“If you want to play rough, we can play rough, but understand that I won’t just let you play alone,” he growls, his breath hot against my lips.
I take in a sharp breath and try to wiggle free from him, but all I end up doing is rubbing my body against his perfect form.
He pushes his hips forward, and a dangerous smile plays over his lips.
“Keep going, Pixie,” he says, a dare. A challenge.
I freeze, realizing his cock isn’t exactlycalm.
My whole body begins to burn with desire. Heat spills through my legs as I look up at him, wide-eyed and curious. Is he turned on by me, or by the idea of dominating me? Either way, it spikes a fever inside me, and I’m staring at his lips, wondering what they would feel like to kiss. Every ounce of anger shifts and becomes desire.
Suddenly, panic shoots through me.
My brain takes control again, and I realize what I’m doing.
My voice comes out broken and weak when I shout, “Get off me!”
Anton releases my wrists and steps back. It takes a lot of inner strength for me to look into his eyes; afraid he will see how turned on I am.
“You are such an asshole!” I snap.
He shakes his head as his eyes darken.
“You keep telling me that. You keep telling me how much of a monster I am in your eyes and how your brother will come to your rescue. You want to judge me…but guess what, Pixie, your brother is a far worse monster than I am. Do you know the things Josiah and Illyin have done to get what they want? Kidnapping, torture, burning down people’s homes. They have done horrific things that would make your skin crawl if you knew the details. So don’t go pointing fingers at me, darling. There are bigger monsters out there. Monsters with sharper teeth and colder hearts. And your brother is one of them.”
His eyes lock with mine, and my heart is racing. His words cut into me like swords, piercing through my chest. Unconsciously, I reach up and touch my heart, letting my hand hover over it as I try to deny what he’s said. But I can’t.
I know my brother.
I know his true nature.
I love him. I always have, and I always will, but I can’t deny who he is or what he’s done, so yes, Anton’s words are true. I can’t even try to argue with him.
My heart aches as I shake my head, trying to dislodge the images from my mind. Images of things my brother has done. I have never asked and I never wanted to know. And I wish Anton had never told me.
There is nothing more to say.
I turn away from him and walk down the hallway towards the stairs. I need air. I need to go outside and stand in the snow.
I need the bite of cold to help me feel alive and stop my thoughts from spinning out of control.
Chapter 7 - Anton
I watch her as she walks away. It’s as though I’ve doused the fiery spirit inside her with just my words. She’s still trying to hold her head high and keep her expression strong, trying to hide the fact that I’ve hurt her, but I can see through it.
A few days ago, I started researching her brother. Illyin Toloff is a big name in Bratva, but I realized I knew little about him. Not specific things, anyway. I figured I should know my enemy. Know the man who is about to come after me.
So, I had my team start researching everything they could find out about him.
The thing is that I did learn a lot about how dangerous he is. I learned about his methods and his brutality. But we are all dangerous men in the mafia, so this information didn’t particularly intrigue me, as it felt like it was a given.
The things that I learned that captivated me were all the things that involved Izabel.
How her brother practically raised her. How close they are and how deeply they care for each other.
He was a father figure to her, explaining why he is overbearing and protective of her. There is immense love between them. She adores her brother, even though she argues with him constantly over her need for freedom. And he argues with her constantly over taking unnecessary risks and is always asking her to come back to Milwaukee, where he can keep her safe from the world. Yet when she says no, he still funds everything she wants and needs. He has never cut her off as a way of trying to control her, which says a lot about their relationship.
The thing is, Izabel, doesn’t want to be safe. She wants to explore, discover, and see whatever life has to offer her.
