"WhatIdid?" he shouts, his fists clenched at his side as he takes two quick strides toward me. I stagger backward, my heart racing as my eyes dart back to the knife he's still holding. The calm, friendly guy I was talking to in the car is long gone. Thereis only a dark-eyed, angry man, towering over me with hatred in his gaze. There's no telling what he's capable of.
"I'm not the one who did wrong, Nikita. Your family was in the wrong. Your family fucked up my entire life, and they are going to pay for what they've done to me."
"My family? Are you honestly so despicable that you can't take responsibility for your own actions?" I shout back, my voice rising in pitch.
He slips the knife into his belt and shakes his head.
Who the hell is this guy, thinking he has the right to blamemyfamily? He stuffed up.
"Instead of standing there pointing fingers at everyone else, maybe you should start looking in the mirror!"
Bardil sneers, his top lip lifting in anger.
"You don't even know what you're talking about!" he shouts, his rage spilling in uncontrolled outbursts.
"I know my family," I argue.
Bardil reaches up and cups his hand around my jaw, roughly pulling my face toward his.
"You only think you know your family, little rabbit. But you know nothing," he says, his voice a low, dangerous whisper that sends a shiver through me. Goosebumps break over my skin, and I take a shaky breath in.
Not for the first time, his scent washes over me. It soaks into my body and has my insides heating, my heart racing.
"Are you scared, little rabbit?" he growls in a husky voice.
"No," I stammer, trying to look away from his piercing green eyes.
"You should be," he whispers.
I bite down hard on my lip, wondering why heat is pooling between my legs.
Why the fuck am I thinking about how sexy he is instead of the bad situation I'm in?
Bardil seems frozen with his eyes locked onto my lips.
When he eventually drags them off my face, he looks annoyed with himself. He drops his hand and turns his back on me.
What the hell just happened?
I clear my throat nervously and brush my clammy hands over the front of my dress.
"Your family is a bunch of evil monsters who brainwashed my family," he huffs after a moment of silence.
"Rubbish! My family isgoodpeople. And Marlen and Simon and your sister… They are good people too. It's just you who's too stupid to see that. You're a despicable person, Bardil. You're the evil one. So selfish, you can't see past your own ego. No matter what you say to me, I won't change my mind about that," I snap at him.
He laughs bitterly. His eyes flaring with tension as he flexes and clenches his fists, sending a ripple of muscle moving over his arms beneath his shirt.
I groan inwardly, squeezing my eyes shut against the sight of him. Dammit, Kit, pull yourself together.
I can't believe I'm attracted to this asshole.
"I can't believe I'm stuck here with the world's meanest asshole and his giant ego," I huff.
"Welcome home, little rabbit," he snaps sarcastically, gesturing around the cabin. "You'll find some clothes in your bedroom cupboard, and dinner is at six," he snaps.
"Home," I scoff, shaking my head. "Well, fine, seeing as I'm stuck here… I get first pick of the bedrooms."
"What?" he blurts out in confusion. "I just said that your room is already set up. Your clothes are… "
