He pulled me close and placed a tender kiss to my forehead before saying, “I agreed to rejoin the family business.”
He what?
A wave of nausea made my knees buckle. It was as if he had punched me in the stomach. I was so shocked that it took me a moment to even name the emotion I was feeling. But soon enough I had it: betrayal, complete and total betrayal.
I pushed my way out of his embrace and lifted my furious gaze to him, feeling as if I had traded one criminal brother for another. Theirs was a terrible, dangerous, ruthless business, and I knew it was no life for me. Not now and not ever. Not with Petre and not with Vasile either.
I felt so blindsided and upended that I hardly knew what to say or how to say it. And so instead of trying to explain this wave of hurt and upset, I planted my hands on Vasile’s broad chest, pushed him away from me, and did what every animal would do when they felt trapped, scared, and in danger:
I ran.
* * *
He pursued me through the forbidding winter gardens, close on my heels. I took a quick left and made a break for the untamed forests beyond, but he caught up to me, tackling me and pinning me face-down against a snow drift.
The frigid ground stung my cheeks. As I clawed to get away, a layer of thawed and then refrozen snow dug painfully into my hands.
“I will not be a part of this,” I half-sobbed into the snow, thrusting my elbow into his stomach.
He groaned and released me just enough for me to get to my feet again. I was so close to being away from all this—all this fear, all this love, all this not being in control.
I wasn’t ready for any of this.
I hadn’t asked for it and I didn’t want it.
And I was right there, on the brink of getting away—the deer about to get free from a wolf—but Vasile was too big and too strong, and in a single moment he had his huge arms around me, lifting me off the ground so that my feet had nowhere to go.
Once again, the world began to close in—I could feel myself beginning to faint.
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
I sucked in big breath as Vasile’s huge arms gripped me tight. Fighting him with both hands and both feet, I did everything I could to make him let go so I’d fall to the ground and hopefully maintain my tenuous grip on consciousness.
“Please, please, please,” I sobbed. “Stop. Please just leave me alone!”
“Fuck almighty. Stop fighting me, Valeria. I saw you faint once. You don’t have to fucking demonstrate it again.” He planted his knees in the snow, lowering me to the ground, planting one hand on either side of my shoulders and staring down at me.
Fighting back tears, trying my best to quell this wave of panic, of terror, of hope, of so much uncertainty, I clapped one hand over my mouth to stop myself from sobbing.
I hated this feeling, this whirlwind of emotions, and I was desperate to pull myself together. But it was no use. The emotions were coming and there was no way to stop them. He searched my face with concern when he saw a trickle of tears spill down my cheeks.
Vasile eased down onto me, letting my hips take some but not all of his massive weight. He brushed aside my tears. Though he was being tender, he still looked furious. And who could blame him? It had become nearly a daily occurrence that I either tried to bolt or fight him tooth and nail.
Still, I wouldn’t apologize for it. He’d have done the same if our roles were reversed, I was certain of it. I never apologized to an opponent in fencing and I wouldn’t do it with him.
He slipped one of his hands behind my head, keeping it off the snowy ground, and pulled me in for a kiss that felt desperate and greedy. But I was still so angry and upside down that even that was unwelcome, and I tried to shove him off me, keeping my lips tight and my cheek turned.
“Leave me alone!” I growled, clawing at him and kicking hard to get him away from me. “How dare you think you could just kiss me and everything is forgiven.”
He recoiled from my wild lunges and squirms just enough for me to open up my hand and wallop him with a ferocious smack on his cheek.
The crack of my palm against his face rang out through the still forest air. The sting of the slap shocked me as much as it shocked him and he stared at me with a look in his eye that absolutely petrified me.
So much anger, so much fury. So much need and love and hate.
I saw something break loose inside him, like a beast being uncaged. With both hands he tried to yank down my britches and I fought him even harder, well aware of his powerful erection pushing into me though his pants. I could see in his eyes what he was thinking—I was his, and he was going to take me. By force if that was what it took.
“Nooooo!” I screamed, gritting my teeth but he met my scream with a grunt, his hands working me toward naked and my flesh burned at the swirl of emotions.
I froze, stuck between yes and no. Between wanting and fearing. The idea of him doing that, of him taking me against my will… it was almost too forbidden a thought to let my mind glide over. And yet, and yet…
He hovered over me like an animal about to go in for the kill. My bare ass pressed against the snow. He was one tug away from my pants being completely off.
“Don’t
