INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings - Episode 32
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
It's honestly quite amusing that Dominic Morozov is this brooding, intimidating, no-nonsense type, yet he can be pretentiously charming when he wants to be with others. However, when it comes to me, he completely transforms into this calming, always-smiling, talkative person.
I am absolutely delighted that I've gradually, but finally, managed to break down his walls. He reveals more of himself whenever he's with me, and I love that.
The journey to reach this point has certainly not been an easy one, but I have ultimately succeeded in making him not just a friend, but something more. And that fills my heart with joy beyond any words I can muster.
My vow to make him a puddle in my palms still lingers in the air, unwavering. I can't simply make a promise to myself and not see it through. Is it working, you may ask?
Yes. Yes, it is. How do I know?
Well, not long ago, when I was lost in the music at the bar we visited, Cole—the chap who works at the bungee jumping centre—approached me. Yes, the same one I may or may not have flir+ed with. Anyway, as we were having a little chat, I noticed a woman in a shiny, s+dúctive outfit approach Dominic, who was busy glaring at Cole.
Naturally, I kept an eye on his reaction while she tried to engage him in conversation, but he utterly ignored whatever she was saying without even glancing at her. That was enough to bring immense satisfaction to me, so I excused myself from Cole and made my way to him.
He was furious, alright, but his golden eyes sparkled when he looked at me. Those eyes of his shone with a mix of admiration and a touch of annoyance.
That... that is how I know my plan is working. I already have him right where I want him. I mean, he can't even say no to me, and I can tell how much he wishes I would be intimidated by his rare glares, but he fails every time.
How could I be intimidated by him? Yes, I know he's practically the head of the Russian brà tva. I also know he is ruthléss and merciléss when dealing with his enémies, and he can kÃll without batting an eyelid. But I've seen him cook for me, wearing an apron to protect his clothes. I've watched him sleep peacefully beside me, and I've witnessed his smiles far more often than his glares.
There is no way on Earth I will ever be intimidated by Dominic Morozov. He is so human with me that one wouldn't even realise he has a darker side. And honestly, I love both sides of him, and he shows me without holding anything back.
Even now, he’s standing in the heavy downpour, dancing with me in his arms in a ballroom style. Our gazes are locked as we move to the rhythm of the rain.
I've always found the rain calming and soothing. I think every reader loves it when it rains because it's truly the best time to read, you know? Being curled up in a fuzzy blanket with a hot cup of coffee or chocolate beside you and a book in hand is considered therapy for every reader.
Or maybe that's just me.
The rain calms me when I'm feeling down, but the immense tranquillity I’m feeling right now cannot be compared to any I’ve felt before. This is altogether different—much better.
There are absolutely no thoughts in my head; no worries, just beautiful serenity, and me with an overly attractive man grinning at me. I couldn't help myself, so I leaned in and claimed his lips as if they were my own personal belonging.
And I’m not even wrong. If the owner of those lips belongs to me, then every part of him is mine, too. There was absolutely no need to step closer, as we were already pressed against each other, but stubbornness got the better of me, and I did.
It took only a second for him to respond to the kiss, but when that second was over, Dominic kissed me back as if he had been waiting his whole life for it—waiting for me.
His palms caressed either side of my cheeks, tilting my head in the opposite direction to align our lips perfectly. I kissed him as though he were my last meal, one hand resting on his beating heart and the other tangled in his soft, damp hair.
He let out a low hum that reverberated down my throat. The rain pouring down didn't faze us as we dove deeper into one another, completely unconcerned about who might see us.
Yes, what we were doing was nothing short of siñful and immorà l. I mean, he’s ten years my senior, and here we are, our tongues entwined. It’s crÃminal how much desire we feel for each other.
Dominic pulled his lips away, his eyes clashing against mine, breathless. Our gazes collided like the ocean swallowing the sun, a beautiful yet disastrous thing if it were to happen in reality.
"Shall we go inside?" His voice was barely audible, but I still heard it. "You’ll catch a chill."
