Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
He stops next to the other two men, and it’s only then I realize they’re his friends from the nightclub.
They all have similar expressions on their faces – as if they’re looking at the enemy and plan on killing us. Then I see the matching tattoos on the back of their hands, and now knowing it means they’re all bratva, my stomach sinks.
No. My prince belongs to the bratva?
My mind refuses to accept the reality bearing down on me like a ten-ton hammer.
Emotionless blue eyes sweep over my body, from head to toe, then disgust forms hard lines on his face.
“I see you survived. Such a fucking shame,” he says, his tone harsh, like jagged shards of glass cutting through my heart. “Here I was hoping you died.”
No.
My lips part, and in total shock, no words escape.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “Next time I get the chance, I won’t make the same mistake. I will kill you, D’Angelo.”
Abbie grabs my arm and forcefully pulls me away. My eyes stay glued to him as long as possible.
He’s bratva?
No, not my prince.
Abbie drags me back to the castle but stops in front of a guard standing by the entrance. “Who are those men out there? The three staring this way.”
“They’re bratva and mafia enforcers, Miss Sartoni. From left to right, it’s Misha Petrov, Armani De Santis, and Alek Aslanhov,” the guard answers in a professional tone.
Misha Petrov.
The day I finally learn his name, I also have to find out he’s bratva.
And it’s clear he despises me.
The man who kissed me so tenderly hates me.
The man who saved my life now wants me dead.
I’ve built every fantasy around him, dreaming of the day we’d meet again, and like a house of cards, it all comes crashing down around me.
The realization hits so hard I wrap an arm around my middle, and pulling my other hand free from Abbie’s hold, I rush into the castle.
“Aurora!”
With Abbie right behind me, I run down the hallway and up the stairs, then down another hallway until I reach my room. I dig the keycard out of my bra and have to swipe twice before I get the door to open.
Abbie follows me into my suite, and slamming the door shut, she rushes over to where I’m standing in front of the window.
Try as I might, I can’t stop my eyes from lowering to the patch of grass where Misha is standing with his friends. The other three men they were fighting are nowhere in sight, it’s just the three bratva and mafia enforcers.
Misha.
Even his name is gorgeous. It fits him.
Greedily, my eyes drink in the sight of him. The past two years have been kind to him. He’s taller and more muscled than I remember. Some of his boyish features have disappeared, and in their place is a hardened man.
In some ways, he doesn’t look familiar at all.
“Don’t listen to them,” Abbie says.
She doesn’t know everything.
She doesn’t know about the dreams I weaved around him.
Fighting the urge to weep, I close my eyes and admit, “He was my first kiss.”
I hear her inhale sharply, then her arm wraps around my lower back. “I didn’t know.”
Slowly I shake my head as all the wonderful memories turn to ash. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. He just seemed so special I didn’t want to share him with anyone.”
My chin starts to quiver as the blow hits. For two years, I fantasized about Misha finding me and sweeping me off my feet. My dreams became a living force, brightening every day and carrying me off to sleep at night.
I dreamed about giving him my virginity.
I would’ve given him everything I have.
Now it’s all… gone.
Every dream is tainted.
Abbie stares at me, then compassion fills her face. “You fell for him?”
“So hard.” I whimper, and my tears threaten to fall. “He’s all I thought about since that night.”
My best friend pulls me into a tight hug and presses a kiss on my cheek. “I’m sorry, Ra-Ra.”
Hearing her call me by the nickname she gave me when we were kids has the tears spilling down my cheeks. I lose the fight and sob in her arms, an unbearable ache crushing my heart.
Abbie holds me tighter while brushing a hand over my hair. “I’m so sorry, Ra-Ra. Shhh. I love you.”
It takes minutes before I can regain control over my emotions and stop crying.
Abbie pulls back and locks eyes with me. “He’s an asshole.”
I shake my head. “He was perfect.” I close my eyes again. “I can’t believe he’s bratva.”
Abbie stares at me for a while, then her gaze narrows. “So what if he’s bratva?”
A frown forms on my forehead. “What do you mean?”
“Fuck this war and what people think.” She shrugs carelessly. “If you care about him, and he cares about you, then go for it.”