Chapter 25 #2
I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t bear to see whatever was in his eyes—triumph or pity or satisfaction.
“Everything is so loud all the time,” I whispered, “Carter’s threats. My father’s debt. School, work, trying to keep my scholarship, trying to keep us both alive. It never stops. The noise in my head never fucking stops.”
My hands were fisting in my lap, nails digging into my palms.
“But when I was with you—when you told me what to do, when I didn’t have to think or choose or strategize—it got quiet.” My voice was shaking now. “For just a little while, it got quiet, and I could breathe.”
The confession hung between us, raw and bleeding and far too honest.
I’d given him everything, every weapon he needed to destroy me.
“Look at me, baby girl.”
I shook my head.
“Look. At. Me.”
The command in his voice pulled at something deep in my chest, something that wanted—needed—to obey.
I looked up.
His expression was intense, possessive, dark. “You’re mine, Eva. You were mine the moment you walked into my office. You’ve been mine through every betrayal, every lie, and every moment you’ve spent hating me. Fighting it won't change that.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” He leaned forward, crowding into my space even across the table. “You dressed up for me tonight. You came to me for help. You just told me you need what I give you—the quiet, the peace, and the control.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“It means everything.” His voice dropped low. “So no, baby girl. You don’t get to decide whether you want this or not. You’re already mine. The only question is when you’re going to admit it.”
“Fuck you,” I whispered, but there was no heat in it.
“You will,” he promised, his eyes never leaving mine.
“We’re going to take down Jed Carter together as partners, equals when it comes to strategy and planning.
But make no mistake—” He reached across the table and gripped my chin, forcing me to hold his gaze.
“You belong to me. To us. To Cole and Tristan and me. And I’m going to spend every day proving it to you until you stop fucking fighting it.
” He released my chin and sat back. “Now, eat your dinner before it gets cold.”
My hand picked up my fork before I could stop it.
“Good girl.”
My frustration must have shown in my expression.
He raised an eyebrow, and to my shock, I took a bite, hating how the simple act of being fed and cared for made the constant anxiety in my chest ease.
“Partners in taking down Carter,” I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt. “Equal say in how we do it. You don’t make decisions for me about that, and I don’t go behind your back.”
Alek’s eyes gleamed. “Agreed. When it comes to Carter, we’re equals.”
“And the rest?”
“The rest isn’t up for negotiation, baby girl. You need what I give you.” His voice was implacable. “I’m going to give that to you whether you think you want it or not.”
“That’s not—”
Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the large Russian man who’d greeted us at the door, carrying a large box tied up with a thick satin ribbon.
“Delivery for Alek,” he said.
“For her,” he said, nodding at me.
“You can’t buy my forgiveness,” I reminded him.
“I’m not trying to.” He leaned back in his chair, watching me. “Open the box, Eva.”
I tugged the ribbon loose and lifted the lid. Inside was deep grey wool, thick and soft—a winter coat.
My throat closed. “Alek,” I gasped, astounded.
“Show me,” he growled.
My hands shook as I took the deep grey coat from the box, letting the cardboard tumble to the floor. It was thick, brushed wool that would keep me warm in any weather, with a hood that fell down the back lined with satin so it wouldn’t catch on my hair.
An envelope fluttered to the ground.
“Read it,” Alek said.
E—
Refusal = Punishment
—C
Heat flooded through me—and anger and arousal and relief. Oh, fuck him, fuck them—all three of them—but I didn’t mean it quite as much as I wanted to.
I should be furious. Why wasn’t I?
“What does it say?” Alek asked.
I handed him the card without a word.
He read it, his jaw tightening. Then, surprisingly, he smiled. “Cole always did have a way with words.”
“That doesn’t bother you?”
“Should it?” He set the card down. “They’re not my rivals, Eva. They’re—” He paused. “They’re family. And we all want the same thing.”
“Which is?”
“You. Safe. Taken care of.” His eyes met mine. “Ours.”
Not his. Not theirs. Ours.
“I’m not—” I started.
“You are.” He stood, pulling his wallet from his pocket and leaving cash on the table. “Put on the coat, Eva.”
“Accepting the coat doesn’t mean forgiveness,” I said finally, my voice harder than I felt. “And it definitely doesn’t mean I’m interested in letting you control me again.”
“Noted.” He gestured to the coat. “Put it on anyway.”
I stood on shaky legs and slipped my arms into the sleeves. The weight of it settled over my shoulders like an embrace. The lining was silk, soft against my skin, and the hood fell perfectly to frame my face.
It fit like it had been made for me.
Alek stepped closer, his hand coming up to adjust the collar, his fingers sending electricity sparking through me when he touched my neck. “Perfect.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, giving in and accepting the gift.
He waited, his eyes dark and patient.
My throat was tight. My chest ached. Everything in me rebelled against what I knew he was waiting for.
And yet.
“Thank you, Sir.”
The words came out barely above a whisper, but from the way his entire body tensed, I knew he’d heard them.
The silence stretched out between us, heavy with everything unsaid.
He cupped my face, thumb stroking across my cheekbone. “Come on. I’m taking you home.”