Page 147 of Bound By Revenge

Dmitri.

My spine stiffens, heat creeping up the back of my neck as her words sink in. I can’t help it—I turn, needing to confirm the impossible.

And there he is.

He’s so tall that I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze, and when I do, my breath catches. His pale blue eyes—the same shade as thestronzo’s, I realize with a jolt—are locked on mine.

I don’t need to ask. His face, carved from stone, tells me everything I need to know.

He heard.

Every. Single. Word.

“Dmitri…” A.J.’s voice echoes through the phone, cheerfully repeating his name as she babbles on, oblivious to the storm brewing in front of me.

Every hair on my skin stands up, my body tensing as it instinctively senses the danger. The air between us crackles, charged and ready to snap, as he steps closer, an unfamiliar, cold expression darkening his finely sculpted face. Then, without warning, he grabs me.

Chapter 53

Nik

I made a fatal mistake.

I was wrong.

I wasso fucking wrong.

When Kat left me—not even bothering to glance back at me as she sauntered away, stomping my heart into a billion broken pieces—I was stunned at first. Devastated, even. Then, my devastation gave way to anger. And my anger burned hot, boiling over and scorching everything in its warpath.

For so long, I held back, striving, for some reason, to be better than my baser instincts. I denied myself the simple pleasure of surrendering to what came naturally instead of worrying about pleasing a self-absorbed, untrustworthy creature. So, if Kat wanted to leave, fine. One less problem to deal with.

If she thought she was better than me, that was her mistake. I wasn't about to mope around the place, suffering for a woman who didn’t care about what she was giving up.

Good riddance, I told myself. Her loss, not mine.

But then, night came.

When the sun set and the penthouse quieted, as my house staff wrapped up their shifts and my men departed for theirs,I grew restless. Worse, when the lights dimmed, and the noise faded, I grew lonely. I became painfully aware of everything I was lacking. Of my neediness.

Not just for any company—which could easily be arranged, even of the female kind. No, my need was specific and unmistakable. Unforgettable and irresistible, too. With big, blue eyes and legs that go on for miles.

Big fucking deal, I thought. This wasn’t the first time I’d wanted something I couldn’t have, and it wouldn’t be the last. So I didn’t feel as good as I thought I would after this whole break-up nonsense. Who cares? It didn’t have to mean anything unless I let it.

So I distracted myself. I turned on the news for background noise, then music when the TV annoyed me. I exercised. I worked. I handled it—like I always do.

But then, the night grew late.

And inevitably, I had to try to sleep. And sleep meant facing that bed.Ourbed. The one where I used to watch her sleep every morning until she woke up and gave me that lazy, seductive smile. The bed where we fucked, made love, and, after, held each other, laughing at our inside jokes and sharing never-told- before secrets.

Andthat, as it turned out, was more than I could handle.

Still, I persevered. I had options. Other bedrooms. Hotels. Houses. Other apartments.

But I couldn’t let go. Not once—not even for a second—did I consider simply getting rid of the damn piece of furniture.

Shamefully, I found myself clinging to what little remained of her. I slipped back under the covers she once slept in, inhaling the faint remnants of her scent. I didn’t dare move a thing she left behind—her makeup, her clothes, her toothbrush. God forbid I misplace something, as if she might come back and need it.

It—I—was pathetic. And I knew it.

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