Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Go to him tonight.
What other choice do I have? I’ve got to please Dimitri and my father. My skin crawls when I think about it. I go through each step that will end with me in the bed of the elder brother, but I only desire the younger one. Dimitri was cold when we spoke, but maybe that’s because he could sense how much I don’t want this. I need to make Dimitri believe. I need to use whatever tools I can.
Soon, a knock comes at my door. The butler, Yuri, asks if I’d like anything to eat. He makes me some scrambled eggs, and I’m allowed to eat them in my room. All the while, I’m thinking about later, about putting on a sexy outfit, going to Dimitri’s room, and seducing him. I’ll have to detach mentally. Just let whatever happens happen, for my brother’s sake.
After eating dinner in my room—a luxury Dad wouldn’t let me get away with at home—I lie in bed, trying to read, thinking about what I must do. Soon, it’s nighttime. Swallowing the most gigantic ball of nerves I’ve ever felt, I get dressed, wondering if I’ll be able to find Dimitri’s bedroom. Maybe I could ask Yuri?
But it’s late. The house feels asleep.
I leave my bedroom and walk through the house in a bathrobe, covering my lingerie. It’s some of the so-called sexy lingerie I bought last year. I tried it on in the mirror once and completely forgot about it. Walking through the house this late is creepy, the old décor giving the place a horror-movie vibe.
I stop when I hear footsteps behind me. Turning, I see Ania, Dimitri’s and Mikhail’s half-sister. She’s wearing a nightgown that makes her look shapeless.
“Ania?” I whisper.
She stares at me from the end of the hallway, creeping me out even if I know that’s unfair. She takes a step forward into the light. Her eyes are wide open, but she doesn’t look awake. She turns and walks away like a zombie. She must be sleepwalking. I better not wake her, then.
Instead, I follow her, relieved when she heads one floor up and back into her bedroom. I catch a glimpse of it before she closes the door—photos of ballerinas all over the wall. Then I move on, keep searching, fighting off tears, fighting off a sob, trying not to think about what’s about to happen. I keep looking, but it’s impossible to know which room is which. Then, a door opens.
As I turn quickly, my breath catches. It’s Mikhail wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. His body ripples with layers of muscle, his chest large and solid. He’s got his glasses on, making him look like the hottest combination of savage and intellectual.
“Looking for Dimitri’s room?” he says, his dark eyes skimming up and down my body.
I swallow, ignoring his tone. It’s like he’s disgusted and thinks I’m just some Bratva plaything who’ll do anything his brother wants. It doesn’t seem like he’s jealous or anything like that, though, and that makes me wilt a little on the inside.
“Yeah,” I murmur after a pause, even if I don’t want to know.
Mikhail gestures to the end of the hallway. Then he turns away. I glimpse the tattoo on his upper back. It’s a few lines of code, the classic Hello World that so many programmers start with.
“Are you a programmer, too?” I ask.
Mikhail closes the door without giving me an answer. Maybe that’s for the best. Considering what I’m about to do, I shouldn’t be making small talk.
Going to Dimitri’s room, I slowly push the door open, trying to think what a man like him would want in this situation. Should I just slide into bed next to him and start touching him? Maybe I can pretend he’s Mikhail. I can close my eyes and picture his brother instead. I feel sick.
Dimitri isn’t in the bedroom, but I can hear the shower running from the en suite. I go to the door, almost stop myself at the last second, and then knock. Part of me hopes he takes the lead, grabs me, and gets it over. Hopefully, he doesn’t need me to be any specific way: moan, move, or do anything.
I don’t want to do this, but then Dimitri responds.
CHAPTER 4
MIKHAIL
The world is a joke and not a funny one. I pace around the bedroom, my computer completely forgotten, my chest feeling like it’s burning with rage, passion, and a severe sense of ownership. When I heard the floorboards creaking, I opened the door, expecting to find Ania sleepwalking.
But what I saw instead …
Even with the bitter hatred twisting through me, I can’t stop wanting and needing her. She was wearing a bathrobe, the perfect shapeliness of her legs on full display. Was she naked underneath?
When she asked me if I was a programmer, I blanked her. I can’t let myself learn more about her or, worse, flirt with her. I’ll only want her more. I need to get a grip on this. I’m unsure how long I pace, but I can’t sit still. My instincts are telling me to run into Dimitri’s bedroom and pull him away from her. I feel like I’m in physical pain.