Page 9 of Embracing the Dark Side

A divorce from Katia would cause a battle between their families that could go on for years.

“You can’t,” she heard herself say. Jolie tried to voice her reasoning, but everything sounded self-righteous. He wasn’t doing this for her. He was doing it because he hated Katia. “Aren’t you worried about what it will do? The damage it will cause.”

“I knew this day would come, Jolie. It simply took the right incentive.” Adrik kissed her, drowned in her, wanting nothing more than to rip the towel from her and dive between her legs. But after their lovemakinglast night, she would be too sore to enjoy it. And her enjoyment was something he found himself caring for.

Sex with Jolie was so different after years of being with random women. The emotion involved changed the entire dynamic of the game. He never wanted to go back to the emptiness of one-night stands. Devouring Jolie every night was his future.

Jolie suddenly shoved him back. “My lipstick.” She touched her face as she darted to the mirror. “I hate lipstick, hate it.” She searched for a napkin to fix the smudges.

Adrik touched his lips, moving to the mirror to check his face. “There is lipstick that doesn’t smear.”

She handed him a napkin. “Yeah, and it costs, like, twenty dollars.”

Adrik cleaned his face and continued to watch her. He knew he needed to leave. The party was starting in a few minutes. But for the rest of the night, he’d have to listen to bullshit and fake every laugh. These were the last moments of something real, and he wanted to bask in them. She dodged his gaze, feeling the weight of his stare. Her shyness increased as she tightened the towel around her. Adrik took her fingers into his, raising her knuckles to his lips. “You never have to worry about money again.” He kissed her cheek and parted from her. “Stay by Vargo and bring your phone so I can fuck you from across the room.”

“Adrik!”

He turned to her with his hand on the door.

Jolie stuttered, hesitant, but she forced herself to say it. “I’m not worth any of this. I’m a kindergarten teacher. And I know you don’t like Katia, but she fits next toyou better than I ever could. I’m a—” She looked around, noticing her cats staring at her. “I’m a cat.”

It was the stupidest thing she’d ever said, but it made sense, didn’t it? In the scheme of things, she was a pathetic, tiny little domesticated cat, and he was a powerful wild lion.

Adrik smirked. “Good thing I like pussy.”

He left her, and Jolie stared after him, mouth open, before a strangled laugh escaped her. Did he understand what she was trying to say?

Probably not.

Jolie sank to her knees. She was trying to convince him that she wasn’t meant for him. Girls like her didn’t get men like him; they only wished they did. She wasn’t good enough, like she hadn’t been for Vincent, her ex-boyfriend. He was settling. Adrik could get amazing women who would literally kill for him. And who wouldn’t be betraying him.

That was where most of her insecurities lay.

I have to tell him. Tonight, after his birthday. I can’t let him break up with Katia until he knows what I’ve done.

Chapter five

Limits

Adrik hated parties. Nothing was worse than pretending to be happy when the world around him was blowing up. As Yakov pulled him in for a hug, wishing him the best of days, Adrik imagined what it would feel like to slip a knife into his father’s heart.

For so long, those thoughts drifted in and out of his conscience, and he never said them out loud. He told himself how everyone wanted to kill their parents every now and then, because they were annoying, overbearing know-it-alls, but their love was invaluable. They provided a safe place when the world became treacherous. They offered advice when there were too many paths to choose.

Now, Yakov was a threat. His father knew Adrik had taken an American for a girlfriend. It might not matter, race or ethnicity, for ordinary families, but they were far from normal. Russian blood was superior, and anything else was less than. Yakov would see Jolie as a poison to the bloodline. He’d become desperate to cure Adrik of her deadly touch.

To protect her, Adrik knew he’d have to do something drastic. But how? How could he go about killing his own father? It brought acid to his stomach to think about it.If he could take Alexei’s offer and give someone else the responsibility, he wouldn’t have to feel anything other than relief. But he couldn’t ask something that big of his brother. It would hurt Alexei, even if he claimed it wouldn’t.

As heir to the family, Adrik was also responsible to everyone connected to their organization. Even dating an American would cause him to lose allies. If he killed his father, they would implode. Sons weren’t allowed to kill fathers. It was a rule decided two hundred years ago when his great-great-grandfather killed his own father.

“Adrik.” Gil’s voice annoyed him.

Adrik caught sight of his mother’s brilliant smile—her ‘present,’ he presumed. Tatianna wrapped an arm around him, forcing Adrik to face Gil. He stood in a black suit, leaning slightly to the left. His leg was slowly healing from a gunshot wound.“Family forgives,”she whispered. "My gift to you. Make up with your brother.”

Though Gil wasn’t blood-related, his mother adopted Gil at four years old and Adrik saw him as family. But that only made Gil’s attempt to screw his wife even more of an insult. Tatianna embraced Gil, whispering soothing words into his ear, and he kissed her cheek.

With a deep breath for bravery, Gil met Adrik’s gaze.“Where’s all the pussy? It’s like a sausage fest in here.”

It was a lame attempt at an apology. But what else could he say?‘Sorry for falling in love with a wife that’s wants to kill you?’

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