Page 33 of Konstantin (Marinov Bratva #1)

His hand closes around my throat, my pleasure enhancing the tighter he squeezes. My cry echoes through the room, body trembling, nerves on fire. Every part of me his.

With a guttural grunt, he explodes inside me, driving into me with a vicious, relentless force, giving me every inch of himself. It’s raw, feral, and I can’t get enough.

As the storm inside us slowly fades, his breathing is heavy and erratic as he lowers me just enough, his forehead pressing into mine. “S toboy ya zabyvayu, kto ya takoy.”

The sound of his tortured words hangs in the air between us, making my heart stutter with curiosity and a strange ache.

“What does that mean?” I ask in a barely there whisper.

He pauses, his hands tightening around my hips like he’s afraid I’ll slip away. “That with you, I forget who I am, Tessa. And I’ve never been one to forget.”

His words hit harder than I expected. My stomach flips, a wave of vulnerability crashing through me.

In this moment, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’m in deeper than I ever thought possible. And there’s no turning back from whatever we’ve become.

Hours later, I’m finally done shopping and that sales associate who had goo-goo eyes for my husband suddenly can’t even look at me.

Might have been the five orgasms she had to listen to before we finally made our appearance. Poor thing.

My lips wind up as I grin at her. “Thanks for all your help…” I gl ance down at her name tag. “Gwen.”

“Of course.” She can barely get the words out. “Have a good day, Mrs. Marinova. Mr. Marinov.”

“We will.” I grab his hand as we exit the store together, his men carrying our bags for us.

He stops midstride, turning to me. His gaze lingers, and for a moment, I forget how wrong we are, because nothing about this feels wrong at all.

“You’re beautiful and ferocious, moya l’vitsa.” His palm cups my cheek, thumb rolling over my skin until my lashes flutter.

“Does that mean lioness?”

“Yes. It’s what you are, especially when you have those sharp claws out the way you did in the store. I like it.” His lips fall to the corner of my mouth, and my hand instinctively wraps around the back of his neck.

“That’s sweet,” I tell him as he backs away, staring into my eyes.

“You know…” he says, tugging my chin in his tight grasp. “If my enemies ever heard me being described as sweet, they’d laugh.”

“Oh, trust me…” I rise up on my toes to kiss him. “I completely understand.”

He groans, kissing me hard, and I surrender to this mind-bending passion between us that only gets stronger with each day. By the time we come up for air and head into the car, I don’t even know what time it is.

As we drive back to the estate, I ask to stop at a convenience store, needing something to drink.

“Take this. It has no limit.” He hands me a credit card.

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“Of course I am. But this is yours. I’ve been meaning to give you your own card.”

“Oh. That’s generous.”

I could refuse, but I know he’ll just insist, so I reluctantly take the black card from him.

“We’re married, remember? What’s mine is yours.” His mouth curls in that insanely sexy way that has me getting all goo-goo-eyed for my husband too.

When his phone starts ringing, he stares down at the screen, his face hardening.

“If you have to take it, go. I’ll be fine in the store alone.”

He hesitates, but whoever it is on the other line calls again. “Alright. One of my guys will stand by the door.”

“Okay.”

I step out of the SUV and head inside, getting lost in the aisles as I pick up drinks for him and me when someone approaches from behind. My fight-or-flight instinct rises when I glance back to find a tall, thin man who was definitely just staring at my ass.

I head for a different aisle, but he follows me, and all my thoughts zero in on either killing him or running out before I do.

“Hey there,” he says, leaning into me from behind.

Instinctively, I step out of his way, but the man isn’t deterred.

“You look good enough to eat.”

Ew.

His hand reaches for my waist, brushing against it, and I flinch, my mind instantly taken back to my days as a child and the men my mother brought home.

I flip around and step into him. “Get the fuck away from me, asshole, before I kill you.”

Instead of retreating, though, he laughs, which is pretty much how every one of her boyfriends treated me. A helpless little girl they could do whatever they wanted with.

When he touches my hip, I’m suddenly not in a convenience store anymore. I’m back in my mother’s house, with men I didn’t want trying to touch me in ways they shouldn’t.

Before I can stop myself, I grab his throat and flip him over, slamming him into the shelves while everything falls to the floor.

My heart pounds, my exhales quick and ragged, but I don’t let go.

My arm stays wrapped around his throat, cinching until his airways are cut.

