17. Emily
17
EMILY
Danil climbs into the seat beside me and takes my hand as Alek swerves in and out of the busy Friday night traffic.
I’m too frightened to be mad at Danil right now.
In truth, his big, strong hand enveloping mine feels nice, and I really have missed him a lot. It probably doesn’t help that I had the best part of a bottle of wine, either. But even without the alcohol whenever he gets close to me, all my logic and reason go flying out the window.
Even when he pulls out his phone, he doesn’t let go of my hand as he starts typing out a text, no doubt to his brothers.
I want to know what he’s saying, but I’m worried that the moment I open my mouth, I’m going to burst into tears. So, I keep my lips firmly pressed together and try to focus on Danil’s calloused fingers rubbing against mine.
He’s not saying anything, but the way Alek is driving is putting me on edge.
I keep looking out the window. “Is someone following us? Is that it?”
Danil tenses, which is enough of an answer.
There’s nothing but cabs behind us, but I’m sure Danil has a good enough reason to be concerned.
While that’s not exactly a good thing, I am grateful that Danil and I were interrupted before we shared another kiss. That would have only made things more confusing.
As much as I want to kiss Danil, I don’t want to risk getting hurt. If he sees a relationship between us as nothing more than a game, then I don’t want any part of it.
I want him, but only if what he’s offering me is real.
The moment Alek parks the car in the underground garage of Zara and Dimitri’s building, I pull my hand free of Danil’s grip and climb out of the car. The alcohol in my system, combined with sitting so close to him for the past thirty minutes, has my entire body on fire. It also doesn’t help that the garage is like a sauna; the air thick, and my skin breaks out in a sweat.
“Emily?”
“Danil, please, I…” My hand goes to my throat, and I try to take a breath as he gets out of the car and comes over to me, looking so breathtakingly handsome that my knees almost give out.
I need some air.
Now.
“Let’s get you inside.” He places a hand on the small of my back.
I step away from him, and I don’t miss the hurt that flashes in his dark eyes. “No. I just… I need some space to think.”
And I can’t do that with you touching me.
Surprisingly, Danil lets me walk away, and I take the elevator up to the penthouse, alone.
Thankfully, when the doors slide open, the place seems to be deserted, so I quickly hurry upstairs to my room before Danil has a chance to catch up to me.
I throw myself on the enormous bed and bury my face in the pillows.
Fuck tonight.
In fact, fuck every night since my heart decided it wanted to fall in love with Danil.
Because that’s what’s happening here. I’m falling in love with a man I’m not sure I can trust, and I don’t think I have the strength to fight against it for much longer.
I’m just so sick of putting myself out there and getting hurt. Why can’t things just be easy for once?
A soft knocking sounds at my door, and I let out a groan.
“Go away, Danil!”
Zara opens the door. “It’s me. Is everything okay?”
I lift my head and cringe at the concerned look on my sister's face.
She’s in her pajamas, and her hair is slightly messy, as if she has just woken up.
I sit up. “Shit, did I wake you?”
“No, Sasha did, but Dimitri’s gone to check on her. So, tell me, is everything okay?” Zara comes into the room and closes the door.
“Yes.” I know Zara won’t believe me.
“Emily—”
“Look, I’ve had a really long day. Danil can fill Dimitri in on what happened.”
“So, something happened?”
“I’m not really sure. Like I said, Danil can fill you in. I just want to have a shower and go to bed.”
“Okay, well… I’m here if you want to talk.”
I nod, my throat thickening with tears. I want nothing more than to talk about all of it. The stalker, the kiss, how I feel about Danil...
But just not tonight.
Zara offers me a last smile before closing the door and leaving me alone to my heartache.
The shower does little to help.
By the time I climb into bed, I’m even more awake, and my thoughts are racing.
All I can think about is the way Danil looked at me when he asked if I wanted him to kiss me.
No. He didn’t ask. It was more of a demand.
He wanted me to say yes.
“What do you want, Danil?”
My eyes flutter closed.
Every nerve in my body seems attuned to Danil. The moment he enters my thoughts, my pulse spikes, and a warmth starts to build between my thighs.
I know I shouldn’t be thinking of him like this, but I can’t help it.
We were standing so close, and I could smell his earthy aftershave on his clothes.
Why does he always have to smell so good ?
Even though it’s been over a week since we shared that kiss, I can still taste him on my tongue.
His lips were impossibly soft, which, mixed with the roughness of his stubble, had me coming undone.
Before I can stop myself, my fingers trail over my stomach.
I don’t stop until they’re dipping inside my panties, and I slide two fingers along my already drenched core.
“Danil,” I moan as I brush against my clit.
My body jolts as a surge of pleasure rushes through me as I relive that kiss.
There was nothing soft about the way he claimed my mouth.
He was possessive.
I loved the way he took control. I wanted him so badly, and the way he pulled me into his lap so I could feel how hard he was; made me believe he wanted me just as much.
“Oh god.”
My back arches off the bed.
I’m so sensitive it’s almost painful.
As much as I crave release, I wish Danil was the one giving it to me. Despite everything, I wish he knew how badly I want him.
