DAMIANThe drive is short, too short for me to settle the burning fury in my chest. Every second that ticks by is slow torture. Fingers clench and unclench, itching to swipe the steering from the driver and rage all the way there.However, I need to bid my time. It makes the punishment worth it.After what seems like an eternity, we arrive at the place. It is a nondescript warehouse on the outskirts of the city—a Bratva safehouse masquerading as an abandoned shipping company.The kind of place where secrets are buried under layers of sweat, blood and fear.I step into the building. The air inside is thick with rust and the musky stench of sweat. That's when I hear sounds–more like grunts and muffled cries, with the dull thud of fists against flesh–which leads me to where the action is happening.All the attention falls on me when I cross into the room. My men don't need instructions as they cave a path for me by parting like the Red Sea. Heads bow as I pass with murmured “Pakhan” sli
LILIANA I let out the breath I'd been holding the second the door clicks shut behind me. My pulse slows, climbing down the frantic rhythm it had been beating moments ago. His gaze. I still feel it lingering on my skin like a brand, heavy and heated. My body tingled in all the wrong places and betrayed me in ways I couldn't control. Get it together, I scold myself but it is no use. Thinking about Damian's eyes roaming over me has already turned me into a slippery, shaking mess. The quiet in my room should've brought me peace, but it doesn't. My chest feels tight, constricted as though his gaze is still pinning me in place. It had burned—hot and unrelenting—stripping me bare while I pretended not to notice. Pretended, but I did. I always do. Rachel enters the room quickly carrying the new clothes. Her hands moves with practiced ease as she steps into the walk-in closet to hang them up. There is no urgency to her work, no reason to rush. The afternoon sunlight spills into
LILIANAI release a sharp exhale of breath to shake off the remnants of Zip's hostility. I turn back to Rachel and ask, “Why is she like that?” For a moment, she hesitates. When I think she won't answer, she sighs. “She has always been like that. Fiercely protective of her brothers. Especially Damian after what happened with…” She shakes her head and picks up the shopping bags.There's something in her voice like an edge of something unspoken. I cling onto it. “There's something else, isn't it?”Her lips press into a thin line as the question lingers between us. She steps back with a tight hold on the bags. “I-I should go,” her tone becomes nervous. “I have things to do.”“You know why Rachel,” I accuse, watching with satisfaction as she falters slightly in her steps.”Why are you making it so hard for me?” I press, trying to keep my tone casual, though my curiosity barely allows me to.She pauses by the door with her hand on the knob. “Why does it matter to you?” She replies at last,
DAMIANLiliana. Her name sticks in my mind like a thorn. No matter how much I try to drown myself in work, she's there. Green-eyed, sharp-tongued and impossible to forget. She's the fire I don't want to touch but can't seem to step away from. I don't want to do this having just lost something precious to me, yet I want to be scorched by her. Is this also another craving of my twisted soul? When a servant had delivered her test results from the doctor, I felt a tightening in my chest that I refused to name. The thought of her being pregnant for her late husband shouldn't have mattered. But it did. Alice's observations had planted the idea and I'd convinced myself I didn't care either way. Then I saw the report. A mild flu. Not pregnant. Relief hit me harder than I wanted to admit, followed closely by something darker. Guilt?No, I shove it down. I'm not that man. I can't be. Whatever I feel for her is nothing more than irritation, and…and blinding lust for the soft curves of her b
LILIANA I sift through my closet in search for something that is halfway decent. Most of the clothes here are too extravagant or too casual for whatever Damian's plans might involve. Finally, I settle on a simple fitted, black dress and lay it on the bed. Instead of putting it on, I sit down with my hands in my thighs and stare at them. The thought of his sudden decision to have me sit on the table with them jingles like an ominous bell. Why am I even invited to dinner when I'm his hostage? The invite feels like another one of his power plays or another chance for him to humiliate me as always but for the life of me, I can't even figure out why. And then there's his warning—don’t be late or you'll regret it. The memory of his cold tone tightens something in my chest.I sigh as I rub my palms over my thighs. Should I just go downstairs and get it over with?Or would staying here prove I'm not playing his game? My thoughts spiral, arguments at war in my head until there's a brisk
LILIANAThe sound of the tie sliding through his fingers is maddening slow, heightening my anxiety as I hold onto the railing for my dear life. I should be rebelling now if I were in my right senses but somehow, I'm doing every of his bidding without so much pressure from him. How the fuck did I go from fighting him at every turn to agreeing dumbly like a lamb to be sacrificed?His hand brushes my wrist to loop the fabric around it, and I nearly jump. His touch lingers on my skin, warm and firm and very unlike…unlike Kyle's.What is wrong with me for fucks sake?!I hate the way my skin tingles under his fingertips. It's foreign to me and causes a lot of sensory overload. I manage to, very discreetly, press my thighs together to quench the pressure building in my cunt. His fingers reach to fully cup one of my sensitive breast, kneading and pinching the nipple in between his thumb and forefinger. I grip the railing tighter with an audible gasp. The metal grounds me even when my body
