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“Let’s say that hasn’t always been the case.”
“You had to catch him?”
“Not entirely, but I kept him in his place when I had to.”
“I love you more now.”
She laughs, kisses my cheek, and tells me she’ll wait outside.
As the door closes with a silent thud, I jerk and knock my bag and all of its contents onto the tile floor.
With a curse, I squat down and pick up my lipstick. My perfume bottle has opened, releasing a soothing floral scent inthe air. As I grab it, static passes through my head and a blurry image hits me.
The sweet,heady scent of blooming flowers fills my nostrils, mingling with the musky aroma of sweat and desire. Rough, calloused hands grip my naked waist, pulling me closer to a hard and powerful chest. Our bodies press together, skin on skin, igniting a primal heat between us. My nipples harden against the firm muscles beneath them, sending shivers of pleasure through me.
My arms reach up to encircle the neck of a man whose face is shrouded in darkness, but his presence is commanding and alluring.
And then I hear my voice echoing in the stillness, “We shouldn’t do this. My husband would kill me if he found out.”
19
ELI
“If you invited us to watch your dull, brooding face, I suggest we do better things with our time.”
I look up from my glass of water and glare at the headache Lan, who flashes me a wide grin.
“There he is. I thought we’d lost you for a minute there, cousin, which wouldn’t have been tragic since I can simply carry on your legacy.”
“Lan, stop provoking people for fun.” Bran elbows his brother.
They might be identical twins, but Lan could be spotted from outer space as a nuisance in the form of a ticking bomb. Bran’s expression is softer and lacks all the maliciousness his brother managed to absorb in its entirety when they were in the womb.
Since I’m in the States, where most of my family members decided to lounge for a while, I thought I’d meet them.
I’m regretting the decision immensely.
We're in a recently opened bar with gaudy black-and-red wallpaper that clashes against the dimly lit atmosphere. Vintage posters and old-fashioned beer signs hang all around, giving off a nostalgic yet edgy vibe. Our group huddles in a booth towardthe back of the establishment, seeking refuge from the deafening music blaring through the speakers and the never-ending buzz of conversation.
“You should’ve seen him during this entire week,” my brother says from beside me, alerting us to his usually silent presence. “He’s been in a worse mood than a presidential candidate losing the election.”
“And you chose to shove this energy on us, Cray Cray?” Lan feigns a pout. “I’m disappointed.”
“It’s only fair you guys suffer along.”
“Thanks for the support, little bro.” I glare at him. “Greatly appreciated.”
He merely shrugs and focuses back on his phone, probably texting with his fiancée. Bastard is so pussy-whipped, he can’t survive without her for a couple of hours.
The same is true for Lan, who only separated from his girl because she had some sort of spa retreat with her sister.
Bran was talking with his boyfriend on the phone during what was supposed to be a bathroom break while smiling and shaking his head. Sorry, he was talking with hisfiancé, as that crazy heathen Nikolai loves to remind everyone. Honest to God, I can’t see why the most well-mannered and possibly the most normal King grandchild is with a man who’s the definition of a disaster.
They suspiciously work together, though, as stamped and approved by Uncle Levi.
The only reason Nikolai isn’t here watching Bran like a creep and smiling to himself right now is because he couldn’t get out of a meeting with Jeremy and their mafia wagon.
“You should’ve brought Ava,” Cecily says from my other side, still cross with me about the fact that I came alone.
