“What the fuck happened to you?” Bash seethes. “You’re not the brother I once knew!”
I step towards Dominic, needing to check on my husband. Bash hears me and starts to make his way to me. He doesn’t drop his gaze from the furious Dominic though.
“Are you okay, Katerina?” His voice drops and is filled with genuine concern. It fills me with such guilt.
Oh no. We’ve worried sweet Bash to the point of hitting his brother. But I fear telling him the truth will only scar him. I hide the knife behind my back before he can spot it.
“I’m okay, Bash. Thank you for stepping in, but it’s not what it looked like,” I try to assure him, but he doesn’t believe me.
“You don’t have to cover for him.” His concern is endearing but so misplaced. “Why don’t you go finish your dinner. I need to talk to my brother.”
For the first time since meeting him, Bash doesn’t look like a boy, but instead a strong man. I believe behind those glasses lies someone formidable.
I look at Dominic questioningly. I don’t want to abandon him with his brother like this, but I also cannot be here if he tells him the sordid truth. I’ll die from mortification.
Dominic looks me over, his searing gaze setting me on fire from within. When his eyes land on my mine, he nods. I thank Bash and head inside.
At least with my steak knife, I can finish my dinner.
Chapter 35
Dominic
I keep my eyes on my sexy wife until the door shuts behind her then I turn my attention on my baby brother.
“What is wrong with you!” Bash demands incredulously. His eyes widen, then he pulls his glasses off and rubs the bridge of his nose.
“Calm down. It wasn’t what it looked like,” I try to assure him. Despite my instinct of ordering him to back off, I know I need to explain it to him.
“It looked like you were choking your wife while threatening her!” Bash points at me accusingly with his glasses, then sighs and puts them on his face.
“What you didn’t see was her threatening me with a knife to my throat.” It comes out heated. I won’t have anyone thinking my wife is weak or needs someone to defend her. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself.
“No?” He gasps in disbelief.
I pull down my collar and reveal the red markings of the blade.
“Dom, is she a threat to you? To the Syndicate? Do we need to find a way out of this marriage?” Despite it coming from a good place, his insinuation of taking Katerina from me enrages me.
I stalk toward him until I’m towering over him. He’s only a couple inches shorter than me, but he’s leaner and younger. I glare at him.
“No one can take her away from me. I’ll kill anyone that tries,” I promise. He needs to know. She’s mine. No one can change that.
Instead of looking scared, Bash looks confused.
“But… she was trying to kill you? She had a knife against your throat.” He looks so innocent when he says it. I tread lightly, knowing he’s too pure to understand the appeal of her passion.
“She wasn’t trying to kill me. If she was, I’d be dead. She was just putting me in my place. She’s incredibly passionate, and it’s thrilling.” I can’t hide my grin as I say it. She was so fucking sexy, threatening me. My sexy tiger has so much bite behind her bark.
Bash looks between me and the door she just went through and back at me a few times before shaking his head.
“You guys are freaks. I’m glad you found each other.” His nose scrunches, and his lips curl. “Blah! I won’t interfere again. Just don’t do your little freak shit in the hallway. I don’t want to walk in on it again.”
I smirk and nod. “We’ll keep it PG for you.”
He throws his hands in the air then storms down the hallway to the bathroom.
I return to my seat at the table to see my plate has been cleared and a flourless chocolate torte is in its place. I gaze upon my wife as I dig in. The sight of her, the feeling on her nails digging into my thigh, and the taste of chocolate seduce me.