His arms flail in panic, trying to break free, but I’m stronger.

Not talking now, are you, bitch?

“It’s okay, malyshka,” someone says.

I don’t realize it’s Konstantin, not at first. Not until he says it again, his gentle hand on my arm, coaxing me to relax.

“It’s okay, malyshka. I’m right here.”

Gradually, my mind begins to clear and my breathing eases, a little less frantic.

“Good girl.” His voice is soft and soothing. “I’ve got you now.”

When I release the man, he stumbles to his feet, inhaling with quick spurts. “You-you-you fucking psycho bitch!”

But before I can react, Konstantin is on him, grabbing him by the throat.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” He lifts him off the ground. “Do you know who this woman is?”

He doesn’t even raise his tone. He doesn’t need to. This calmer version is more terrifying.

“She’s my wife , and you touched her.”

The man stammers, “L-l-look, man, I’m sorry. I-I was being stupid. I l-learned my lesson.”

“No, you did not. But you will, I promise you that.” Konstantin grins, cold and predatory. “You see, you broke a very sacred rule of mine. Do you know what that is?”

He shakes his head, panic rising.

“You touched what belongs to me. And for that, you deserve to be punished, don’t you think?”

When Konstantin drops him to the ground, the man tries to back away, but Konstantin’s two men are right behind him.

“Fuck. I-I just thought she was pretty, that’s all. I didn’t know she was married, I swear.”

“Next time, don’t think. Clearly, your mind is your worst enemy.” Konstantin shifts his attention to me, his gaze hardening. “Which hand did he use to touch you?”

“His right.” My teeth grit, my chin rising.

Whatever happens to this asshole is his fault.

Konstantin pulls out his gun from the holster at his waist in one smooth motion. “Hold out your right hand.”

The man hesitates, his body trembling like a leaf.

Konstantin’s gaze locks on to him, cold and unyielding. “Do it. Now. Or I will take your entire arm. It’s your choice.”

“Fuuuck, man! Come on,” he pleads, but a second later, he obeys, holding out his hand.

Without hesitation, Konstantin fires, the low sound of a gunshot ripping through the man’s palm. Blood spills from the wound as his scream cuts through the silence.

“You should be grateful.” Konstantin’s mouth winds.

“Normally, I’d have a chainsaw in my trunk.

I forgot it today. I won’t forget next time.

” He grabs the collar of the man’s shirt as blood continues to drip to the ground.

“Say a word about this to anyone, and I’ll cut off both your arms and your legs. Understand?”

“Mm.” The man nods.

“Good. Now go get that looked at. You wouldn’t want to bleed out, would you? That would be a real shame.”

As we start to head for the exit, Konstantin turns back around, points his gun at the man, and pulls the trigger. One clean shot straight through the head.

Holy. Shit.

I didn’t see that coming.

“You didn’t think I’d let him live, did you?” He takes my hand and kisses the top of it, his demeanor relaxed, as if he didn’t just murder a man. His gaze softens, a tenderness that always catches me off guard no matter how many times I see that side of him. “Are you okay?”

A lump rises in my throat.

“I don’t know.” I give him the most truthful answer I can.

His fingers tighten around mine. “I will never leave you alone again.”

“I’m not helpless, Konstantin.”

My hand reaches up, fingers brushing against his cheek. I need to touch him, to make him realize how much I appreciate the way he stood up for me. His eyes close, his fingers reaching for my wrist and gripping tight, like he wants to keep me there for as long as possible.

“I know you’re not.” His words are thick with emotion, each one heavier than the last. “But I’m your husband, and I’ll always protect you. It’s my job.”

With a sigh, I lower my face against his front, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tight, like he’ll never let go.

“Let’s go home, malyshka.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head.

We make our way to the counter, and he places a thick wad of bills down.

“This is for any damage. My men will handle the cleanup.”

The cashier nods, his face instantly shifting into a mask of respect, though I have a feeling he’s the owner.

“It’s no problem at all, Mr. Marinov. You have a good day.”

I glance at the cameras above us, knowing full well they’re not recording.

As we head back to the car, I wrap my arms around his bicep. The quiet between us stretches, thick with unspoken words, and I can’t deny it anymore.

I’m falling for him. Hard. Fast.

The realization claws at me, terrifying me. Because I know I’m already too far gone, too tangled in him, to protect whatever’s left of my heart.