His dark grin makes me shiver. “I can give you excitement. Haven’t I already?”
He’s right. He has. And it makes my feelings for him grow even more.
“You’ll never have a boring life with me,” he continues. “That’s something I can completely promise.”
“I’m holding you to it.”
And from how he smiles, I know he won’t let me down.
CHAPTER14
Viktor
“You’re going to love this,” I tell Gemma, turning my car on.
“This better be an epic date.”
“It will be. I promise.” Once I back out of the driveway and am on the road, I rev the engine. “Let’s see how fast this car can go.” I slam my foot onto the pedal and take off, the tires screeching from the force of it. Gemma lets out a yelp and grabs the door handle.
“You’re going to get us killed!”
I don’t slow down. This road rarely has people driving on it, so it’s the perfect spot to really let go. “That’s what makes it so much fun.” I pick up speed, accelerating to over one hundred.
When Gemma said she wanted more excitement, I knew I had to deliver. So that’s why I’ve planned a great date to give her everything she’s been missing. I’m hoping this will help her feel more at home with me. That’s one thing freaked me out a little—my growing feelings for Gemma. When I came up with my plan to take her, I only considered her as a bargaining chip. Now, I find myself thinking about her constantly, worrying about what she likes and doesn’t like. I never talk about it, but it’s there. I want Gemma to be happy. She’s more than just a means to an end.
She’s my wife.
I married to force Marco and Franco’s hand into working with me. While that hasn’t really worked in my favor, I’m not mad about it because I got something better. Gemma. I’m starting to realize I might not need all the power in the world if I have a woman that I care for.
Possibly even love.
I don’t show it to Gemma. Vulnerability isn’t exactly my strong suit. All I know is that I love having her around, I love our witty back and forth banter, the sex is great, and she just makes me … happy. Happy in a way I’ve never been before.
I had no idea she’d worm her way into my heart, and yet, here she is. And Gemma doesn’t even know it. She never even tried. It just happened.
I throw my head back and laugh like a maniacal villain as I swerve around a corner. “Come on, Gem. Loosen up a little. Have fun. Take in the ride, and don’t worry about us getting hurt. Hell, we’ve survived playing Russian Roulette. We can survive this!”
She sits back in her seat, calming her breath. “I’ll try.”
“I thought this is what you wanted. No rules. Pure rebellion.” The speedometer inches its way up to one hundred and ten. Trees whip by us. The only sound is the rev of the engine.
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve just never been in a car going this fast.”
“There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?”
She flashes me a smile. “True.”
I turn another corner so fast that I almost lose control of the car. Gemma squeaks and presses her feet against the dashboard as if that will somehow protect her. I manage to regain control and straighten the car before I pick up speed again.
A police siren rings out into the air. Looking in my rearview mirror, I see a cop car behind us. “Oops. Looks like we got caught.”
“Are you going to slow down?”
I shoot her a grin. “Does it look like I’m going to slow down?” I gun the engine and go faster. The police car keeps up with me, not slowing down once.
“Stop the vehicle,” a woman’s voice says from a speaker. “Now.”
“Like that’s going to happen.” The speedometer is reaching one hundred and twenty. “Let’s see how long this cop can keep up with us.”