Everyone here was in high spirits but as I moved behind Katya, I shot the guy dancing with her a glare that would make any man piss his pants. He released her and held his hands up, moving away quickly, and I took his place behind her without missing a beat.
My hands snaked around her waist and one of her hands drunkenly reached back to stroke my face.
“You’re a great dancer,” she called back to me, still thinking that I was that other guy, and I smirked.
Her tight little ass ground against me harder as we swayed in time to the music and I wrapped both arms around her, holding her against me, and there was no denying how good she felt.
I’d never really considered Katya as anything except sexy, but maddeningly annoying… so much so that her good looks were worthless. She was always there whenever Alex and I were up to mischief. As kids, she would always get us in trouble, snitching to her mother when we were sneaking out, or trying to tag along. A troublesome third wheel. There are rules for hunting down a conquest and having another woman along while you’re trying to get laid just didn’t work. Alex and I quickly learned to ditch her.
And we never fucking felt bad about it. Her and Alex were brother and sister, mere minutes apart, but it seemed like only Katya got the clingy twin gene.
As we’d grown up, she’d blossomed into herself, into a stunning woman. There was no trying to deny it. But she knew it all too well--knew that she was gorgeous and that men wanted her. It made her insufferable. The Vasiliev bloodline was from good stock, and everyone in that family had the bone structure of Greek Gods and the bodies to match. Maybe if she’d been even a little humble, we could have developed a friendship, instead of becoming bickering enemies.
It was around our late teens that our teasing and tormenting of each other had been taken to another level. She’d learned that the best way to annoy me was to flaunt her body and taunt my dick with what it could never have, and I’d learned the best way to piss her off was to remain immune to her charms.
We both knew we could have anyone we wanted, barring each other.
Not only because of our own ill feelings and history, but because of who we were at our cores. I was her brother’s best friend, and a loyal soldier to her father. And her? She was a damn princess, who needed to marry a fucking de facto prince.
As we danced, Katya still drunkenly oblivious that it was me and not that piece of trash guy from earlier, my smirk fell and I swayed in time with her, getting lost in the movements. I could even pretend that it wasn’t her, that it was just another woman I’d picked up...yet I found I didn’t want to.
Our bodies moving in perfect sync. My hands roved over her flat belly, and we swayed together, the pulsing beat of the bar enchanting me to her charms. I’d somehow remained immune from Katya all these years, but not tonight. Tonight I would happily stay like this until sunrise; our bodies connected, the alcohol burning though our systems, music and sweat playing over our heat-soaked skin.
I should walk away now, I realized, before she noticed that it was actually me she was dancing with and got pissed off.But I didn’t want to.I wondered, briefly, what she would do if, like me, she just let go.Just for tonight.
I shook my head, knowing that was never going to happen.
Katya hated my guts and I hated hers…and yet tonight, I couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else but here, with my arms wrapped around her slender body as we danced. Just an hour ago, I didn’t want to be anywhere near her...
But this wasn’t a taunt. It wasn’t a joke. The feel of her was somehow new and intoxicating.
Something fractured minutely inside of me, just a sliver of something shifting, but I ignored it. Because being charmed by a woman? Wasn’t my goddamn style.
Chapter Six
Katya
The alcohol had gone straight to my head. Or maybe it was the night air, the sun-kissed sand and my own fury that had taken the alcohol to an intense, weightless level that had me swimming inside. Either way, I wasn’t complaining. It felt good to be able to let go. To forget about being married off to the highest bidder. To forget about the rules and expectations of my life. To forget about my father’s comment about being left on the shelf.
I swayed harder, the fire pit dancing in front of me, hypnotizing me. The guy behind me held me tighter and I relaxed into his hold. I could have any man I wanted; it had never been hard for me to find a companion for the night, but to find one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with seemed impossible.
I’d learned everything I knew from watching Alexander and Nikolai. Every night they were out pulling women, getting drunk and having fun, while I was expected to sit at home being the good little girl. Keeping pure and waiting for the day I would be a wife.Fuck that.
I smiled at the memory of how Alex and Nik thought they’d learned to outsmart me and leave me behind when we were young. I took Father’s car once, not even having my proper license, and followed them to a club. I watched them, as I sat in the corner. Studied what they did, how they talked, the confidence with which they carried themselves.
It may have broken my mother’s heart the first time I’d flaunted my conquests in front of her, but I didn’t intend to become a pathetic walk over like most Bratva women. Sure, they all acted so tough, but it was all an act. They still did their husband’s bidding, following blindly.
That was not going to be me.
I had dreams and ideas in my head, and they could keep their family name and all of their money if they thought they could arrange my life or my marriage.
I needed another drink; my dancing had become angrier and I was grinding into the poor sap’s dick behind me like my life depended on it. Not that he was complaining, of course. Why would he? I was every man’s wet dream.
Though the alcohol was fading and my mouth watered for another shot, I was happy here in this stranger’s arms and I found myself hesitant to break the trance between us. Here I could pretend that my life wasn’t going to hell because Alexander had broken our promise… never settle down.
We’d made the stupid pact when we were ten and we’d realized what fate had in store for us, and he’d just broken it by falling in love with Marisha. I liked her, she seemed nice, but I also hated her. Because Alex and Marisha had just sealed my fate. Marriage and babies were in my future if I didn’t do something to stop it.
I let my head fall back against the guy's chest and I reached down to take his hand and bring it up, placing it on one of my firm tits. He obliged, his hand kneading my breast as his mouth slipped to my neck, kissing along the sensitive skin. God, I needed that next drink, to feel it burn down my throat and once again dull my thoughts... or I needed to fuck.
