Page 80 of Darkest Sin

That’s when he stops and looks up at me. and that’s when I notice that everyone else is watching in horror at Mikhail’s bloodstained knuckles.

We wanted to put on a show and we did.

Chapter Fourteen

Natalya

“Is he dead?” Lucy asks, staring down at the man Mikhail punched until he went unconscious.

Mikhail checks the man’s pulse. “No. But you should take him to the hospital and let him know that he should be grateful that I didn’t kill him for touching my wife. No one touches Natalya except me.”

“Who was he?” I ask. “Who was he to you that he wanted to protect you so much?”

Lucy hesitates then speaks. “He’s my boyfriend. But he also works as a guard here. That’s why he was protective.”

“This is your fault,” Mikhail tells her, nodding at the boyfriend. “You had to throw a hissy fit all because Natalya didn’t want you to command her. Get over yourself, Lucy.”

She gasps. “You are a motherfucker, Mikhail. You just punched my boyfriend for no reason. Get out!”

“You don’t own this place. You don’t own my wife. And your fucking boyfriend needs to learn to keep his fucking hands to himself. Come on, Natalya.” He grabs my arm and practically tugs me out of the room.

“Mikhail, you’re hurting me.”

He instantly lets me go. “I’m sorry. But we have to leave now.”

“Are you going to get in trouble?” I ask as we leave the brownstone and head for his car.

“No. Not when I have the power I do. But it’s never a good idea to cause a scene. You never know who will be watching.”

“Like the police?”

“Or worse. Other Mafia men. You never want them to find any weakness in you.”

We get into his car and are silent on the drive back to our house. When Mikhail reaches his hand out to me, I pull away.

“What was that for?” he asks.

After a moment, I ease back towards him, letting him put his hand on my knee. “You scared me tonight. I’ve never seen you beat a man up before. It was… I don’t even know how to explain it.”

“I will never do anything like that to you. I was protecting you.”

“I know.”

“He grabbed you.” There’s a darkness in Mikhail’s voice that makes me shiver. “I was just doing my duty as a husband.”

“I know, Mikhail. But it doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared. I was scared of what could happen to you if you had gotten in trouble.”

“I told you -,”

“I know. You have a lot of power. But I was also afraid…ofyou tonight. The fact that you’re capable of that…”

His hand tightens on my knee. It doesn’t hurt but it’s a message, telling me he owns me. “I will never hurt you.”

“You spank me all the time.”

“You like it.”

“I do,” I admit. “But the point is: you have the ability to hurt me if you wanted to and I can’t ignore that.”