Chapter 8: Daniil

I reclined in the deck chair, hands clasped at the back of my head as I lay down, basking in the warmth of the sun with a pair of sunglasses shielding my eyes. My plan was in motion, and no one suspected what I had in store for this vessel.

However, for the moment, I lay there, savoring the scenery and bathing in the soft glow of the golden sunlight. It was rather relaxing, being out there and watching these crazy Americans revel in joy.

Thoughts of Vivian crossed my mind yet again, prompting a smirk to line my lips. I drifted back to that moment when I caught her in my room.

She was so sexy as she lay there on my bed, thinking she was in her cabin.

I knew what she was about to do, and if I had heard her come in, I'd have stayed back in the bathroom a while longer, at least until she began to touch herself. That would have been a pleasant sight to behold. It was erotic, watching her, and I couldn't help but imagine taking her into my arms. I was tempted to pull her to myself and brush my erection against her, to feel her soft skin and kiss those cherry lips.

She had been taken aback when she found out that she was in the wrong room, and I loved the look of confusion etched upon her face. Yet, even in her confused state, I caught her eyes darting over my body with a subtle spark of attraction that betrayed her embarrassment. She wanted me; I could tell because the desire in her eyes was glaring, even though she tried to conceal it.

Vivian was a smart girl. She had already figured out that her cabin being next to mine was no coincidence. I saw in her eyes that she was convinced that her arrival on this cruise and meeting me when she did were all orchestrated in my favor.

She knew this the moment we had that little argument, but she didn't seem worried, not like she would've been if she'd seen me as a threat.

Deep down, the Kennedy girl loved the way that I was chasing after her in my own way, on my own terms. She loved the thrill of it, obviously. But she was mistaken to have underestimated me.

By the pool, a couple of hot models were swimming, playfully splashing water on each other with soft giggles and occasional shrills that echoed across the vast ocean. Men in shorts and stylish outfits roamed the poolside, wine glasses in hand, and chatted with some models. They were all having fun, smiling, and enjoying their time there, oblivious to the plan this dangerous man had cooked up.

"This is amazing," Andrei said to me.

I turned to face him. He was lying on a deck chair beside me in a pair of patterned shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt that had been unbuttoned to reveal his masculine tattooed body, full of scars.

Andrei was sipping through the straw in his cocktail, seeming to enjoy the view and the freedom. I hadn't seen him this loose in a long time, and it felt good that he was a different person today.

He let out a wolf whistle as a tall, slightly tanned lady sauntered past us in a bikini. His eyes, framed by the lowered rim of his glasses, locked onto her with an unmistakable intensity of lust.

"I'm glad that you agreed to be here." He looked at me. "Watching these Americans…ehh, it's like a never-ending circus. I am entertained."

He wasn't wrong; it was like watching a curious species in the wild.

Despite how loose he was, Andrei still had his threatening look, and his voice, blended with the Russian accent, had the power to instill fear in anyone.

The girl who had passed by us turned back and wiggled her fingers flirtatiously at Andrei with an inviting grin.

He smirked at her but didn't get up.

She hadn't taken two steps forward when a man materialized before her and engaged her in a conversation. Seconds later, she was already laughing and giggling. Next thing, the man had lifted her bridal style while a cheerful shrill escaped her lips. She wrapped her hands around his neck as he headed below deck.

Andrei scoffed and adjusted his glasses. He was handsome, and I didn't typically realize that, given that he was always so serious and broody.

"Horny motherfuckers everywhere," he said, clicking his tongue in contempt.

I snickered.

"In her defense," I said, referring to the previous lady, "she did give you the look , but you chose to stay back."

"I was talking about the man," he clarified, and I laughed lightly. "Why are we here exactly?"

"What do you mean? You're having fun, aren't you?"

" Da ," he replied. "But that's the problem. I know you too well to know when you're plotting something. You've got something up your sleeve; I just don't know what it is yet." Andrei peered at me with suspicion in his eyes.

I didn't deny it, but I didn't accept it, either.

"This is about her, isn't it?" he asked. "You agreed to come here because she'd be here, yes?"

I grabbed my glass and took a sip with nothing but a smirk on my face.

"Speak of the devil," he said to me. "Or, in this case…the angel," he added, his voice dropping to a smooth whisper.

I followed his eyes until my gaze fell on Vivian at a distance, where she was laughing with a few other girls. She was dressed in a green bikini; my God, she was gorgeous! Sexy!

Reflexively, I grabbed my glass and took another sip, eyes fixed on her slender hourglass figure as I watched her leave the company of those girls and head toward the pool.

"I see why you like her so much," Andrei said, glancing at me as I continued to watch her.

"She's divine," I replied, adding, " Ya hochu yeyo i ya dolzhen imet' yeyo ."

I want her, and I must have her .

"Easy. This is Krovavyy talking," he said to me, a gentle reminder that I needed to stay composed and not do anything irrational.

Too late.

Andrei could see that I meant what I said, and I was unrelenting.

Sizing her up, I cocked my head to the side with a grin as I instinctively rubbed my palm over my mouth. Vivian would be mine, even if I had to do the unthinkable to get her. I was more than willing to go the extra mile just to have her to myself.

As she passed by, heads turned, and almost every man who set eyes on her fixed their gaze on her behind. Some licked their lips, others raised their brows, and a few rubbed their hands in glee.

Now, my fury was building. These clowns had no idea whose wrath they were about to unleash.

"Damn! She's smoking hot, man. Check her out," a young man a couple of paces beside me said to his friend, tapping him until he looked.

