14. Irina
Chapter 14
Irina
M y gun was aimed straight ahead, even after the woman had fallen to the floor, bleeding out.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins was erratic and addictive.
I should’ve felt some sort of guilt for what I’d done, but that emotion never came as I stared at Luca, his head tilted in amusement.
“Are you going to shoot me next, Irina?”
“Depends on your answer to my question,” I replied, my fingers circling the trigger. “Who was she?”
Jealousy. A sick and vile feeling I’d never experienced before until now. It slithered its way into my bloodstream, blinding me with rage when I saw her with him. I hated it.
It was irrational when it was plainly obvious women swooned over him constantly. For what reason? I had no idea, but it definitely couldn’t be for his skill in ripping tongues out.
Okay. So maybe it was exactly that .
He was a completely different person in the ring. A possessed beast with one purpose: to kill.
“It hardly matters anymore when she’s dead.” With lazy strides, he closed the space between us. “Don’t you think?”
I stared him down, his piercing whiskey eyes full of mischief, his torso slick with sweat, and thick thighs stretching his shorts.
“ I think .” I pressed the end of the gun to his chest. “You should answer the question.”
The air was heavy, suffocating me with its warmth as the seconds ticked by.
He bit his lip, gazing down at me with heavy lids when he stepped further into me, ignoring the weapon between us. “Are you jealous, piccola ribelle? ”
“Of a dead woman?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Get over yourself.”
He flicked his gaze between the gun and my face before wrapping his hand over mine, forcing it down with a strength no human should possess.
With his other hand, he gripped my throat, his expression lethal as he pushed me against the wall. “Dead because of you . Don’t stand here and lie to my face.”
I lifted my chin in defiance, the pulse in my ears a thunderous rhythm. “Or what?”
The smirk plastered on his face was manic as he leveled his face to mine. “You couldn’t handle it.”
My breathing slowed as the gleam in his caramel eyes darkened to a dangerous shade.
This brute was mental, spearing through my hard exterior and invading my senses with his presence .
“And if it wasn’t already obvious.” The gun fell to the floor as he covered my body with his own. “ You are the source of all my desires.”
The charged air intensified, prickling along my skin.
We were treading on a thin line, stealing moments filled with insufferable tension while others were oblivious.
That knowledge shouldn’t have given me a rush, but it did and I couldn’t help but feed into it.
“Let another woman touch you again. . . ” I swept my tongue across his bottom lip. “And it’ll be your blood on the floor next.”
With a shove against his solid chest, I walked out of the room, the door slamming shut behind me.
I was so far over my head that I allowed myself to be reckless when I’d never acted irrationally before.
That’s what it felt like where Luca was concerned. He made me impulsive and lose control of my senses until all I could focus on was him .
It infuriated me that he affected me at all, let alone invoke any sort of feelings from me.
I paced my room, wishing I could rewind time and not have given into this dangerous game. I was evidently losing and as the days went on, it was harder to end it.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I clicked on my father’s name.
After one long ring, he answered, “ Printsessa .”
“ Papa. ”
“I’ve been waiting for your call.”
My heart thumped against my chest; his tone suggestive but to what? I didn’t know.
“I would’ve called sooner.” I walked to the window and sat down on the bench to peer at the night sky. “But things are different than I expected.”
He cleared his throat. “How so?”
“Nicolai. He’s. . . ” Warmth spread through my chest when I thought of my brother. “He’s so kind and intelligent.”
“And?”
I leaned my head against the glass, the coldness seeping into my skin and calming me. “And he deserves better.”
The line was silent, and I wished I could have had this conversation in person to gauge his reactions.
A part of me wanted to tell him more about his son but a bigger part of me was selfish.
“Tell me you haven’t lost sight of the reason for your visit?” he asked, sounding almost disappointed I would even think otherwise.
“No,” I whispered. “I haven’t.” How could I forget when it loomed over me like a gray cloud?
“There’s nothing I should worry about then, right?”
“Is there something you’d like to say?” I asked, annoyed at his patronizing tone.
“Viktor informed me about your recent meeting.” A nauseating sensation crawled up my spine, my blood running cold. “Said you were wearing Luca Canaveri’s jacket.”
My ears rung as I steadied my breathing. “It didn’t mean anything.” Lie.
“And I believe you, Printsessa. You’d never stoop so low as to get involved with one of them ,” he said confidently, my stomach churning at the surety of his statement.
I was already involved because of Aurora but he already knew that. What he really meant was, I’d never get involved romantically in any way shape or form unless it was to serve his agenda.
“No, Papa .” It sat bitterly on my tongue.
“Remember what I taught you, Irina. Beauty is deceptive and yours can be used as a weapon.”
“What if I didn’t have it?” The words slipped off my tongue faster than I had time to think about it.
I waited tensely for his answer, the clock on the wall ticking away, expanding the silence.
“That would never happen.”
I slumped back, my palms clammy. Not a ‘You’d still be my daughter’ or a ‘You’re more than your appearance’ but a useless reply that didn’t hold any value to it.
My chest ached with the energy it took not to break down.
I loved my father, I did. But he never saw me. Even within those four walls of our family manor, he never saw me—understood me.
“When you complete your mission, you’ll be home in Russia where you belong, and we can be a true family again.” My heart splintered, the pain spreading throughout my body. “Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“Yes,” I breathed when all I felt was the weight of his words curling around my neck in a suffocating grip.