61. -60-
Nina
The tension in the car could be cut with a knife. Dorian scowled at the road as if it personally insulted him, squeezing the steering wheel so hard the leather cracked while I wondered how to start a conversation. But every time I opened my mouth, he shut me up with a murderous glare.
“I’m not going to apologize if that’s what you’re expecting,” I said eventually, ignoring another one of his glares. Crossing my arms over my chest in defiance, I watched his perfect profile. “I delivered it, by the way. You’re welcome.”
“Do you want me to applaud?” He stopped the car at the red light and turned to me.
“No,” I snapped. “What I want—”
“Shut up, Nina!” he yelled, my eyes widening in shock.
“Just shut up and use your head to understand how much you risked there!” He pushed the gas pedal down, the wheels wheezing as he sped through the city.
“Are you really unable to comprehend the consequences? Wasn’t it enough of a lecture after you almost killed me? ”
“It’s not the same!” I shouted back, finding my voice because he really surprised me.
“No! It’s worse.” His palm blasted against the steering wheel. “I wasn’t with you at the police station!”
I blinked, my jaw almost hitting the floor.
“So, that’s what this is all about?” I asked in disbelief. “That you couldn’t protect me?” I shook my head angrily. “News flash, baby! I’ve survived worse than a fucking police station!”
“But not when you’re with me!” His blazing eyes pierced mine, but I refused to submit. I wasn’t born that way.
“You can’t tell me what I can or cannot do,” I ground out, fisting my palms. “You can command your team, or your men, but not me.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” He flashed me another glare, incredulity reflecting in his face. “Just holding that fucking file could get you killed!”
“And still, here I am,” I said proudly, lifting my chin. “Arguing with you instead of being praised for taking care of it.”
“You can’t just admit it was the stupidest thing to do, can you?”
“You can’t just admit how good I am, can you?” I mirrored his expression, raising a challenging brow when he glanced at me.
“You mistake me for Carlile, ma vilaine.” He cast me a pointed look. “I don’t have a problem admitting a woman is good. I have a problem with you risking your life and freedom for something that could have been solved differently.”
“So you do think I’m good.” I leaned closer, a smug grin splitting my face.
“Of course.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his angry eyes. “You’re amazing at constantly finding new ways to get yourself killed.”
“Well, that way it seems I’m harder to kill than you give me credit for.”
He exhaled so heavily I thought his soul left his body. His expression was a mixture of exhaustion and frustration, the look of a man slowly realizing he couldn’t change me.
The silence stretched between us. Dorian’s fingers impatiently tapped against the steering wheel while I checked my perfect nails and the city moving outside.
“Are you giving me the silent treatment?” I asked after another maybe five minutes when he continued to ignore me. “You have no reason to act like this.”
“I have a hundred reasons to act like this, Nina,” he snapped, honking at the car in front of us because it didn’t move fast enough.
“Okay, you know what?” I turned to him, feeling annoyed now, too. “If you’re going to act like marrying me was such a fucking mistake, maybe we should just destroy the marriage certificate.”
“What?” he spat, whipping his head toward me, and our gazes clashed.
“You heard me.” I shrugged as if it was no big deal. “You’re certainly acting like you wish it never happened, so—”
He slammed the brakes so hard, the seatbelt dug into my shoulder, and I was violently pushed forward.
“What did you fucking say?” he growled with menace lacing every syllable, forcing all the tiny hairs on my neck to stand on end.
“It’s the easiest—”
He didn’t let me finish. His hand shot up, grasping the back of my head and pulling me to him so our noses almost touched, making me gasp.
“Listen to me very carefully, Mrs. Zhumagulov,” he whispered, his grip and fierce gaze momentarily immobilizing me. “If you ever suggest something like that again, I’ll tattoo my fucking surname between your delicious breasts. Do you understand?”
“That’s actually pretty hot.” My teeth sank into my lower lip as I wiggled my eyebrows playfully.
“Don’t push me, Nina.” He brushed his nose against mine. “Or you’ll find out who the real villain is.”
My grin widened.
“Threatening me with a good time?” I pecked his captivating lips, unable to fight the urge to have him, and he reacted instantly.
Our mouths collided in a heated, passionate kiss. It was rough, possessive, and absolutely perfect. Heat rushed through me so quickly it stole the rest of my anger, and in its place settled a dangerous addiction that always pulled me to him.
“You’re so infuriating,” Dorian muttered against my swollen lips, grazing his thumb gently down my cheek. The cars behind us honked like crazy, but he didn’t care one bit. His entire attention was on me.
