The Mafia And His Obsession: Part 1 by Lylah James

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 27

 

 

Valerie

 

I walked out of the bathroom, braiding my hair at the same time. My feet stalled when I found Viktor in my room.

His back was to me while he faced the wide windows. His hands were clasped behind his back, his figure looking very intimidating.

His presence took over my room, a deadly, strong presence that made me shiver in both apprehension and anticipation. Viktor could be frightening. But he didn’t scare me like Valentin did.

Only because Viktor had proved he didn’t want to hurt me.

After our first kiss three weeks ago, Viktor and I have grown closer—closer than I could ever imagine. What I used to think and could only dream of…it slowly became my reality. He visited me almost every night.

When Valentin would come for me, those nights were filled with horror.

But the moment Viktor walked through the doors, my pain would vanish and he would cocoon me in his warmth.

His embrace kept me strong. His gentle kisses made me feel treasured. His soft looks made me feel beautiful—at the end of each night, he made my soul sing.

I thought in my dreams we were beautiful.

But I realized, in reality, together we were even more beautiful.

Viktor turned around to face me, his back now to the dark night. The lights were off too, only the nightlamp casting a glow around the room. His face was visible in the small soft light.

He appeared darker and meaner. More vicious. Dangerous. His face was expressionless, barely a smile there.

His eyes bored into mine, fixing me onto the stop. I couldn’t move. Viktor walked toward me, stealthily. Almost like he was tracking his prey in the dark.

I licked my lips before biting down nervously. He stopped in front of me; we were less than an inch apart. Our bodies were so close together.

Closing my eyes, I leaned into him. His warmth enveloped me, shielding me from any coldness from this messy world.

Viktor’s arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me into his body. I felt his fingers on my neck, drifting up, and then he was pulling my lips from between my teeth.

He thumbed my lips roughly, and then his lips descended on mine. Viktor kissed me so softly and oh so sweetly.

It was hard to believe. A man like him, unbreakable—to kiss as if he was scared to break me.

As he pulled away slightly, I opened my eyes and we stared into each other.

Viktor and I—together we glowed. Just like the moonlight shone in the dark sky, our light illuminated this dark world.

Even though our ending was not a guaranteed happy ending, we still chased it.

Viktor gave me a half smile, the corner of his lips turning up in a small smirk. His other hand wrapped around my waist, and he lifted me up high.

I laughed silently, holding on to his shoulders as he carried us to the bed. He laid me in the middle and climbed beside me. When he placed the notepad and pen between us, my smile widened.

This was our moment. We would talk about nothing and everything. We shared the little things in our lives. Small happy moments. He would find ways to make me smile—and that was all that mattered.

“How are you today?” he asked.

 

I am better, now that you are here.

 

Valentin didn’t visit me today. I was thankful for that, only because I didn’t want him to taint whatever Viktor and I had.

When he would visit me, I wasn’t my own afterward. I knew Viktor hated it—he loathed it. If he could, he would have killed Valentin.

I knew that—but I also knew he was helpless.

I didn’t know Viktor’s reasons, he wouldn’t tell me, but whatever they were—I understood.

I understood because I was just as helpless.

Viktor dragged a finger through my hair, and I moved closer, laying my head on his chest. He held me while I bathed in his smell.

Except something was different.

Pulling away, I found my notepad and pen again.

 

You smell like blood.

 

Viktor froze, and his arm tightened around my hips, his fingers digging into my flesh. I winced, and he quickly let go. He breathed out, and his lips twisted ruefully.

“Yes. You are right. I smell like blood,” he replied.

I swallowed nervously, blinking up at him through the darkness.

 

Did you hurt someone?

 

He read my words and then stared at me unblinkingly before opening his mouth to speak again. “I didn’t just hurt someone. I killed someone. Not one. Four men.”

The news stole my breath away. I knew the type of man Viktor was. He wasn’t exactly a Prince Charming, although I liked to think of him as one.

He was a killer—as dangerous as a crime lord.

But I didn’t expect him to say those words as if he didn’t care, almost heartlessly.

“Valerie, I do things you will hate. I kill men for a living. You knew that before, then why that expression on your face? Why did you just lose this beautiful smile I love so much?”

His thumb caressed my cheek softly, his eyes never leaving mine. Viktor touched the corner of my lips. “Smile for me, silent myshka.”

I imagined his voice soft and smooth as he said those words. Like I always knew, he was the puppet master. And he manipulated my fragile heart with his words.

“Your smiles are beautiful too.”

“Then I will smile. For you.”

“I will make you smile. Promise.”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise, silent myshka.”

I remembered those words—his voice ringing through my ears. The dream I had after Valentin had drugged me.

Taking the pen in my hand again, I quickly scribbled down.

 

You said that my smiles are beautiful. In my dream.

 

He looked down at the paper and then smiled. “They are, Valerie.”

Swallowing nervously, I wrote down my next words.

 

Then I will smile. For you.

 

I stared at his face, watching his eyes move over the words. I watched his reaction, waiting and waiting.

Finally, our gazes met again. His appeared darker, unreadable. He stared at me for a moment, his expression so serious. My heart thumped hard, and my veins throbbed in my neck.

Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe my words were a mistake.

But his fingers threaded through my hair, fisting the strands around his hand. I sucked in a harsh breath. He pulled me closer and claimed my lips hard.

A hard kiss—a promise.

Viktor pulled away, his lips so close to my ear. I felt him talk, although his words were soundless.

“…make you smile…”

My eyes widened, and I quickly pulled away. It wasn’t the first time this happened. The first day his voice—barely, but it was there.

This time again, his voice sounded underwater, the words hidden under blankets, but I heard them. Very slightly. Softly spoken.

My gaze went to his lips again. “I will make you smile, Valerie.”

My vision blurred with unshed tears, and I sniffled quietly. “I’ll be the reason for your smiles, silent myshka. Promise.”

Through a tearful gaze, I wrote on the notepad.

 

Promise?

 

“Promise,” he swore.

Just like in my dream. Except this wasn’t a dream. It was reality—our reality. Our truth.

 

Viktor. You make me smile. Always. You make me happy. With you, I feel safe. I feel protected. And treasured…and loved. I feel different when I am with you. Like I am invincible. You make it easy to live in this dark world. I don’t hurt when I am with you.

 

Viktor read the words slowly, as if he were memorizing them in his mind. He touched the paper, and then our gaze met again.

For the first time, I saw all his unsaid emotions. I saw the real Viktor.

Not the killer. Not the Prince Charming I liked to dream of. Not the façade he built around himself, the shield he always had up.

I saw the man behind the angry looks. The man with a hidden gentle soul.

Viktor was dangerous. Our lives entwined together in a dangerous path. A wild beginning. We knew what it meant to be together, yet we continued to sneak through the darkness to find each other.

The heart did what it wanted. Words could be silenced. But the heart could not.