Page 7 of Love to Defy You (The Dark Love #2)

Enzo runs his hand over his clean-shaven jawline, scrutinizing me with an intense gaze. “Fondue on your first night. Excellent choice. Mikhail’s suggestion, I imagine?”

Josie nods from across the table. “You know how he is. Once Mick finds something he likes, he’s obsessed.”

“Very true.” He reaches for one of the skewers and stabs a pickle. “Have you tried the gherkins yet?”

“The what?” I ask.

“Oh, you must. It’s a Swiss staple.” He dips the skewer into the fondue pot and stirs the cheese at the bottom. When he removes it, he brings it to my lips. “Try it. It’s delicious.”

Even though I already tried the pickles, my mouth falls open automatically, and he sticks the food inside. When his dark eyes meet mine, I wrap my lips around the pickle and hold his gaze. His pupils dilate as he licks his lips and inches closer, drawn to me like a magnet.

“Get your filthy hands off her.”

All three of us startle to find Alek standing at the end of the table, his piercing blue eyes narrowed into slits. His voice cuts through the air like a knife, sending a chill down my spine.

Enzo sets the skewer down and stands up, smoothing his sweater before holding out his hand. “I apologize for the intrusion. My name is Enzo. And you are...?”

“Willow’s boyfriend. Now get lost before I cut your hand off for bringing it near her mouth.”

At that moment, Mikhail appears and steps between the two, putting his hand on each of their shoulders to defuse the tension. “What’s going on here?”

Enzo drops his offered hand at his side. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding—“

“There’s no misunderstanding,” Alek cuts him off. “Get out of my sight, and if I ever see you near my girlfriend again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do in your miserable, pathetic life.”

Mikhail lets out a nervous laugh. “Alek, let me introduce you to Enzo. He is, ah, well-acquainted with the Prince of Lichtenstein. Enzo, this is Aleksandr Kurochkin.”

Enzo quirks an eyebrow. “Of the Andarusian Kurochkins, yes?”

Mikhail nods. “Yep.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Aleksandr.” Enzo steps out of Mikhail’s hold and smooths his sweater once again. “I apologize for the misunderstanding. Please, allow me to cover your bill tonight to make amends.”

“We can pay for our own meal,” Alek snaps.

“I know, but I insist.” Enzo holds a hand to his heart. “After all, a friend of Mikhail’s is a friend of mine.”

“I don’t need any more friends.”

I glance between Alek, whose murderous rage is licking at the edges of his dangerous persona, and Enzo, who is surprisingly unaffected by Alek’s wrath. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone stand up to Alek like this before.

But we’re attending Weltner College, a university that attracts wealthy and high-profile students from around the world.

He isn’t the only person whose father is—was—the leader of a country.

Mikhail is the son of a Russian oligarch.

Josie is the granddaughter of an earl, and Enzo is “well-acquainted” with the Prince of Lichtenstein, whatever that means.

Alek is among his equals here. He doesn’t hold the same hierarchical power he did at the President’s Academy, where everyone quivered under his venomous gaze and palpable authority.

Enzo clears his throat. “Anyway, Mikhail, good to see you.” He shakes his hand. “Josie, great to see you as always. Aleksandr, Willow, I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

“You’d better hope we don’t,” Alek warns.

Enzo gives a polite nod and walks away, leaving the four of us in an uneasy silence.

Mikhail sighs. “Why’d you do that, bro? Enzo Messina is one of the most powerful guys on campus.”

Alek glares at Enzo, who chats with a server at the bar and hands her a credit card. “I don’t care who he is.” He knits his brows together. “Wait... Messina? As in...?”

“Yes.” Mikhail nods.

“Um, excuse me.” I tread carefully to avoid drawing Alek’s ire to me. “What’s the big deal? So, he’s ‘acquainted’ with the Prince of Liechtenstein. Who cares? I didn’t even know it was a real country.”

Josie throws her head back and laughs. “Oh, that’s savage.”

“Lichtenstein is a real country,” Mikhail explains, his face relaxing into a broad grin. “In fact, Lichtenstein has the wealthiest monarchy in Europe.”

“Even richer than the king of England?” I ask.

Alek folds his arms. “More than double.”

“Okay, impressive,” I concede. “But Enzo isn’t royalty himself, right? So, what does it matter?”

Mikhail shares a look with Alek. “Well, see, Enzo’s mother is, um...”

“Enzo’s mother is known as the Sicilian Whore in elite social circles.” Alek slides into the booth beside me and rests his arm on the vinyl upholstery behind me. “She’s known for chasing after high-profile men with power and wealth. Often royals.”

“And Enzo’s mother went after the Prince of Liechtenstein?” I ask.

Mikhail takes his seat beside Josie. “She’s still with him... as his mistress. He’s married with children, but it’s an open secret that he prefers Amalia Messina’s Sicilian pussy.”

Josie smacks his arm. “Don’t be vulgar.”

He rubs the spot where she hit him. “Anyway, the prince provides Amalia and Enzo a very cushy lifestyle. It’s been that way for years. So, while Enzo isn’t related to the prince by blood, he certainly has his ear.”

“Lichtenstein shares a border with Switzerland,” Alek explains to me. “So the prince is very influential in this region and has extensive real estate holdings.” His words hold a bitter edge.

Mikhail leans across the table. “Look, Alek, I know you’re not one to admit you’re wrong, but he’s someone you want to get along with.”

“Nonsense.” Alek huffs. “He better stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of his.”

