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Sy’s brows rose and he stepped back. “Damn, Lena, you’ve lost it.”
Apparently, so had he, because he didn’t even notice his slip of the tongue, calling her by that name.
“You have no idea,” she murmured. In the past week, she had been assaulted, nearly raped, then kidnapped and imprisoned. And just today she had been forced into a marriage and watched the man she loved put a gun to his head, voluntarily. And she wasn’t even going to think about the constant fear in her stomach, from worrying about her little girl. If she allowed herself to think about that, she might really lose her marbles.
The door burst open and Viking strode in. Elena jumped up. He looked battered and bruised. She wanted to go to him, but waves of anger still clung to the air that surrounded him.
Sy beat her to it. “Glad you’re still breathing.”
The brothers gave each other a man-hug, then Viking’s eyes settled on her.
“Get your stuff. We’re leaving.”
What stuff? She looked around and remembered she didn’t even have a bag. All she had were the clothes on her back Katya had provided her with. She put on her shoes and walked up to him.
The drive to wherever they were going was done in silence. Baran sat in the driver’s seat, Viking next to her in the back. His body was tense, his muscles rigid. They hadn’t talked about what had happened, and she suspected now was not the time to broach that topic. She closed her eyes and pressed her head against the cold window. He had almost died today. He would have died thinking she had betrayed him. Believing she had broken her vow to him. Vows that hadn’t been said aloud by a justice of the peace or documented on official papers, but a vow exchanged between them nonetheless. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but the words were etched into her brain.
“You ever gonna love another man?”
“Never, Viking, never.”
“You ever cheat on me, baby, I’ll make you pay. I will hurt you every day for the rest of your life.”
“If I do, you can kill me. I’ll be dead inside anyway. No one else but you, Viking. You’re my first and will be my last.”
She’d been true to her words. True to him. Even when one man had come along and destroyed her world. And now they were married with him hating her, her resenting him. Fate had brought them back together in a twisted and cruel way, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Sometimes you just gotta roll the dice you’ve got, Lena.
Her mom was right. Not that she had another option. Pondering the precarious situation she was in, she hardly noticed when the car stopped. Viking got out and she followed him into his downtown apartment.
Viking grabbed her hand—really, where would she run to?—and got her into an elevator to the top floor. Baran remained behind. She didn’t have a clue where he was staying and had no desire to find out. He wasn’t her biggest fan and the feeling was mutual.
The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. They walked into a foyer that led to a big common room with a gray carpet and black furniture. Everything screamed masculinity, from the dark, plush pillows, to the chrome kitchen in the back. Now what? She dreaded asking that question, afraid he’d follow up on his threat to lock her up for the next fifteen years. Still, she needed time to compose herself. Time to think. Preferably alone.
“What room am I—”
He grabbed her arm and slowly pushed her into a room on the right. Judging by the huge four-poster bed, it was the master bedroom, which meant it was his. There was no way she was sleeping in there with him. She hadn’t forgotten the way he had treated her so far. Unlike what he might think, she wasn’t a doormat.
“I don’t want to.”
His hand landed on her ass, hard, and she yelped.
“Don’t give a damn what you want,” he all but growled. “I’m tired. I’m moody. But most of all I’m fucking wired.”
“Good for you. Why don’t you go and unleash all that energy on—”
He closed in on her and pushed her back against the wall. “Unleash my energy? Want to know how I do that?”
As she stared into his stormy eyes, she realized she had made a mistake. She should have continued to keep her mouth shut. The way his body heat warmed her, the way his hard breathing matched her own was just too much. It was a recipe for disaster. What was it about him she found so irresistible? What was it, no matter how he treated her, she still longed for his touch? Why was she still desperate for a word of affection? Why was she still collecting breadcrumbs, hoping to find her way back into his heart?
Afraid to make another sound, she merely shook her head. No. She didn’t want to know. Didn’t need to; it was written on his face. Lust mingled with desire, pain, fatigue, and a hint, always that lingering trace, of rage.
He pressed his body against her, and she could feel his hardness.
“Let me tell you anyway. I usually pick a fight or have a fuck. So, unless you want to become a fight or a fuck, get your ass in that room, and in that bed. I’m not losing another night’s sleep watching over you, worrying where you will wander off to this time.”
Elena didn’t move. The silence between them stretched until the tension became almost unbearable. When he didn’t step back, she cast her eyes down. He was on the brink of snapping, she could feel it, so she had to tread really carefully here. This time she decided to heed his warning.
