Page 31 of Marrying the Mobster
“Go back to the party,” I say. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
She wrinkles her brow. “But, why—”
“Go!” I snap, turning to walk away.
Does she have any idea what she’s doing to me? Does she recognize the dangers of letting me have even the slightest taste of her?
I pause at the door to a bathroom and watch her disappear into the sitting room. Relief sags my shoulders and I go inside to collect myself. I pace the bathroom for a little while, trying to forget what just happened and settle the conflicting needs tearing through me. Nothing is worth ruining relations with Oleg, and the only way I could do that now is by slipping up.
After splashing my face with cold water, I do my best to smooth my hair. A few strands are rebelling, tousled by Elena’s fingers and content to remain that way.
With nothing left to do but face what’s left of the evening, I leave the bathroom. Elena continues to perform well. Sparing her life has offered the perfect wedge between myself and Oleg’s wedding ambitions.
It also seems to be having another effect—one I might come to regret. It’s making me want something I shouldn’t. My obsession with Elena only stands to strengthen the longer I have control of her. It’s exactly the sort of thing I never wanted to be a slave to—the kind of bullshit that has led to other men in my position dying as a result of stupid mistakes made with organs other than the brain. I’ve always considered myself stronger than them, but Elena is testing my limits.
The worst part of this isn’t lost on me.
I have no one to blame other than myself.
15
Elena
Diego is stone-faced and silent through the rest of the party. Viktor keeps his distance and everyone watches us with curiosity. My cheeks heat up every time I look at him, our kiss in running through my mind on an endless loop.
It didn’t mean anything. Diego only kissed me because Oleg was watching … and maybe even to put me in my place. That’s all there was; nothing more, nothing else.
Except, that’s not true. There was no mistaking Diego was turned on. If the shudders going through him weren’t enough, there was the erection he shamelessly rubbed against me. The lingering dampness in my thong can’t be ignored, either. Diego wasn’t the only one who affected by that kiss.
I’m angrier at myself than I am at him. Diego Pérez kidnapped me, and has held me at gunpoint on multiple occasions. He has terrified and imprisoned me, taking away my life as I know it.
Keeping a level head and a smile on my face gets more exhausting by the minute, but I manage to last until we say our good-byes. The moment I’m in the elevator with Diego, Jovan, and Marcella, I feel like I might collapse and fall asleep. Everyone seems a little more relaxed, but the looks Diego gives me when he thinks I’m not paying attention are dark and intense. I feel those eyes all over me, reminding me of the places his hands touched. I’m hot all over, embarrassed, confused, and wrung dry. On top of all that my body is still shaky and hot, arousal growing stronger instead of tapering off. Being in an enclosed space with Diego is wreaking havoc on my senses, and there won’t be relief any time soon. My life is about him now, and even when I can’t see Diego I can smell him, sense him …feelhim.
I may not survive, and not because of Diego’s threat. I don’t know how long I can go on like this before I explode.
Marcella returns to the car she arrived in, leaving me and Diego alone in his car on the way home. The privacy screen is up between us and Jovan, making the car seem smaller. I stare through the window at the moonlit night, trying to pretend Diego isn’t here.
It’s not working. His smell rubbed off on me when we kissed, and it’s as if he’s become a part of me. I’m so aware of him it’s uncanny.
“You did well tonight.”
The sudden break in silence startles me, and my heart gallops as I look at him. He’s watching me, but his eyes don’t betray any of his thoughts. He’s a brick wall again—immovable and unreadable.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He reaches into his pocket and retrieves his cell phone. “Your associate has been texting to check up on you. Answer her, ask how things are going atBelleza. Don’t try anything stupid or there will be consequences.”
I accept the phone, giving him a surprised look. I never told him the name of my boutique outright, which means he was listening when I was talking to Oleg.
Diego smirks. “Yes,gatita, I was listening. You are proud of what you have accomplished, as you should be. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”
“No,” I agree. “And yes … I am proud.”
“Continue performing as you did tonight, and your next reward will be better than this one. Things don’t have to be unpleasant between us, Elena. If you behave, I can be very generous.”
I pause in the middle of my text. “I thought this was a one-time thing.”
Diego shakes his head. “Not if I know Oleg. He won’t be happy just seeing us together once. When he pulled me aside tonight, he asked if we were serious. I told him we had just started living together.”
