I stared at him, my eyes feeling wide open for the first time in a long time. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the side of his handsome face as we moved further out to sea. I wished he would look at me, just turn to me with those intense blue eyes of his that undressed me and made me turn weak under their intensity. But he didn’t, instead his jaw ticked as clenched his back teeth angrily and focused on getting us both as far away from the island, from Viktor and all of our responsibilities, as possible.
And the thing that had been growing between us slowly started to bubble over the edges.
*
“See, isn’t this better than shopping?” Nik sighed.
We were laying on the top deck, the heat of the sun beating down on our half naked bodies. Nikolai had made a jug of cocktails from the complimentary wet bar and I had found the resort monogrammed towels. Thankfully there were always spare swimsuits and such on board too and so we had been able to change, because neither of us had thought to grab anything when we’d left the condo in such a rush. TheOcean Darlingmay as well be Nik’s boat. He favored it during each vacation, and I could only imagine the antics he’d gotten into aboard its sleek deck. Hell, the bikini I wore was probably one of his conquest’s, left behind in the heat of the moment.
No doubt it lookedfarbetter on me.
I felt his gaze on the side of my face as he turned his head to look at me, but I stayed hidden behind my sunglasses, stewing over the trouble I was going to be in when we got back, and equally contemplating the strange feelings that I was having about Nik.
Half a jug of cocktails and being free of my responsibilities had done wonders for my soul and I hoped that he felt it too, but at the back of my mind, my father was there, his stern voice scolding me.
“Are you asleep?” Nik asked with a deep laugh, already knowing I wasn’t. I watched him from behind my sunglasses; his heated gaze straying down my semi-naked body. He swallowed and tore his gaze away from my breasts wrapped tightly beneath the hot pink bikini and back towards my face and I smirked.
“No, I’m awake,” I said, forcing myself to sound perfectly content instead of anxious, “I was actually just thinking how this has been the best day of the holiday so far.”
He winked. “Well, spending the day with me is always a sure thing for fun.”
“Cocky bastard, aren’t you?” I laughed.
“You know me, Katya.” He smiled broadly at me.
I smiled back, noticing that his smile was different. It wasn’t his usual, self-assured smile that he normally gave me. It was something more. Something deeper, and my own smile slipped as I forced myself to sit up and shake off the weird mood.
“I think I need a swim,” Nik said, excusing himself suddenly. He stood up quickly, his heated gaze moving away from me.
“Nik, wait,” I called as he strode to the edge of the boat and prepared to launch off into the water. “Nik, come back here so I can talk to you.”
“I know I said that you were soon to be a Bratva Queen, Katya, but that doesn’t mean you get to order me about just yet.” His tone was on edge like it always used to be, like he was trying to find a way to get under my armor and piss me off or hurt me. Back to the old Nik who always seemed like he hated me because he thought I was some stuck-up little princess.
He turned all the way around to look at me, finding me sitting up on my towel and looking at him. We stared at each other for long silent moments, looking at each other like...like maybe he didn’t hate me at all. Like, maybe he felt some of the confusing things I felt for him too. Despite our mutual hate for one another, despite the fact that he was the annoying best friend of my twin brother and a tease who had, it seemed at times, lived these past 18 years purely to irritate me. I couldn’t help but look at him right now.Like maybe he could be something more.
And then the moment was gone and Nik’s smug face was staring back at me, the sun shining off his muscular back.
He winked. “Don’t burn while I’m gone,” he said and dove into the cool water.
Chapter Nineteen
Nikolai
I swam around the boat, letting my muscles stretch and burn as I powered through the warm water. I needed to clear my head. I needed to get Katya the fuck out of it. But the more I tried to push her away the more I wanted to pull her closer.
I realized with a sigh, that perhaps it was time for me to go home. To put some space between myself and the Vasilievs. I loved this family like my own, but with Alexander getting married and now Katya too, maybe it was time for me to spend more time with my actual family, instead of this adoptive one.
Could I really do that though? Separate myself from them...from Katya...
Fuck she was gorgeous.
How had I never noticed before? Sure, I’d seen her beauty; her curves, her breasts, her pretty face. But those were just features on every beautiful woman. They were just parts of a body, or parts of a face. Katya though, for all her ample curves, was so much more than that. Katya was fucking perfect.
I cleaved through the water, trying not to get too far from the boat, but also wanting to swim until my muscles burned. I wanted to feel fire through my veins, burning the image of Katya out of me. But it seemed that she’d burrowed her way into every inch of my skin, deeper than that actually,far deeper.And no amount of pain could scorch her away.
Every inch of Katya Vasiliev was made for sin and seduction and I felt like a blind man getting his sight back as I realized how much I actually wanted her. How much the thought of her marrying some rich prick was driving me insane. Every tease and torment we’d shared these past couple of years were suddenly brought to the forefront and I felt almost insane with the flooding of memories. Of her touches and taunts. Her teasing gaze and seductive smile. The sounds of her fucking other men. The thought of her dancing with anyone but me.
Jealousy and anger burned through my stomach and my jaw ached as I clamped my teeth together.
