Damn you, Avira. That bastard stole your first kiss and then had the audacity to call it a mistake, without even waiting for the good feelings to settle, without even letting the steam of arousal cool down, without even giving the numbness in your head time to fade. And now you’re worried about him.
“How did this get on your face?”
“It’s Zoan’s blood. Let me check on him.”
I turn toward the bedroom he just disappeared into and knock. The door opens, and I step inside.
“Your palms are bleeding,” I say, taking both of his hands in mine.
My brows knit as I examine them. Four deep crescent marks score his palms—damage done by his own nails. I glance at his fingers, sure enough, there’s dried blood beneath them.
“Why did you do this to yourself?” The ache in my chest for him has always been sharper, deeper than anything I’ve ever felt for myself, or for anyone else.
His voice is raw, low. “Because I couldn’t hurt the man who kissed you.”
“Stop doing this, to yourself and to me, Zoan. Just accept what we are.” My plea comes out a whisper.
He pulls his hand from mine and runs his knuckles over my cheek. “The first thing I did after coming here was deleting the security camera footage of that corridor by hacking into the building’s system. And do you know how much I hated hiding you like some dirty secret? I don’t even know what I’ll do when people find out about us and you have to keep your eyes elsewhere.”
“So what’s your big plan? You tried to kill him the first time we met, you hurt yourself today, and let’s not even talk about that mad kiss. What will you do when you find out he fucked me?”
His tanned face flushes red. Pupils dilate, ice in his eyes overtaken by darkness, and his entire body trembles. That’s all I register before he lifts me and throws me onto the bed, pressing himself over me.
He cups my face, staring deep into my eyes. “I will kill him if he even dares.”
I laugh, throwing my head back. “Zoan, Zoan, Zoan… you are thoroughly fucked.”
He presses his weight onto me, his bulky frame pinning me completely. My laughter dies in my throat when his lips graze along my jaw, pulling my head back into place. His mouth moves to my earlobe, tracing the outline with his tongue. A scorching shiver races down my spine.
“You fucked me thoroughly, Dove.” His words, coupled with the heat of his breath against my neck, make me shudder.
“Kiss me again,” I whisper.
He brings his lips close, but instead of kissing me, he moves them against mine, speaking with the press of his mouth. “I told you it won’t happen again.”
I open my mouth to catch his lips again, but he moves up, away from my body, standing tall on the floor. Even with a noticeable tent in his driving suit, he radiates confidence and authority. I lie on the bed, burning from that very confidence.
“It will happen again. Very soon,” I promise him.
He surveys me head to toe one last time with a smoldering hunger, then turns and steps into the bathroom.
I throw my head back on the pillow. I touch my lips. He is a good kisser. How many women has he kissed to hone that skill? I narrow my eyes. I will kill each one of them. Okay, maybe not me personally, but I’ll hire a serial killer to get the job done.
I get up and walk out of the room. The enemies-to-lovers couple look like they’ve just finished a heated argument of Leo’s choice. He’s in a surprisingly good mood, Lyn looks like she could enjoy killing someone. Her face flushes crimson. I’ve heard it’s a curse for redheads, they blush spectacularly.
“Is he okay?” she asks.
I nod and sit beside her. I’m not in a good mood, at the moment I’d like the entire male population to suffer.
“Daddy said Uncle is finding a suitable guy for your arranged marriage.”
Leo’s face hardens and darkens, making him look even more handsome. I’m not evil, I refuse to admit it.
She nods.
“Do you have any preferences?”
“I don’t have hard preferences, just a loving, kindhearted man. If he’s Russian, even better.”