I slide my fingers along my pussy to wet them before circling my clit once more.
A breathy sigh escapes my lips as I roll my hips slowly against my hand, my mind filling with the filthiest thoughts of Danil.
If Dimitri hadn't been interrupted, would the kiss have led to something more?
Would he have carried me to my room and stripped my clothes off, piece by piece, until I was lying completely bare before him?
I moan at the thought as I slide two fingers inside myself.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so wet, and the thought of Danil climbing on top of me and burying his face between my thighs has me whimpering as my release builds.
“ Danil …” I start to pump my fingers inside myself.
It wouldn’t be enough.
I want him inside me.
I want him to claim me.
I can barely hold back my moans as I imagine what it would be like to have Danil finally bury his cock inside me.
When he pulled me into his lap and I felt how big and hard he was, it was a miracle I didn’t climax right there and then.
I quicken my pace. I’m so close, and the thought of Danil fucking me is making my thighs start to tremble.
I want him to fill me, to make me feel the kind of pleasure that only he can give me.
I want to see the look on his beautiful face as he climaxes inside me. I want to be the one to send him over the edge like he’s doing to me right now.
“Oh, fuck, yes .”
With one last brush of my thumb over my clit, I climax.
My entire body trembles as I bite down on my pillow to muffle my cries of pleasure as I continue to pump my fingers inside myself.
Fuck, how I wish it was Danil who was moving inside me right now. Who was holding me tightly as he climaxed himself…
My phone buzzes on the bedside table, and my eyes fly open.
I’m still panting heavily with the aftermath of my release, and my fingers are still buried deep inside my pussy.
Who the hell is messaging me now?
After I sort myself out and reach for my phone, I almost launch it across the room.
Danil
I know what you’re doing.
“Oh, my god!” I toss my phone on the bed like it’s burning hot coal.
Can he see me?
I reach over to switch on the light and glance around.
Are there cameras in here that I don’t know about?
He did say he would always be watching me, but I didn’t think to take that statement literally .
My phone buzzes again with another message, and I’m almost too scared to read it.
If Danil is watching me even now, I’m not sure I could ever leave this room again.
Danil
You’re giving yourself reasons to push me away because you’re scared.
“Oh, thank god.”
My heart feels like it’s going to explode out of my chest, and my cheeks are burning.
But then I read his message again.
Is that what he thinks? That I’m scared?
Danil
I want you to know that I’ll still be here when you’re ready to talk to me.
I ignore his message and shut my phone off, the post-orgasm high instantly fading.
He might be right, but I’m not ready to admit that to myself yet, let alone to him.
By the time I wake up in the morning, it’s almost ten, and my mouth’s dryer than sandpaper and my head’s pounding.
I thought sleeping in was meant to make you feel more rested. Instead, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.
“Coffee…” I groan as I sit up and stretch my arms over my head.
When I head down the stairs and find who’s waiting for me on the couch, I start to wish I actually had been hit by a truck.
“Oh, my god, Dad. What are you doing here?”
My father looks up from his phone and gets to his feet. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
He has a serious expression on his face, which means he isn’t here for a casual visit.
Something’s wrong.
“Has something happened? Is Mom okay?”
“Your mother is fine.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“You, on the other hand…”
I frown. “Me? Dad, I’m fine.”
I walk down the rest of the stairs and head into the kitchen.
“Are you sure?”
“Why don’t I make us some coffee?” At this point, it might just be easier to inject the caffeine directly into my veins in order to get through my father’s impending interrogation.
“I feel like I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
I search through the cupboards for a fresh coffee filter. “I’ve had exams. Lots of late nights at the library.”
“So, you can’t answer your phone?”
“I haven’t had any messages from you.”
“I tried to call this morning.”
“My phone is on do not disturb, Dad. I was sleeping in.”
“I thought you have exams to study for.”
“My next one is on Wednesday, so I thought I could catch up on some sleep.”
My dad says nothing, and a thin sheen of sweat breaks out on the back of my neck.
Does he know? Did Zara tell him the truth after I specifically told her not to?
At this point, I wouldn’t put it past her. After all, she broke her promise by telling Dimitri and Danil about my situation, so what’s to say she wouldn’t tell Dad?
“I promise you everything is fine, Dad. School has just been crazy.” I set two mugs out on the counter.
“If you’re sure…”
I force myself to turn around and plaster a smile on my face.
“I’m sure.”
My dad scrutinizes me for what feels like an eternity. The crease between his salt and pepper eyebrows deepens, but for whatever reason, he decides to drop the subject.
“Then you can come out for a family dinner with Zara and Dimitri next week.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
“Oh, and Tom will be joining us.”
Who the hell is Tom?
“Uh… I don’t know any Tom.”
“The son of your mother’s tennis instructor. She’s going to try and set you up with him.”
I groan. “You’re joking.”
“I wish I was. But according to your mother, he’s very cute.”
So is Danil.
“Oh, my god, this can’t be happening.” I bury my face in my hands.
As if my life couldn’t get any more pathetic, my mother is setting me up with someone because she thinks I’m incapable of finding a man on my own.
Little does she know it will be a complete waste of time because I’m secretly in love with Danil Koslov.