Page 30 of Diamond Don

“Lucky me?” Nikolai roars, marching over to me until he is so close I feel his warm breath on my face as he leans over to scold me. “My best friend was murdered in cold blood. A diamond worth over a quarter billion dollars with personal value to me was taken by a woman I naively thought was just as attracted to me as I was to her. You should be thanking your lucky stars that I’m showing you mercy. Any other man in my position would’ve made you wish you had never been born. Keep pushing me, and I might change my mind and do just that.”

I stare up at him in awe of his passionate outburst. I’m in awe of my stupidity, too. Because even as he threatens to torture me in ways I can’t even imagine, I can’t stop thinking he is the most magnificent man I’ve ever met.

I suppose it was unavoidable that I would be attracted to him. He is, after all, a ridiculously powerful man, and I revere power above almost all else. I sensed it in him somehow, even when I didn’t know his true identity.

I stretch out my hand to touch his chest over his shirt in an attempt to calm him down as he continues to stare at me angrily,

“If you kill me,” I say in my most soothing tone, “then you’ll have to content yourself with having only the second-best woman for the job helping you.”

He seems shocked at my words for a second. I guess not many people talk back at him when he loses his temper like he just did. After a moment, I see his lips twitch in what I hope is amusement.

He straightens himself, running a hand through his luscious, dark hair. I’m pretty sure I see him shake his head, but the movement is so tiny I’m not confident I didn’t just imagine it.

“Does that mean you will agree to my terms?”

“Well, I have one last question.”

“You said that already, and then you asked me five more questions.”

“Well, I mean it this time. I need to know one more thing. From what I gathered from the very little you told me, the man we are going after is very dangerous.”

“Correct,” Nikolai says, his gaze sharp and focused on me.

“It also sounds like I’ll be risking my neck on the front line. And considering you are who you are, I’m going to take a wild guess and say this guy also has mafia ties. No offense, but my history with mafia men hasn’t been the best, so I have to ask—should I be concerned for myself? Will he be able to hurt me in any way?”

Nikolai freezes for a second before frowning.

“Over my dead body,” he says in a grave tone, sounding insulted I had even asked. “Here’s something you should know about me, Kat. I take very good care of the people who work for me. You may have come to my service through unconventional ways, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take my responsibility towards you very seriously. I’m not in the business of having others—especially women—do my dirty work for me.”

His eyes burn into mine, and I feel shaken to my core. He’s the most delicious man I have ever encountered, but fate has a cruel sense of humor, so I can’t have him.

“Okay,” I say at last, once I realize I’ve been staring at him without uttering a word. “Thanks, I think. I’m glad we got that sorted out. I wouldn’t agree to your terms if it meant I was just jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.”

“Let me make something perfectly clear to you, Kat. That bastard is not taking anyone else from me. As long as you stick to our understanding, you’re under my protection,” Nikolai says almost solemnly.

His intensity and confidence in his ability to keep me safe are like a beacon to me. I know I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and I thoroughly prize my independence. I certainly don’t need Nikolai to look out for me. But there is something positively irresistible about a man fiercely vowing to protect you, especially one who looks as devastating as he does, sounds as sexy as he does, and smells as delicious as he does.

I know this will be a dangerous game. I have to keep my wits about me at all costs, and it is impossible to do so when he stands so close to me. But I’m out of options. First and foremost, I have to look out for myself and seize my best chance of surviving to fight another day.

“Very well, Nikolai. You got yourself a deal. I accept your terms,” I say almost ominously, sealing my fate—for better or worse.

13

NIK

I’m glad I have won our battle of wills, but I know the war between us is far from over.

Kat agreed to my demands, but it was far too easy. If I had to guess, I’d say she probably realized I have defeated her for the moment and decided to save her energy for a later fight—one she can win. I have a feeling we will have many, many more battles in the foreseeable future.

Even though I hold her life in my hands, there’s no doubt in my mind she will challenge me every step of the way. A strange mix of exhaustion and excitement courses through me just thinking about it. I’m both dreading and looking forward to forcing her into submission over and over again.

Kat is a complication—an unavoidable one since I need her help with my plans for Maxim’s murderer. Nonetheless, the woman and the uncontrollable emotional outbursts she provokes in me are an extra problem I must handle.

If only I could ignore the powerful, almost gravitational pull I feel towards her. After all, we are stuck together—for better or for worse.

As far as my plans are concerned, it’s most definitely for the worse. There are important, life-and-death matters that demand my full attention. The future of the bratva is up in the air as long as the threat of war with a rival group looms ahead. I need my usual laser-focused single-mindedness more than ever.

Instead, even now when this need is fresh on my mind, I find myself standing before her, absorbed by senseless, foolish musings about the most meaningless concerns, such as whether she would still welcome my touch. Or if she’s been thinking of me as much as I’ve been thinking of her since the night we first met.

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