Chapter 10 – Nik
Richard Kane was behind the attack on my nightclub two nights ago. The bastard’s been trying to bring me down for a really long time now. Over the past few months, he’d sent dozens of men after me, and after every attack, it’s his men that always end up dead.
I’d been on the defensive for a while, letting him send his best assassins after me, only to kill all but one. I often liked to leave at least one alive so he’d return to his foolish boss and report the mess he witnessed.
But for some reason, Richard Kane just wouldn’t give up. He was trying desperately to prove he could take me down and destroy what I had spent years building. I hadn’t launched a full-scale attack on the son of a bitch.
Not yet, anyway.
Let him enjoy his fun for now—let him keep sending his men to their deaths trying to take down Nikolai Tarasov.
His foolishness caught up with him, and despite all his efforts to get my attention, I wasn’t going to stoop to his level.
Richard Kane was nothing more than a clown to me—an idiot desperate for recognition.
He believed that if he could go after me and succeed, he’d be seen—maybe even feared—by the other criminal groups.
Fool!
The best way to teach him a lesson was to keep sending corpses back to him while still ignoring his loud noises. He wasn’t worth my time—I had more important things to worry about than planning a retaliation against that pig.
If he truly wanted my attention, he’d have to do a lot more than just attack my clubs. But for now, I had bigger fish to fry—like the fact that since the attack, my Dikaya had been avoiding me. I wasn’t sure why; however, my guess was that she saw a side of me she had only read in the papers.
Maybe the monster she saw that night scared her quite a bit. A little fear was a good thing—at least it made her fall in line and show respect when needed. Even though she tried to stay away from me, I still caught her gaze lingering longer than usual whenever she thought I wasn’t looking.
Today, I was in the pool wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, the water cool against my skin. I sliced through the surface, arms pulling with strong, steady strokes. As I glided, swimming from one edge to the other, the sun glinted on the ripples, my breath a low rhythmic hum.
I noticed her watching me from the balcony, but pretended to be unaware of her unwavering gaze. I kept swimming, reveling in the comfort that cool water provided. I swam to the other side of the pool, wiped a palm over my face, and then lifted my head toward her.
She flinched, her body stiffening the second she met my gaze. Her hand flew into her hair, and she lowered her head, her eyes darting across the compound. She was embarrassed that I caught her staring at me. My lips curled into a self-satisfied grin, and I refused to take my eyes off her.
She glanced at me, but when she saw my steady stare, she scratched the back of her head and straightened her posture. Quietly, she went back inside, disappearing from view.
I let out a soft scoff, shook my head, and resumed swimming. My mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of her—the fact that something was beginning to swell within me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t hate or fear; it was darker and lighter at the same time.
Each time I looked into her eyes, there was always this flame flickering in their depths—the kind of fire that hinted at sheer desire. As much as I loved to bask in the lust growing inside her, the same was growing inside me, too. So whatever effect I was having on her, she was having on me, too.
When I finished in the pool, I headed back into the house with a white towel draped over my neck. My skin glistened with droplets under the soft light as I ran my fingers through my hair. I had just rounded a corner when I bumped into her in the hallway.
Her body collided with mine, her soft breasts pressed against my chest. A faint scowl flashed across her face, her fingers rubbing her forehead in a massaging motion. It appeared the impact had hurt that particular spot, hence the frown and the gentle massage.
“Watch where you’re going, will you?” she murmured, defiance flickering in her gaze.
She tried to hide it—but I could see right through her. Her eyes swept over my body in a fleeting moment, drinking in the sight of my chiseled abs and broad torso. Her breath hitched, and her throat wobbled, hinting at the heat spreading through her body.
Her gaze dropped to my groin, where the print of my cock was visible beneath my tight boxers.
A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “Do you like what you see?”
“Huh—what?” Her eyes flicked back to my face, her tone defensive.
I raised my brows, letting a soft mocking laugh. “I know you like the view.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please don’t overestimate yourself.”
“You’re free to touch if you want.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she asked, arms across her chest, her voice laced with sarcasm.
I maintained that smirk on my lips while tugging at both ends of the towel around my neck. “Is that rhetorical?” I teased. “Because I could just as well answer it.” My eyes darted over her body.
She was wearing a pair of ripped jean shorts and a white crop top that exposed her flat belly. Beautiful and sexy. Her soft brown hair was back to the usual—tied into a messy ponytail—and her stormy green-gray eyes sparkled in the light.
She rolled her eyes again, shook her head, and walked past me, her shoulder brushing against mine in the process. She pretended to be unaffected by my words and the fleeting sexual tension that had hovered around us seconds ago.
I turned around with a smirk on my lips as I watched her leave, her hips swaying with each step. I stood there in the silence, savoring the sight of her amazing body and the awareness between us.
Her resistance was fleeting because it was only a matter of time before she’d fall for my subtle seduction. And when she did—nothing would ever be the same again. I’d own and possess every curve, every inch of her body, mind, and soul.
She would, in time, belong to me in every sense of the word.