18. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Isabella
F redo’s name flashes on my phone as a call comes through. I hang up immediately. Whatever he has to say is guaranteed to be a message from my father trying to control me, and I’m not about to let them take me back.
IZ: Stop texting me.
Full stop added for effect, of course.
FREDO: blah blah blah
Okay, he didn’t say that verbatim, but I didn’t leave out anything of substance.
I drop my phone onto the bedside table and starfish-jump onto the king-size bed.
“Ahhhh.” Maybe living with the Bratva won't be so bad. A nice king-size bed, an en-suite bathroom, and free range of the gardens. As long as I keep Adrienne on side, life is about to be amazing.
Just as the peace settles in, the door to my room opens with a slam. Nikolai marches in, dripping wet from the rain, a scowl plastered across his face. He sinks into the bed, causing me to capsize like a ship hitting an iceberg.
“What are you doing in my room?” I hiss, shoving him as hard as I can.
Nikolai doesn’t even notice me shoving him, taking off his boots as if he hasn’t heard me either. I narrow my eyes.
You want to be difficult? Fine.
I donkey kick him, and he grunts before snapping over to me.
“Do you always get violent when you don’t get your way, princess?”
“Stop calling me that.”
Rain droplets slide from his dark hair to his cheekbones. His jaw ticks and the look in his deep green eyes makes me take in an involuntary sharp breath. Nikolai isn’t classically handsome, but sometimes he’s striking in a way that makes my body pulse.
“Kick me again and you’ll sleep outside.” He means it, which makes the urge to kick him harder almost irresistible. His eyes leave mine as he pulls off the other boot and places it by the door.
“Are you lost? This is my room.” I say, my voice getting louder. He glances at me, flashing an infuriating smirk as he slips out of his suit jacket. “What’s funny?” I hiss.
He raises an eyebrow. “You are. When you think you’re in charge.”
Who does this guy think he is?
I jump to my feet, pushing my face into his. “I’m always in charge. You just don’t know it yet.”
He takes in a slow breath, letting our faces hover inches from one another. His eyes search mine, a mixture of entertainment and intrigue and something I don’t dare delve deeper into lights up between us.
“Close your eyes.” His gravelly voice breaks the silence and makes me jump.
“What? Why?”
He unbuttons his crisp white shirt, revealing the scars peeking out from his collarbone, and I let out a squeal.
“This isn’t your room! You can’t just walk into a girl’s space and get fucking naked, Nikolai.” I turn around, because the last thing I want is to see him with his shirt off.
“Are your eyes closed?” His voice is calm, assured.
“No!”
“Close them.” It’s an order.
I bite my lip.
“Fine.” I spit out.
I hear his shirt hit the floor.
“Good girl.”
A shiver travels down my spine. “Don’t call me pet names.” I snap.
“When I call you princess, I can hear the anger in your voice.” In the darkness, I hear him move closer, his body taking up all the space behind me. “But when I say good girl,” another shiver, sending every hair on my body on edge, “I don’t hear the same conviction.”
“Well, get your hearing checked.” My voice quivers.
Nikolai moves past me, and despite my brain telling me it’s the worst idea ever, I steal a glance at him. He’s pulling a shirt from a drawer, but that isn’t what grabs my attention. Neither do the thick, rope-like muscles across his back. No, what leashes my attention is the artwork of scars crawling across his back like a mosaic of spider legs.
Who could do that to someone as big as Nikolai?
I shut my eyes again before he turns back around.
Nikolai’s scent hits me like a late high, lulling me into a false sense of security and binding me in place when it’s already too late to get away. My heart flutters and my body pulses. I part my lips to speak, but find nothing to say. His hand reaches my chin and cups it gently.
“Open your eyes, princess.” I want to be angry, but his voice disarms me. I open them to see Nikolai holding me in his palm. He’s wearing a long sleeve shirt, so the scars must go along his arms, too.
I spiral into the reducing chamber of his eyes before spluttering for my words again. “Why are you in my room?”
“Because the mansion houses a small army to protect us. There are many rooms, that doesn’t mean there are many that are free at all times. Whenever I’m needed here, this is my room. So, seeing as I brought you here, Alek demanded I monitor you. After all, if you’re an Italian spy, this all falls on me.”
I shake my head with a disbelieving smile before pulling away from him. “Oh, no. I wasn’t born yesterday. If you think you can get me with this forced proximity bullshit, then you’re wrong.”
“Forced proximity?” He repeats, as if he’s never heard the term.
