Page 73 of Hunt Me

She’d also infuriated me with her insolence. I could tell by the look in her eyes she thought me a monster. Yes, I was, but not with a woman. Never with a woman.

My fucking heart thudded in my chest from a raging desire that continued to captivate me. Her punishment had been as cathartic as it was electrifying.

I usually considered myself an attentive lover, acutely aware of a woman’s needs while enjoying providing them much like I had with Bristol on the previous night of passion.

Tonight had been different. Tonight I’d allowed the brutal man inside of me to breach the surface, the hunger so intense thatnothing about sliding my cock into her sweet pussy had been gentle.

I’d wanted to possess every inch of her.

Not just for one night, but for much longer.

Maybe I’d expected her to break.

Instead of whimpering, she’d purred. Was her acquiescence nothing more than another attempt to manipulate me? Her initial distrust and basic hatred of the kind of man she’d heard I truly was had given way to the heated attraction we’d felt since sparring at the reception table. The emotions and strong desire weren’t being faked.

Her defiance remained fascinating, which had kept me from handling her as I would any other person who had information I required.

I’d been furious when I’d found her trying to escape me, her fear of being found something I’d been able to smell from the driver’s seat of my Ferrari. I’d caught her slinking in the darkness to her small car, scanning the parking lot of her apartment complex before tossing a duffle bag inside.

Smart girl.

I’d sensed immediately she’d decided to leave, to take shelter elsewhere. In a way, I’d underestimated her.

I raked my hands through my hair and rolled the tips of two fingers down the long line of her back.

She rolled over, staring at me with her eyes wide open. “Who are you, Mikhail?”

“Evidently you think you know.”

“I need for you to tell me.”

“I’m curious. What was said on the broadcast you heard?” I asked, curious if suddenly every network was trying to frame the family and the corporation for crimes we had nothing to do with. If they were, someone was using them to satisfy a vendetta, which wouldn’t surprise me. We had our share of enemies on the right side of the law as any successful corporation did.

We’d also been used as target practice by those who longed for revenge from the days of old. There were enough syndicate leaders from across the country who’d retired to Las Vegas to fill an entire housing development. Several over the years had made no bones about the fact that they weren’t thrilled that the Dmitriyev family had so much power. A few had made overtures they were considering getting back in the business.

Fewer still had tried to make good on their threats.

They hadn’t fared well.

This blatant and very quick finger pointing sounded orchestrated.

She studied me as if debating whether she should tell me anything. “That you’re Bratva. The reporter alluded to you being mafia, but I sensed that before and no, not because of Lilia. She and I were friends, but we’d agreed not to discuss our family lives.”

“I’m supposed to believe that?”

“It’s something you can easily confirm with your sister. I know that you’re dangerous. I sensed that the moment you walked into the restaurant the night before the wedding. You oozed power. You controlled the room. You can hide behind all youracts of philanthropy and pretense with your glitzy movie stars and sports legends while wearing ten-thousand-dollar suits and driving expensive vehicles, but that won’t change who you are.”

“You give me much more credit than I deserve. However, since you seem to know more about my family than I believed, please do tell me what you think I’m hiding.”

“That you’re a monster who doesn’t mind using exploitive methods to achieve whatever goal you desire.”

Every cell in my body was electrified from the fire burning deep within her. “I do tend to take what I want, Bristol. You’re right about that.” I could tell my limited answer frustrated her.

“Who was the man who was murdered?”

“Someone who worked for me.”

“A security consultant?”