Page 217 of The Devil We Crave
“I’ve missed you!” She pulls back and turns that same smile on me. “You must be Achilles,” she grins. “I knew you’d be handsome.”
Yelena sighs. “Because you stalked his socials?”
“Uh-huh!” Milena laughs brightly as she steps into my personal space and hugs me. “If you came here tonight simply worried about my husband,” she whispers so low in my ear so that only I can hear, in a vastly different tone than the one she just used, “know that when it comes to Yelena, Nero’s the EASY one…”
She pulls away from the hug, the sunshine and rainbows smile back on her face, but her eyes locked on mine with a lethal intensity.
“‘Mkay?” she says brightly with a wink.
“Apleasureto meet you, Mrs. Kalishnik,” I say with my most winning smile.
“He’s a real charmer, this one!” Milena laughs. “Come on,” she says, grabbing Yelena’s hand. “Your father is”—
“Right here.”
“Dad!”
Yelena bolts across the room and leaps into her father’s arms. Nero grins widely, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground. “Hey, little wolf,” he rumbles, squeezing her tightly.
His green eyes suddenly flick past her shoulder and laserrightinto me, and I’m instantly reminded ofexactlyhis reputation.
Yes, game recognizes game. But while I might be pretty twisted and dark, I’m not cocky enough to think I’m anythingcloseto Nero.
“So,” he growls, putting his daughter down and stalking toward me. “You’rehim, hmm?”
“Dad—”
“Just saying hello to our guest, sweetheart.” He smiles at Yelena, then returns his gaze to me, looking like he’s trying to decide which artery would weaken me the fastest but kill me the slowest if he were to slice it open.
We’re the same height, so when he stops right in front of me, easily three inches closer than any normal person would do, we’re eye-to-eye.
Masked darkness to not-very-masked psychopath.
He deftly clears his throat, still staring right into my eyes from a freakishly close distance. “Princess,” he says to his wife, not looking away from me, “why don’t you and the kids go check on dinner? Achilles and I will be right in.”
“Jesus,” Yelena groans, “Dad?—”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Milena gushes, taking her daughter’s arm and shooting Massimo a look. “You seriouslyhaveto come try the salmon marinade. Your aunt Gabby introduced me to it and it’sinsane.”
Yelena shoots me an “I’m so sorry” look as her mother and brother sweep her from the room, and I wink at her over her father’s shoulder as she disappears.
The second she does, cold,verypointy metal presses against me.
…Specifically, myballs.
“Your daddy isn’t waiting right outside the door this time, kid,” Nero murmurs darkly. “Now, tell me, do you know why a man’s balls tighten?”he growls, keeping his knife right at my crotch.
Okay, this just got…weird.
“I think I have an idea,” I murmur back.
He flashes a shark-like grin. “It can happen for one of two different reasons. The first you may know, though that knowledge better havefuck-allto do with my daughter, is when a man is about to come.”
Yeah, I'm not touching that.
“The second, Mr. Drakos,” Nero continues, “is when helies. So, I’m going to ask you a couple of questions. And assuming this isn't your kink, and you're not about to jizz on me…”
I wince when he adds a little more pressure to my nuts.
