Page 60 of Obsession of the Bratva

A few weeks ago, I would not have recognized the woman looking back at me. She looked exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally. Like someone caught between hope and disaster. Someone who kept finding pieces of happiness only to watch them slip through her fingers. I exhaled slowly, and then I opened my closet. Most of the clothes Nico had arranged for me since bringing me here were expensive. Beautiful. Completely unnecessary since I was literally going nowhere.

I had ignored most of them.

Sweatpants had felt safer. Oversized shirts that I mostly ended up stealing from his wardrobe had become my go-to, except for the last two weeks when I was dumb enough to try to seduce him. I wanted anything that created distance. Anything that reminded me of how angry I was. That I was supposed to stay angry. Because every time I looked at him, I forgot, and that was dangerous.

My gaze settled on a black dress. It was simple, elegant, and definitely dangerous. I stared at it for several seconds, and then I pulled it out. The fabric slid through my fingers like water. My pulse quickened. This was a terrible idea. An absolutely terrible idea. Which was probably why I put it on.

Twenty minutes later, I stood in front of the mirror again. The dress fit perfectly. Of course it did. Everything in this penthouse fits perfectly. Nico had probably memorized my measurements ages ago. The thought should have disturbed me. Instead, it made my stomach flutter.

I hated that.

I hated him.

I loved him.

None of it made sense anymore. I brushed my hair over one shoulder and sighed.

“You’re an idiot, Vera.”

The woman in the mirror seemed to agree. My plans to seduce him with skimpy lingerie hadn’t worked, so a black dress might not work just the same. But I didn’t care. I wanted Nico. And I wanted things between us to work, and the only way to do that was to get him talking. To force him to break down his walls again so he could let me in. It still felt like an absurd idea. Unfortunately, I was already committed, and there was no turning back now.

I quickly made my way towards his office and found him there. Of course I did. Lately, it felt like he lived there, especially since the night three days ago when he had returned home late. The door stood partially open, but I knocked once before entering. Nico was behind his desk, and his attention remained fixed on the documents in front of him.

For approximately two seconds.

Then he looked up and froze. The reaction lasted less than a heartbeat. Most people would have missed it, but I didn’t. I never missed anything when it came to him. His gaze moved slowly over me as it started at my face and then traveled lower. Then lower still. The room became very quiet, and my pulse immediately doubled.

Good.

At least I wasn’t the only one suffering. Nico leaned back in his chair.

“Planning to attend another wedding? Or is that a funeral dress?”

I rolled my eyes. “There won’t be another wedding.”

His expression darkened instantly. Right. It definitely was the wrong subject. I should have known better. Neither of us looked away from each other, and I almost shivered as his eyes remained fixed on me. Heat crawled across my skin. It was ridiculous since he had seen me naked before. He had touched my skin and held me and done things to me that a person could only dream about. Yet one look from him still turned my brain into mush.

It was deeply embarrassing.

Nico finally spoke. “What do you want, Vera? I’m working here.”

His voice came out rougher than usual; that tiny crack in his control sent warmth through me. I shouldn’t have enjoyed it, but I absolutely did.

“I wanted to see you.”

One dark eyebrow lifted. “That’s all?”

“Maybe.”

His gaze narrowed. “You’re up to something. Actually, you have been up to something for almost two to three weeks now.”

I smiled. “Maybe. But well, what can I say? I have learned from the best.”

A laugh almost escaped him. Almost. I saw it. The corner of his mouth twitched momentarily and then disappeared again. For some reason, that tiny reaction felt like victory.

Nico shook his head. “I regret teaching you anything.”

“That’s a lie.”