DAMIANCall it selfish. Say it is depraving. But I never assured you I was a good man. I'm fucked up in more ways than can count and I have scars to show for it but it doesn't mean I don't have an iota of what justice is…“Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” She clenches hard against my fingers. So hard that I fear they'd break from the force. Her head thrown back, she shamelessly rides on my fingers, milking it for all its worth. …And it's the reason I can't let her go. My pride would take the hit if I release her after what her husband did. I don't want to forgive him and therefore, she has to take the fall for it. Soon, she will. She whimpers again, a loud drawn out cry of ecstasy but her hips doesn't relent. We're out in the open space, while she chases after her release like a sex starved woman.She simply has no shame. Didn't Kyle treat her right? Well, how could he when he had such a small dick.I love how tightly her walls wrap around me, how wet her hole is for me. It's driving m
DAMIANThe way to my room feels too goddamn far away with my arousal making an embarrassing tent in front of my pants. It takes effort to not wince while walking. Something as mundane has now become so difficult 'cos of it.How do I make it up there in record time before I spill my seeds in my trousers like a fucking horny teenage boy?I feel like a seventeen year old again, thanks to my carelessness. Thankfully, the hallway is quiet which means the house helps might have retired for the night. Who would want to bump into their Pakhan in this sorry state?“Pakhan.” Turns out I spoke too early. I turn around to see one of the house helps coming from the stairs leading to the living room. “What?” I snap.Sighting my discomfort, she lowers her head immediately, color staining her cheeks. “Lady Alice wants to know what's taking so long.” “I'll be back. If they can't wait, they can continue dinner without me.” I tell her and resume on my way to my quarters. As soon as I get to the land
DAMIANAfter I send Sydney out of my office, I call in Andros who is already on his way to me. He shows me proof of my suspicion on a screen.With terse silence, I watch the clip play out and what I find makes my jaw tick and blood boil with concealed rage. It's not what I expect taken from a blurry view. The person does look awfully familiar.“How were you able to lay your hands on this?” I ask after the clip stops.“You seem to forget the plants we have in several places, Pakhan. We have advantageous views.”“So what makes you think there isn't one right now in my premises, scoping on everything I do and telling out my business?”“That’s who I just showed you, boss. He's an embarrassment to this Seemya and needs to be executed immediately.” His lips curl up in disgust at the end.My phone buzzes on the table and Sicily's name is on the screen. I don't want to pick the call but for business sake, I do. “Hello.”“Pakhan, did you see the news circulating all around in the Bratva? Gen
DAMIANBefore the crack of dawn, I slip out from the covers with great care not to wake Liliana, then I took the same route out of her bedroom. I can't believe myself after last night, revealing things without a second thought. What hold did I let her have on me that I start to lack self control? Only one person has this effect on me. Only one fucking person!“You becoming too soft, you heartless bastard.” I say to myself as I take my bath. The words don't even bring me to remorse. Instead, I'm angrier at myself and want so badly to punch the mirror.When I'm done, I don on a grey shirt leaving some buttons open and a pair of black pants, then find my way to my office where loads of work has been piled up for me since I started slacking.She's bad influence for the Seemya’s business.Halfway buried in work, the door opens and Zoran strides in. His hair is ruffled and the dark rings under his eyes tell me he's had a rough night. Not one of pleasure. I take one look at his face and I g
LILIANASomething in my hold jerks sharply, tugging me out of sleep but my eyes are too heavy to keep them awake so I fall back to sleep. It happens again, stronger this time.“Stop.” I moan, turning away from the disturbance. Stellëza. My ears pick that up. With a grogginess that keeps my body still half paralyzed, I turn my head to the sound. Moonlight spills through the open balcony windows and stretches its milky streak across Damian's tortured features. His lips tug downwards but it's not in a frown. The tear line disappearing into his hair at the crown suggests something else. I shoot up and go into a kneeling position, hovering above him. “Damian…” my voice is a little above a whisper. No response. Just more stifled moans and his jaw flexing continuously. When I touch him, his muscles are locked tight like he's fighting against some invisible force. If he continues like this… “Damian.” I try again, firmer this time. “Damian, open your eyes. It's just a dream.”That's when
