Page 56 of Betrothed
“I’m merely trying to offer what you crave.” It was impossible to resist a creature of such beauty, yet when I lifted my arm, seeing her flinch was merely another much harsher reminder that I wasn’t merely a man yearning for a beautiful woman. I was something much more dangerous, including to her.
“What we shared was a mistake.”
“Come now. Why do you feel the need to lie to yourself?”
She tried to push me away, only succeeding in cinching her fist around the same shirt she was wearing. I could tell how much that bothered her. “I’m not lying. I can’t stand you.”
“Your scent and how hard your nipples have become have already betrayed you. Again.”
Another moment of disgust swept through her and she finally took a long stride away, determined to break the connection. “Don’t flatter yourself, Kirill. I was merely scratching an inch.”
As she walked away and toward the house, I remained where I was. Deep breathing. Intense thoughts.
Even more irrational needs.
All about her.
My mysterious and likely dangerous guest.
CHAPTER 13
Vivian
A prisoner.
It was much more evident how I ranked in his world when I’d been driven out of the city, passing by all the places I’d frequented, more that I’d always wanted to go to.
Quaint bookstores where books were crammed into every nook and cranny, true gems found if you searched long and hard enough.
Art galleries where the finest artists displayed their talent under soft lighting while flutes of champagne were offered to potential clients.
High fashion designer stores where this year’s Paris fashion week was displayed as a temptation for women with no financial means of obtaining such beauty. Restaurants that were struggling to find their place in a city filled with at least two eateries a block.
Kinky clubs where I could indulge in the obvious darkness existing in my core.
I’d never found the time.
Always working.
Dedicated, I’d been called.
Hard working, my supervisor had written on my last review.
An incredible inspiration to the medical field. The moment a professor who I’d thought hated me had made the statement in front of the other students, I’d been floored for the first time in my life.
While Emily was a good friend and worked the same crazy hours, even she’d called me one sided, incapable of enjoying myself for a single night let alone my life.
If only any of them or the others around me had any idea why I kept my nose to the grindstone. Fear of the alternative. For whatever reason, my chosen profession was treated with reverence in my family, allowing me to bypass some of the usual atrocities normally required given the family I’d grown up in.
I’d made certain in every aspect of my education and subsequent work history never to provide even a single reason to be stripped of everything that made my life worth living.
In my mind, I’d succeeded. With my sister’s marriage, I’d breathed a sigh of relief that she’d been the one to carry out the family tradition, fulfilling her daughterly duties.
I’d feel guilty as hell had I not seen how much in love she’d become. She was one of the lucky ones. Then again, for the uglythoughts I’d had when being told of her engagement, I should feel terrible. The fact I still didn’t was a telling flaw in my DNA.
I was exactly like everyone else in my family.
Selfish.
