Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
After a sigh of pleasure, I opened my eyes to find Var gazing intently at me.
I swiped the water from my eyes as I backed up. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He stepped forward until he had me pinned against the smooth red brick wall that was slick with water. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the forger?”
“What are you going to do now that you know?”
“Answer my question.”
I pushed my chin out as I studied his features, searching for the answer in his eyes. “Answer mine first.”
His jaw clenched. “Do you have any idea how much fucking trouble you’ve caused?”
My body jerked as I tried to move past him to leave the shower.
He slammed his palm against the brick wall, causing me to jump. “You’re not going anywhere until I get answers.”
I wrapped my arms around my middle as a vulnerable chill ran over my spine, despite the heat from the shower. “Can we please talk about this out of the shower?”
His eyes widened. “I’m sorry. Is this not a convenient time to talk about how half the motherfucking organized crime syndicates in the motherfucking world want to know who you are?”
I cringed as he raised his voice.
He paced away and ran a hand through his wet hair. “Fuck!” he screamed as he punched his fist against the wall.
Screaming, I lunged for the open doorway.
He caught me.
Plastering my body against his, he wrapped his hands around my skull as he glared down at me. “Baby, what have you done?”
Everything came to the surface.
All the fear I’d been suppressing. The confusion. The anger.
The lies. The secrets. The manipulations.
I burst into tears.
He crushed me to his chest. With his hand around the back of my head, he held me tight as he rasped, “Don’t cry, krasivaya. I’m going to fix this.”
My hands curled into fists as I rocked within his arms. “It’s not my fault. I didn’t know everything would unravel so quickly. It started with just a few paintings. First, it was just a copy of a favorite painting for a friend for her office. Then someone saw it and asked if I would help them with a problem. Next thing I knew, I was creating frauds to help people who’d been denied their inheritance, or cheated in a divorce, or were about to lose a precious family heirloom to a corrupt bank.”
Once I started, I couldn’t stop.
I swept my wet hair away from my cheek as I forced myself to meet his glare. “I swear. By the time I learned that, some of my paintings were making their way into auctions, and it was too late. Then Abakar contacted me and it was so much money. I convinced myself I wasn’t harming anyone. It wasn’t like they were going to steal the real Mona Lisa! They were stealing a knockoff one in Russia! No one was supposed to get hurt! No one was supposed to get killed!” My voice rose an octave in my agitation as I continued to sob.
He shifted me backwards, pressing me against the wall as his mouth slammed down on mine.
I tried to move my head away, but he gave me no quarter. His tongue pushed past my lips to silence my cries as the weight of his hard body pressed against mine.
“Stop, baby girl. Just stop talking,” he rasped against my cheek.
My shoulders curled in as my body bowed, as if instinctively wanting to curl into the fetal position.
He turned me and held me from behind. “I will fix this,” he repeated.
I shook my head. “I don’t believe you.”
He spun me around again and cupped my cheeks as his brow furrowed. “What?”
I sniffed. “I don’t believe you. You’re no better than the rest of them. You’re all a bunch of murdering criminals.”
“Says the art forger.”
Breaking free from him, I shivered before edging toward one of the wall showerheads, which sprayed my side with comforting warmth. “Yeah. Art. Fucking culture. A piece of canvas and some paint.” I gestured toward him. “You run an infamous gambling den.”
His hand curled into a fist at his side. “I’d be very careful with what you say next, Vivian.”
“Seriously? We met when you burst into Abakar’s office armed to the teeth. If he hadn’t already been dead, you would have killed him. All you’ve done since we’ve met is stalked and bullied me. And you want me to trust you?” Hysteria took hold as I laughed.
He snatched me to him. “You forgot fucked.”
With his arm around my waist, he lifted me off the floor until I was forced to straddle his hips. As he stepped forward, my back collided with the glass shower wall as he pushed his cock inside of me.
My fingernails dug into his shoulders. “Oh, God!”
Var leaned in and sank his teeth into my neck to hold me steady as he thrust so hard the heavy glass rattled. Licking the wound, he rasped in my ear, “You’re right. I’m the last person you should trust.”