Page 36 of Dancing With Distraction

I release her bloodied hand and use my thumbs to swipe her tear-stained cheeks. “Because, my krasota, you are an enigma to me. I’ve never met anyone like you, and even when you were a pain in my backside, I was still drawn to you. Do you know what krasota means?” She shakes her head. “Beauty. You’re my beauty, scars and all. I don’t want to remove them because each one of your scars tells a story . . . your story. And one day, maybe you’ll share those stories with me, but until then, you agreed to call me when the urge got too much.” She tries to look away, but I hold her in place. “No more running, Victoria. You have to call me. What triggered this?”

“When I got home, my brother was here.” She pauses, but I don’t interrupt her. I need to know what’s going on in that beautiful mind of hers. She takes a deep breath and continues. “He gets really protective over me. I arrived home in your shirt and let’s just say it didn’t go down very well.”

Her brother clearly causes fear in her, and it pisses me off. “Did he hurt you?” She shakes her head, but her expression tells me he doesn’t need to physically touch her to cause her pain. I need to learn more about this man, and if she isn’t ready to tell me, I’ll get Leo to do some more digging. “Next time he comes by, you’re going to call me right away. I’ll drop everything to make sure you’re safe.”

She offers a sad smile before plucking my blood-stained shirt between her fingers. “I ruined your shirt, and you broke my one boundary.” I let out a laugh and rise to my feet, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her up. “You were supposed to stay away.” I kiss her before she says another word. She parts her lips, allowing me access and kissing me back with the same slow energy. She sighs into me, breaking the kiss and resting her head against my shoulder. “Thank you, Dmitry.”

I put my arms around her and feel a little more ice break away from my cold heart. I’m done for, and I have to find a way to keep her in my life.

I kiss her on the head gently. “Come, let’s get you cleaned up.” She doesn’t protest, placing her hand in mine, and I guide her to the bathroom and lift her onto the sink unit. I spot a cloth hanging on the radiator and grab it, running it under warm water before delicately wiping away the blood from her breast and stomach. She watches as I tentatively clean her wounds, hissing when I go over the lacerations to her breast. “I would rather mark your skin and give you pleasure and pain than you just suffer alone in pain.” She nods in understanding. “Words, Victoria.”

“Yes, I’ll get in touch next time I feel the urge,” she says. “Just don’t let me down, Dmitry,” she adds in a quiet voice.

“So, is the agreement back on?” I ask, hardly containing my grin.

“My terms,” she begins, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Vivian. I know you’ve said it’s complicated, but my heart can’t take the two of you trampling all over it. I don’t want her around my personal life, and I don’t want the two of you pushed in my face because I’m not embarrassed to tell you it makes me jealous. You’re consuming me, Dmitry, and it’s hard to think about you with someone else.” The feeling’s mutual. She doesn’t realise she holds all the cards right now, and I know that somehow I need to find another way to get to Ronnie without Vivian’s help.

“Done.” I tuck her hair behind her ear. “I won’t sleep with her while we explore whatever this is,” I reiterate. “But right now, she’s part of my life and it’s going to be hard to change that. I don’t think you could even begin to understand the complications it will cause if I walk away from her with no warning.”

She puts her hand up to stop me. “That means if I’m at your home, she isn’t there. I’m worth more than this, more than being your bit on the side, but I’m willing to give it a shot if you can promise me those things.”

“You are never my bit on the side,” I say, desperate for her to understand. Right now, Vivian feels more like my side piece. She’s my necessary evil.

Victoria wraps her legs around my waist, tugging me closer and bringing her lips a breath away from mine. “Right now, Dmitry, I fucking need you,” she whispers, “and I hate that.”

I grip her by the thighs and pull her closer still, lifting her from the sink and carrying her into the bedroom, where I lay her on the bed.

I’m going to give her exactly what she needs.

Pouring myself a whiskey, I relax back into my chair and stare out the window of my home office. I’m reeling from the last twenty-four hours. Last night, I spent the night at Victoria’s place. For the first time ever, she admitted she needed me, and I felt an immense sense of responsibility to protect her. Victoria is a strong, stubborn woman, so hearing those words fall from her lips was the biggest turn-on.

Before last night, I’d not had many experiences of sex without the kink side of things. It’s always been about dominating a submissive to give her what she needs, but ultimately, it’s a way to fulfil my most primal needs without forming an attachment or feeling affection for anyone.

I hold people at a distance. My life in the Russian Bratva has taught me not to trust easily, if at all. But with Victoria, my walls are crumbling.

Last night, we shared a bond that I never thought was possible, and what I’d usually refer to as vanilla sex was intense. I’ve never felt a connection like that, and it conjured up a need to hold her through the night.

I drain the whiskey from my glass in one gulp just as there’s a knock at the door. “Come in,” I mutter, and Leo enters.

“You called for me, Boss?”

“Yes. I need you to run some background checks for me.” I slide over the piece of paper with Victoria’s brother’s name on for him to see.

Something doesn’t sit right. Every time his name is mentioned, she gets a lost look on her face. And she was too quick to tell me he hadn’t hurt her yesterday, almost like she’s covering for him, which tells me she’s scared. In my line of work, you are the judge, jury, and executioner, and something is telling me he needs to be taken out.

Being part of the Bratva means any killings need to be run past my father, and for that, I’ll need evidence before he’ll agree. Without his permission, it would be a direct disrespect of his position and bring complete disgrace to our family name.

Leo takes the paper and looks at me with confusion etched on his face. “Marcus Harding?”

“Yes, is that a problem?” I ask, arching a brow. He knows I don’t like to be questioned.

“No, sir, not at all.” He folds the paper and places it in his pocket before leaving my office.

I make my way over to the office bar to refill my glass. It’s only mid-afternoon, but I have a dinner date with Vivian this evening and I need to numb before subjecting myself to her company.

As I spin round to make my way back to my desk, my father enters my office, and I freeze. It’s never a good thing when my father shows up in person and unannounced.

“Father, what a surprise. Can I get you one?” I ask, holding up my whiskey.

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