I point at the bed. “One bed. Not so much space.” I point to the rain picking up outside. “It’s cold. So, you’re gonna offer to ‘keep me warm’ and then, suddenly, hands are in places they shouldn’t be. Well, I’m saying no.”
He says nothing, instead observing me like I’ve just done three rounds of mental gymnastics in front of him. Well, I don’t care if I look crazy. I know my boundaries. I take his silence and use it to pull the duvet onto the floor and chuck a pillow next to it.
“This is the sleeping arrangement.” I turn to him with my hands on my hips and determination in my eyes.
He looks between me and the duvet on the floor. “This is why I call you princess, you know.” Another shudder, as the bass in his voice sends ripples into me.
“And this is how you know I’m always in charge.” I say back, happy I’ve snatched the last word.
Then, Nikolai does the one thing I don’t expect him to do. He shrugs.
“Okay.”
He goes to a drawer and pulls out a spare duvet for me before handing it over.
“This is a trick?” I ask, narrowing my eyes and clutching the duvet tighter in my hands.
Nikolai shakes his head with a grin. “Being in control makes you suspicious. Seems like a lot of stress.”
He has a knack for finding the most annoying thing to say.
“If you’re so unbothered by me, why did you kiss me?” I blurt out.
His dilated eyes snap to mine, sparking a tantalising electricity in the air between us. I clutch the duvet like a shield, protecting me from the waist down. He pushes closer, and I wonder how much closer he might be if I dropped the duvet.
“Because you have soft lips and pretty eyes. Because I thought you needed one last kiss before they married you to that psychopath.”
We lean closer to each other.
“That’s all?” I whisper.
“I had to have you, even if it was just one kiss.” His eyes search mine. “Why did you kiss me back?”
“I didn’t.” I lie, before moving on the conversation so he can’t pin me on it. “They could have killed you. You’d risk that for a kiss?”
“To kiss you.” He drawls.
I take a small step back, narrowing my eyes.
“You think you can just take everything and everyone you want?”
He cocks his head to the side, his dark gaze trained on me.
“I can...” He lets the words sink into the surrounding air. “But that’s not what I want.”
I don’t understand this man.
“What do you want?”
He draws closer and trails his hand across mine, clutching the duvet. All the tension in my fingers melts into the warmth of his touch.
“I want you to let go, princess.”
“Don’t call me-”
His lips lock with mine before I can finish my sentence. The duvet crashes to the floor, and a million thoughts all explode and crash into one another.
“Wait. I’m not ready for… this.” Nikolai’s jaw tenses as he searches my eyes. “We’re not married.” I say, trying to explain, but the words even sound ridiculous to me as they leave my lips.
A disbelieving smile pulls at his lips. “Since when did you care about tradition?” Nikolai stalks forward, the low tone of his voice tying my stomach in knots.
I said it on instinct. In the past, if I’d given a guy any attention without it being pre-approved by my father, that guy might have ended up with a bullet in his head. But, the fear in my trembling hands is more than that.
We’re not married . Ew. Those are my father’s words, not mine. Why am I still acting like I’m wearing a chastity belt? I’m here, alone, with a sexy Russian guy that’s looking at me like he wants to ravish me. I’ve broken every other rule my family set out. Why not this one? The last act of rebellion.
“What is it?” Nikolai takes both my hands in one of his, stilling the absentminded fidgeting I didn’t notice myself doing. He cups my chin in his hand and softly guides my eyes to meet his.
Oh, fuck. I am so not ready. Get that chastity belt and give it back.
“I haven’t done it before.”
“It?” His brows furrow.
“You know, it.”
Kill me . Why do I even care? Why does any of this matter? It’s just a physical act, it’s something people do every single day, all over the world. It’s only politicised so much because of centuries-old nonsense about “purity”. Yet, the tension in my trembling hands isn’t going away. I can’t intellectualise my way out of being scared of an experience everyone puts truck-loads of weight on.
I look up to find the eyes I saw in the flicker of orange light in Anastasia’s room. Nikolai isn’t a man used to the word no. He gets what he wants, and he kills the people who stand in his way. That’s why Fredo was so terrified. That’s why my dad was so furious. I should have run away; taken my chances with Callum O’Shea’s killers.
I pull my hand back slowly, but his grip tightens, locking me in place.
“Please.” I whisper, hating the word as it leaves my mouth.
His eyes trail from my eyes to my hands and back again. Nikolai squeezes my hands in his and drags me into him. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, princess.”
