Chapter fifteen | Ekaterina
I excuse myself and walk away from Alexander, and it doesn't take long before I find the bathroom,
Hurriedly striding inside as my heartbeats thump wildly in my chest, I check my reflection in the mirror,
Anxiety crawls its way through my skin and I release a deep breath, letting my eyes close for a moment, but then I feel a hand on my shoulder and startle,
A familiar-looking woman stands in front of me, and it takes me a moment until I recognize her from when Alexander introduced them,
Layla knight,
"Are you okay?" Her gentle question pulls me away from my thoughts and I force a smile, her big brown eyes soften and she smiles back,
"I'm great, thank you," I say and she nods softly, stepping back from me as she walks towards the sink, placing her bag there then she runs a hand through her long brown hair, brushing off her waves,
I just stay in my place, thoughts running through my mind as I continue studying her like a creep, "is it your first time in those events?" I ask to cut the tension,
She shrugs a little, "Adrian took me to similar places before, but they all look intimidating here, it's making my skin crawl." She says and laughs,
My nerves calm a little, great, so I'm not the only nervous one here,
"Is it yours?" She asks and I nod, releasing a breath, "don't worry, trust me your husband looks scary enough to drive people away." She says and that eases my anxiety as I finally laugh,
"I could say the same about yours," I say teasingly and she rolls her eyes but a smile spreads on her face, "uh don't even start." I don't get to reply to her earlier question because a loud knock startles us both,
My eyes widen as they meet hers, "Layla." A familiar British accent echoes in the air and she visibly relaxes, "I'm fine, Adrian." She immediately says and lets out a breath,
"I called you." He replies sternly and she looks confused as she scrolls through her phone before she bites down on her lip "yeah—um sorry I didn't notice it." She says and starts walking away,
Giving me a big grin as she gets outside, Jesus Christ, love makes people crazy apparently, "don't apologize, darling, I was just worried about—" their voice fades away as their footsteps disappear,
And when I finally come back to my senses and gather myself,
I grab my bag and storm outside the bathroom, "Ekaterina, I assume?" A voice catches my attention and my eyes narrow on the man in front of me,
He's tall, with broad shoulders, way bulkier than Alexander which is not helping with the intimidating-looking face already,
Sharp face features, squared jaw, and cutting cheekbones, his green eyes study me suspiciously and I swallow the knot forming in my throat,
"I'm-sorry, do I know you?" The words sound way more confident than what I'm currently feeling.
"No, beautiful, but you will." His tone is sure and certain, which just makes shivers run down my spine from fear, "excuse me." I mutter and start walking away but his rough hand catches my wrist,
Making me turn to face him, my eyes widen and his grip tightens on my skin as he smiles wickedly,
"you're the fucker's wife, hmm? Don't blame him for not showing up after your wedding though." He says and disgust fills my stomach as my lips twist,
He leans down and just when he's about to speak again, a second later he's shoved up against the wall, and Alexander is choking him,
My lips part and I take a wobbly step backward, "you don't fucking touch my wife, Dimitri, do you fucking get that?" His voice is measured and way too low,
It's scary,
Dimitri coughs up blood as he holds onto the wall stupidly for support, and his eyes find mine, I swallow hard but I don't take my eyes off him,
Then slowly, alexander steps back, walking towards me, his hands finding mine, and worry flashes across his face,
And when his eyes notice the mark he left on me from how he clutched my wrist, His jaw clenches and I slowly let out a breath,
"you're okay?" He asks gently, and I nod, "okay, I need you to do something for me, sweetheart." He says calmly, and my brows furrow but I don't utter another word, not daring to look at Dimitri,
"Take two steps to the left." He says and I do as he says, confusion rattling through my bones but then my expression falls when he grabs his gun from the jacket and smiles in his face,
Then shoots him in the head,
*:･ﾟ✧*:･
"You didn't say a word-" Alexander starts but I motion him off with my hands, he raises a brow as anger flashes across his face, anger that didn't disappear since we came back,
I don't even know why I'm that shocked, I've seen people kill my whole life, and I knew they enjoyed doing it,
I think I was too caught up in my mind and I didn't realize I married a monster, not a kindergarten teacher.
"Fucking eat at least." He demands and I raise an amused brow, "you're so sweet with your words, Alexander." I say and he rolls his eyes,
"Do you want me to beg you?" He asks tilting his head slightly and I smirk, "I'd accept nothing less." I say and he snorts,
"Sure." He mutters and moves towards me, holding a plate of food, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he drops beside me on the couch,
"Open your mouth, sweetheart." His voice is surprisingly gentle, I don't understand that man, but for some reason, I do as he says,
And sure enough, he places a spoon of rice inside, I chew quietly and stare at him, "what?" He asks when I don't say anything,
"What are you doing, Alexander?" I whisper, holding his eyes as I feel heat flooding through my body, cheeks flushing as well,
"I don't know." His response is barely audible and I tilt my head in thought, not knowing where we're going with this,
His brows furrow when he stares at me, placing down the plate, confused by his actions, I wait for him to talk,
His hand cups my cheek and his thumb hovers over something, and I know in this exact moment what he's seeing, my scar,
Fuck,
My heart goes erratic in my chest as I stare at him, "why do you cover it?" I definitely didn't expect this question, at least not the first one,
So I answer him honestly because for once, there's no need to lie, "It looks ugly." The words slip out of my mouth with ease and his brows furrow,
As if I'm saying something that's impossible to believe, "as much as I'd like not to admit it, I don't think there's anything that is ugly about you." He says, my breath hitches as I continue staring at him,
My limbs weaken and he brushes a blonde strand away from my face, the action tightening my chest, "decent, hmm?" I reply to cut the tension that's coursing through my body,
He rolls his eyes but a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips, "you won't let go of it, will you?" He groans and I smile, "never." I murmur back.
His hands cup my cheeks and his eyes stay on my scar for a long beat, "you always wore makeup, because of it?" He asks and I nod,
He raises his brows and his lips tighten, "you're beautiful, Ekaterina." He says and I smile, "well, I could say the same about you too." I say teasingly and he rolls his eyes again but smiles,
I feign disbelief and shock as my eyes widen "did you just smile?" I ask and he shrugs,
A strand of his black hair falls down his eyes and I brush it away, his eyes shift to my lips for a moment before they find my eyes again, I suck in a breath and our gazes stay locked,
Then he kisses me,
Smashing down his lips on mine almost angrily, and while his earlier words were gentle, nothing about this kiss is, his hand finds my neck and he pulls me closer as I tug down on his hair,
Kissing him back with the same force, with the same hunger, he curses as he bites down on my lip, and muffled sounds come out of my mouth but I'm way too caught up in the moment to feel embarrassed,
"Fucking Christ, you taste better than I imagined, Ekaterina." The desperation in his voice is undeniably clear and it gives me a sense of power over him,
When we pull back, his lips are flushed and his eyes are glistening with lust that matches the feeling running through my body,
None of us utters another word, however, Alexander grabs a blanket and spreads it over us, pulling it up my chest,
He lays down beside me, then carefully he pulls me in his arms, my head lays on his chest and I hear his pulse under my ears,
Hundreds of thoughts crowd my mind but I push them away and close my eyes,
Drifting away into the darkness, feeling safe.