The Arrangement

Kaia’s shivers were palpable under my touch.

Unable to resist her, I brushed my lips against her neck, right above the bruise I’d left earlier, savoring the salty taste of her skin.

Niko had left my office earlier, leaving me with a lot to ponder. The cunning glint in his eyes told me he already knew what my decision would be. He reminded me of the vacant seat at the High Table, once occupied by Rostov.

A power struggle was underway to claim that seat. As the pakhan, the final decision rested with me. But I had bigger fish to fry than pleasing the High Table, where my father’s allies still held sway.

They were all eagerly waiting for my replacement so they could resume their usual business of human trafficking and drug smuggling. I wouldn’t put it past those scoundrels to use Kaia or her sister to claim Akim’s seat and secure a vote.

This made her a potential target. Unless they all knew she was under my protection.

In an ideal world, marrying her off to one of my allies would ensure I got the vote I wanted at the High Table. But it also meant she would belong to someone else.

The mere thought of it was ~repugnant~ to me. It made me want to hurl the hypothetical man off this cliff and watch him vanish into the churning waves below.

“Aleksandr, we already had a deal.”

Kaia’s soft voice pulled me back to reality. I looked at her, fully aware that the next few moments would change our lives forever.

As I turned her toward me, I could see the fear in her eyes now that her secret was out.

“If anyone else discovers your true identity. Or your sister’s. You both will become targets, kotik,” I warned her, watching her eyes widen in shock.

“You haven’t found anything about the attack because I had Andrey erase all traces. There’s a war for your father’s seat, and marrying you or your sister would give that person the right to claim it. I can’t let that happen.”

She looked petrified, my words draining all color from her face. Then she pushed against my chest, forcing me to step back. I complied, albeit reluctantly.

“I’m never getting married, Aleksandr!” she declared, pacing back and forth in agitation.

“And if anyone forces Irina, I will kill them.”

I had to suppress a smile. My little kitten’s claws came out when her loved ones were threatened.

She stopped pacing and stared at me.

“Oh God, what if someone already did?”

I shook my head.

“If someone claimed your sister, I would have already heard about it,” I reassured her.

Kaia sighed in relief.

“Andrey must have found something by now,” she muttered, scowling.

“He’s the best, isn’t he?”

I slipped my hands into my pockets, admiring the fire in her eyes.

“He says he’ll have something for me by tonight.”

Kaia pulled my jacket tighter around her and eyed me warily.

“So, what do you want?”

I met her gaze. The electric tension that always seemed to exist between us hung in the air like a fine mist.

“You already know what I want, kotik,” I murmured.

For a moment, she looked confused, then realization dawned on her. Her fingers slipped from my jacket, falling limply to her sides.

~”No.”~

Her whispered denial made the beast within me roar, making my voice come out stronger than I intended.

“You don’t have a choice.”

She flung my jacket off her shoulders as if it was unbearable against her skin, and in two strides, she was poking her finger into my chest, her eyes blazing with fury.

“I’m not ~marrying~ ~you~, Aleksandr!”

I grabbed her wrist, pulling her arm down to her side.

“Yes. You. Are.”

She tried to slap me, but I was ready for it. I caught her other wrist, using her momentum to pull her against me. I could feel the softness of her breasts against my chest and her body trembling with rage.

The air between us crackled with heat.

“You don’t even want to get married again!” she yelled in my face.

I clenched my jaw, barely keeping my temper in check.

“Irrelevant.”

Her struggles only seemed to fuel my anger.

“Just business, Kaia,” I said, my voice devoid of warmth. “A business arrangement, nothing more.”

She gasped, her struggles subsiding enough for me to release her.

“Business?” she echoed, her tone making the word sound filthy. “Is that all I am to you?”

Her eyes welled up with tears when I didn’t answer. Her head shook slowly as if my words had physically wounded her.

“You’ve been using me,” she accused, her voice rough. “~Playing~ with me.”

I gestured vaguely toward the house.

“I just found out who—”

She cut me off, her fists clenched as if she was ready to hit me again.

“I don’t believe you, Aleksandr!” she choked out, a sob catching in her throat. “I won’t believe anything you say. Not anymore.”

I moved toward her, halting when she took a step back.

“Do you think I’ve been lying to you?”

She angrily wiped away her tears.

“What else am I supposed to think?” she shot back. “Why else would you show me off to your friends? Your business partners? You wanted everyone to know I was yours, didn’t you? You wanted to stake your claim before anyone else could!”

Her words made me stiffen.

Was that why I did it?

Did I really want everyone to know she was mine?

~Fuck yes~.

“See? You can’t deny it, can you?” she taunted. Her tears had dried up, but I didn’t like the look in her eyes. It was as if she couldn’t stand the sight of me.

I kept my voice steady as I responded.

“When we’re married, you’ll have access to all the information you want.”

She turned back toward the cliffs, but this time, she looked like she might actually jump.

“I don’t want you to touch me again, Aleksandr,” she said, her voice so soft it was almost lost in the wind that whipped her hair around her face.

I moved to stand beside her, watching as she tensed up. I could see her nipples harden against the soft fabric of her sweater, and I knew it wasn’t because of the cold.

“We both know that will ~never~ happen, kotik,” I said, my voice dripping with temptation.

I doubted there would ever come a time when I didn’t crave her touch, or when I couldn’t make her burn for mine.

“You’re stealing my happiness, Aleksandr,” she said, her words hitting me like a bullet to the heart.

“I’ll make you happy,” I promised.

She scoffed, making me bristle.

“You won’t even kiss me,” she muttered.

She turned to face me, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a calmness about her, as if she had accepted her fate.

“I’ll agree to be married to you for one year, Aleksandr,” she said.

I started to protest, but she held up a finger and, for the first time, I was silenced.

“In that year, I’ll be whoever you need me to be. In exchange, you’ll give me access to anything I need. Then you’ll let me go.”

I didn’t hesitate. Her terms were unacceptable.

“No deal.”

“You,” she said, pointing an accusing finger at me, “don’t. Have. A. Choice.”

That was the last straw.

My fingers closed around her throat, and I felt a grim satisfaction as I saw fear widen her eyes when I pulled her face close to mine.

“You think you can tell me what to do, kotik?” I growled.

I felt her swallow.

“If you don’t want to be looking over your shoulder every time I’m in the room, then yes. I think I can.”

My grip tightened, and I leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“Fight me in bed all you want, little kitten,” I purred. “But if you come for me, you won’t like the consequences.”

I released her abruptly, not bothering to help her when she stumbled back. She recovered quickly, lifting her chin.

“Do we have a deal, Aleksandr?”

God, that mouth. It was going to be mine. ~She~ was going to be mine.

“I’ll have the contract drawn up.”

With that, I turned on my heel and stalked back toward the house, my mood even darker than when I’d left.