Page 42 of Innocently Captured By the Bratva

I know I should be satisfied, should be ready to move on now that I've finally had her. But as I breathe in the sweet scent of her hair, I realize that one night will never be enough. Not with Quinn. Not when every cell in my body is screaming for more.

Fuck, what is this woman doing to me? I've never been the type to get attached, never wanted anything more than a few nights of mutual pleasure. But with Quinn, everything feels different.

What the hell am I doing, wanting to fuck her again? But she’s in my mind all over again, my thoughts consumed with having her. I can’t fight it any longer and lean in, ready to capture her lips in a kiss, praying for a reenactment of last night, but she pulls back just about then. “I need to get to work,” she says, already slipping out of my grasp.

“Work? Now?” I try to mask the disappointment in my voice, but it's a futile effort.

Quinn is already up and searching for her clothes. “Last night was fun, but I’ve got a long day ahead of me, Mark and...” She trails off, but the implication is clear.

I sit up, watching as she dresses with quick, efficient movements. The intimacy of just moments before has evaporated, replaced by a growing tension.

“You’re right,” I said at last. “All good things must come to an end.”

Quinn pauses for just a moment, then finishes dressing and grabs her purse. “I have to go. I'm sorry.” She doesn't look at me as she says it, her gaze fixed firmly on the door.

I want to stop her, to pull her back into bed and lose myself in her all over again. But I force myself to stay still, to let her walk away. The click of the door closing behind her echoes in the sudden silence of the room.

A deep disappointment crushes me. Shit, when did I become such a fucking sap? I'm Mark Zolotov, the guy who never lets a woman get too close.

I flop back onto the pillows, staring up at the ceiling as my mind races. What the hell just happened? Why did watching her walk away crush me like that? I knew my obsession with her ran deep, but now I’ve had her.

Shouldn’t I be over it now?

But even as I ask myself the question, I already know the answer. I want her, more than I've ever wanted anyone or anything. And now that I've had a taste, I'm more obsessed than ever.

Fuck, I'm in trouble.

Chapter 17 - Quinn

I’m buried in my phone, replying to an email as I enter the dining room. When I look up, I find Mark sitting there, a table laid out for two.

“Oh,” I stammer, memories from three nights ago rushing back at me. He’s looking devastatingly handsome. Enough to know I’ll be in real trouble if I let myself stumble.

“Join me?” he asks, rising from his chair.

“I … I just remembered I have some more meetings to set up. I think I’d rather eat in my room.”

“Right,” he looks... disappointed? But I’m probably just imagining things by projecting my own feelings onto him. The truth is that I’ve been trying to keep my distance from him because of what happened between us, and I'm not sure if I can be around him without wanting more. And from how he spoke about the time we shared, something about how all good things come to an end, I already know he’s not in it for anything long-haul.

And his actions match his words.

He hasn’t pushed for answers. Hasn’t pushed for time with me outside of what is necessary. That’s probably because the night we shared was nothing but a casual hookup for him.

“I’ll ask the maid to send up your dinner,” he says as I stand there silently before him, lost in my thoughts.

“Yes, please,” I say, and my heart feels crushed that he hasn’t tried to convince me to stay.

“After all, we can't keep the busy bee waiting for her nectar,” he teases. I force a laugh, feeling the weight of the unspoken tension between us.

As I turn to leave, Mark's voice stops me in my tracks, “Quinn, we have that charity event to attend tomorrow night.”

A part of me wants to decline, to put some distance between us, but another part reminds me to hold on to my end of the bargain.

With a sigh, I nod, “Seven it is.”

He smiles, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes, and I turn to walk away.

***

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