"I don’t mind," I told him, tilting my head to reclaim his kiss; however, he pressed his palm against my lips. Since I couldn’t speak properly because of his hand on my mouth, my words came out muffled. "Ugh, you’re no fun."
"Perhaps that’s because I’m not trying to be."
I frowned, huffed a breath, and turned towards the apartment. Dominic met me inside as I began to shiver, suddenly feeling cold.
He shut the door, his gaze fixed on me, a small smile gracing his ridiculously handsome face. "You’re cold?"
"What? No, of course not." The lie slipped from my lips with ease.
Normally, I’m not easy to read, but sometimes he sees right through me as if I’m an open book. That’s what he did now, wearing that same lopsided grin as he slowly walked towards me.
"Right. That’s why you’re definitely not trembling right now."
"Yeah, definitely not cold at all."
"Does that mean I should turn up the AC, then?"
I stood up straight, defiance simmering within me. "Yeah, I don’t mind."
"You don’t?"
"Nope."
Dominic nodded, relishing the jibes he was throwing my way. He smirked and strode over to the thermostat on the wall, turning on the heat.
It warmed my body as well as my heart that I didn’t have to tell him to do it before he did. He turned his head towards me while still facing the thermostat, his eyes roaming over my body from head to toe, desire glinting in them.
"Why did you turn on the heat? You cold?"
He smiled. "Freezing."
"Too bà d for you."
I made my way to my room, took a hot shower, and changed into something comfy. Dominic was on the phone with someone speaking Russian when I exited my room.
Leaning against the wall beside his door, I waited for him to finish his call. While I waited, I pulled out my own phone to check if Jules had replied to my message.
I’d sent her one a few minutes ago, but she hadn’t responded yet. I did see a "How is your holiday?" message from Sloane and a "Don’t come back" message from Christian.
I typed my reply to Sloane first.
Me ≈ It’s going well so far, thanks for asking. How are you and your boyfriend?
Of course, I didn’t genuinely want to know; I was only asking because I knew Christian didn’t like Alessio Knight one bit. In fact, I thought they were archenémies, and now that the person he secretly likes is dating him, he wouldn’t be pleased.
Just thinking of the drama I might be missing, I felt like I should rush this trip, but at the same time, I didn’t want to hurry it because I enjoyed spending time with Dominic.
Then I texted the so-called secret admirer of my best friend.
Me ≈ Don’t tell me what to do, Christian. You know I hà te that.
He replied immediately.
Jérk ≈ Yeah, when have I ever cared about what you liked or hà ted?
Me ≈ Don’t question me either! How is your girlfriend? Jules said you two have been acting strangely with each other. Had a row?
It wasn’t a lie. Julianna had told me that Sloane and Christian might be having a tiff, and she didn’t know why; however, I couldn’t tell her that she was the issue.
J̩rk ŠNone of your business. Sloane can speak for herself.
Me ≈ Right. Did you see Alessio’s new IG story? They’re the cutest couple, aren’t they?
J̩rk ŠGoodbye.
Ah, don’t blame me; I couldn’t help myself. It’s fun to mess with him, alright!
Not long after, Dominic came out, pocketing his phone. His gaze landed on me instantly, turning quizzical.
"Were you eavesdropping?" His question made me push myself off the wall to give him a look that conveyed he’d just annoyed me.
"Yeah, totally." My top-notch sarcasm was my next course of action, of course. "I understood every single word of Russian you spoke."
"I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or genuinely stating the truth."
"Gosh, I really can't stand you right now." I turned my back to head to my room since he had succeeded in making me cross, but he grasped one of my wrists, keeping me in place. "Let go."
"I can't."
Can't let go? Of me?
Why doesn't that sound... Okay, no, Genevieve; you're still annoyed with him.
"You know, you look rather adorable when you're angry with me. You get all pouty and your eyes sparkle with irritation; it’s such a charming side."
"My annoyance isn’t charming, Dominic."
