Page 46 of Guarded Rebellion

Uncle Oleg nodded. “Yes, the reports were delivered to me earlier this morning.”

“Well,” I said, relieved that he hadn’t heard about the attempted rape, “maybe he targeted me because I’m your niece. As an attack on the family. That’s the only reason anyone could have aimed for me. And I’m not even anyone special. Just your niece.”

“Justmy niece?” he asked, huffing once. “You’re the only Mafia princess in the Baranov Family.”

“Hmm-mmm.” I narrowed my eyes on him. “And if I carry such significance, why did you change your mind about letting me go to college at all?”

He shrugged.

“What’s really going on?” It all had to be related—his sudden change of heart to give me slack in the leash chaining me to him and the expectations I’d never get out of.

“That’s to be determined, Eva,” he replied bluntly. Then he shook his head, rising to his feet. “Come, let’s have breakfast and catch up.”

Lev shot me a dirty look as my uncle turned to exit the room.

I smirked right back at him.

19

LEV

Icouldn’t remember the last time a meal passed by so agonizingly slowly. So awkwardly.

This breakfast with Oleg did the trick.

Instead of leading us to the dining room, he directed us to follow him out to the sunroom. A small table was laden with dishes there. He sat in a plush chair, gesturing plainly for me to be seated with Eva on a loveseat.

She was a slim woman, petite and shorter than me. But next to her on this small piece of furniture that could’ve been more fitting for me alone, as a chair for one, I was super aware of her presence.

Her thigh brushed against mine. Each time she reached for her glass of water, I ironically leaned forward at the same time to fetch something else.

Last night, when she was on my lap, we were coordinated. I couldn’t tell where she ended and I began, we were so tightly united and fitting each other perfectly. Like a dance, we moved as one in unison.

Here, with the Boss eating and sipping his coffee across from us, she was clumsy and unable to hold herself steady.

Every touch of her body against mine jarred her. Each occasion of her glancing my way was a testament to how much she had to be reminiscing about the last time we sat together on a piece of furniture.

And all the little cues she couldn’t hide worked together to convince me of one big fact.

She wanted me again.

She wanted more with me.

It was the very last thing I needed to have on my mind in this tense meal with her uncle. My leader. The Boss.

Ultimately, she gave up in her struggle not to look at me when she knocked over her glass and spilled her water. Without thinking about how it would impact her in other ways, I offered her a napkin to dab at the wetness on her jeans. My fingers hadn’t gone anywhere near her pussy, but she flinched and stammered as she shot to her feet. Any deliberate touch from my part was too much for her to bear.

“I—Just… I’ll… No.” She shook her head as she left the sunroom, and I refused to watch her go.

Oleg didn’t speak up for several minutes. Wiping his mouth and finishing his coffee, he bided his time.

“What’s going on?” he asked calmly, matter-of-fact.

“Hmm?” I glanced up at him, knowing in a heartbeat that he’d noticed her awkwardness while sitting next to me.

“You seem distracted.”

I ducked my head as I raised my brows. “Me?” I pointed at myself unnecessarily.Shewas the distracted one, fumbling about how to act like a normal woman not lusting for me. I hated to admit it was… endearing. Seeing how much of an effect I had on her went straight to my head. The one in my pants, too.

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