Page 49 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

The crack of my palm against his cheek echoes in the quiet office. His head barely moves from the impact, but I see his jaw clench and something dangerous flash in his eyes.

For a moment, we just stare at each other. My hand stings. My heart pounds. I don't know if I want to hit him again or kiss him again or run as far away as I can get.

Emil straightens slowly, deliberately. He doesn't touch his cheek where my handprint is already forming. He just looks at me with that same intense, unreadable expression.

Then he speaks, his voice low and absolutely certain.

"Get used to this home, Kiera. Because it's your home now, too."

22

EMIL

Fuck.

The word echoes through my mind as I stare at Kiera frozen in the doorway. Her face has drained of color, those blue eyes wide with fear.

The man in the chair is still whimpering, blood pouring from his broken nose, but I barely hear him anymore. All I can see is the way Kiera's looking at me. Like I'm a monster.

Maybe I am.

My knuckles are split and bleeding, the man's blood mixing with my own. The violence is still thrumming through my veins, hot and demanding. I want to hit him again, want to make him understand what happens when you cross me, when you take my money and think you can just walk away.

But Kiera's here, and the look on her face is doing something to my chest that I don't fucking like.

I don't say anything, just give a single nod to Luca.

He understands immediately. He always does. He moves toward Kiera, his movements careful and non-threatening, and gestures toward the hallway. She looks at me one more time, and the expression on her face cuts deeper than any knife ever has. Horror. Disgust. Fear.

My original plan is fucked. I was going to seduce her slowly, make her want this marriage as much as I do, show her the benefits of being with me. But now she's seen the violence and blood.

She'll never agree to marry me now. Except she doesn't have a choice anymore.

The realization settles over me like ice water. She saw too much. The family won't let her just walk away with that knowledge. They'll see her as a liability, a threat that needs to be eliminated. They'll "protect" me by making sure she can't talk.

Unless she's family. Unless she's my wife.

Then she's untouchable.

And there's still the matter of whoever tried to kill her outside her apartment. That threat is real, and I still don't know who's behind it or why. She needs my protection, whether she wants it or not.

I finish with the thief quickly. Two more hits to make my point clear, then I have my men drag him out. He'll pay what he owes, plus interest, or he won't be walking for a very long time.

Then I head to my private bathroom and strip off my blood-stained shirt. The shower is scalding hot, the way I like it. I stand under the spray and watch the water run red as it washes the blood away. But I can't wash away the image of Kiera's face. The horror in her eyes.

I've never given a fuck what anyone thinks of me. I'm the Pakhan. I do what needs to be done.

But I want her to look at me the way she did at the pool. With heat and desire and that spark of defiance that makes me want to pin her down and claim her completely.

I don't want her to be afraid of me.

By the time I get out of the shower, it's late. I should sleep. I have meetings tomorrow, business to handle, an empire to run.

But when I lie down in my bed, all I can think about is her.

She's in my house right now, locked away in my office, Luca had told me. Maybe I should go and talk to her right now, but I need time to think. She's protected and safe in my office, and there's a large, comfy sofa she can sleep on. Tomorrow morning will be soon enough to lay down the law to her since everything has changed now.

I stare at the ceiling, my mind racing. Every time I close my eyes, I see her. The way she felt in my arms at the pool. The way she tasted. The sounds she made when I was inside her, those little gasps and moans that drove me fucking crazy.