Except call me princess, apparently.
A wave of relief hits me, and I relax a tiny bit.
“But you still need to release all that tension in your shoulders.” I immediately drop my shoulders, which only makes it more obvious there’s tension in my shoulders. Nikolai smirks. What’s going on in his head? “You need to let go, just for a moment.”
The bass in his voice is so convincing.
“Why? Nothing good comes from losing control.”
Nikolai releases my hands from his and I jerk back like an elastic band snapping from too much tension.
“Try it. Just trust me. The moment it’s too much, all you have to do is say.”
It’s times like this where I wish my body would listen to my brain.
“You promise you’ll stop?”
“ Da .”
The darkness in his eyes makes me question if that’s true, but it’s also what makes me want to dance with the devil.
“Okay.”
Nikolai’s body tenses like he’s about to step into a heavyweight boxing match.
I open my mouth, but he presses a finger into my lips before I can make a sound.
“From here on, unless you’re telling me to stop, I want you silent. No matter what I say, you stay silent. Understand?”
Yes hovers behind my lips, but I nod obediently.
“Good girl.”
His voice sends a vibration into my core.
“Close your eyes.”
It’s a command, so I obey. A moment drags out through the unbearable weight of silence, then he approaches. He moves slowly and with purpose.
I catch my breath in my throat and try to breathe slower, but I can’t get it under control.
Nikolai moves behind me. He’s not touching me, but the presence of his body is unrelenting. The warmth of his breath tickles the back of my neck first, followed by the soft touch of his lips.
“You’re going to do as you're told. I want you to follow every order I give you.”
What happens if I disobey?
His mouth trails up my neck, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps. His teeth sink into my ear and I suppress a groan.
“If you disobey, I’ll ruin you.” He answers, as if he can read my thoughts.
I gulp involuntarily as his firm body presses into mine from behind. Nikolai’s hands run down the length of my body with just enough pressure to tease me into a need for more. His hands press into my thighs, teasing the edges of my ass and hips. I try to push back into him, but he holds me still.
“Take your top off. Now.”
I obey, because the power in his voice makes it impossible not to. Nikolai unhooks my bra and slips it from my body as my top hits the floor. My nipples harden as the cold air bites into my skin.
The light brush of his touch caresses up my arms and then onto my torso. He touches everything but my breasts, taking his sweet time to tease me until the ache in my legs is dizzy from its torture. The heat of his body pours into me from behind. Touch them, please .
Nikolai bits my neck before growling, “touch your breasts for me, princess.”
I obey immediately. My hands jump to my breasts and I squeeze them, wishing my hands were his.
“Slower. Don’t be greedy. Be obedient.”
My pussy throbs with frustration as I slow down. I need more now. Nikolai presses into me, and I feel something hard and big and forbidden.
His hands wrap around my waist, snaking their way to my pants. He lowers himself down as he drags my pants from my body, taking my panties with them. Nikolai bites my ass as he passes it, leaving a line of kisses along my leg.
A whimper escapes my lips as he grabs onto my ass and squeezes.
Nikolai shoots to his feet and sends a hard spank to my ass.
“I said be silent.”
The hot sting of pain vibrates through my ass as Nikolai kneads the mark he just left on me.
“Stop. Hands off your breasts. Place your hands on your thighs.”
Despite the frustration, I do as I’m told. I place my hands flat on my thighs and resist the climbing urge to touch myself. The presence of my hands on my thighs makes the unrelenting pulsating of my clit unbearable.
“Keep your hands still.” He murmurs into my neck, sending another shiver down my spine.
I almost gasp when he reaches around my body and pinches my nipples.
“Good girl.”
Moans crowd in my throat as he kneads my breasts with the force I’d been begging for this whole time.
“I know you want to touch your pussy.” He drawls, in total control of me.
I nod, silently, desperately.
He drops one hand to my ass, while the other continues to knead my breasts. His touch is rough and demanding. Then, Nikolai scoops me into his arms and drops me onto the bed. I keep my eyes closed as he climbs on top of me, trying desperately to ignore the thrumming between my legs.
“Touch your clit for me, princess.”
Thank you, Nikolai.
I bite my lip as my fingers find their way to my pulsing, touch starved clit. The first touch is heaven, a tiny release of all the tension.
“Slower.”
No, please.
He starts to pull away, so I obey. I rub small circles of teasing pleasure into my body. I’m ready for more. I need more.
