CATALINA
I swipedmy hands nervously on the short dress.
It was much shorter than I’d thought it would be, and I wondered what Nikolay’s reaction would be, seeing me in it.
I was surprised he’d even bought it in the first place since I didn’t remember picking it out when he took me shopping that one time.
I opened the door to the room and slowly walked out of there. I could hear noises from downstairs, and I headed toward the staircase. I paused when I saw my men standing in the middle of the huge foyer, talking about something with Gabriel.
For the first time since I’d woken up from my injury, they actually seemed relaxed, even Mikhail.
I hadn’t noticed how tense he was in the brief time I’d seen him when I woke up until now. He listened to something Nikolay was saying, his blue eyes smiling.
My breath caught, staring at all of them.
I didn’t want to go downstairs. Didn’t want to intrude on their peace, which might happen when Nikolay finally got a good look at me and become that bomb I had accused him of being.
Something told me I didn’t want to be there when that happened. He might just lock me up in the room for the rest of the night.
Damien saw me first.
My hands tightened around the small gold chain of the black clutch I had brought with me. The small purse contained lipstick, a compact mirror, and a small notebook and pen. I didn’t think I would need the notebook since I had my men, but it was just in case.
I swallowed as Damien’s eyes ate me up, even from a distance between us.
I was beginning to realize Damien always noticed everything that went on around him. He turned his head and looked up at me, his dark eyes heated with hunger as he made a slow perusal up and down my body.
He licked his lips, and I felt myself flushing.
Damien, as always, was in a black suit, with a pressed white shirt underneath and a black tie. He looked both dangerous and incredibly handsome. The suit molded his mammoth frame well, showcasing defined muscles, broad shoulders, and the flat stomach that I knew from personal experience held an eight-pack.
Mikhail was the next man to notice me, and his blue eyes, though light, took on a darker note as he took me in. Even from where I stood, I could tell he was fighting the need to come to me and place me on his shoulder to carry me out of there.
I shook my head, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk.
Nikolay and Gabriel noticed me at the same time, and I only realized Nikolay had seen me because he let out a loud curse.
“Fuck, no. Go change, princess.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared down at him.
He took a step forward. “I’m not playing. Go. Change.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and did the one thing anyone in my situation would do. I ran down the stairs and straight into Mikhail’s waiting arms. Nikolay tried to grab me as I passed, but I knew it was coming and easily ducked out of his way.
Damien laughed as he looked at me hiding. I buried my face in Mikhail’s chest.
“She looks fine, Nico. Let it go,” Damien said.
“Of course, she looks fucking fine. She looks too fine if you ask me. Princess, you are going to get some motherfuckers killed tonight.”
I shook my head. I had confidence in his self-control.
I grabbed Mikhail’s shirt, and he tightened his arms around me. “Nikolay, you’re upsetting her. Come on, man. Look at her. With three men crowding her tonight, do you really think someone would be stupid enough to approach her?”
“They won’t approach, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look.”
“Let them look,” Mikhail said causally. “They just won’t touch.”