Page 137 of Villainous Kingpin

He didn’t tell me about my Russian heritage. He didn’t tell me he wanted my connections to the Pakhan.

His pause was the only tell of his surprise, shortly replaced by a slow smile. “I do love your fire, principessa. And I’m always up for a challenge.” I glared at him and his sardonic chuckle followed. “I should have known with the way you carried yourself,” he murmured cryptically.

“You should have let me go home with my family,” I muttered, tearing my gaze away from him, scared I’d drown in him. Every time I’d even begin to hate him, the image of the man I met, dancing with me under the stars with New York City lights in the distance flashed in my mind. Or the man on his haunches as he slipped my shoe on.

That felt raw, magical and so goddamn real.

“Never,” he growled, low and almost feral. “I’m your family now. You’re mine.” When I didn’t say anything, his hand wrapped around my neck and his fingers squeezed. Not hard, but just gently enough to warn. “If you leave me again, I’ll hunt down every single member of your family and friends you have. I’ll torture them until they tell me where you are. I own you now.”

I am yours already.But I wasn’t ready to admit it.

“You can’t own a human being,” I said in a quiet voice, tilting my chin up and meeting his gaze as I leaned my neck into his grip. “And if I leave, you’ll never find me. None of you will.” I let the words sink before I continued. “But I said I’ll stay. So I’ll stay, unless you give me a compelling reason to leave.”

My words slashed the air in the room, the battle of wills vibrating between us. Hot and heavy.

His grip tightened just a bit more and adrenaline rushed through my body. There were twisted, broken parts of me that enjoyed his dominance. He didn’t scare me, not physically. The part I feared was him breaking my heart irrevocably and leaving me to live the rest of my life like a shell of a person.

Like my mother.

“I swear to God, Wynter. If you leave me again, you’ll have death on your hands. I’ll kill every single person you care about. I’ll burn this entire world down.”

His eyes hardened, the shadows inside them rising to the surface. “Give me your word you’ll never leave,” he demanded.

“Basilio, I already told you, I’ll stay.” I held his gaze. I wouldn’t risk admitting to him that life without him scared me more than the darkness he harbored or any threats he dished out. But I’d give him this vow. “Despite the fact you’re my family’s enemy, I’ll stay.”

“If only I could believe your promises,” he rasped.

“I’d also love to believe that you wouldn’t hurt me,” I retorted. “Or my family.”

He gripped the back of my neck and slammed his lips against mine. Anger brimmed inside me and I tasted that same anger on his lips.

And still, his kiss felt so damn good.

I opened my mouth to protest and he took advantage and thrust his tongue inside. The pent up need I had felt since the moment our eyes connected that winter day, a year ago, had erupted. I was lost to him, to his scent, to his heat.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he groaned against my mouth.

My hands wrapped around his neck, fisting his hair, pulling him closer. I needed his body against mine.

I moaned into his mouth and he groaned, then slid his hands down my neck, over my back and to the back of my thighs.

Without any effort, he lifted me. I wrapped my legs around him, relishing in how well our bodies fit together. Like perfect puzzle pieces. His fingers squeezed the flesh of my thighs, possessive, and his palm slid under my shorts to my ass as he walked us back into the room.

With a handful of my ass in his palms, he sat on the bed and I straddled his thighs. Our mouths drifted apart so he could pull the tank top over my head. The moment it was off, our mouths collided again. My shorts followed with a loud shredding sound.

It was raw lust and desire. Need for release. Yet for me, it was so much more. This hunger for him would be my undoing.

He gripped my hips, palms sliding up. Higher and higher. My sweet spot between my legs ached and I knew he was the only man that could ease that pain. His fingers brushed my inner thighs, as he bit my bottom lip with a gentle tug. Like he wanted to teach me a lesson.

He caressed the curves of my ass, while his lips traveled down my throat to the tops of my breasts. He nipped the soft skin and my head fell back.

“Bas,” I breathed his name with a moan. I felt him everywhere, each nerve within me quivering with delight.

“Mine,” he said roughly, while he caressed the bare curves of my ass. God help me, I was his. I had always been his and no amount of denial would ever change that.

His other rough hand slid beneath my bra and squeezed the flesh. Pleasure was instant, rushing to my core, and I buried my face into his neck.

He pressed his lips against my ear. “Ask me.”