Page 2 of Bully

I don’t move as she draws closer. I allow her to collide with me, feeling her softness press into me. She lets out a squeak, dropping her book. I grab her shoulders so she doesn’t fall back on her ass. Riley barely comes up to the middle of my chest. She’s a tiny thing but has curves that make my dick ache. Ones that I want to run my hands and mouth over.

“Nikolai.” Riley whispers my name, her head slowly dropping back. Her glasses slide back. They hide her eyes. Eyes that I swear can see to the darkest parts of me. Parts a girl like her should never bear witness to.

“Watch what you’re doing.” My tone comes out gruff, the Russian accent I try to mask slipping out around my words. “I don’t like when you touch me.” I release my hold on her, stepping back.

No, I fucking love it. Too damn much. Softness is not something I have ever had in my life, and I want to bury myself deep inside of hers and never come out. But she deserves more than what I can offer her. She doesn’t need me to taint her.

“Sorry.” She tucks one of her unruly red curls behind her ear. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I live here,” I remind her. She licks her lips, taking another tentative step back. I want to grab her and pull her back but I keep myself in check. For once.

“I know. You’re just not around much.”

I’m not around when she is. If she is, then she is asleep. I've stopped being home for that too. It’s too tempting. She is too vulnerable to me when she sleeps. Too easy to get way too close to.

“I’m taking you to school.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders drop. I don’t miss the disappointment on her face. Her reaction makes me want to pound Sal’s face in even more.

“That a problem?” Cause too fucking bad. I am taking her or she can keep her little ass home. With me. All alone.

That wouldn’t be good for either of us. This is why I can’t be around her. My thoughts are not rational when I am.

“Where’s Sal?” she asks, pissing me off.

He’s going to be six feet under by the end of the day. That’s where he’s going to be.

“Are you ready?” I don’t answer her question. She nods her head. “Did you even eat?”

“It’s fine.”

It’s not.

“Let’s go. I don’t have time for this shit.” I’m exhausted, and my dick is hard as fuck. The dark thoughts that nip at me when I’m near Riley are starting to rise. If she knew the things I thought about doing to her, she’d never step foot near me again.

I need to get her out of here. Get her away from me and my dick, so I can handle it before I make her handle it for me.

2

RILEY

Itry not to steal peeks at Nikolai, but the elevator is two times smaller with him inside of it. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him more than in passing. When he was home, I would enter a room, and he’d exit it. He’s had a problem with me since the first time I met him months ago. Back then, we had no clue who the other was.

My sister and I had snuck into one of Matteo’s many clubs. At the time, we didn’t know it belonged to Matteo Cattaneo. If we had, we never would have gone inside. Everyone knew the Cattaneo name. Growing up, I frequently heard it used in my own home. They were both feared and envied by my family and others. That was only because everyone wanted what the Cattaneo family had. Not only the money but also the power and respect that came with it.

Neither my sister nor I had been to a club before. We were too young to be allowed in the door, but Mona is model beautiful. Her red hair is silky and straight. It catches your eye. Mine is wild and untamed, no matter how hard I try to manage it.

The man at the front door had let us in. It only took Mona giving him a smile for him to open the door for us. The second we entered, we both knew we were in over our heads. We should have known we would be.

By chance, we’d been in the city with our family staying at a hotel. Mona had to find a wedding dress for her upcoming arranged marriage, one that she had been dreading but had no other choice in. We thought it would be a great idea to sneak out. Mona wanted one night before she had to tie herself to a man she would never love.

Back home, sneaking away wasn’t an option. We lived on a giant estate that our father’s men kept under heavy guard. To say we were a bit sheltered is an understatement. It wasn’t often we were allowed to leave. My brother was paranoid and a bit crazy.

The crowd had been thick with people everywhere. I could barely speak over the music. I was mesmerized by my surroundings. It didn’t take long before I lost my sister. I had no idea she’d been found by Matteo that night. Nikolai, on the other hand, found me. I thought he was a bouncer or security guard with the way he’d cornered me in the hallway when I tried to make an escape from the crowd.

He bombarded me with questions, saying I shouldn’t be there. He wanted to know what my name was. At that moment, I panicked, and I might have pulled the fire alarm. I made my escape, and so did my sister in the mad dash of everyone fleeing the club. We both thought we’d never see them again. That’s laughable to think back on now.

Even back then, when I thought I’d made an escape from Nikolai, I hadn’t. He ruled my thoughts. I made up little stories about him in my mind, imagining who he was. If life were different, and I hadn't been born an O'Haire, could I have been with someone like Nikolai?

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