Page 33 of Hateful Vows
The shock on my step-sister features could be comical if I didn’t feel so exposed. She’s never heard me play, because I made sure to uproot anything I care about from within my soul years ago. I would have never allowed my father to use anything against me.
“He is, I suppose,” Irina answers as she regards me with darkened eyes.
“He’s cute. I see why you and Dante would like him.”
I almost choke at Mariella’s comment. The picture she paints is forbidden. Too forbidden. Something I can never entertain. I’ve been very good at crushing my deepest cravings, I’m not about to let that one bloom.
“I’m already married to your son, Mariella. And Aleksei’s my brother.”
“Oh right. You look nothing alike.”
“We don’t share blood.”
“Well, not your brother then,” Mariella says with a mischievous smile. “I’ve heard of worse things than to share a lover.”
Irina’s cheeks tint pink and her jaw pulses.
Desire is the most villainous emotion. It will make you do really stupid things, things that could jeopardise everything I’m building. But seeing the blush on my cold-hearted step-sister expand towards her chest, and the tip of her ears turning red sends a delicious shiver of want inside my body. It’s hard to crush it this time.
“Why don’t I bring you back to your room?” Irina asks but Mariella tells her she will manage on her own. And suddenly, we’re alone in the lavish room.
“What are you doing here?” Irina snaps.
Good. We’re back to familiar territory. One where she hates me though she never leaves me alone.
“I came to talk to Ventura. There’s unrest amongst the men. We need to show a united front.” She closes her arms over her chest, daring me to say more. The liquid brown of her irises swirl with challenge and I almost smirk, rising to the bait. It’s easier to fight with her than to admit the truth. “And I came to check on you since you decided not to answer my summons yesterday.”
She snorts. “Your summons? I’m not your dog. And I was busy. Dante had a lead so we followed it.”
“We?” I chuckle but the sound is ash in my mouth. “You’re already one of them.”
Irina stampedes towards me, a finger to my chest in defiance. “You sold me to him. Did you expect me to barricade myself in my room? When have I ever left you incompetent men to do business on your own? Or did you forget what I can do?”
“Did it satisfy your blood lust,solnychko?”
“Not as much as if I’d shot through your head.”
And that’s when I smell it. I smellhim.
On her.
His cologne is unmistakable, black pepper and cloves over tonka beans?*. It’s nothing like the fresh aromatic scents I favour?*. It’s too strong mixed with her rich Shalimar. It assaults me, and so does the image of her naked body writhing underneath his as he thrusts viciously into her.
“You fucked him,” I growl. “I can smell him on you.”
My pulse is on overdrive and my cock stirs to life, ready to take what should have been mine from the start.
“He’s my husband and I was bored.”
Irina tries to sound detached but I don’t miss the tremble of her lip, and the dip of her eyes to the floor.Vicious little liar. Her tongue darts out to lick her bottom lip and I whirl around, giving her my back. I’m tempted to pace. I breathe hard instead, resisting the urge to curl my fingers into fists. It’s best I don’t see the bastard now.
“What did you expect from this,Lyosha? I’m married and I need Dante to care, otherwise he might stab me in the fucking back for all I know. And you’ll be next. I’m doing this for us,” she yells.
I whirl around. Something on my face makes her eyes widen and she steps back as I advance, until she finds her resolve again and steels herself. My hand finds her throat. The skin is delicateand her pulse is wild against my fingers. My eyes dip to her lips, slightly parted.
“You got fucked by Italian scum to protect me,solnychko?” I taunt. It’s heinous. Something other men have whispered as she walked by.
I don’t even try to avoid her hand as she slaps me. Hard. I deserve it.
