"Sergei's dead," he agrees. "Which means the alliance is in jeopardy. The other Bratva families are watching, waiting to see what happens next. Some of them see this as an opportunity to move against me while I'm vulnerable. Others are waiting to see if your father was involved in the attack."
I think about my father's tearful performance on the news broadcast. "Was he?"
"I don't know yet." Dimitri's jaw tightens. "But I will find out. And when I do, there will be consequences."
The cold certainty in his voice sends a chill down my spine. This is the man everyone fears, the ruthless Pakhan who destroys his enemies without mercy. But he's also the man who pulled me from a burning church, who mourns his fallen soldiers, who raised his nephew like a son.
"You said I have two choices," I remind him. "Stay here as a prisoner, or marry you."
"Yes."
"What happens if I refuse both? What if I just leave?"
His expression doesn't change, but something flickers in his green eyes. "Then you'll be dead within a week. Maybe less. Your father has already painted you as my victim, which makes you valuable to anyone who wants to move against me. The Kozlov family would love to get their hands on you. So would half a dozen other rivals. They'd use you as leverage, or as bait, or they'd simply kill you to send me a message."
"You're trying to scare me."
"I'm trying to make you understand reality." He moves closer again, and this time, I don't step back. "The world outside these walls is more dangerous than you can imagine right now. As my prisoner, you're protected but powerless. As my wife, you're protected and powerful. You'd have my name, my resources, my reputation. No one would dare touch you."
"Except you."
The corner of his mouth quirks up in something that might be a smile. "Except me."
My heart is racing now, and I'm acutely aware of how close he's standing, how his presence seems to fill the entire room. "And what would you want from me? As your wife?"
"The same thing any husband wants from his wife." His voice drops lower, rougher. "Loyalty. Partnership. Heirs to carry on the family name."
Heat floods through me at the implication. I think about what it would mean to be this man's wife, to share his bed, to bear his children. The thought should terrify me, but instead it sends a strange thrill through my body.
"I need time to think," I manage to say.
"You have until morning." He checks his watch. "That gives you about eight hours to decide your future."
Dimitri moves toward the door again, and this time I don't stop him. But when his hand touches the doorknob, he pauses. Then, to my complete shock, he turns and crosses the room in three long strides.
Before I can react, before I can even breathe, his hands are cupping my face and his mouth is on mine.
The kiss is nothing like I expected. It's not brutal or demanding. Instead, it's devastatingly thorough, his lips moving against mine with a skill that makes my knees weak. His tongue traces the seam of my mouth, and when I gasp in surprise, he deepens the kiss, tasting me, claiming me.
My hands come up to push him away, but instead they fist in his shirt, pulling him closer. Heat explodes through my body, pooling low in my belly. I've been kissed before, but never like this. Never with this intensity, this raw hunger that makes everything else fade away.
His hands slide from my face to my hair, tangling in the red curls. He angles my head, taking the kiss deeper, and I hear myself make a sound that's half moan, half whimper. My body is responding in ways I don't understand, pressing against his, seeking more contact, more heat. More of whatever this is.
When he finally pulls back, I'm breathless and shaking. My lips feel swollen, my body is on fire, and I can't seem to form a coherent thought.
Dimitri's eyes are dark with desire, his breathing as ragged as mine. He runs his thumb across my lower lip, and I shiver.
"That's what you have to look forward to in our marriage, Alina," he says, his voice rough with promise. "Every night. Every morning. Whenever I want you. And believe me, I'll want you often."
Then he releases me and walks out, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
I stand there in the middle of the room, my heart pounding, my body still humming with sensation. I touch my lips, still feeling the ghost of his kiss.
Eight hours to decide my future.
God help me, but I already know what my answer will be.
8
