Page 74 of Bloody Tainted Lies

“Ty krasivaya.”

I flinch.

“You are beautiful.” He says now.

“I thought?—”

“I couldn’t tell you what it meant,solnyshko.” He smiles against my lips, and I return it. “I wasn’t ready for you to think I had a weakness for you.”

“But now you are?”

“Isn’t it obvious, Camilla?” I look into his eyes, seeing the freckle up close. “I asked you to marry me.”

“For convenience?”

“Foryou.” He kisses me chastely. “Because I want you.”

“You do?”

“Have you ever wanted something so bad that you’d give up everything for it?” My eyes widen when he repeats my question. “You’re what I would give everything up for.”

“Nik—”

“Will you marry me?”

I nod my head, and he smiles. “I—” I breathe in deeply, trying to find the words. “Need some time to think about it.”

“I’m not a patient man.”

I chuckle, “I know.”

“I need an answer soon.”

“Just a few more days, okay?”

He nods this time, and I hold my breath when he takes my lips with his. I love him, and he probably won’t return it. But he wants to marry me. He asked me to. That must count for something, right? It must mean he feels a little like me?

I’m afraid to do it.

Nevertheless, I’m more afraid of never finding out what it’s like to be married to Nikolai Pavlov. Even if it kills me.

Leonardo shoots daggers at me with his eyes when he sees me getting in Nikolai’s black McLaren, his jaw clenching when I barely spare him a glance. He pissed me off, the way he barged into the apartment and manhandled me. I mean, I guess that’s a tad dramatic, but he did cover my mouth at one point, which only served to anger me more.

Nikolai, on the other hand, is acting like nothing ever happened. That’s even more confusing than why Leo is acting like nothing happened. That would be typical behavior for him, though not for Nik. I don’t know what’s happening with my life anymore or why it’s such a shit show, but I want it to stop.

When Nik asked me to marry him, everything changed. His mood, our interactions, even the way he looks at me. I haven’t given him an answer. Which brings us to now, both of us getting in his vehicle for a race against some guy I’ve never met. Leo is here for his own race, just not against Nikolai. But it doesn’t matter, seeing as his honey-brown eyes threaten to burn me alive, and I’m scared shitless right now. I’m afraid I’ll still have to marry him and that he’ll let his whole brotherhood fuck me at this point. He doesn’t care about me enough to lose what he wants.

My door is closed as if it never happened. This might just be the fanciest car I’ve ever had the privilege of being a passenger princess to. Nik gets in the car and drives up to the guy next to us driving a Lamborghini Murcielago, getting in the left lane as we slowly inch up to him.

He glances at the guy in the other car and smirks. I don’t turn my head however, I only have eyes for him. His own eyes smolder with unhidden lust and I feel my thighs clench, my clit pulsing to the beat of my heart as he slowly licks his lips like he wants to use his tongue onmeinstead.

I wouldn’t object.

“Keep looking at me like that, princess,” he says with a pointed stare, his eyes raking down my body. “And I’ll pull over and fuck you right here.”

I raise my eyebrow. “You wouldn’t.”

Nik chuckles. “Wanna bet?” His silver eyes dilate as I smirk. “I’ll show Leonardo over there what he’s going to miss out on for the rest of his life.”