Mariya Koslov â the only woman alive with the power to drive me fucking crazy.
Christ, does she drive me crazy.
Iâve spent the past three months defending my turf in Europe from the Albanians, constantly flying between Italy and LA. Belonging to the Priesthood, a brotherhood of sorts, Viktor and I also had to take time to help Gabriel Demir, the head of the Turkish mafia, who took his revenge on the Polish mafia.
Itâs been fucking busy, as always, never having any time to even think about pursuing Mariya. My only saving grace is that most men are too fucking scared of her family to try to date her, and itâs kept her single while I took over the mafia from my father.
Iâve known her all my life, but where Viktor and I became best friends, thereâs always been an invisible line drawn between Mariya and me. The only reason I havenât mentioned an arranged marriage to our families is because I know Uncle Alexei will never agree to one unless Mariyaâs willing. Sheâs a bratva princess, and no one will force her to do something she disapproves of.
As Viktor takes a fighting stance, my thoughts turn to the fucking sexy scene I walked in on earlier when Mariya flipped her father to the ground.
God damn, it was hot. I knew she received training, but I didnât realize she was that good.
Viktorâs foot connects with my thigh, and I only have time to lean backward before his other foot narrowly misses my head.
âStop fucking dreaming and fight,â he taunts me.
I focus on the sparing session, and we start to move. Having done this many times before, neither of us gets a good hit in, and by the time weâre done, weâre soaked in sweat and gasping for air.
Also, thinking about Mariya when Iâm facing off with Viktor is just plain stupid, but damn, the woman is distracting.
She radiates elegance, beauty, and power â royalty in the mafia world. A true princess whoâs worth killing for.
Sheâs one of the reasons Iâm still single at thirty-four. The other is that Iâve been too busy working my ass off to bother dating. But Iâm not getting any younger. Iâll have to figure out a way to erase the line between Mariya and me.
âAre you coming to Mariyaâs birthday party tomorrow night?â Viktor asks.
âOf course.â I wouldnât miss it for the world. Itâs an excuse to be around the woman I consider my future wife.
People see her as a spoiled socialite who has nothing better to do than spending her parentsâ money.
But thereâs more to her than meets the eye.
Mariya loves with all her heart. Sheâd die for her family and friends, and that kind of loyalty is rare in our world.
Sheâs stubborn, but thatâs a turn-on for me. The more she snubs me, the more I want her.
But what I love most about her is that sheâs always direct. The woman doesnât play games, and thatâs so fucking refreshing.
I have to make her love me, which is a problem because Iâve never seen Mariya date. I have no idea what she finds attractive and what she hates.
I canât ask Viktor because heâd probably try to kill me for even thinking romantically about his sister.
If only I knew where her mindâs at, it would help a great deal.
âWeâre going to Vegas this weekend. You want to come? I could use the company while babysitting Mariya and Violet.â
A smile spreads over my face. âSure. The break will do me good.â
We walk out of the gym, and I head to the guestroom I used to change out of my suit.
Grabbing the back of my sweat-soaked shirt, I tug the fabric over my head. Just as I turn the corner, someone slams into my chest. Instinctively my arms come up, and I grab hold of a pair of slender shoulders.
As I look down, Mariyaâs eyes widen as she stares at my chest, one of her hands firmly planted on my abs.
âGood God,â she breathes, then her gaze burns over my skin until she locks eyes with me. Her pupils are dilated, her lips parted.
We stare at each other for a moment until Mariya takes a step back. She shakes her head once, turns around, and hightails it away from me.
Interesting.
The princess liked what she saw.
The corner of my mouth lifts in a smirk as I step into the guestroom so I can shower and change back into my suit.