Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Congratulations.” I lifted my now empty glass of champagne.
“Th-thank you.” His chest was rising and falling rapidly; he seemed unable to catch his breath. I wanted to keep moving forward until he was backed against the wall. I wanted to hold him down, taste him, mark his smooth, pale skin, but I found the self-control to remain in front of him, watching his panic.
“Could I get you more champagne?” he asked, his voice shaking,
“No.”
“Um… Something else to drink?”
I didn’t think “your cum” was an acceptable answer, so I shook my head. “Are you excited about your wedding?” Niko looked down and licked his lips. “Or would you rather stay free longer?”
He looked up, frowning. “Free? I’ve never been free.” His eyes widened. He must have realized he shouldn’t have said that, not to an enemy.
But I knew Dimitri had controlled every moment of his life, and once he was married, Alina’s father would control and probably abuse him.
There was no true freedom in families like ours, though I could make him feel free for a fleeting moment if I had him in bed. I’d make him feel like nothing else existed. I’d give him whatever he needed to let go for just a night.
I shook my head as if I could banish those thoughts. I wasn’t here to make Nikolai or anyone else in his family feel good. I was here to punish them, to find a way to break the alliance between his family and Ivanov, to get my revenge one way or another. Right now, fucking Dimitri’s son a week before his wedding felt like a damn good start.
“Ignore that. I… I’ll be fine.” He was clearly trying to convince himself.
“I like a man who speaks the truth. It’s so unusual in our world.”
He huffed. “What do you know about my world?”
Fuck. My cock swelled at his show of defiance. Would he fight me if I dragged him away somewhere private? Would he speak the truth then?
He might want to think I didn’t really know who or what he was, but I’d seen the way he looked at me. Anyone could see there was lust mixed with fear in his eyes.
“I know everything. Our families share many of the same characteristics, and I know a lot about you, why you were sent away with your mother, why your father is marrying you off now, and what you really want.”
Niko’s eyes widened. I took a step back, and he took the opportunity to ogle me. His sharp intake of breath told me he could tell I was hard.
He quickly looked away. “I… I should talk to some of the other guests.”
“No. You don’t need to talk to any of these assholes.” I knew there were several men here who would want him as much as I did, men who would never admit their desires but who preferred young men to their wives. They would never have Nikolai. If anyone touched him tonight, it was going to be me.
“My father told me I should mingle.”
“You look pale. You should step outside and get some air.” I might follow him, and I might be good. Either way, he’d escape some of the other predators here.
He chewed his bottom lip, and I wanted my teeth there, tugging on it, biting it, tasting blood, letting him know how dangerous I was.
He nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I am.”
He moved backward, keeping his eyes on me, and then disappeared through the french doors onto the terrace surrounding the pool.
I fought with the voice inside that urged me to follow him, to find a private spot where I could have what I wanted. Dimitri’s gaudy, overly modern house was located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. If we walked toward the lake, no one would notice us in the dark.
I turned away, moving through the small groups of people who’d been oblivious to the tension between me and Niko. I needed another drink and some space.
I stopped at the bar for a bourbon, then stepped into a much smaller room, which seemed to be a library. Surely it was for show only. I struggled to imagine Dimitri picking up a book.
I walked to the window and saw a lone figure walking around the rose garden situated beside the pool. It was Niko. I hadn’t expected him to stay outside in the heat and humidity. I’d expected him to come back inside through another door and seclude himself, but there he was, walking toward me. When he looked up, I waved. He froze, seeming unable to turn away.
2
LORENZO
“Not enjoying the party?”
My host’s voice startled me. That wasn’t good. Ignoring one’s surroundings could be deadly in my profession. Normally, I wouldn’t have missed the sound of someone approaching, even if they were walking softly on plush carpet like Dimitri. But I’d been indulging myself, watching a young man who was forbidden.