Page 9 of The Den of Sin
But he wasn’t a king. He was the devil disguised in an expensive, black Armani suit. Brutal and ruthless under all that polished exterior. I swallowed hard, my eyes soaking him in. He held a glass of champagne in his hand, but it was untouched. He didn’t drink that shit, he was a more hard core, expensive liquor kind of guy. His strong, inked fingers wrapped about the delicate champagne glass reminded me of what he could do to me. All he had to do was squeeze, and I’d shatter into a million pieces.
And despite it all, my stupid body hummed with electricity and the blood rushed through my veins like liquid lava. My brain couldn’t stand him, warned of his cruelty, but my body refused the message. Instead, my heart raced and the familiar ache spread through my body, reminding me he ripped the heart from my chest.
And I still want him, the piercing thought was not a good revelation. I swallowed hard, hardening myself. I would pretend I didn’t know him.
Too late I realized he was headed this way.No, no, no.I begged silently.Please turn.Anywhere but here.I wasn’t ready to see him nor talk to him. He knew it too; I knew it without a doubt.
He stopped a mere two feet from me, his familiar scent entering my lungs and the entire room was forgotten. I held my breath, my tingles turning into a full-blown blaze. I haven’t seen him in five years. It wasn’t long enough. Five centuries wouldn’t be long enough.
“Hello, Isabella.” His deep, accented voice went through me like electricity, making my insides melt.
I should tear my gaze away from him, walk away, do something. But all I seemed capable of doing was just staring at him, remembering those last words that pierced through me. That broke me!
My grip tightened around my own glass of champagne. This hold Vasili had over me was unhealthy on the most fundamental level; I knew it. And yet, it festered inside me, and at this point, I was sure it would be something that would die only when I took my last breath.
“Hey babe,” Ryan’s voice startled me out of my stupor. He took my mouth into a soft kiss. “You disappeared on me.” I swallowed hard, my whole body stiff, aware of Vasili’s eyes on us. “You made friends?”
His eyes curiously darted to Vasili. Ugh, so much for pretending I didn’t know him.
“No, this isn’t a friend.” It might be a small jab, but it was something nonetheless. “This is Vasili Nikolaev.” His name on my lips felt strange, unusual. I hadn’t spoken it since the night I gave him my virginity. “He’s Tatiana’s oldest brother. Remember her, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Ryan extended his hand, and for a second, I thought Vasili wouldn’t take it. He let it linger in the air a second too long, but then he took it. “Nice to meet you, dude.”
I groaned inwardly. Vasili could be called many things but dude wasn’t one of them. As tense and intimidating as Vasili was, Ryan was the exact opposite. Too laid back and carefree! After my initial experience with the cruel man standing in front of me, it appealed to me more than ever.
Suddenly, I noticed a woman on Vasili’s arm. I had been so captivated by him that I completely missed her by his side, but she was definitely his date. Her hand looped through his arm clearly indicated it so.
“This is Natasha,” Vasili introduced his date. Short and to the point. He never wasted energy on excess words, did he.
“Oh my gosh,” a woman’s squeal startled me. “Ryan Johnson. I am such a fan.” Her voice was high-pitched, and she beamed like a hundred-watt light bulb. She turned her gaze at me, envy in it and a fake smile on her lips. “You are such a lucky lady. To be Ryan Johnson’s girlfriend.”
“Aww, thank you,” Ryan grinned, his hand roaming down my back. Usually it comforted me, but right now it set me on the edge. “This might help in convincing her to move in with me. But truthfully, I am the lucky guy.”
He leaned in again and kissed my neck. It was so wrong to remember how Vasili’s lips felt on my skin while Ryan kissed me, but here I was remembering that fire the ruthless man ignited while my sweet, thoughtful boyfriend worshiped me.
I swallowed hard, a bitter taste on my tongue. I wouldn’t think about Vasili’s lips.
Instead, I focused on the conversation.Ah, yes, moving in with Ryan.He’d been hinting and asking for months now but I kept delaying my decision. Though I knew for sure, this was neither the time nor place for a conversation about us moving together. I smiled tightly, and it probably looked fake as fuck. Unsure how to respond appropriately to either one of their comments, I just decided not to respond.
“I can’t wait to have Bella in my place,” Ryan continued oblivious to my tension. “To see her every morning and every night.”
Vasili’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly, a smirk curving his beautiful lips.
“Ohhhh, you should do it,” Natasha gushed all over herself as she continued. “That would be such a dream.”
The way she spoke, it seemed like it was her dream.
“And you and Vasili,” I snarked softly in my passive aggressive voice, ignoring the comments about me moving in with Ryan. “You found yourself a winner there.”
She turned her eyes to Vasili, and I swore there were stars there. “He’s the best.” My sarcasm was lost on her.
“Yeah, sure,” I muttered. There might have been a tiny bit of bitterness mixed with that sarcasm, but she completely missed it. Good thing Tatiana wasn’t here because she would have picked up my sarcastic tone immediately.
Leaning closer to Ryan, giving him a glimpse of her low-cut dress, Natasha murmured to Ryan. “Would it be pushy to ask for a picture with you?”
Ryan was immediately in idol mode for his fans. “No, not at all. Babe, how about you join in?”
Yeah, that would be a hard pass.
