Page 23 of Stolen By the Bratva

I fought not to tense up. I wouldn’t show him fear or… anything else. This closer proximity pushed me to lash out again, at least verbally.

“He’ll kill you. My father’s men will not let this go. No corner of the city will keep you safe.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I’m warning you, you'd better?—”

He lifted his hand and snapped. Like I was a goddamn dog. “Shut up.”

“No. You can’t tell me to shut up and expect me to listen.”

In a swift dip, he lowered toward me. Setting his hands on the bed, he forced me to retreat and lean backward, caged in by his thick arms, his fists on either side of my thighs. Breathing hard, I stared up at him and tensed. That pulse of awareness increased, and I damn near panted this close to his firm lips.

“Shut. Up.” He tracked his dark stare from my eyes to my lips.

I tilted my head to the side and smirked. “No.” As a matter of fact, a good scream was well past due. If anyone waited nearby, they’d hear me. I had to try. I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to give it my all.

“You'd better?—”

He lunged forward, silencing my threat. His lips slammed over mine. With them already parted, he had full access to invade and plunder. His hot tongue speared in to duel with mine, and as he leaned down, pushing me, he dominated my first kiss.

I’d read about it in those old romance novels others left lying around. I’d seen movies. I understood the dynamics of kissing, but under Alek’s rough touch, his hungry lips, I felt like an ignorant fool, glad to learn how this actually worked.

He brushed his lips over mine in a hard sweep, and the rub only enticed me to want it again. I gasped, reaching up to chase the thrill of his mouth on mine, his tongue tasting me, his hot breaths mixed with mine.

This brute was my enemy. He’d kidnapped me. He’d crashed my wedding and happily caused war.

But none of that could matter. Not one of those facts entered my mind as I succumbed to his addictive, spicy taste. I didn’t think about anything but the seductive pull of wanting more. A harder kiss. A longer sample. I moaned, overwhelmed with this eagerness to pull him down and never let go.

He loomed so big and powerful, masculine and larger than life. With this kiss, he demanded that I try to match him. He growled and lifted his hand to hold the back of my head. His fingers slipped through my hair, and with his punishing grip, he angled me right where he wanted me as he kissed me silent.

I’d never experienced this consuming desire, lit to flaming within seconds. Even as it rocked me to my core, a thread of common sense prevailed. In a fit of reclaiming my mind and ignoring how he made me feel, I bit his lip.

He parted, hissing then licking the bite mark I’d given him. Through narrowed eyes, he glared at me, darker and angrier than before since I'd retaliated.

My God. What am I doing? As I panted and glowered right back at him, I warred with wanting his lips back where they were. Mine were moist, cooling in the air, and I slammed them shut and scowled. “How dare you take what’s not yours!”

His reply wasn’t what I expected. He arched one brow, giving me a dark look. If I could try to guess and read his mind, he was wondering if he should take me. He confirmed it with just as many filthy, smug words. “I’ve got you here. Why not?”

My nipples beaded and my pussy clenched. Just the mere idea of this man taking me however he pleased… It turned me on. He didn’t retreat, nor did he lunge forward. Licking his lip and studying me with so much heat, he paused.

He didn’t look at me like Geoff had. Andrey’s lewd glances weren’t like Alek’s smoldering gaze of pure seduction. Alek regarded me like I was a woman he craved, and it was a heady sensation to manage.

Me. This rugged, sexy man wanted me.

“Why not?” I snapped. There were so many reasons. At the top of that list was the fact that I wasn’t his. I wasn’t Alek’s woman to have. But nowhere in my mind did I cling to the argument that I didn’t want him.

Because against everything warning me otherwise, I did.

“Because I’m not worth it.”

His eyebrows dipped in a harsh slant as he focused on me. “What do you mean?”

Still, he caged me, his strong arms bracketing me to the bed, but he’d lost some of that seductive air. I’d distracted him with my words, and that was exactly what I needed. I should be distracting him so I could evade him and run.

“You could find something better than this.” I gestured my trembling hand at my body. I didn’t fear him. Not out of a worry of physical pain. So far, he wanted to keep me alive and well. But I’d never played a game like this before, a twist of words and flirty advances.

“You could find a skinnier woman. Someone prettier.” I said it to reject him, to dissuade him, but the words came so easily. I’d spent all my life hearing that kind of criticism from my father. It wasn’t hard to claim that I was less than.

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