Page 65 of His Darkest Obsession

“Oh yes, of course.” He waves his hand lazily, the motion practically the same way like mother’s whenever she wants to dismiss an opinion. “But surely I’m allowed to express my appreciation for beautiful things.”

“No.” My fist balls in annoyance. “You’re not.”

But Vassily still doesn’t seem to catch the hint.

The baby of the family, Vassily grew up with the unfortunate combination of being too young to be subjected to father’s harsh methods and not young enough to avoid being coddled by mother’s smothering instincts.

The result?

A man-child who doesn’t understand decorum, who enjoys spending far too much time with the Volkovs—especially myformerfiancée Lola’s idiotic brother Grisha—and who doesn’t know when to keep his cock in his pants or his big mouth shut.

Both of which has gotten him in more trouble than he should, and I’ve had to save his ass more times than he deserves.

And every time I tried to teach him some fucking manners afterwards, he goes crying to mother, and the whole fucking cycles just repeats.

Right now, he’s getting dangerously close to the line where I want to beat seven shades of shit out of him.

I saw the way he ogled Indigo like she’s a menu item. His stare—as subtle as an elephant—lingered on every inch of exposed skin. It’s a look that I’ve seen him give countless women, but seeing it directed at Indigo makes my blood boil.

Even if she isn’t my wife.

“You know,” he continues in his oily voice. “I knew that you alwaysenjoyedpissing mother off with your antics, Tolya, but this is something else.”

“Vasya…” Now it’s Roma’s turn to warn him.

And for good measures, Roma puts a hand on my shoulder, as if this will somehow calm me instead of pouring gas on the fire already threatening to burn me the fuck down.

But still, my idiot little brother can’t take a fucking hint.

“Grisha and I wanted to throw you a bachelor party to remember, where you could’ve had ten girls that looks just like her.” He jerks his thumb at the door. “At once if you wanted. And unlike her, they aren’t shy about showing some skin.”

“Vasya, shut the fuck up.” Roma manages to get the words out before me.

“Oh come on, Romochka, I’m just having a little fun. And I’m sure all of you agree that Tolya’s married a sweet piece of ass.”

As out of line as he is, Vassily isn’t entirely wrong.

Indigo did have one sweet ass. In fact, it was the first thing I noticed when I walked into that barbershop, ready to kill. And she looked fuckinggoodwhen I first saw her appear atop the stairwell. The dress she tore apart and put together was done specifically to get a rise out of me. It certainly fucking worked.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to lethimslobber at what belongs to me.

Nor does that mean I’m letting him disrespect her to my fucking face.

Especially not when it’s my fucking ring on her fucking finger.

If I allowed that to happen, then pretty soon, word will start spreading that the Pakhan of the Baryshev Bratva is getting soft. That he can’t even control his own family.

And once that happens, shit starts going south real fucking fast.

“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” Vassily continues, still oblivious to just how pissed off I am and how much danger he’s in.

Or maybe he knows, and he’s just fishing for a reaction. To see how much I actually give a shit about Indigo.

And of course, like a good little boy, he’s going to take that information right to mother after this.

Everything’s a goddamn game when it comes to this fucking family, and there are days when I wish that bloodisn’tthicker than water so that I can put two bullets in Vassily’s head and be done with his dumb antics.

He grins at Roma. “I bet you a hundred grand that mother’s probably asking thatshlyukhahow many times she’s spread her legs for Tolya.”