Page 73 of Porcelain Lies

My breath hitches as he picks up one of the toys from the table, his dark eyes never leaving mine.

“It is interesting that you would come here to me… with these.” His expression is inscrutable, but his next words leave my head spinning. “Perhaps we should put Gianni’s gifts to good use,krasivaya.”

Fear and heat war in my belly at his words. Memories of our night together come flooding back with devastating clarity.

“I-I didn’t come here for that,” I manage to say, but my voice trembles.

“No?” He cocks his head. “Your body says otherwise.”

He’s not wrong. Despite my fear, despite knowing exactly who and what he is, my traitorous body responds to his proximity… it did that first night, and it’s doing it again right now. Especially as he moves up to me again.

“This isn’t…” I try to focus as his hand slides to my hip. “My brother…”

“Will live or die based on my decision.” His accent thickens as he leans closer. “Perhaps you should concentrate on convincing me to be… merciful.”

The vibrator in his hand brushes against my thigh, making me gasp. “Please…” I say yet again.

“Please what?” His breath fans across my lips. “Stop? Or continue?”

I should be terrified. In a way, I am. This man holds my brother’s life in his hands. Mine too. But at the same time, all I can think about is how his touch set me on fire that night, how completely I lost myself in him. And it’s happening again.

“I…” My fingers curl against his chest, neither pushing away nor pulling closer.

His eyes darken at my hesitation. “Your body remembers me,kotenok. Just like I remember every inch of you.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Aleksei

The scent of her perfume clouds my judgment as I process the web of connections.

Stella Verona. The woman from the charity event. The one who haunted my thoughts. And now she’s Gianni’s ex, here to save her thieving brother Nico.

Blyad.

My fingers trace the edge of one of the toys Maranzano packed as a message. That Italian peacock thinks he’s clever, trying to humiliate her. But the way her breath catches when I touch the silicone tells a different story.

“So.” I step closer, watching her pupils dilate. “Maranzano was your fiancé.”

She presses herself against the wall but doesn’t look away. There’s steel in her spine despite her fear. “Ex-fiancé.”

The distinction matters more than it should. I remember how she felt under my hands that night at the hotel, how perfectly she responded to my touch. Now she’s here, caught between my body and the wall, bringing me both Nico’s stolen money and these… toys.

Interesting.

My thumb brushes over her bottom lip. “Did he think this would shame you? Make you crawl?”

Her breath hitches, but her green eyes flash defiance. “He thought it would make me look cheap. Desperate.”

“Instead?” I lift the vibrator, watching color flood her cheeks. “You’ve brought me options.”

The temperature in the room shifts as understanding dawns in her eyes. She doesn’t pull away when I lean closer, doesn’t protest when my free hand finds her hip. The possibilities multiply in my mind — punishment for her brother’s theft, revenge against Maranzano, and the chance to possess her again, this time with no pretense of anonymity.

“What’s your answer,krasivaya?” I deliberately brush my lips against her ear. “Should we put Maranzano’s gifts to use?”

Her silence speaks volumes. My fingers tighten on her hip as details click into place. The money. Maranzano. Her agitation when she arrived.

Something gnaws at me.

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