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

He nodded toward the drawer where I kept his—and now my—pen and the notepad. Reaching inside the indicated drawer, I took them out and placed them on my lap. My pen whispered over the paper quickly as I wrote down my questions.

What are you doing here?

I showed him the paper, and then he shrugged nonchalantly. Viktor didn’t reply. Instead his eyes moved to the tray of food. He looked back at me expectantly. I knew that look.

It was a command without words.

I am not very hungry.

He refused to acknowledge the words written on the paper. Instead, his lips flattened in a straight line. Viktor gave me a hard look and uttered a single word. “Eat.”

His arms were crossed over his chest as he waited for me to do as he demanded.

I sighed in response, knowing it was pointless to argue. I wouldn’t win this fight. But strangely, instead of feeling weak and helpless, my heart fluttered in a weird way.

Did he care that I had enough to eat, that my belly was full and I was healthy?

Valentin usually didn’t care if I had food or not. He never checked up on me. If I starved or not…

I picked up the freshly baked croissant. I ignored the scrambled eggs, bacon, and bowl of fruits while taking a small bite into my croissant. Chocolate. The flavor hit me hard, and I closed my eyes. I loved chocolate. It was melted into the croissant, sweet and savory.

I took another quick bite and chewed enthusiastically. This was my favorite.

But my chewing paused and my whole body stilled when the bed moved. That heavy presence of Viktor was now much closer, really close. His warmth spread over my skin, sinking into my pores and making me breathe harder. I tingled, and my stomach danced and fluttered.

I opened my eyes and turned to face him. He sat beside me, close but not touching. My lips were suddenly dry. I moistened them with my tongue and Viktor’s eyes followed the movement.

He brought his hand up, and the urge to shrink away hit me hard. His dark gaze stopped me. The intensity had me trapped. His thumb brushed against the corner of my lips. “You had a little bit of chocolate there,” he said in explanation before pulling his hand away.

I nodded silently.

“Eat,” he pushed again.

I finished my croissant in a few bites. He never took his eyes off me, watching me eat, taking each bite, with rapt attention. I forced myself not to fidget, but it was so hard. My eyes fell on my lap as I finished my eggs too. I took a long breath, trying to settle my wild thumping heart. I exhaled, and I felt him inhale. We were a symphony, a dancing tune and a matching rhythm.

He watched me as I ate each bite slowly. Maybe I worried that he would leave after I finished eating. I dragged our moments, and we sat there in silence, drowning in each other.

I felt a tug on my head and noticed that Viktor had a lock of my blonde hair wrapped around his index finger. He gave it a slight tug again, bringing my attention back to him. So demanding.

Looking up, I focused on his face. He smiled, satisfied that my eyes were on him again.

My lips twitched, a small smile threatening to make its appearance. He had that effect on me.

“You have beautiful hair,” he finally said. Crimson heat rose up my neck and my face. The corner of his lips tilted up when he noticed my redness. “My fingers have been itching to touch, feel it. So silky and so smooth.”

Bringing the lock of hair to his nose, he inhaled my scent. And then he smiled. “It reminds me of sunshine.”

I was completely ensnared by Viktor.

Still holding my hair in his hand, he nodded toward my tray again. “Finish your breakfast.”

I did as I was told. I didn’t have the strength to argue, and honestly, I didn’t want to say no.

Taking a few slow bites of my bacon, I watched Viktor from the corner of my eyes as he continued to play with my hair.

He tugged, and I brought my eyes to his lips again, knowing it was his indication that he wanted to speak.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

My breath froze, and my heart stuttered. Flashes of last night appeared in front of me. Viktor touching me…kissing me…caressing me between my legs.

Oh God.

I was even redder now, blushing, and just a complete shy mess.

He smirked as if he could read my thoughts, but I knew that was impossible.

It was an innocent question, yet…it was everything but innocent in my head. I licked my lips again and then gave him a sharp, quick nod.

His chest moved as he chuckled. “I didn’t sleep that well. I was rather…frustrated,” he offered.