His Forbidden Obsession

Chapter 1

LORENZO

Lorenzo

“Happy birthday!” A chorus of cheers erupted.

I raised my glass to toast my enemy’s son as I let my gaze run over the young man’s body.

I’d only seen Nikolai one other time, and he hadn’t been able to hide his attraction to me then.

He’d been stunning at eighteen, but the man he’d grown into was so beautiful he took my breath away.

He was lean with long limbs and blond hair that came down to his shoulders, giving him an ethereal look. When he noticed me staring at him, his eyes widened. He betrayed his interest by giving me a once-over before looking away.

I could have him if I wanted to. I doubted he’d protest much despite his father’s attempts to make him straight and keep him away from men like me.

I’d been so fucking well-behaved since I’d gotten out of prison.

I’d sworn I wouldn’t let my desire for a man get me in trouble again, but I couldn’t stop watching Nikolai and wondering what it would be like to corner him, to feel his rapid pulse under my hand.

To know he was frightened but also turned on.

Would his hair feel as silly as it looked?

Would he look as beautiful as I imagined when he was lying under me, flushed with need and begging for more?

Leave him alone. I heard the words in my cousin Remington’s voice. It was his fault I was here, celebrating Nikolai’s twenty-first birthday. With the exception of Nikolai himself, I’d happily kill every man in this room simply for being friendly with his father.

The years I’d spent in prison were thanks in part to Dimitri, and I wasn’t about to forget that, no matter how much Remington and the rest of the Theriot family wanted me to temporarily make nice with the Russians.

So I was here in a gesture of goodwill, celebrating Nikolai, when all I wanted to do was choke the life out of Dimitri. But if I couldn’t do that, I could salvage the evening by bending Nikolai over and fucking him senseless, though it was nearly as dangerous an option.

Dimitri raised his glass once more, and the chatter stopped as the men and women in the room focused on him again.

“I have more good news to share with everyone. Andrei Ivanov’s youngest daughter has accepted my son’s offer of marriage. They will be wed next week.”

I noted that Alina’s name didn’t even make it into the announcement, not that it mattered to most of the men here. She was a commodity, just like Nikolai.

There were several gasps of surprise from people who’d not learned as well as I had to keep their emotions locked down.

Remington had heard rumors about an alliance between Dimitri and Ivanov, so I wasn’t as shocked as some of the other guests clearly were, but I was pissed off.

Dimitri was a bottom-feeder in his family, and I didn’t want him climbing the ladder.

Remington didn’t like this alliance any more than I did. He was determined to prevent the Ivanovs and the Koslovs, Dimitri’s mother’s family, from consolidating power, especially without them making concessions to him first.

Whispers echoed through the room as Dimitri continued on about what a great alliance this would be, but I watched Nikolai.

He didn’t look excited about the marriage.

He looked pale and frightened, which only made me want him more.

Dimitri’s son, under my control, afraid of what I would do to him, scared of how I was making him feel.

Dimitri could pretend Niko wanted this marriage, but I was certain Nikolai was far more interested in me than he was in this young woman.

He’d practically salivated as he stared at me when we’d met several years ago.

He’d followed me around, offering to get anything I’d needed.

There were many things I’d needed from him, but I wasn’t stupid enough to take them then.

Now he was older, and I was feeling reckless.

Nothing had gone as planned for the last few years, I was tired of Remington’s control over my branch of the family, and it had been far too long since I’d sought out a man who could truly satisfy my need to dominate.

Once we’d all drunk to Nikolai’s upcoming nuptials, Dimitri encouraged us all to mingle again. My sensible side, the one that had kept me alive since I’d gotten out of prison, told me to walk away, but my feet carried me straight toward Nikolai.

He saw me coming and took a step back. I was sure his heart was racing. His instincts were likely telling him I was a predator, and he needed to run, but he was trapped.

He looked from one side to the other as if searching for someone to save him from me, but his father had walked away—Niko was nothing but an asset to him, and the last thing Dimitri cared about was his comfort.

“Congratulations.” I lifted my now empty glass of champagne.

“Th-thank you.” His chest was rising and falling rapidly; he seemed unable to catch his breath.

I wanted to keep moving forward until he was backed against the wall.

I wanted to hold him down, taste him, mark his smooth, pale skin, but I found the self-control to remain in front of him, watching his panic.

“Could I get you more champagne?” he asked, his voice shaking,

“No.”

“Um… Something else to drink?”

I didn’t think “your cum” was an acceptable answer, so I shook my head. “Are you excited about your wedding?” Niko looked down and licked his lips. “Or would you rather stay free longer?”

He looked up, frowning. “Free? I’ve never been free.” His eyes widened. He must have realized he shouldn’t have said that, not to an enemy.

But I knew Dimitri had controlled every moment of his life, and once he was married, Alina’s father would control and probably abuse him.

There was no true freedom in families like ours, though I could make him feel free for a fleeting moment if I had him in bed. I’d make him feel like nothing else existed. I’d give him whatever he needed to let go for just a night.

I shook my head as if I could banish those thoughts.

I wasn’t here to make Nikolai or anyone else in his family feel good.

I was here to punish them, to find a way to break the alliance between his family and Ivanov, to get my revenge one way or another.

Right now, fucking Dimitri’s son a week before his wedding felt like a damn good start.

“Ignore that. I… I’ll be fine.” He was clearly trying to convince himself.

“I like a man who speaks the truth. It’s so unusual in our world.”

He huffed. “What do you know about my world?”

Fuck. My cock swelled at his show of defiance. Would he fight me if I dragged him away somewhere private? Would he speak the truth then?

He might want to think I didn’t really know who or what he was, but I’d seen the way he looked at me. Anyone could see there was lust mixed with fear in his eyes.

“I know everything. Our families share many of the same characteristics, and I know a lot about you, why you were sent away with your mother, why your father is marrying you off now, and what you really want.”

Niko’s eyes widened. I took a step back, and he took the opportunity to ogle me. His sharp intake of breath told me he could tell I was hard.

He quickly looked away. “I… I should talk to some of the other guests.”

“No. You don’t need to talk to any of these assholes.” I knew there were several men here who would want him as much as I did, men who would never admit their desires but who preferred young men to their wives. They would never have Nikolai. If anyone touched him tonight, it was going to be me.

“My father told me I should mingle.”

“You look pale. You should step outside and get some air.” I might follow him, and I might be good. Either way, he’d escape some of the other predators here.

He chewed his bottom lip, and I wanted my teeth there, tugging on it, biting it, tasting blood, letting him know how dangerous I was.

He nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I am.”

He moved backward, keeping his eyes on me, and then disappeared through the french doors onto the terrace surrounding the pool.

I fought with the voice inside that urged me to follow him, to find a private spot where I could have what I wanted. Dimitri’s gaudy, overly modern house was located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. If we walked toward the lake, no one would notice us in the dark.

I turned away, moving through the small groups of people who’d been oblivious to the tension between me and Niko. I needed another drink and some space.

I stopped at the bar for a bourbon, then stepped into a much smaller room, which seemed to be a library. Surely it was for show only. I struggled to imagine Dimitri picking up a book.

I walked to the window and saw a lone figure walking around the rose garden situated beside the pool.

It was Niko. I hadn’t expected him to stay outside in the heat and humidity.

I’d expected him to come back inside through another door and seclude himself, but there he was, walking toward me.

When he looked up, I waved. He froze, seeming unable to turn away.