My heart suddenly resurrects back to life, beating and thumping so wildly it’s impossible to keep up. It’s as if it’s been dead since the morning and Asher just gave it a reason to be alive.
He really needs to stop saying things like that if all he ever plans to do is hurt me. He needs to stop touching me, calling me his, and looking at me with those intense eyes that seem ready to strip me bare and devour me all over again. My brain is starting to disregard the danger and focus on those small gestures, on what his body is saying instead of what his mind is planning.
“What if I don’t want to move out?” I ask. “People are after me.”
It’s a lie. I want to get out of this place filled with others. I think I’ll be more comfortable when I’m alone. After all, that’s the reason Old Reina moved out as soon as she was legal.
I’m starting to connect to Reina in more ways than one, and I have no idea how that makes me feel.
“If they were actively after you, they could’ve easily removed you from campus.” He sounds thoughtful. “Ask Alexander to tighten up security at the apartment building.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Ash.” I pull my wrist from his hold and fold my arms.
The glare he shoots my way is so harsh I squirm in my seat. “What did I say about that?”
“Fine.” I unfold my arms. “But you still don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Is that a dare?” His voice lowers. “By the end of the night, you’ll beg me to tell you what to do.”
I don’t miss the meaning behind his words, and my face must turn a deep shade of red.
“Look at you blushing.” His finger traces along my cheek in a sensual caress, his expression filled with awe.
I love it when I catch him off guard like that. A powerful sensation rushes through me at the thought that I have this effect on him.
Still, he’s an arrogant bastard right now.
Swatting his hand away, I adapt my no-nonsense tone. “I have friends here, you know, like Izzy and Jason. We have Scrabble nights.”
“Fuck Scrabble nights.” His face hardens as he leans closer. “Keep the fuck away from Jason.”
“Uh…no. He’s my friend.”
His hand shoots between my thighs, cupping me through my jeans. I gasp, my eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. Tingles erupt where he touches me and my body’s memory kicks into gear. All I can think about is his face, fingers, and tongue down there.
“This is mine.” His lips are mere inches away from my face, a slight deviation and they’d meet mine. He speaks in a gravelly voice that shoots a shudder up my spine. “You’re mine, and I don’t appreciate people threatening what belongs to me. If you let anyone take liberties with you, I won’t stay still. Am I making myself clear, prom queen?”
I couldn’t speak even if I tried to. His closeness and the scent of his aftershave mixed with sandalwood and citrus is doing crazy things to my senses, heightening them, crushing them against one another.
It’s chaos.
Beautiful, maddening chaos.
Just like Asher.
“I said.” His grip turns merciless, and so freaking dominant. “Am I making myself clear?”
I nod once, not because I completely agree, but because I don’t want to test him while he’s in such a state. It’s like he’s gasoline waiting for a spark so he can erupt and burn everything in his vicinity.
While I do want to witness different parts of Asher, I don’t want to get on his bad side right now. He’s the only one who knows about Reina, and I might need his help to find my sister.
“Good.” He releases me and opens the door. “You have two days to move back to your apartment.”
I groan as the door closes behind him.
Arrogant bastard.
Alex keeps checking his watch as Asher and I sit in his office.
From what I’ve learned about him so far, his firm is his God and he has no other religion than work. Maybe that’s why he and Asher don’t see eye to eye on anything.
My supposed fiancé touches my leg with his. Great, so I’ll be the only one doing the talking.
Asher’s nudge is basically telling me I need to start soon because Alex is getting restless.
He sits behind his huge mahogany desk that’s crowded with endless paperwork. I don’t even know what his use is for all that at home.
“Reina,” he starts. “You mentioned wanting to talk to me? We can do this after I return.”
“I remember a few things,” I say, calmly but loud enough for him to hear me.
Alex grabs a retractable pen from the desk and stops checking his watch. “Go on.”
“I remember a twin sister and a mother and how we ran away in my childhood. As for that night, I think I was attacked after I reunited with my sister.”
Silence.
Alex continues watching me as if he’s deciding whether or not he can erase those memories from my brain all over again.
“Did you tell her anything?” Alex’s question is directed to his son. His voice hardens when he speaks to Asher, like he’s talking to a mortal enemy, not his flesh and blood.
“I know nothing to tell,” Asher says casually.
My gaze bounces between father and son as I try to make sense of their words. Asher knows something?
I tighten my hands in my lap, my nails digging into the skin of my palms. “Can anyone tell me what’s going on?”
“I suppose you should know.” Alex sighs. “Ignorance never did you any good before.”
No, it wasn’t ignorance. Even if Dad and Alex hid the truth from me, I think I knew it deep down. That’s why I searched for Reina and found her on my own. I meant to escape with her.
That’s not something an ignorant person would do.
“Your mother was the bratva’s Pakhan’s daughter. Mia Sokolov, daughter of Nikolai Sokolov and cousin of Ivan Sokolov.”
Those names are familiar.
Oh my God.
They can’t possibly be…
“They’re big names in the states and in Russia.” Alex clicks his pen. “Gareth didn’t know about Mia’s origins when he got together with her more than two decades ago. She ran away from home and he just took her in. Of course, her father and cousin didn’t stop searching for her. She sullied the family’s name by running away. When they found out about her relationship with Gareth, they ordered their henchmen to kill your father.”
My lips part but no sound comes out.
“Mia and Gareth agreed to break it off for both their sakes. By that time, Mia was already pregnant with you and your sister. Your parents agreed that each would get a twin before they parted ways. Of course, Nikolai and Ivan weren’t having it. They only agreed to let Gareth keep one of the twins if he allowed the bratva a share in his business, and he agreed.”
A tremor shoots through my limbs at the thought of what my parents went through.
“And the other twin?” I gulp. “What happened to her?”
“Mia took her and ran, but Nikolai wanted the girl as his heir. Considering that Mia was the only offspring he had, her daughter needed to be brought up as the bratva’s princess.”