Chapter 18
NIKOLAI
Dead blood is poison in the veins, my father always says. But right now, what was poison in my veins was her.
Nights were too fucking long around here.
Especially since there was nothing to distract me from the intrusive thoughts I’d been trying to ignore.
Now that they had a real soundtrack of Adrianne coming, the moans she tried to trap in her chest, the way her knees bucked to chase that release.
Jesus, my brain was in a fog that wouldn’t lift, and the only thing I could clearly see in that haze was her.
Another long drag of my cigarette lit my lungs on fire, and I gladly poured a mouthful of alcohol over it, hoping it would catch and burn me alive. I needed to pull her from under my skin. This obsession was too crippling to be healthy.
What did I expect? Beauties don’t fall for the beast. That’s bullshit fairytale lies.
The real world wasn’t as glittery. My thorns and sharp edges would break her until there was nothing left of her to return to her family, even if we rule out the fact that I had fucking kidnapped her.
Adrianne was certainly playing me. Trying to soften me up to convince me to set her free. I had to convince myself that she’d be just as cunning as her brothers.
In the darkness of my office, I looked at the security camera screen, all those little rectangles still and peaceful. Why didn’t I think about putting one in the basement? My father had never dared. Too much evidence of how badly he treated his own son.
But when Adrianne was concerned, it was because I’d have a new fucking hobby, and I’d achieve nothing aside from probably getting arthritis from jerking off to the image of her.
As I swerved my eyes back to the desk and picked up my glass, a flicker on one of the monitors caught my eye. It was late, and the patrol cameras were set on a different monitor, so there wasn’t supposed to be any movement whatsoever.
I stood up, making my way to the screen, scanning the images for movement.
There it was.
How the fuck did she get out of her room?
I watched her on the security footage, moving through my house like a ghost, her hand trailing along walls, stopping to look at paintings, at family photographs she shouldn't be seeing. Curiosity and mischief written in every step.
She was headed toward the east wing.
Toward the windows that overlooked the back gardens.
Blyat.
Before I knew it, I was out of my office, propelled by fury, tracking her down but staying in the shadows. I wanted to see what my little prisoner was up to.
Without making a sound, I held my breath as I followed her through the dark hallways. Her hand traced the wall as she tiptoed around, snooping like she had a fucking right to meddle in my business.
Her hair moved like silk, loose and falling down her back, just waiting to be wrapped around a fist and pulled.
Fuck, how did my mind go there?
Because she wore those fucking leggings she had at the cabin that drove me insane, that’s why.
Because I was craving those pieces of memory I was lacking from when I fingered her.
Because I wanted to fucking bend her and spank that ass raw for leaving her room without permission.
Because watching her come in the shower wasn’t enough.
The list of reasons was endless.
She stopped at the large window at the end of the hallway. It overlooked directly out onto the maze entrance.
I saw the moment it caught her attention. The way she leaned forward to see it better in the darkness, her breath fogging the glass, her hand coming up to touch the cold pane.
No. She couldn’t.
I closed the distance in three long strides.
One hand slammed against the window beside her head, the other caging her from the opposite side. She gasped, spinning around to find herself trapped between me and the glass.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Her eyes were wide, startled, but I saw no fear in them once her eyes landed on my face and realized who I was. There was defiance, though, in a hefty enough dose that told me this conversation was gonna be a good one.
“I was just looking.”
“Just looking.” I leaned in closer until I could feel the heat radiating off her body. “Snooping around my house in parts you’re forbidden from entering. Looking at things you have no right to see.”
“The door was open, and I thought…”
“You thought wrong. I don’t care if the door was gift-wrapped with a fucking invitation.” I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. “You’re confined to your room. That means you stay in your room. Those are the rules.”
“I didn’t agree to any rules.”
“That’s cute. Who said anything about agreeing? You obey and don’t question.”
She tried to push against my chest, but I didn’t budge. “Let me go.”
“Not until I make this perfectly clear.” I pressed closer, eliminating any space between us.
“That…” I gestured with my head toward the window, toward the maze tucked in the darkness of this moonless night, “is forbidden. You don’t go there.
You don’t look at it. You don’t so much as think about it. Understood?”