“Look at the bright side,” I breathed, leaning into his palm. “You’ll never be bored with me.”
A humorless chuckle escaped him.
“If they trapped you inside,” he said, his expression changing from pleased to severe in a millisecond.
“Would you burn the building down?” I joked, teasing him with another seductive smile.
“Maybe.” His head tilted. “Or I’d start praying for those trapped with you.” He shrugged, a tiny smile lifting a corner of his mouth as the tension slowly evaporated. “You’re competent enough to burn the police station down by yourself.”
“That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
I captured him in another kiss, the loud police sirens that appeared out of nowhere making us both jump.
“What the…” Dorian turned toward the car that had pulled up beside ours. Two officers stared at us, unimpressed. We were blocking the whole lane at a busy intersection.
“Is there a problem, officer?” Dorian asked casually after he rolled the window down.
“You tell me,” the man in the passenger seat replied. “Can you move the vehicle?”
“I can try.” Dorian slowly drove the car to the side of the road, grimacing. “I hope they like cash.”
A laugh spilled out of me as he checked his wallet and impatiently awaited the officer. Three minutes later and two hundred bucks lighter, we were back on the road.
I replayed the conversation with the officers all the way to Greenwich.
One moment Dorian was ready to tattoo his surname onto my skin, and the next, he smiled at two cops as if he were their favorite neighbor.
He apologized without sounding weak, bribed them without making it obvious, and drove away as if nothing happened.
Watching him slip from possessive husband to charming surgeon in a minute should’ve unsettled me.
Instead, it made him even more irresistible.
“Pull over,” I said out of the blue, pointing at a small turnout overlooking the woods.
“Why?” Dorian slowed, frowning.
“Just stop,” I groaned, unfastening my seatbelt.
The car came to a halt, offering a beautiful view of the forest. I smiled at Dorian, who stared at me with curiosity, and hastily climbed over the center console.
“What are you…” He exhaled.
“No talking,” I ordered, kissing him violently.
My chest pressed against his, my pussy hating the fabric of our clothes separating us. His hands settled at my waist, steadying me. Every ounce of frustration, relief, fear, and stubbornness I’d carried since leaving the hospital poured into the kiss.
Dorian answered with equal intensity, his forehead resting against mine when we finally came up for air. His breathing was uneven and warm against my lips, his thumbs tracing slow circles over my sides.
“You’re impossible,” he murmured, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I know.” My arms wrapped around his neck, nails digging into his silky hair.
“You scared the hell out of me today,” he admitted in a hushed voice. The playfulness faded from my face.
“I know that, too,” I admitted, brushing a strand of dark hair from his forehead. “But I’m not trying to make your life harder, Dorian.”
His eyes searched mine.
“Then please, stop making me imagine a world without you.”
My heart clenched. No one had ever looked at me the way Dorian did, with so much devotion and affection that it knocked the air from my lungs.
“I’ll do my best,” I promised, capturing his lips in yet another searing kiss. Dorian pulled me closer, so close it felt as if he wanted me to melt into him. My hands traveled under his T-shirt and moved down to the button of his jeans.
“Someone might see us,” he mumbled between the tiny pecks he smothered all over my neck, but he didn’t look like he intended to stop.
“And?” I beamed, reaching into his boxers. “Don’t you have another few hundred for a fine?”
“Thankfully,” he threw my top and bra at the back seat, “I have enough for bail.”
He attacked my chest with the fervor of a starving man, making me moan out loud. My hips moved on instinct against his hard cock, my pussy eager to accommodate him inside.
“Oh, fuck,” I exhaled, clutching his shoulders when he finally entered me. Stars clouded my vision as I slowly moved up and down. Pleasure crawled through my veins, Dorian’s touches and kisses magnifying it until I almost burst.
“Oh, my…” I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, focusing on the mix of sensations that was bringing me to heaven.
“You feel so good, Nina,” Dorian groaned into my ear, the tip of his tongue grazing my earlobe. “So… fucking… good.”
Every part of me buzzed with delight when he pushed me on his rock-solid cock harder, quickening the rhythm. My satisfied wails filled the space of the car, blending with Dorian’s guttural moans.
The orgasm almost tore me apart. My entire body exploded with euphoria, wiping every coherent thought from my mind and leaving only a satisfying calm—the tension I carried for days dissolved until I felt weightless.
I held on to Dorian, for a moment simply existing in his embrace. He finished a few seconds after me, his breathing uneven and forehead sweaty when he pressed it against mine.
Mindlessly, I brushed my nails through his wet hair as the realization seeped deep into my bones. No matter how impossible we were together, this was exactly where I belonged.