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

“I’m not a fucking teddy bear,” he finally growled.

“Prove it,” Evaline laughed before slapping his ass again.

Moving forward quickly, I grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her away. “Okay, that’s it. Too much touching now.”

Alessio cleared his throat. “We’re out,” he announced before dragging Ayla out of the office.

What a fiasco.

But I couldn’t help but smile. This was what I missed.

Being a family.

Isaak and Lyov quietly left too. Everyone walked out, one by one, until only Nikolay and I were left behind.

“Are you going to be okay?” He finally broke the silence after minutes of us not speaking a single word.

“You mean, if I will come back alive again?” I questioned.

“Will you?”

“I’ll try.”

“Good. The family needs you. I hope all of this ends quickly and you can come back home—where everyone is waiting for you.”

With those as his final whispered words, he walked out. I was left alone in the office, with only my thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Time to play.

They might have had the King, but the Ace was in our hands now.

Chapter 11

Evaline

The lights were off, the estate now dark as everyone went to their rooms. I could hear a few doors closing and then silence. I laid in my bed, my heart thumping wildly for some reason.

Wait, actually, I knew the reason.

I was only two doors away from Nikolay.

My heart thumped harder at the thought, just like always whenever I thought of him. When my eyes would find his, it still felt like the first time I had gazed into his face. The same bolt of electricity, the same shiver…every time felt like the first.

Every look felt like the first look.

And every touch was just as good as the first, if not better.

The same emotion clawed at my throat, wanting to be let out. My heart wanted me to feel and let go. He was only two doors away. I could go to him. Maybe he was waiting for me.

Or maybe not.

Seven years ago, he would have been waiting for me. His doors unlocked, his naked body half covered by the bedsheet, as he waited for me to silently come into his room. And then we would make love in the darkness of the night until next morning.

Just wrapped in each other’s arms, cocooned in each other’s love. Just us.

And now, he avoided my eyes every time he could. He kept himself hidden in shadows, so that nobody could touch him, see him, hold him.

One moment we had everything and the next, we lost it all.

Thump thump.

My heart continued to beat for him.

Thump thump.

My breathing accelerated with the possibilities. Would he push me away again?

He used me whenever and however he wanted. Nikolay would always come to me during his darkest moments. He would take me, use me, and then disappear into the shadows again, leaving me empty in the midst of my broken love for him.

Until the next time he lost control.

Thump thump.

I needed him tonight. Maybe I could use him this time—an excuse to hold him while I could. I wanted to give him the love he needed but was trying so hard to fight.

Thump thump.

I pressed my hand over my chest before taking a deep breath. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, my decision was made.

Without a second thought, I jumped out of bed. Get your inner badass bitch out and go claim your man.

My feet were light against the wooden floor as I walked out of my bedroom and made my way to his.

One step ahead. Another step forward. And repeat, until I was standing outside Nikolay’s room.

Thump thump.

My palms felt sweaty, and I licked my lips nervously. Wait, why the fuck was I nervous?

Shaking my head, I scowled at his door. It wasn’t like this was our first time. Hell no, we had been doing this for a long time now.

Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t see him for months—five months to be exact. The last time I had seen him, he had fucked me in my bed and left without a word. Just like always.

Our once beautiful love story was now tainted. No longer a love story. Just broken moments between us. Shattered hearts that left both of us drowning in the fucked-up mess of love.

But tonight…it was going to be different.

“Well, I fucking hope it is,” I muttered to myself, still scowling at his door. “God, woman. Get yourself together and stop acting like a fifteen-year-old virgin.”

I patted my hair down and bit on my lips, trying to give it a more reddish color and look plump. “Time for mission impossible, babe.”

But my words were drowned by a sudden, muffled scream.

My eyes widened, and I took a step forward, almost plastering my body against the door. There was another scream, it sounded almost tortured. And so broken.