Mikhail chews on his lip as if he wants to say something else, but then he shakes his head. “Anyway, do you guys want to head to another bar? I know a place down the road with one of the best mixologists in Europe.”

“You two go ahead,” Alek says. “I need to have a chat with my girlfriend.”

Alek’s dark tone turns the air frigid. Everyone else at the table bristles, and when the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, it sobers me up.

“Right, well... good luck with that.” Mikhail gives me a pitying look before standing up and offering his hand to Josie. “Come on, babe. Let’s get you drunk.”

“Yes, please.” Josie puts her delicate hand in his and slides out from her seat. “I’ll see you around, Willow.”

The two of them disappear, leaving me and Alek alone in the dark booth. I know my punishment is coming, except this time I’m not sure if I’ll enjoy it.

“You love to use other men to make me jealous, don’t you?

” he asks, even though he already knows the answer.

His tone is steady, and his expression is unreadable.

“You like to push my buttons to see how far I’ll go.

” He leans in closer, caging me in the booth to growl in my ear. “You remember what I did to Dmitry?”

With a hard gulp, I nod. Dmitry had a crush on me at the President’s Academy, and when we ran into each other at the Spring Festival in Andarusia, we hit it off. Alek didn’t like that.

The image of Dmitry emerging from the mirror maze bloodied and bruised is etched into my memory.

At the time, I was appalled, but now? The thought of him doing it again makes heat blaze in my core. I want Alek to go feral over me, to stake his claim and show the world how deep his obsession runs. To show me how deep his obsession runs.

To be honest, I didn’t intend to use Enzo that way. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A fly caught in my spiderweb by pure happenstance.

Alek places his hand on my knee and slides his fingers up my leg. “You love attention from other men. You crave it. You get off on it.”

I shudder as his hand slips under my skirt. “I can’t help it.”

“I know, malishka .”

His finger grazes my bare opening, and I suck in a sharp breath.

“I’m going to fingerfuck you in the middle of this restaurant,” he whispers. “Anyone could walk by and see you mewling like the little whore you are.”

An involuntary moan falls from my lips.

Alek smirks. “That turns you on, doesn’t it? When I humiliate you in front of other people and call you my little whore.”

“Y-yes...”

He shoves his finger inside, making me buck my hips.

“Fuck, you’re sopping wet,” Alek growls in my ear. “Did it turn you on when I caught you with Enzo?”

My eyes flutter closed as he adds a second finger. “Mm-hmm.”

“Did you want me to catch you?”

“Yes...”

He starts to move, sliding his fingers in and out, and the squelch it creates against my drenched folds is downright obscene. If anyone walks by, they’ll hear it.

“You can play your twisted little games with me, malishka .

“ He runs his tongue along my cheek as he plays with my pussy.

“I know that you love to tease other men, to draw them in to manipulate them—just to see if you can.” He curls his fingers inside, making me whimper with desire.

“But you and I both know that they can never give you what you truly need.”

I angle my body toward him and spread my legs farther apart to give him better access. As I grind into his hand, I glance over his shoulder to see if anyone has noticed us doing filthy things in our dark little corner of the restaurant.

“No one knows you better than I do,” Alek murmurs, quickening his pace. “No one understands the darkness inside you like I do. No one else on this planet has seen you teetering on the edge, ready to end it all, and pulled you out of the depths of your pain.”

He slips his pinky into my rear hole, eliciting a loud gasp from my mouth.

A middle-aged man sitting alone at a nearby table glances up, but it takes him a moment to realize what we’re doing.

His gaze meets mine for a split second before he stares down at his plate, and a scarlet flush blooms from his collar and onto his face.

Alek follows my line of sight, glancing over his shoulder before returning his focus to me. “Let him watch. Let every single man in this restaurant watch for all I care. But be prepared to accept the consequences of what I’ll do to them if they dare to touch what is mine.”

His fingers impale me in both holes, and I have to bite down on my hand to keep myself from crying out.

“The only one who can give you the pleasure you need is me,” Alek purrs. “I’ve ruined you for every other man, which makes me the only person on this earth who can make you come. You’re mine .”

“Fuck, I’m so close,” I whisper.

Alek removes his fingers, leaving me a panting, sweaty mess with my legs spread, arousal dripping down my thighs.

“W-why did you stop?” I let out a stuttered gasp.

Alek brings his fingers to his mouth and sucks my juices off, sliding them between his lips before releasing them with a pop. “To remind you that you only get to come when I allow you to.”

“I’ll finish myself off.”

He leans closer and kisses me, forcing me to taste myself on his tongue.

When he pulls back, he says, “No, you won’t.

” Alek slides out of the booth and stands over me, shielding me from the other patrons with his back.

He offers his hand to pull me to my feet.

“Close your legs, malishka . It’s time to go home. ”

I grab a napkin off the table to clean myself up, but Alek grabs my wrist. “No. I want you dripping as we walk past every person in this restaurant.”

Heat creeps up my neck, and I close my legs. “Fine.”

He hauls me to my feet but keeps his grip on my wrist as he leads me out of the restaurant. I’m keenly aware of the moisture between my legs, which is farther down than my skirt reaches. No one looks at me, but it feels like everyone knows what a dirty slut I am.

And I like it.

Sex is one of the only things I’m good at. It’s too bad Welton doesn’t offer a degree program for that because I’d excel with honors.

I glance at the bar on the way out, and a shiver runs down my spine.

Enzo Messina leans against the counter, watching me. When our eyes meet, his lips curl into a smirk—the same way as Alek’s do—and with a small nod, he raises his glass to me before taking a long swig.