“Or what?” The words were like a fucking melody, and I almost lost my cool at the way she stared at me, eyes locked on mine, shoulders squared, and chest filled with courage. How I would love to break your wings, Babochka.
“You don’t want to know what comes as a consequence for defying my rules, Adrianne.”
“Why?” Her chin lifted in challenge. “What’s out there that you’re so desperate to hide?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
The fire in her eyes made something in my chest ignite, and my cock stir against my better judgment. She should be cowering. She should be afraid.
Instead, she stood there, trapped between me and the window, looking at me like she wanted to either slap me or kiss me.
Fuck, I wanted both.
“What are you doing outside your room?” I demanded, trying to regain control of this situation, of myself.
“Exploring my cage.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Forgive me for wanting to see more than four walls and a bed.”
“You’re not a tourist, Adrianne. You’re a prisoner.”
“Oh, I’m aware. You’ve made that abundantly clear.” She tried to duck under my arm, but I shifted, blocking her. “What are you going to do? Chain me? Put me in solitary?”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Why not? You seem to enjoy playing the cruel captor.” Her eyes flashed. “Or is this just more of what happened at the cabin or last night? Getting all worked up, and then acting like I’m the problem?”
My jaw clenched with a pulse at how easily she saw right through me.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Mention how you practically begged me not to leave you?
How you held onto me like I was the only thing keeping you sane?
How you barged in on an intimate moment, and came all over the damn shower glass?
” She laughed bitterly, and the sound snapped the chord to sanity that was barely holding it together.
“I’m sorry it was me in that cabin and not someone else.
It’s not my fault you were having a sex dream about another woman and decided to act on it.
I was just stupid enough to think that you could actually want me. ”
She tried to push past me again, but I grabbed her wrist, yanking her back, and bringing my face closer to hers. How could she think that after yesterday?
“There was no other woman.” The confession ripped from my throat before I could hold it back. “It was you. In that fucking cabin. In my dreams. Fucking up my plans. It’s always you.”
She froze, her breath catching in her chest.
“Then why did you go from actually being nice to–”
“Nice?” I chuckled, the sound drenched in venom, “I’m not nice.”
“Maybe it was a glitch in your matrix. Because soon enough, you were back to being an asshole with a God complex.”
“That’s because you’re fucking unnerving. Because I’m pissed that I can’t do what I fucking need to do," I growled, pulling her closer.
“And what is that? Kill me and bury me in the snow?”
“No.” I gripped her hair, tilting her head back. “Stuffing your mouth so full of my cock that you’ll be tasting me for days.”
The way her eyes widened and her mouth fell open told me she wasn’t expecting that fucking left turn. But if it was honesty she wanted, she was about to regret her damn wish.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Her eyes steadily focused on mine, while my heart beat my rib cage from within so hard that it would leave bruises, if that were a thing.
Then she smiled. Small. Defiant. Full of fucking mischief.
“Too bad you’re a coward.”
There’s the slap I had wished for.
My hand tightened in her hair, the other coming up to grip her jaw. “Say that again.”
“You’re. A. Coward.”
She had no fucking clue what that damn word did to me.
Before I could scatter the darkness, I crushed my lips to hers with bruising force, kissing her until her mouth opened and I could dominate her tongue with mine.
Then, I pulled back and assessed the damage, deciding that kissing her just wasn’t enough.
“On second thought, you’re right. Plus, it’s only fair that you earn your fucking keep. On your knees.” My voice was rough, commanding, masking my intentions with that cruelty.
“What?”
“You heard me. You wanna play? We’re playing, Baby.” I fisted her hair tighter. “On. Your. Knees.”
For a moment, I thought she’d refuse. Thought she’d call me a monster and run.
Instead, she slowly sank down, her eyes never leaving mine.
When her knees finally hit the floor, her gaze left mine to set on the bulge in my pants. I was so fucking hard that the zipper was bothering me. When she looked back up at me, all I saw on her face was hunger and a hint of nervousness.
Fuck.
The sight of her kneeling before me, defiant, even in submission, nearly undid me.
I worked my belt with one hand, never releasing her hair. “You want to know what I wanted to do in that cabin? I’m going to fucking show you.”
I freed my cock, already hard and aching, and gripped it at the base. “Open.”