Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
I hated myself for the flowery fucking thoughts. What had she done to me? When had I become this pathetic, lovestruck fool? I clenched my fists, anger mixing with the unfamiliar emotions coursing through me.
And I was going to relish the fight that ensued. Almost as much as I was going to enjoy breaking her down again and hearing her beg for me. The words of submission and acceptance when she knew she had lost were beyond sweet.
Not because she said them, but because I earned them.
Pulled the unwilling confessions from her stubborn lips with force.
She may deny meaning them, she probably lied to herself saying they were false promises made in the moment. She could tell herself that all she liked. I knew the truth. I had broken her; she gave voice to her deepest secrets because of me.
She liked being fucked like a piece of property, she liked when I punished her, she liked the way I made her feel, and she hated herself for it. That would ease in time.
And I hated myself for caring.
Artem Ivanov didn't care.
He took.
He conquered.
He didn't pine like some lovesick teenager.
Staring out of the window was like looking at a Hallmark card, it was all so peaceful. I was starting to understand my cousin's choices more and more. Every choice of theirs that I criticized or questioned now made more sense.
Why would Gregor buy this massive estate outside of the city where everything needed to happen? Why not put the girls in a luxury penthouse instead?
Because this estate provided privacy and security that a penthouse could never have. In a penthouse, a sniper could be perched on any rooftop. It was impossible to have them all covered at all times.
Out here, the dense forest and the wildlife limited the access points.
I outright criticized my cousin for putting his wife as his first priority in his choices. I openly mocked him for chasing this woman for three years and not being able to find her.
Now I knew that if Viktoria ran again, if she somehow got out of the city, it wouldn’t matter how long it took. I would search every square mile of this planet until I had her back in my bed.
There was no length that I wouldn't go to keep her safe.
The realization rattled me to my core. I'd been consumed by women before—by their bodies, by the conquest—but never by the need to protect. Never by the desire to see them smile. When had this little captive crawled under my skin and into whatever remained of my heart?
A crash sounded behind me, followed by several raised voices, ruining the calming effect of the view.
Getting up, I went to see who did what now, just to find Pavel clutching his sides as he laughed at two of the men trying to climb on top of a white sofa in their muddy boots to check a camera.
Viktoria did not deserve to stay in a home with dirty furniture.
"Get the fuck down," I barked, startling one of the men into falling backward onto the floor, breaking the coffee table on the way down.
With my jaw clenched, I waited for him to stand up and dust himself off before I laid into him.
"Now I have to get that table and the sofa replaced because you're not housebroken."
"I'm sorry boss, I'll pay you–"
"I don't give a fuck about the money. We are running low on time. I need this house secure and ready yesterday."
Pavel grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the office. I turned on my heel and returned to the window.
"Explain yourself," Pavel said.
"You forget who I am, brother, I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else," I snapped.
"You just almost took one of our most trusted men's heads off because he put a footprint on a sofa, a leather sofa, by the way, where it'll wipe away cleanly. The coffee table he broke isn't even yours."
"I don't care. This place needs to be perfect."
"Why?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me. Pavel always saw too much, and he already knew why.
"Because Viktoria isn't going to like being stripped of her freedom. She puts too much value on her independence. When she gets here, I need everything in place. I need this place to be good enough that she’ll choose to stay."
"I didn't realize you were giving her a choice," Pavel said.
"I'm not. But I have found things go far smoother if Viktoria thinks it's her idea."
"Is she, though? Is she going to think any of this was her idea?"
"No," I said, realizing that it didn't matter how nice this place was. When she got here, it would be a fight. It didn't matter if it was because of the house itself or how I was intending to change her last name.