweater.
She’s smiling, leaning against a doorframe, her arms folded across her chest, and a bright smile on her face.
Her long blonde hair is loose over her shoulders, and her eyes are playful.
Looking at her makes my heart skip a beat.
Absolutely nothing good can come of this.
She obviously had no idea who I was when she came home with me. And if she did glance at my wallet and see who I was…well, it explains why she left. And why she’s turned into a ghost.
I press the button on the side of my phone to turn off the screen and lock it, cutting the sight of her beautiful picture from my view.
I shove my phone into my pocket and shake my head. Dammit, Yulian, you’re making a mistake, I warn myself as I climb into my car. But I have to see her, even just from a distance. I want to know what she’s doing, or maybe if she’s told anyone about me.
Yes, that’s why I have to find her. I need to make sure she doesn’t tell people about me or where I live.
I know where the Krolik family lives, so I head to that part of town. Driving my black Audi with dark-tinted windows, I’m hidden from view as I scout popular restaurants and coffee shops that I know Artur likes to visit.
It takes me a few hours to find her.
I’m sitting in my car, parked on the opposite side of the street, when she steps out of a coffee shop holding a takeout cup and a brown paper bag with some kind of food in it.
She’s fumbling with her purse, trying to shove her phone into it while balancing the coffee and snack.
She looks fucking gorgeous.
Her glasses are pushed up on the top of her head, holding her loose blonde waves out of her face. Her lips are glossed, and her cheeks are pink in the cold autumn air.
She’s wearing dark jeans and white sneakers, and a pale pink hoodie.
Apart from being the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, she looks like a regular person, not the sister of a mafia boss. She doesn’t look like she belongs in my world at all.
She looks sweet and friendly and smiles at people who walk past her as she makes her way down the street.
I wait a few breaths before I climb out of my car to follow her.
Keeping a distance, I walk behind her through the city to a park.
She sits on a bench and throws broken-off pieces of a croissant at some ducks.
I watch, wondering what the hell I’m doing.
She could have security guards that I’m not even looking for because I’m so absorbed in her.
She could turn around and see me at any moment and scream. She might be furious. She might be scared. I shouldn’t be here at all.
I chuckle when I think about how my brothers kidnapped women who were enemies. They took them against their will, and somehow it turned out great for them. Obviously, I can’t do that to Kat. I’m not going to kidnap her and force her to interact with me. That’s not who I am.
It was pure luck that it worked out for my brothers.
If I had any brain whatsoever, I would walk away right now.
But I stay.
Leaning with my shoulder against a tree and my arms folded over my chest, I watch her.
She does have guards, but they keep their distance.
They don’t seem very observant, as none of them has noticed me.
Stupid morons. I’ve been staring at her for over an hour, following her since the coffee shop, and they haven’t caught on.
Thank goodness they aren’t that great, though, because the next day, when I find myself following her again, they don’t get in my way at all.
I tried to stop myself from climbing in the car to come find her. I told myself it was a bad idea. I told myself I should just drive to the office and do some work. But instead, I found myself driving towards her.
Kat goes to the mall, wandering through the stores, trying on dresses, buying a new purse, admiring some bright pink sneakers.
She laughs with the shop assistants who help her.
Her energy and charm draw people in wherever she goes.
I’m captivated. I’m learning about her. Everything she touches or admires, I take note of it.
What she likes. What she doesn’t like. What she orders at the coffee shop.
What chocolate she buys at the little boutique before she goes home.
I follow her again the next day. And the next.
The constant knowledge sits in the back of my thoughts, a weighted warning, telling me to walk away, to leave her alone. Telling me that she ghosted me for a reason, and I should be doing the same. She’s my enemy. We can’t be together. I should let this go. But I can’t.
I can’t wake up in the morning without her on my mind.
I can’t stop the consistent need that plagues me to know where she is and what she’s doing all the time.
So I follow her.
Every day.
For longer and longer each day until she’s all I can think about.
She consumes me, every waking moment. When I’m not watching her, I’m agitated. I’m worried about her. I’m wondering who she’s with and if she’s safe. I can’t stay away, and I don’t even care anymore.
It’s late on Friday afternoon, and the sun is starting to set when she leaves the restaurant carrying a box of takeout she came to collect.
I love the fact that she’s spending a quiet Friday at home this evening.
I can picture myself with her. We’d watch a movie, share our takeout so we could try more from the menu.
During the movie, we’d get distracted by each other, and I’d kiss her.
We’d make love for hours, forgetting about the movie. Getting lost in each other.
The van comes out of nowhere, skidding to a halt a few feet from her. She screams as men leap from it, bolting towards her.
Her bodyguards are too far away to help her. Too slow. Too useless.
I move like lightning, firing a shot into the back window, drawing their attention off her and onto me. “Kat, run!” I shout, but one of them has her in his grasp. It boils my blood to see his hands on her.
The other three men run around the car to face me down, but I put bullets into two of them before they have a chance to see which direction I’m coming from. As I run towards Kat, I lash out, and the third man hits the floor, blood gushing from his cracked skull.
The last man stands nervously unsure while the driver, still in the van, screams at him to get in or he’s leaving him behind. Ahead of them, Kat’s bodyguards are finally running towards the van.
“Get the fuck in the car!” the driver screams again at his accomplice.
The fourth man lets go of Kat and dives into the back of the van. She staggers and loses her balance, falling over.
The driver presses the accelerator and speeds towards the bodyguards, who open fire on them. I grab Kat, lifting her back to her feet. I have to get her out of here. These fucking guards are useless. They’re going to get her killed.
“Kat? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I ask, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her to face me.
“What?” she stammers, staring at me, wide-eyed and blank-faced. “Yulian?”
“I’m getting you out of here,” I snap.
She’s in shock as I shove her into my car and slam the door behind her.
Behind me, gunfire is still erupting as I drive away, turning a corner and speeding from the scene.
Kat shifts nervously, stealing a glance at me.
“It’s okay, I’m taking you somewhere safe,” I reassure her.