Page 16 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

I close my eyes and try to empty my mind, but images keep flooding back. Emil in that nightclub, the way he'd played along when I grabbed him and claimed he was my fiancé. The feel of his hand on my lower back, possessive and warm.

There's something about him that draws me in even as I want to run away. Something in the way he looks at me, like I'm a puzzle he's determined to solve. The quiet intensity of his presence, the sense that beneath that calm exterior is something dangerous and powerful and barely controlled. When he'd stood in that parking lot facing down my four brothers, he hadn't flinched. Hadn't backed down. He'd just stood there, all controlled violence and quiet authority, like he could handle anything they threw at him.

I take another sip of wine, letting the alcohol warm my blood.

Jack's question echoes in my mind. "Do you know who he is?"

What did that mean? Emil's rich, obviously. Powerful, clearly. But Jack's tone suggested something more, something darker. Something that made my cop brother's instincts flare with warning.

I don't care. I'm not marrying a stranger for money, no matter who he is or what he offers. I don't care if he's a billionaire or a CEO or whatever Jack thinks he might be.

I won't be bought.

The water is starting to cool when I hear a knock at my front door. I groan out loud. "You have got to be kidding me."

The knocking continues, more insistent.

"Go away!" I yell toward the bathroom door. "I'm not talking to any of you tonight!"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Persistent. That's probably Kevin, ready to lecture me about responsibility and family and making smart choices. He's the oldest of us all and takes his older brother duties a bit too seriously.

The knocking doesn't stop.

"Fine!" I climb out of the tub, water sluicing off my skin. I grab my robe from the hook on the door and wrap it around myself, tying the belt tight. My wet feet leave prints on the hardwood as I stalk toward the front door, dripping and irritated and ready to unleash all my frustration on whichever brother tracked me down.

"I swear to God, Kevin, if you're here to lecture me…" I yank the door open, ready to tell whichever brother it is exactly where he can shove his opinions.

But it's not Kevin standing in my doorway. It's not Devin or Kaleb or even Jack.

It's Arnie.

My ex-boyfriend. My abusive, stalking, restraining-order-violating ex-boyfriend.

He smiles at me, and my anger flips to fear.

8

EMIL

Iwatch Kiera's ass sway as she practically runs away from us, her hips moving with an angry rhythm that makes my cock twitch despite the situation. She's got fire, this one. Most women would've crumbled under the weight of four overprotective brothers and a man like me circling her, but not Kiera Walker. She lifts her chin, tells us all to fuck off in her own polite way, and walks away like she owns the goddamn world.

I smirk. I like her spunk.

The parking lot feels suddenly smaller as her brothers turn on me in unison, their blue eyes blazing with protective fury. They form a semicircle, blocking my path to the limo where Luca waits. I don't move. I don't need to. I've faced down men far more dangerous than four angry brothers, though I'll admit there's something almost admirable about their loyalty to their sister.

"What the hell are your intentions with our sister?" The oldest one, Kevin, steps forward first. I know about the brothers, of course, since I had Luca perform an extensive check on Kiera, her background, and her family. He's got the build of a man who sits behind a desk but tries to stay in shape. Not threatening. Not even close.

I tilt my head, studying them with the same detached interest I'd give to a business problem. "My intentions? I thought the engagement announcement in the newspaper made that rather obvious."

"That's bullshit," the gym rat, Devin, snarls. His muscles are impressive, I'll give him that, but muscles don't mean shit when you don't know how to use them. "You don't just announce an engagement without even dating someone first."

"Don't I?" I keep my voice quiet, controlled. It's always more effective than shouting. "Your sister claimed me as her fiancé in a very public setting. I simply made it official."

The teacher, Kaleb, looks less aggressive than his brothers but no less concerned. "Look, we don't know you, and Kiera's been through a lot lately. We just want to make sure she's safe."

"Safe." I taste the word, let it roll around in my mouth. "And you think she's safer with that piece of shit ex-boyfriend stalking her?"