Page 50 of The Pakhan's Kidnapped Bride
I’ve had my chance, and I ruined it.
I hear footsteps behind me and turn quickly, embarrassed to be caught snooping around a house that isn’t mine. I’m ready to make a quick apology, but it’s Emmanuil standing there, not Belle or Ardalion.
“I saw you leaving the party and—I just came to see if you were okay,” he says. His voice is gentle. His eyes are warm and touched with concern.
I scrunch my nose, wishing I’d had more time alone to pull myself together.
“I just needed a—I wanted a little break,” I say, then bite my lower lip, hoping he doesn’t push it further.
“And why did you need a break? Is something bothering you?”
He walks further into the room, closer to me. I quickly scrunch the tissue in my hand into a smaller ball, hoping he hasn’t seen it.
“No particular reason,” I answer, my voice small and tight.
“You should know that I can read you pretty well, and I know you better than that,” he says.
He reaches out and touches my arm, and the warmth from his hand soaks through me.
How can I tell him what’s really bothering me? It wouldn’t help anything. It wouldn’t do any good atall.If anything, it would probably annoy him if I brought it up.
“I’m really okay. Maybe I’ve had a little too much to drink.” I grin, trying to look casual and unbothered, but the more I force myself to be calm, the harder it is to hold back the well of emotions inside me.
I press my lips together, fighting tears again.
Emmanuil pulls me into his arms and holds me against his chest, wrapping himself around me. I feel utterly safe,completely soothed, and it makes it even harder to hold back the tears that are now falling freely.
His gentleness in this moment is the exact thing that’s hurting. The fact that it no longer belongs to me.
His heart is no longer mine.
Chapter 15 - Emmanuil
Anya was sitting by the pool chatting to Kira; she’d been happy and relaxed all day, laughing and playing in the pool and having an amazing time. I’d been watching her, and it makes me happy to see her like this.
It’s a relief from all the tension we’ve had since we reunited.
And she looks so cute in that coral colored bikini. I haven’t been able to stop admiring her beauty, despite knowing better.
We even played a few rounds of games in the water, her sitting on my shoulders, wrestling Belle off Ardalion’s shoulders. It was such a laugh.
I could almost ignore the fact that having her body so close to mine was driving me crazy all over again, just for the sake of enjoying the day.
My family all adores her, and she gets along with everyone here. She’s been socializing, and watching her, I can see she really needed this.
But while I was joking around with Katya, I noticed from the corner of my eye how Anya’s mood shifted. She kept glancing at me with a tight, sad smile on her face. I don’t know where her thoughts were wandering, but she lost her spark.
Kira jumped up from her pool chair, declaring that she’s getting them more drinks, and wandered off, leaving Anya alone on the loungers. She immediately got even more distressed and started to fidget. Her thoughts were clearly overwhelming her. And she kept glancing at me as though I was the reason for her distress.
I kept telling myself to ignore it. To let her be alone with her thoughts and whatever was bothering her, but when she got up to leave, I knew it wasn’t just something silly. She was genuinely upset.
And I couldn’t resist following her to make sure she was okay.
I went to the kitchen, then the bathroom, and eventually found Anya in the guest room, standing at the window, a tissue in her hand and her eyes shining with tears.
I watched her for a moment, my eyes tracing over her body, turned to the side, the kimono hanging softly over her hips, the sheer fabric teasing my imagination, and the sight of her in that tiny bikini.
My body stirred, knowing I was being a voyeur, and the idea was turning me on.