“That must be so frustrating.” The smugness in his voice is one of total power. The bulge pressing into me strains. I get the feeling sadism turns him on.
I want to show him he can’t toy with me, but that threat of ruin lies heavy in my body.
“You wish you were in charge?” Nikolai laughs sadistically, relishing every moment. “You wish you could touch as hard and fast as you want?” I nod, biting hard into my bottom lip. “You wish you could cum when you want?”
I need to cum, but giving into him feels so good.
“Stick out your tongue. I want to see you be my little slut.”
My inhibitions melt away and I stick my tongue out. No other man could ever make me do this. It makes me feel so open, so vulnerable, so out of control.
The seconds drag out. Nikolai kisses my neck as I up the pressure on my clit ever so slightly.
Please.
“Rub it harder. More pressure.” He growls. “Think of all the things you’re desperate for me to do to you.”
Nikolai pushes his thumb into my wide open mouth and squeezes my breasts hard, as he finally gives me the pressure I’ve been begging for. I can feel my orgasm building up, a release prowling into me.
“Do it for me. Let go, princess.”
His words push me over the edge, sending me into a shivering orgasm. I go limp, sinking into the soft sheets of the bed. When I open my eyes, Nikolai isn’t on top of me anymore. I catch a glimpse of him as he silently disappears into the en-suite bathroom.
Nikolai
I turn off my phone with a growl and close the en-suite bathroom door behind me. I'm only in there for a moment, to let myself calm down, but it's long enough for Alek to send me a reminder text about the one thing I don’t want to talk about. I stalk back into the room.
Isabella has slipped into some pyjamas Adrienne gave her and is staring out of the window. Silk pyjamas always look good, but on her it’s like seeing a goddess come to earth. My eyes hover between the bed and the makeshift duvet-bed on the floor next to it. After what we’ve just done, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t sleep together, but I know what I’m about to tell her will change that.
She paints a gorgeous silhouette, with the light rain pattering against the window behind her. She reminds me of a Russian princess.
“Isabella.” She turns to me, and the fantasy spiralling in my mind travelled across Europe to a dark and enticing Italian queen.
Her eyes flicker down to my hips. “Did you… take care of yourself?” A little grin pulls at her full lips.
My eyes stay on hers, and I shake my head. “I’d rather save that.” I don’t explain myself any further, allowing the silence to simmer in the air between us.
“For what?” she asks. Either she’s naturally seductive, or she wants me to stay awake all night.
I sit next to her on the bed. “I enjoy being… pent up. The aggression helps with my lifestyle.”
Isabella shifts closer before trailing her delicate fingers across my thigh. “Well, I like you being pent up, too.”
It takes every ounce of self-control not to crash my lips into hers again, but I know I need to talk to her about Alek’s stipulation.
“What’s wrong?” Her eyes meet mine, and her fingers pull away from my thighs.
“Nothing.” I lie.
“Then what’s with the look in your eyes?”
I glance through the window, at the old willow tree, and then back at her. Her features are soft, but they always leave me breathless.
“There have been some developments.”
Isabella shifts away from me, folding her arms and glaring like a pissed off teacher. “Go on.”
“Adrienne, Viktor, and I bought you some time, but Aleksander is our Pakhan. His word is final.”
“Maybe he shouldn’t be leader.” A fire flickers in Isabella’s dark eyes.
“I could have you killed for saying that.” I whisper.
“You’ve already ended one life for me. I’ll be ready when you try again.”
I chuckle. This girl always has an answer for me. “I will not be killing Alek. He can be difficult, but he’s got our best interests at heart.”
“What does he want?” Asks Isabella. Despite the confidence in her eyes, I notice her begin to fidget. She always tries to hide her nerves, as if revealing her true feelings will only ever going to lead to pain.
“Initially, he wanted you gone, no matter what. Then, we found a compromise.” I pause for half a moment, bracing for the argument I feel coming. “You can stay on one condition. We have to get married.”
Isabella blinks. Then she blinks again. She’s frozen. Stuck to the spot, her eyes glaze over. For a moment I think she might have had a breakdown, then the Isabella I know bursts into the room.
“Are you fucking insane?” She throws a pillow at my head like a javelin. I slip it with ease. “I’m not marrying anyone!” She jumps to her feet, marching towards the door.
I block her path before she can get there, pulling her back into the room with my vice-tight grip.
“Hold on. You need to calm down.”