"Holy shit!" the friend concurred.

The two men talked about her, prattling on about how she was heavenly, gorgeous, and sexy.

I balled my hands into fists, ready to drill holes in their faces and eventually throw them overboard.

"Hey!" Andrei bellowed at them.

He'd noticed that I was starting to get pissed by these morons who had no idea what trouble their words were about to put them in.

"What?" one of them responded rudely.

"Watch your tongue, or I can guarantee you that you will lose it."

The guy, arrogant and stupid, took foolish steps forward, likely trying to be bold.

"I don't know who you are, pal, but I don't take orders from you, and I most certainly do not like being threatened," he said, halting before Andrei's chair.

This was going to be fun.

I scoffed but remained silent, knowing exactly how my right-hand man would react to this. He hated it when people pissed me off, and frankly, he did them a solid by taking matters into his own hands. I was ten times more cruel than he was, and my reaction was usually far more disastrous. Hence, he was saving them from a worse fate whenever he stepped in.

Andrei got to his feet, standing tall above the arrogant man, who was already cowering; the person he had underestimated now towered over him.

"Say it again," Andrei dared him, gazing down at him like a predator ready to launch at its prey.

The man swallowed, fear flickering in his eyes.

"Okay…!" His friend swooped in to save the day. "Too much tension here, guys." He chuckled. "Listen, pal, I apologize for causing any trouble—my friend and I crossed a line, isn't that right?" He pinched the other guy at the last statement.

"Yes…we're sorry," he said.

"If you don't mind now, we'll be on our merry way." The smart friend looked at me with a slight bow and apologized in Russian.

"Come on." He pulled his friend by the hand, and they left immediately.

While in motion, I caught a whiff of the Russian man scolding his American friend.

"Are you mad? Did you not know who that was—not the big guy, the other one? That was Daniil fucking Wolkov. You should be glad that we're still alive after that stunt you pulled."

He was damn right about that.

"Idiots," Andrei said, sitting back down.

I returned my gaze to Vivian, who had, by now, reached the pool and was seated by the edge, her feet dipped in the water.

When our eyes met, she was smiling, just having waved at some girls. She paused for a moment, unwavering in the staring contest we were engaged in.

There was a mix of dread and lust in those deep blue eyes. I couldn't care less about the dread, my focus on the glint of lust I saw.

She smirked and took her eyes off me, directing her gaze to the two men who had squatted beside her. They were obviously trying to woo her, and she seemed to be leading them on.

I frowned at that, and my hands once again rolled into tightened fists.

She was doing this on purpose, intentionally getting on my nerves. That was a wrong move, but she didn't know it. Or she did and was enjoying my reaction, the jealousy evident on my face. Maybe this was her own payback. Regardless, though, I hated it.

She glanced in my direction, and for a second there, I saw a sense of satisfaction in her gaze. She loved that I was jealous, and she continued to flirt with the men, smiling at them, running her fingers over their bare chests, and the fools were enjoying it.

I was burning with rage, and my breathing was heavy, especially because I knew she was doing it to spite me.

She kept playing her games, tossing stolen glances at me.

I knew the best way to deal with this was to ignore her, to act like I didn't care, but I couldn't. I was too upset at the time to think straight. I reached to feel my gun tucked neatly in the back of my pants. In my mind, I had fired multiple times, striking those idiots with headshots that plastered the floor with their brains.

"What do you want me to do?" Andrei asked, noticing what was happening.

I glanced at my men, dressed like regular vacationers, perched around the pool. They locked eyes with me, and I gave a subtle signal, nodding in the direction of the men talking to Vivian.

"Save your strength. I have it taken care of," I said.

We both watched as my men approached the guys and stole them from her. The guys tried to resist until they realized it wasn't a request. My men could be very persuasive, and by persuasive, I meant threatening and intimidating. They were trained to inflict hurt on their targets in the most subtle of ways, and no one else would understand what was happening.

Vivian stared at me and frowned, knowing this was my doing.

I smirked at her, and she got up, rolling her eyes at me before leaving.

She disappeared from my sight, and I laughed lightly, relaxing in my chair now that I had pissed her off the same way she pissed me off. We were even.

A few minutes later, the ship stopped at a port around the Bahamas. By now, I had spotted her with some friends.

Like a vampire, I lurked in the shadows of a corner along the path I knew she would take. Once her friends had left and she headed my way, I stretched out my hand from the darkness and grabbed her arm, pulling her in with me.

She tried to scream as I pressed her back against the wall, but my finger was over her lips. I guessed she recognized my cologne or something about me that sent the message that her captor was Daniil Wolkov.

"What're you doing?" she asked, calmer now that she knew it was me.

She smelled so nice, and my body was slightly pressed against hers. My cock was rising within my pants, and I was sure that she could feel it brushing against her. I was tempted to kiss her as I heard her heavy breaths and felt her soft skin under my palms.

"You're playing a dangerous game here, Vivian."

"What game?" she asked, her voice trembling at my touch.

"Stop trying to make me jealous," I warned sternly. "Or I'll be forced to—"

"To do what?" she cut me off instantly in a way I found rather rude. "Huh? What are you going to do if I make you jealous? Tell me, Daniil," she snapped, the arrogance in her tone not subtle.

I was quiet, stunned by her guts and confidence.

"You don't own me, and you definitely have no control over what I do, got it?" She managed to squirm out of my hold and sauntered away from me, not before tossing me another withering glare.

I watched her leave with a faint grin, amused by her feisty personality.

It only left me wanting her more.