Page 71 of Phantom Flower

“Let go…” I whispered, clenching my hands into fists against his chest. I tried to pull back, but he did not budge. If anything, he pulled me closer.

He yanked my face even closer by the jaw, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. Our noses almost touched. I could see every fleck of darkness in his irises.

“When are you going to stop pulling away from me?” His voice was vicious. “When are you going to stop pretending you don’t want this? That you don’t feel it every single time I touch you? Every time I look at you? Every time I fucking breathe near you?”

His fingers dug harder into my face. I whimpered. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes from the pressure on my jaw.

“Dimitri… please…”

“You think I don’t see the way you look at me when you think I’m not paying attention?” he continued. “You think I don’t notice how your body reacts when I pin you against walls? How your breathing changes? How you get hard even when you’re scared?”

He leaned in until his lips brushed against mine without actually kissing me. The barely-there contact was somehow worse than if he had just taken what he wanted.

“I’ve been holding back for two fucking weeks,” he hissed.

His hand on my waist slid down to grip my ass, squeezing hard enough to make me gasp.

“You’re hurting me,” I whispered, voice cracking.

Chapter 20

Dimitri Morozov

I left Rei alone today, and I fucking hated it.

The only reason I drove away from the mansion was because my father had summoned me, and this time he left no room for argument. I had been in a foul mood since morning. Leaving Rei behind felt wrong on a level I was not used to feeling. He had been quiet when I left, wearing that soft yellow flower in his hair.

When I stepped into my father’s office, he was already seated behind his massive desk, the same one his father and grandfather had used before him. He did not look up from the papers in front of him.

“Sit.”

I remained standing.

He finally lifted his gaze. His eyes were cold, the same shade as mine but without any of the fire.

“The Rossi family has grown bolder than I anticipated,” he began without any pleasantries. “They didn’t just interfere with our shipments along the East Coast. They managed to get their hands on encrypted records proving our involvement in the recent arms deal with the Albanians. Enough evidence to bury us if it reached the wrong hands. The feds. Our competitors. Even some of our own allies.”

I stayed silent, already feeling the familiar burn of violence crawling under my skin. The Rossi family had been a thorn in our side for years.

My father continued, “They’re offering a way out. They’ll destroy the evidence and pull their people back if we form an alliance. Specifically, if you marry his daughter, Isabella Rossi.”

I almost fucking laughed.

“Marry her?” I arched an eyebrow. “I’d rather put a bullet in my own skull.”

My father did not even blink. “Don’t be dramatic. This alliance would be beneficial. The Rossi family controls significant territory along the coast and has strong connections in the ports we’ve been struggling to dominate. Marrying into their family would give us leverage we’ve never had. It would expand our empire and finally end this pointless war between us.”

Of course. Power. It was always about power with him.

I had expected him to dismiss the offer outright. No matter how strong the Rossi position was, we were Morozovs. We did not bow to anyone, especially not to Italians who thought they could blackmail us into submission. But then my father leaned back in his chair and said the words that made my blood boil over.

“Maybe this could be a way to end your bad habits, Dimitri.”

Bad habits.

I knew exactly what he meant.

I was sixteen the first time he found out. One of his most trusted men had walked in on me balls-deep in a boy from my private school in the back room of an underground club in Moscow. My father had not beaten me bloody like so many other pakhan would have done to their sons for daring to put their cock in another man’s ass. But he had not been accepting of it either. He simply decided it was a phase. Something I would eventually grow out of once I understood my responsibilities.