LILIANAOne would assume that with the little conversation I had with Damian in his office, he’ll change his mind. “You're impossible!” Zip shrieks, eyes blazing with anger and fingers clenching at her sides. I can tell she wants to do more than clench them. “Everytime I tell you that I have moved on, I have healed, you go ahead and turn on ‘super protective. Ne bud' takim mudakom and be more like Zoran!”{Don't be such an asshole}Yup! When I think he's going to try to pacify her and let her be happy, the jerk says, “It's for your own good. I'm not stopping you from dating him. I'm saying your marriage to him is too sudden.”“That's not for you to decide, Kristoffor!” Alice cannot help butting in. “Sicily, is no stranger to the Seemya. If the younglings find love together, let them.”To be honest, the man's will is carved into stone. He turns to Alice. “It doesn't matter what you say, my words are final. This shouldn't be a topic anymore.” His voice rings out like he's trying to so
LILIANAOne minute, everyone is cheering for Sicily and Zip, the next, I'm barrelling my way into a bathroom to throw up a meal I just consumed. I rinse my mouth and stare into the mirror, surprised to find nothing wrong with my face. Not pale. The last time something like this happened was over a month ago and it turned out to be flu. Is this another case of bad flu or is it something to start worrying about?When I come out to the dining, Zip is yelling to Zoran about how much inconsiderate and selfish Damian is. Trust me, it's something I can relate to a thousand times again. “I hate him so much. Whatever happened was a long time ago and I want to forget about it.” She cries into his embrace. “I want to love again.”My heart goes out to her. Pity quickly switches place with anger and it's aimed at Damian. How can he hurt the sister he claims to care so much about?Zoran and Selena tries to pacify her, but her sobs only grow. Alice and Sicily are nowhere in sight and Melanie is ju
DAMIANWhen I go to the kitchen, it's like a big festival is about to take place because of all the food arranged on the table. I'd been so occupied with other thoughts that I forget what the occasion really is. The kitchen staff wheel several platters toward the living room, bowing when they see me. As I get close to the kitchen, there's laughter and some playful snickers but one voice grabs all of my attention. Like a charm, I'm enraptured by the soft chimes of her laughter as it rings louder than all the others. I double my steps, eager to capture her smiling mouth with my eyes. I cross the threshold and my gaze immediately rivets to her by the kitchen Island next to Selena and Alice. There's a lot of chopping, boiling and sizzling sounds but the gentle sound of her voice seizes the oxygen in my chest.“You want something?” Zoran dares to interrupt and she looks at him. Following his eyes, she turns her head in my direction but I'm quick to find something else of interest. Well
DAMIANAm I the asshole for trying to protect Liliana from the wrath of Melanie? No, I'm not. Am I the asshole for seeking pleasure the way I did? Definitely not. We're adults who can handle matters perfectly well. It was mutual anyway.Why do I feel this nagging guilt as I let Melanie lead me back in the house? No, I shouldn't be feeling that. We don't even have an exclusive relationship. And now, I'm letting myself be pulled in by sentiments. Again. If my brain isn't lagging when I'm around Liliana, it's shutting off completely. It's like my body now obeys a different command that's not issued by me. “Where have you been, little brother?” A voice booms from behind me.I spin around to find Zoran walking down hallway towards us and by his side is Selena. Relief unfurls within at the sight of them and giving him a hug is a perfect excuse to extricate myself from Melanie's death grip. Apart from that reason, I'm genuinely pleased to see them.“It's been ages.” Selena says, landing a
LILIANA“Fuck, yes. That's it,” he growls. “Show me how bad you want it.” And that's exactly what I do. My tongue traces the line under his cock, trailing it down to the base and back up again. By the time I repeat this a couple of time, he's panting so loud and my eyes blur with pain from my burning scalp. The ache in my jaw increases as I widen my mouth to take him in deeper. The only thing that rings in my head is to give him pleasure. His every pant and hoarse groans drench my panties in my wetness. Everything that should feel so wrong, feels so goddamn good.The way he whispers my name like a prayer, his fists tightening in my hair, the way he raises his hips to pump into my mouth—I should feel used, degraded. Instead, a thrill of excitement courses through me and my pussy is pulsing. Fast. I clamp my thighs tightly, pressing it against the pulsing in hopes to quench some of the fire down there but it doesn't give me the satisfaction. Not like his hands will. Or his cock. S
LILIANAI drop the brush in a small bowl of water with a sound of triumph. Another completed project. “So beautiful,” I coo. The air shifts and suddenly, every inch of me is is hyperaware of him. The heat radiating off his skin. The faint scent of cedar and smoke mixing together like an alluring elixir with his masculine scent. His voice drops low and dangerous. “Is that what you see when you look at me? Beauty?”My heart begins a wild pounding rhythm I can't control. “I see a lot of things,” I whisper, almost unable to get the words out.Wait, hold on! Why is my tongue so loose this morning?He's close now. So close I can feel his breath against my cheek. His fingers reach for my chin and ever so softly, he turns my face towards him. “Tell me.”“You—” He doesn't give me a chance to speak before the rest of my words are swallowed up by his lips descending on mine. As his lips crash into mine, it feels as though the air evaporates from my lungs and in that mind-numbing moment, the w