"I rather like the way you say my name."
"Are you flirting with me at the moment?"
"Is it working?"
"Not quite," I lied with expert precision. "Why don't you try a bit harder?"
Dominic nodded once, his attention flitting from my eyes to my lips and then back to my eyes. "How hard do I need to try?"
"You can work that out on your own."
He pulled me flush against him, then his thumb brushed against my lower lip, his gaze intensifying. I blinked in surprise at him taking the lead this time without me having to do anything.
"You drive me mà d," he said, his other hand wrapping around my waist, and I had to clench my fists on his shirt to avoid an awkward position.
"Is that a good thing or a bà d thing?"
"I’m not sure, Genevieve, I really don’t know." He tucked the hair framing my face behind my ear. Those dazzling eyes of his held uncertainty and emotions beyond my comprehension. "All I know is that this will rúin both of us, especially me."
I rather like ruinà tion. To me, it’s closest to dà nger, and I certainly have a penchant for dangeroús things.
"Maybe the ruinà tion wouldn’t be so bà d."
"I’m certain it will."
"Then we shall simply have to enjoy the ride until we reach that point. I bet it’ll be one héck of a fun ride."
••
Morning came, and surprisingly, yet strangely, Dominic and I woke at the same time. We freshened up in separate rooms, and by the time I was dressed, he was already preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Can I ask you a question?" That was the first thing I said when I walked into the kitchen.
"Do I have a choice?" He replied with a question, sending me a quick glance before turning back to the pancakes.
"No."
"Thought so. What’s your question?"
"Do you think those blokes reported you to the police?"
I was certain he knew what I was referring to. He didn’t look at me, though, before he said,
"If they did, I’ll take care of it."
"Right. What will you tell the police if they come knocking?"
"Like I said, I’ll handle it." Dominic glanced back at me as I settled on the kitchen island. "He had a knÃfe to your throat. He’s lucky I didn’t énd his miserable life."
It never ceased to amaze me how furious he got at the thought of a knÃfe at my throat. It was as though he was ready to cút óff his hands for even touching me.
"And like you said, it was self-defence, wasn’t it?"
"Exactly."
"Good. Is that all?"
"Sure, for now."
I might have been mistaken, but I thought I heard him chuckle under his breath. "By the way, you defended yourself quite well that night."
"Thanks," I muttered. "I thought it was a rather amateurish attempt, though."
"It wasn’t; you did brilliantly. But why did you think so?"
"I never took the self-defence classes I wanted to. I was far too occupied."
"With what?"
"Things my parents wanted me to do."
"And what were those things?"
He was now genuinely curious as he turned to face me.
"Things like gymnastics, golf, and fencing," I replied. "My mother wanted me to play golf, and I did. I learnt how to play for two months and then participated in the national championship. I didn’t win, obviously. Then my dad suggested fencing. That one took four months to get good at, and I loved it, but I also didn’t win because I didn’t want to travel the world just to represent my country. And oh, I first learnt gymnastics in middle school because I enjoyed it; I wasn’t forced into that one."
"That’s a lot for a young girl."
I tried not to cringe at that because of what it implied. I mean, we were now having intimate moments, and he just called me young.
"Are you underestimating me now?"
"What? Of course not." He strode over to me with a plate of pancakes and set it down beside me. "I’m commending you. You did brilliantly, Genevieve."
I hummed, feigning deep thought, though in truth, my mind was completely blank. I was far too captivated by his eyes. "Yeah? So, what is my reward then?"
"What do you want?" Dominic asked, popping a blueberry into his mouth.
On a sudden impulse, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. He looked genuinely taken aback at first, but it didn’t take long for him to respond, his surprise melting into something deeper. I lost myself in the kiss, feeling the warmth of his lips against mine, the sweetness of the blueberry lingering between us as I playfully coaxed it from his mouth into my own.
"For now, nothing," I whispered against his lips, my heart racing.
I already had Dominic Morozov; what else could I possibly want?
TBC
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