I stand there in only my white bra and underwear, breath shaking, heart hammering.
He circles me once, slow and predatory, his gaze moving over every inch of exposed skin. When he stops in front of me, he gives a single command.
“Take them off.”
My face burns.
“Gustav, I promised myself to only sleep with a man I love.”
Which is true,but damn, his gaze — being so close to him — still makes my body want to betray my principles.
He takes my chin lazily. “Only with a man you love… Do you plan to love another man?”
“No! I just...” My throat tightens.
He strokes my neck with his knuckle slowly, up and down, watching me through his thick black lashes.
“Love is cherished bysinglewomen. Marriage, on the other hand, is as true as your quivering lip.”
He pinches my bottom lip, then tugs till I swipe at his hand, pushing it away.
He laughs, then traces his thumb down the middle of my chest, past my navel, and pauses. “Marriage is as life changing as a blade through a priceless dress. As undeniable as mycockbetween your precious thighs.”
He hovers his hot palm over my panties, causing me to inhale a sharp breath. His fingertips graze the thin cotton covering the sensitive skin, not probing, but teasing, threatening to invade.
He lowers his face to mine, making sure I look into those steely gray eyes. “Marriage starts with our vows and ends with our deaths. That is real. That should be cherished above love. Now the rest. Take it off like a good bride, mishka.”
Chapter 14
Peighton
Itremble, Gustav’s words making me feel small and naïve despite my long held promise. He’s a force of madness, and surprisingly, logic. He’s right. We are married. I’m in freaking Russia. Given away by my own dad. To this mobster. I have no friends here. No family. No escape. Just him, guards, and an endless forest.
My eyes flutter shut and my hands rise. I unhook the bra. It falls. Then the underwear. They slip to the floor. Every inch of me is exposed.
“Knees,” he says.
A picture flashes:his shaft choking me.
That’s too much. Too fast.
Oh God. My pulse rockets and my forehead sweats. I’m still trembling, half from fear, half from anger, when something inside me snaps into clarity.
Fuck this.
I run for the door like I have a plan, powered only by adrenaline.
A large hand grabs my arm and flings me backward. I fall, my ass and palms hitting a rug.
Gustav looms above me, dark and ominous. He cocks his head and glares down like I am his mouse about to be stepped on.
On the floor, the glint of a blade catches in the low light. It’s the knife that sliced through my dress buttons. I snatch it. Swipe at his shin.
He hops back just in time.
He grabs my wrist and twists, bending my elbow in the wrong direction. I open my hand. The knife falls with aclankon stone.
“Tsk, tsk,” he taunts, then repeats firmer. “Knees.”
