Page 490 of Rage

Katherine walked toward the bed, and my heart ached as I looked at her face. Her eyes were puffy and red, her nose was swollen, and her skin was pale, completely drained of color. I wanted to hug her, but I wasn’t sure if that would help her or would make things worse.

She glanced at me as she joined me on the bed. Katya studied me for a few seconds, and the look on her face reminded me of a hurt, scared deer. My heart thumped as she slowly crawled closer.

She hesitated for a moment before dropping herself right next to me. I immediately wrapped my arms around her. She felt so fragile and vulnerable. Something pulsed inside my soul as Katya placed her head on my chest. I snuggled her into me.

“Dimitry,” she whispered, tilting her head and looking at me.

Even her voice sounded broken. It killed me to see her like this.

“Can you help him? Please. I’ll do anything. I’ll give you anything you want.”

A part of me loved that she asked for my help. A part of me wanted to celebrate her surrender. But I couldn’t. I didn’t want her to do it because she felt she had no other choice. I wanted herto need and desire me. To trust me. Not to accept me now just because I was her best bet.

And a part of me was disgusted that she thought I would take her offer. What kind of man did she imagine I was?

“I can. I already promised you that he’ll be fine.”

I kept my voice equal as I explained to her what I’d already done. I saw her face changing with every word I said, and my heart beat faster as I noticed light returning into her eyes.

“Thank you.”

Those two words and the honesty in her voice ruined me. I didn’t remember the last time when someone said those words to me and meant them. And coming for her, they tingled something deep inside me.

She shifted and crawled on top of me, straddling my body. My cock jerked, and goosebumps covered my skin as she moved her palms along my bare chest.

“Katherine, what are you…”

“I’m thanking you.”

A kick in the balls would have hurt less. So that was what she actually thought about me. That I was a monster helping her now only to fuck her. I didn’t give a shit about what my enemies thought about me. I’d built myself that image, the one of a ruthless beast.

But it stung to have her thinking that, too.

She leaned in to kiss me, but I grabbed her neck and stopped her before her lips could touch mine.

“I don’t want you to thank me like a whore would.”

Chapter Nine

Katherine

Ifelt so numb as I stepped out of the bathroom. Not once in my life have I felt so helpless and lonely. It was clear to me that Dimitry was going to keep me here until he solved things with Ivan, and since my husband was a complete moron, that could take a while.

Papa had already offered Dimitry money. Did he still have enough for his treatment? Was he at least focusing on his health? I wished he wouldn’t have known about me being taken by Dimitry. Now I was sure he was worried and scared, and that would only make things worse.

I was used to being alone and taking care of things on my own. But fuck if I couldn’t use a hug and someone telling me everything was going to be alright.

Like Dimitry did.

I was sure he was manipulating me and playing his own game. But it’d felt so good, though. I glanced at him as I approached the bed. He was laying on his back, watching me, and in a strange way, his mere presence there, so calm and so in control, was comforting.

Crawling toward him, I swallowed hard. I shouldn’t do this. Not only that my husband would probably die in shame to knowI was acting like this for another man, but I knew Dimitry was going to use any sign of weakness against me.

But I needed it.

I needed it so much.

I just craved a moment of weakness, in which I didn’t have to fight. Or at least to not fight alone. I was just tired.

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