NINE
D id you really think you could run away from me?
His low voice held a dangerous tone to it and it made me shiver. A bead of sweat ran down my back, and it wasn't caused by the dancing I did a few minutes prior. Nervousness crept into my bloodstream, snaking around my neck. It felt like an invisible force was strangling me.
My heels clicked against the ground, the sound deafening. Blood pounded against my ears and every sense was heightened tenfold. Nicolas' hand was warm and callous as he guided me away from the jam packed space.
"Where are we going?"
"You lost the privilege to ask me questions when you left in the middle of the night." He didn't look back while he spoke, his tall figure created an intimidating aura that surrounded me.
My lips parted slightly and I felt a sharp sting piercing through my heart. His words were icy and cold.
"It wasn't the middle of the night, it was the early hours of the morning," I teased, but there wasn't a laugh or even a reaction for that matter. "Tough crowd."
Liquid courage had me feeling and acting brazen. We reached a secluded area of the club, and when I looked around, there wasn't a soul in sight. If I entered from this side of the vicinity, I'd assume it was an abandoned building.
Perhaps too beautiful to be classified as an abandoned building, but abandoned, nonetheless. How Nicolas knew about this section was beyond me.
"Nico."
"Don't," he warned, continuing to drag me along with him. We ascended a flight of stairs and when I tried to break free of his hold, he only turned to glare at me.
"You can't just expect me to be compliant." I struggled. "At least talk to me." Unfortunately, I was met with more silence.
When we reached the top of the stairs, he released me. His shoulders were taut, the tendrils in his neck protruding. The air between us crackled with sparks of tension.
We were a few feet away from each other, but it felt like he was pressed firmly against me. Crushing me. Suffocating me.
He slid a thumb across his bottom lip, narrowing his eyes at me. "Why?" Why did you leave? was the unsaid question. I parted my lips, wanting to answer, but the words wouldn't come out.
My mouth felt dry, my throat constricted. "Was it not a one night stand?" I regretted the words as soon it left my lips. His eyes darkened and he took a slow step towards me.
"What?" The temperature had risen drastically and I gulped, taking an instinctive step back. "Is that all you wanted from me? A quick fuck? "
I flinched at the harshness of his words. That's not what I wanted at all, but I wasn't one to raise my expectations only to be disappointed in the end. "No, that's not—"
"Not what you meant?" Anger rolled off him in waves. It was too damn hot in here and the cocktail of his intense gaze, deep voice, and roughness in his tone was enough to have my clit throbbing. Which was the wrong reaction to have, given the circumstances.
"If you just give me the opportunity to expl—" His hand enclosed around my throat, squeezing my pulse points. I felt dizzy, my head spinning due to his touch and the copious amount of alcohol I consumed.
"Why should I?" he asked nonchalantly. "You've already decided what happened between us." He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, harshly biting down on my earlobe, causing me to whimper softly. "Make no mistake, though." He turned his head in my direction, breathing softly. "No matter where you go, I'll always find you."
His words should've instilled fear in me, but it didn't. If anything, it just turned me on.
He moved us backward, pushing me against the wall of the dark, isolated stairway—trapping my body with his own. "And if you think I'm ever letting you out of my sight again, you're terribly mistaken."
I gasped when he tightened his fingers around my throat, slightly constricting my airflow. "What you did was impolite, rude, and distasteful," he murmured. "I'll teach you some manners, though."
"Nicolas," I breathed before he used his free hand to cover my mouth. He pressed his palm firmly against my lips, making my eyebrows furrowed as I squirmed against him.
"I didn't say you could talk, did I?" He moved my head from side to side, giving me a menacing look. My eyes fluttered. His body pressed up against mine, his large palm covering my mouth. The look he gave me was enough to send scorching heat to my core.
The redolent scent of his cologne wafted in the air around me. It was a scent I'd never forget. He pressed his body firmly against mine, the heat of burning every single fibre in my being.
He slid his palm downward and gripped my jaw, leaning in. He was so close to me, his lips mere inches away from mine. Tequila and mint hit my nose and I released a soft breath.
"Do you have any idea how I felt when I woke up alone the next morning?" he asked bitterly. My facial features softened.
I shook my head, wracking my brain for a coherent response. "I'm sorry," I said breathlessly. "I assumed it was a one-time thing and I didn't want to have any awkward conversations the day after."
Nicolas scoffed, gripping my jaw harder making me hiss. "Funny thing about assumptions is that ninety-nine percent of the time, they're incorrect."
Despite his calmness, the hidden warning was clear as day. "Then perhaps you should've made your intentions clearer."
"If I remember correctly, that's exactly what I did. You're a smart woman, Gabriella, I know you didn't need me to spell it out for you."
He finally let go of me and stepped away, running a hand over his face. The lack of warmth from his body had me frowning and I exhaled sharply.
"I apologised," I said softly, smoothing my hands down my dress in an attempt to distract myself from the sensations coursing through me. "What else would you like me to do?"
Nicolas snapped his head in my direction. "Do you think a simple apology will suffice?"
"I don't know."
"This is probably what you wanted," he said bitterly .
"What do you mean?"
"You wanted to turn me into a fucking madman," he said calmly, shaking his head. "I knew exactly where to find you. For one whole month, I've been restraining myself. Telling myself that you clearly weren't interested in me beyond sex."
My lips parted, but I pursed them, unable to respond. What did he mean by that? How did he find that information? Had he been watching me?
"Then I see you tonight in that dress." He trailed his eyes over my figure. I could've been standing fully dressed in front of him and I'd still feel naked under his gaze. Vulnerable. Exposed. "That fucking dress."
"What about my dress?"
"It makes me want to rip it off you and bend you over." My breath hitched, it felt like everything around us disappeared. "You have no idea what you've done to me."
I wanted to reach out to him, stroke my fingers through his hair and feel his skin against mine. I wanted to crash my lips onto his, nibble along his sharp jawline, and hear his groans of pleasure.
He didn't know what he'd done to me, either. My dreams consisted of him. One night together and now everything has been turned upside down.
"What have I done?" I needed to know. I was desperate for him to tell me.
"You've festered an obsession, mikrí petaloúda ." Was that Greek? I didn't know what it meant, but I was familiar with the language and he'd used that term during our first…encounter. "You've managed to sink your claws so deep into me and I'm unable to get it out."
With his hands in his pockets, he took a step closer and gazed at me with dark eyes. "Now I plan to do the same to you, and the next time we're entangled, the last thing you'll ever think of is leaving me. I'm obsessed with you and I'll never stop until you're obsessed with me, too."