Isabella thrashes in my arms like a cat about to be de-flead. “I’m not listening to any more lies. You’re like everyone else. You just want to control me!” She wriggles out of my arms, shoving me back a few steps.
“I’m not.” I snap back.
She shakes her head, creating a narrative in her mind. “Did you start what we just did to make me more agreeable? Did you think that was going to make me want to marry you?”
“Don’t fucking say that.” I growl, the beast inside me bearing its teeth.
Before I can continue, she makes a dash for the door to escape.
As she reaches for the door handle, something in me tells me if she leaves this room, she’ll never come back. I slam my hand into the door, knocking it shut before covering it with my huge body.
“Get out of the way.” She shouts.
I don’t budge.
“Move!” she demands, her voice getting more desperate with every passing second.
“Isabella, listen to me-”
“No, Nikolai…” Her voice breaks when she says my name, and my heart shatters with it. She looks around the room, and her eyes settle on the window.
“No.” I say with enough authority to stop her. “Sit down and listen to me.” I bark. She obeys me, her body bristling as if it’s being compelled against her will. “This isn’t as bad as you think.”
I hold back my reaction about the thought of marrying me making her this upset, and control the situation.
“You have one minute.” She says.
“I thought you’d react like this. Which is why I knew I had to find another option.”
She cocks her head to the side, but her expression remains guarded.
“Act like we’re married.”
“Oh, what? Sex and affection without the commitment? You want me to stroke your ego until you get bored with me?”
I shake my head, moving away from the door and taking up the space next to her on the bed. Before she can move away, I take both her hands in mine and softly squeeze.
“You don’t have to like me. You don’t have to fuck me.” Her eyes flicker with emotion, the last hour running through her mind. “You just have to pretend. Just until the situation calms down and we’re safe.”
The storm in her eyes calms, but her body remains like a taut rope.
“What do you get out of it?” She seems to think people only exist to be taken advantage of. It never once crosses her mind that I might want to do it for her.
Fuck it.
“I want one thing in return.”
Her brows furrow again before she rolls her eyes. “Let me guess.”
“It’s not that.” I cut her off before she can say it.
She relaxes, even if she doesn’t want to.
“Nikolai…” her fingers find my thighs again. A softness returns to her eyes that makes my heart thunder in my chest. How can she switch from one extreme to another so quickly? She leans in, letting out a seductive whisper that makes all the rational thoughts in my body shiver away into desire. “If I find out you’re lying to me…”
Her hand brushes my rock hard cock. My eyes snap to hers, our faces close enough to touch.
“… I’ll kill you in your sleep.” She pulls away, the tension returning to her body.
I let out the breath I’ve been holding since her first whisper found my ear.
You’re already killing me.
We look into each other’s eyes, trying to figure out the enigmas that sat in front of us. She shows me thorns and ice but I can see it’s a front to protect herself. Maybe I’m wrong, but, to me, it’s worth the risk.
“Do you want to hear my condition, or should I leave you to figure out how to kill me in my sleep?”
“Can we do both?” She replies sarcastically. I glare at her, and she shrinks back under the weight of my eyes. “Tell me.” She whispers.
“You pretend to be my wife. We sleep in the same room, but separately. We’ll only ever share a bed, and anything more than that, if you want us to. I’ll sort out the paperwork to convince Aleksander. If anyone asks you what’s going on, you ran away with me after what happened at your engagement to Callum O’Shea.”
“Star-crossed lovers.” She laughs nervously.
“Whatever story you like.” I pause, preparing myself to take the plunge. “The lie will allow you to stay here, and it’ll keep you safe from other families. In return, I want one thing…” I look away from her as I spoke. “I want you to sing for me.”
Silence.
The willow sways in the breeze as the rain drizzles to a stop. Stress finds its roots wrapping through my chest.
Why isn’t she answering?
I look back, despite the vulnerability making eye contact feel like sliding across broken glass.
Isabella’s eyes are glassy as they stare at me, trying to figure out what’s in front of her.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.” I confirm.
“What do you want me to sing?” She asks.
“Whatever comes to you.” I say, honestly.
“Why? Don’t fuck with my head, Nikolai.”
“Explanations aren’t part of the deal. We can start from tomorrow, seeing as that’s when our ‘marriage’ begins.”
I hold out my hand, and she takes it cautiously.
“Deal.”
We don’t say another word, instead turning our backs and silently finding sleep. Anton finds his way to our room in the night and curls up next to me on the floor, taking up one of the pillows Isabella threw at me. The old dog always seems to sense when he's needed.