Chapter 10 - Katerina
I’m completely shocked to be sitting at a table full of Andreevs, laughing and having fun.
These people are my enemy. My whole life, I was taught to hate them, to fear them, to want to conquer them in some way.
Ever since Yulian told me he was bringing me to a family dinner, I’ve been so anxious I wanted to vomit.
And when I walked through that door, it proved me right.
The way they surrounded me and threw questions and remarks at me like that.
It was overwhelming, but closer to what I was expecting than this…
I expected them to condemn me. To kick me out. To tear me to shreds. To question me. Maybe I even expected them to torture me. I mean, that’s what my brother would have told me to expect.
I glance at each of Yulian’s brothers, one by one. They have kind faces. Beautiful men, each of them gorgeous in a unique way, with beautiful wives and, to my surprise, warm, soft smiles that make them seem genuine and caring.
This isn’t at all how I would’ve described an Andreev family.
Ali is still teasing her brother when I glance at him. He’s already looking in my direction with that same intensity in his eyes that he’s had towards me all night.
I can’t believe I put my hand on his leg. I don’t even know why I did it, it just happened.
In the moment, it felt so natural.
Yulian winks at me, and my smile widens.
He is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever had the pleasure of looking at.
His brothers are hot, but Yulian is sculpted by the gods.
Perfect angles. Perfect eyes. Perfect dark brows and dark hair.
And the ability to make my body scream in perfect ways.
Heat grows between my legs when I think about that night.
Shit. It must be the martini. Too much alcohol. Don’t think about that night, Katerina.
To distract myself, I look around the table again.
At my enemies. At the people who apparently tortured and murdered my uncle.
I’ve heard his stories through my brothers, especially Artur, who is the oldest and had the most contact with my uncle.
Numerous stories about how the Andreevs had been cruel to Boris.
How they hunted him and hounded him for years.
How they are evil and sadistic. My uncle told those stories to anyone who would listen, whether they wanted to hear them or not.
He practically bragged about how horrible the Andreevs were.
The longer I sit here, the more the doubt inside me grows. The stories don’t match the people around me.
Yulian has already taken me by surprise with his kindness, but it was easy to assume he was an exception to the rule.
But now that I’ve met his whole family, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe my uncle’s stories.
I never did get along with him. I think he said two words to me my whole life.
He was a difficult man. Cold. Heartless in so many ways.
He always seemed more focused on showing off his status and power than being with the family.
He wanted control over everything and everyone.
What if everything he told us was wrong?
What if everything my brother believes about the Andreevs is a lie?
Artur. What would he think if he found out I was sitting here having dinner with this family?
Would he be furious? Of course, he would.
Regardless of whether or not my uncle was a liar, I am still betraying my brother by enjoying my time with these people.
There is still a history, a divide between our families.
Ali gets up from her seat on the other side of the table and comes to sit next to me.
“So, do you also have a ton of older brothers who like to boss you around?” she asks, crossing her legs and sipping her drink.
“Actually, yes, three brothers and one sister. My brothers are all very overprotective,” I grin.
“They can’t be worse than this lot,” she gestures around the table.
“Don’t be so sure. I think at the end of the day, they’re all the same. Annoying and controlling, in their own stupid loving ways.”
“It’s a pain in the ass, right, that they hardly let you do anything or go anywhere,” she huffs.
“Agreed. And even though I get it, I mean, the whole Bratva world and the dangers and all …sometimes I just wish I could live a normal life,” I sigh dreamily. I miss the days from before we moved, when things weren’t so intense. Before my brother took over from Boris.
“Same.” She sighs, too.
Ali and I chat for ages about what it was like growing up as we did. It turns out we’re really similar in a lot of ways. We get on so well. It’s crazy to think I came here and made a genuine friend in her.
“Another martini?” Ali asks, reaching across the table and grabbing my empty glass. “Jade needs one, too.”
“Sure,” I grin. “That sounds great.”
“Ali has become an expert martini maker over the past month. She’s been making them for me every night,” Jade smiles at me. She’s beautiful, confident, and friendly.
“I’ll be right back,” Ali calls out before she disappears from the dining room.
Jade turns to Rad and giggles as he runs his hand over her side. I blush, feeling like I’m intruding on something intimate, and redirect my attention to her brothers, chatting amongst themselves. Yulian turns his body towards me and whispers, “Are you doing okay?”
“I am, your family is…they’re really nice.”
