The Mafia and His Obsession: Part 1 (Tainted Hearts 4)

I gasped, my lips parting and touching my own hand. I felt his lips move against my palm, placing the smallest kiss there.

For a brief moment, I wondered what if his lips were on mine—what it would feel like.

But just as sudden as the thought was, I quickly pushed it away.

I knew Viktor saw the indecisiveness in me. His hold on my hand grew tighter, and he pulled me forward until I was tumbling into his lap.

My head twirled—he was everywhere and everything. He was everything I could feel. And he was making me want it—want him.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and then let go. I released him and pulled away. Viktor let go too, his arms falling to the bed—empty and no longer holding me.

I took the notepad and furiously started writing. The tears blurred my vision, but I spoke only the truth—my truth.

The truth that could end us.

This is wrong. I am married.

Chapter 25

Viktor

The truth stared right at me, glaring. I fought against the urge to scrunch the paper up and throw it away. And then I wanted to shake some sense into Valerie.

This is wrong. I am married.

I mentally laughed. Married? Fuck no. She was married by name, but it fucking meant nothing.

Valentin only wanted to corrupt her innocence—mold her into something she wasn’t.

I had been way past raging when I walked into Valerie’s room. In her presence, little by little—I felt myself warming up again.

But now, I remembered everything Valentin said.

He had stumbled into the library, holding a bottle of rum in his hand. It was probably his second or third bottle, because he was drunk enough to fall flat on his ugly face.

His drunken words—it snapped something in me. For a moment, I had almost forgotten that I was supposed to be Konstantin.

Tightest pussy ever.

You gotta try it sometime.

Best lay I ever had.

Made her bleed. Sweetest fucking thing.

Maybe I’ll fuck her ass tomorrow.

Collared the little bitch. Made her my whore.

He told me in detail how he broke her and how he intended to break her more.

I sat there—listening, raging, and wishing I could give him the worst death.

If he thought hell would be his final destination, his final death—then he needed to rethink, because by the time I was done with him, hell would be his heaven.

He was going to beg me to send him there—but I wouldn’t.

The marks he left on Valerie, he needed to feel those marks ten times worse.

I knew my silent myshka would be hurting—my heart clenching and my chest hurting at the mere thought.

When Valentin fell into his drunken slumber, I couldn’t wait anymore.

And now—I just wanted to hold her.

I glanced at her written words again and up at her face. Her hazel eyes, they were filled with so much sadness. As if saying the words had broken something in her.

It might have been the truth—but we could turn this wrong into something right.

Only if she was willing.

“Do you want me to leave?” I asked, hoping and wishing she would say no.

Valerie looked down at the paper again, and I saw her tear fall. A single drop, wetting the paper, right over the word “wrong.”

She looked up, another tear trailing down her cheek. Her tears were my undoing. They had the power to break me.

Valerie didn’t answer. She bit on her lips and looked down again, her fists clenching around her notepad.

I knew she didn’t want me to go—but I needed her to make a choice.

Standing up, I gave her a final glance and turned around—walking away.

I was crossing the middle of the room when I heard rustling and then feet padding quickly across the room. I swiveled around, just in time to catch Valerie in my arms.

She wrapped her arms around my waist, holding on tight. I blinked in shock, my body frozen in place. I could only hold her in my embrace.

It was almost in slow motion as she went on her tip-toes, moving closer until our lips were inches apart.

And then she closed the little distance between our lips.

She kissed me. Slowly and softly. So gently. A chaste kiss, just our lips touching, meeting, and making slow, sweet love.

It wasn’t a kiss I was accustomed to. I had never had someone kiss me like this.

My lips didn’t move against hers, too shocked to respond. Valerie shyly pulled back, her cheeks red, beautifully blushing. She stared up at me through her thick eyelashes, biting on her pink full lips.

Her chest heaved, her lips parting as she took in deep, harsh breaths. Her arms grew tight around my waist, and then she was letting go.

I let her.

Valerie took a step back, her hand coming up to her lips. She appeared surprised too at her action.

She took another step back. When the distance grew between us, my arm lashed forward, gripping her wrist and stopping her retreat.