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“And I say you’re wrong,” she insisted, firing his rage even higher. His hands were shaking from his desire to wrap them around her fragile neck and squeeze. “Krystoff was a dangerous man. When he went gunning for someone, they didn’t stand a chance. I couldn’t let that happen to you.”
He gripped her arms and gave her a shake. “I was the reaper who meted out Krystoff’s wrath. I was the man pulling the trigger. Along with Jozef, I was the strength behind Krystoff’s throne.”
She flinched at his brutal words. “I’m—"
“You didn’t give me a chance to defend our relationship, to plead my case. Even if he refused our union, Jozef wouldn’t have, and he held as much power as Krystoff, whether the old man wanted to admit it or not.”
Again, she looked stunned by his revelations. It was like she’d never thought of what she could’ve done. Should’ve done. And maybe she hadn’t. He’d had years to stew over each detail, each course of action, and the probable outcome. She’d had a husband and a son to occupy her time.
“I was young and naïve,” she whispered, her voice shaky, her body trembling.“What was I supposed to do?”
“Stand up to the man who was ruining our future,” he replied without pity. “You should’ve said no to the idea of marrying anyone except me.”
“You don’t understand.”
He almost relented, the anguish in her voice pulling at him. She’d always been able to do this to him. As soon as her coolly controlled socialite exterior started to crack, he melted. Not this time. He would stand resolute and force her to face this reckoning as they confronted their shared past.
“What don’t I understand?” he demanded, his grip on her shoulders tightening. “That you had no faith in me? That you didn’t love me enough to fight for me? That marrying your rich Bratva husband put you in a position of power and wealth you couldn’t attain with me? Or were you simply fulfilling your father’s wishes and keeping your position as his precious mafia princess?”
Her eyes sparked with fire and she jerked out of his grip. “You know that’s not true!” She hissed, swiping impatiently at tears that weren’t there. “I loved you with everything I had. Marrying Adam destroyed me. And that was before I found out what a monster he was.”
What the hell? She knew about Adam's depraved proclivities? That couldn't be true. Not Leeza. Or maybe it was the way Adam had mistreated her? Either way, it was a conversation they were going to have to have sooner rather than later. But first, they needed to resolve the past so they could be together in the future.
“If you loved me, you would’ve found a way to be with me.” Calm had returned to his tone. “Now, your love or lack of it is irrelevant. The past is irrelevant. All it means is I’ll be keeping a close eye on you in the future. Your faithlessness won’t be forgotten.”
“That’s an excellent basis for a marriage,” she said sarcastically.
“There wouldn’t be a marriage at all except I can’t seem to tear you from my heart the way you tore me from yours.”
She searched his face. If she was looking for forgiveness, she wouldn’t find it. “Then why?” Her tone was desperate, pained. “Why marry someone you hate?”
The answer was simple. “Because I can’t live without you.”
“So you’re willing to destroy both of our lives just to keep me close?”
“Now you’re getting it.”
Her gaze grew distant. “I guess there’s nothing left to say.”
She was wrong, there was plenty left to say, but she looked exhausted. Too much stress. Too much emotion. Too much history.
“I’m going to bed,” she announced, stepping around Havel. “I’ll sleep in Kris’s room.”
He grabbed her arm as she walked by, swinging her around. Ignoring her gasp of outrage, he hoisted her up and tossed her over his shoulder, striding toward the master suite. “You sleep with me now.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Leeza struggled as Havel carried her through the door and into the master bedroom. His grunt told her she scored a hit, or a kick, since it was her feet doing most of the damage. Too bad she couldn’t reach his balls from her current angle.
Havel wrapped his hands around her waist, lifted her and launched her through the air. She let out a muffled squeak as her back hit the bed and she bounced so high she was able to come up to her feet.
They stared at each other for several long seconds, Leeza sucking air into her lungs and Havel looking as unbothered as if he’d just brought in the groceries.
Slowly, she raised her fists, wincing as her swollen knuckles protested. “I’ll fight you.”
He narrowed his eyes, running a tattooed hand over his inked head. A sign of frustration. Good, she was getting to him.
“Do what you want,” he muttered. “I’m taking a shower, then I’m crashing. It’s been a long couple months of chasing your ass across the globe.”