He chuckles. “Not what you were expecting?”
“Obviously not,” I whisper, shaking my head.
Beneath the table, he takes me by surprise by doing exactly what I did earlier. He places his hand softly on my thigh and brushes it over my leg. “Do you want another slice of pizza?” he asks.
“No, thanks, it was so good, and I already ate too much of it.”
“Did you leave room for brownies and ice cream?” he grins.
“There’s always room for dessert. Everyone knows that,” I smile, my eyes sparkling as I look at him and think how easy it is to be around him.
How he makes me feel seen and beautiful.
I’ve noticed him watching me all night. He does it often, even at home.
He sits quietly with that soft smile on his face, and he just watches me.
Like I’m something special or captivating.
Stop this, Kat. This is a dangerous thought.
His hand is still on my leg, though. And it feels really good.
“I’m going to clear the plates,” I blurt out, standing up, trying to escape the direction of my thoughts.
“I’ll help,” Yulian says, doing the same and starting to gather the empty boxes and plates.
He carries them to the kitchen with me following behind, not knowing my way around his brother’s place.
My heart is beating really fast for some reason. I’m suddenly nervous to be alone with him as we step into the kitchen, and I set the dishes down near the sink.
It’s silly, because I’ve been living with him. We’re alone together all day, every day.
But something feels different tonight. More intimate. More secretive.
As if reading my mind, Yulian steps towards me, pinning me gently against the kitchen counter.
He places his hands on either side of me, gripping the edge of the marble countertop.
“You won Ali’s heart very quickly, didn’t you,” he teases, his voice low.
“She’s lovely. Very sweet. And she won my heart just as quickly. She’s impossible not to love.”
The dimples on his cheek deepen as he cocks his head to the side and lifts one hand to brush his fingers slowly over my cheek. My heart races faster, my breath catching.
“And did you enjoy her stories about me? I don’t think I’ve seen you smile that much before. Did you enjoy laughing at my awkward years?”
I giggle and nod. “I can’t picture you as a little boy, innocent and clumsy.
Making silly mistakes like that.” My eyes drift over the thick muscles of his neck, how they curve into his broad shoulders.
His rugged jawline was scattered with stubble.
Then my gaze drifts up to his eyes, framed by thick dark lashes and heavy brows.
Fuck. He’s gorgeous. He’s more man than any man I’ve ever met.
It’s true. I can’t ever picture him being anyone other than this gorgeous creature in front of me now.
“I’m certainly not innocent anymore,” he growls, his voice husky with lust. Yulian brushes his thumb over my lower lip, and I gasp softly.
He tilts my head back, lifting my lips towards his, and kisses me.
His mouth locks over mine, his lips hot and smooth as they embrace me. He threads his fingers up the back of my neck, into my hair, pushing harder against the kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth, and sending wild waves of excitement rising through me.
I melt against him, unable to resist his taste, his smell, the heat from his body as it pours into me.
He pulls me closer with urgency that sets me on fire.
My body crumbles in his hands, and I realize I would let him do anything to me.
Just like I did on that night we spent together.
I was his. I belonged to him in that moment, just like I do now.
My heart stammers, stalling, tripping over itself as his lips claim mine.
You’re playing a dangerous game, Katerina. You don’t even know what this man wants from you. You have no idea what his plan is with you. Tonight could be for show. A fake game he’s put together to make you feel safe. Everything he’s done could be fake. He’s your enemy.
And it might not be. It might be real.
He might care for me.
Why else would he treat me so tenderly?
Inside, my thoughts are at war. My heart is beating irregularly, panicked, and confused. My body is melting with need, flooded with passion.
My head is screaming for me to take back control, to put an end to this.
Eventually, I can’t handle the noise in my head and the guilt in my heart, and I gently push against his chest, causing him to stop. His eyes are dark as he looks down at me. His cock is rock-hard against me.
“I…I….” I stammer, searching for words.
He lifts his hand and places his finger beneath my chin. “You look beautiful tonight, Kat. You always do. Do you want to help me get the brownies and ice cream together?”
“Sure, yes.” I breathe a sigh of relief that he changed the topic so smoothly, saving me from myself. But my eyes keep wandering to the massive bulge in his pants, and I bite my lip, wishing I could just let go and experience that kind of pleasure again.
I can’t, though. It can’t happen.
I’m a fish out of water around him, and I need to keep my wits about me.