Page 22 of Claimed By the Pakhan

“Why…?” she gasps, her eyes turning vacant as she wracks her brain, trying to recover memories that are thankfully still lost on her.

“Why would… you… kill?”

“He knew too much.”

“About?”

“You coming here, me dragging you out. Things are tense at the moment. The last thing I need is a concierge reporting me to the police for abusing his wife when I would never do such a thing.”

Fia blinks at me, wrapping her arms across her chest. “I’ll be the judge of that,” she says, taking another step back. “I met my friend. She told me that I’ve been acting strange, ever since I met you. She told me to stay away.”

“You being here in the city alone will get you killed.”

Fia scoffs, her breasts jerking.

I clench my jaw, my cock growing harder. She’s an impossible woman. Everything about her turns me on, her baby bump a reminder that I’m still living inside of her, even when she hates me.

“Put some clothes on,” I say, grinding my jaw.

“I was trying to find the towels.”

“They’re in the bathroom cabinet,” I say, raking a hand through my hair.

Her leaving the bathroom naked is new. Normally, I’m breaking into her hotel room when she’s tossing and turning in bed, trying to get to sleep.

The third time, we ended up fucking. Her screams echo through my ear canals now.“Go harder, Emil, I’m so fucking close.”

Those times seem like a fever dream, like I was living in another lifetime.

Fear expands across Fia’s face as she looks at the dead concierge. Admittingly, it’s not a good look. His eyes are wide open, blood spilling across the floor.

“Put some clothes on so we can get out of here.”

“And you thinkmurdermakes me wanna go back with you?”

I slide my hands into my pockets, stepping closer. “Unfortunately, you don’t get a choice.” How can I give her one when she’s always putting herself in danger? I look deep into her steel gray eyes, feeling a painful scratching under my ribs. “Myenemieswillfind you and kill you. Perhaps even do worse. This is the only way I can protect you.”

“By kidnapping me?”

I look into her eyes for another beat, waiting for the pain to subside so I can think logically and get us out of here in one piece. Luka should be here shortly.

I skim her lower back, lifting her into the bathroom since she’s incapable of doing what I tell her to do.

“My clothes are soaking wet.”

“Fine,” I say, unbuttoning my shirt.

“What… are you doing? Stop.”

“Relax. I’m just giving you my shirt.” I finish unbuttoning it, placing it in her shaking hand.

Her eyes trail across the planes of my chest. She parts her lips, gasping, swallowing the lump in her throat. All the usual symptoms come to surface when she’s looking at me topless for the first time.

She never changes, her cheeks always turning crimson red.

“Put the shirt on,” I command. “Let’s go.”

“N-no. I can’t,” she stutters, still naked. Her breasts jerk each time she takes a sharp inhale, which is now all the time, since I’ve removed my shirt.