Chosen By A Sinner by Michelle Heard
Genres: Romance
Book Preface
Mariya
Luca; 34. Mariya; 26.
Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I chuckle as Dad walks in a slow circle around me.
My dad is the retired head of the bratva, and my Mom’s responsible for toppling many sex trafficking syndicates. My parents are badass to the bone and powerful. Hence, when Dad says it’s time for a sparing session, I don’t argue and do as I’m told.
“Come on, old man. I don’t have all day. I still need to go collect my dress and get some last-minute shop–” My words cut off as Dad lunges at me, then my feet are swiped from under me, and my butt hits the mat hard.
I let out a burst of laughter while groaning.
“Old man, my ass,” he mutters. “Little shit.”
I climb to my feet, then dart forward. Grabbing hold of Dad’s shoulders, I swing my body around his and wrap my legs around his neck. I take him down with a twist of my torso, and we both slam down onto the mat.
Someone starts to clap their hands, and my head snaps to the gym’s doorway.
“Not bad, little sister,” Viktor praises me.
We might not be related by blood, but that doesn’t matter. Not only do I consider Viktor my best friend, but my older brother as well. We were raised as siblings because our parents have an unbreakable bond.
Viktor’s dad, Uncle Demitri, is my godfather, and Dad is Viktor’s godfather. Since before I was born, both families have lived on the same property. I’m trained the same as Viktor, but because I have the protection of my family, I never take the sparing sessions seriously and just do it to appease my dad.
Viktor, on the other hand, is better than our fathers, which he needs to be, seeing as he’s the head of the bratva.
My eyes land on the other man by Viktor’s side. Luca Cotroni, the head of the Italian mafia and Viktor’s best friend. Our families are close, and he’s also Dad’s godson.
The man is notorious for the ruthless way he dominates the arms market. No one dares go up against him and he’s gained the respect of all the other mafia heads and my father, who’s not easy to impress.
It’s also one of the reasons I think so highly of him. We might not get along, but it doesn’t stop me from admiring what he’s achieved at the age of thirty-four.
Sigh, I’ve had a crush on him since I discovered my hormones. It’s my most guarded secret – one I’ll take to my grave, seeing as Luca is always indifferent toward me. It infuriates me to no end, and the little jabs we take at each other don’t help either.
The man is tall, dark, and handsome – an Italian work of art with a square jaw and a mouth I’ve had wild fantasies about.
Wearing a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt tailored for his muscled chest, he’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Every inch of him radiates confidence and power.
Damn, those sweatpants. H.O.T.
Just like Viktor, Luca is dangerous and ruthless. He’s also arrogant and demanding. But none of that stops me from lusting after the man.
I should get my head examined.
Luca smiles at Dad. “Uncle Alexei, good to see you.”
“You too, son.” Dad swipes up a towel and pats the beads of sweat from the back of his neck. “When are your parents arriving?”
“Tonight.”
Dad nods, then gives me a sideways hug. “Good session. Same time next week.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
When Dad leaves the gym, Viktor and Luca walk to the mat.
Curious, I ask, “Are you going to spar?”
“Yeah.” Viktor shoots a grin my way. “I need to kick some ass.”
“You wish,” Luca mutters.
He doesn’t even look my way, and it hasn’t escaped my attention that he didn’t even bother to greet me.
Rude.
Just to rain on his parade, I smile sweetly at him. “Hi, Luca. It’s good to see you again. I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
His eyes only touch on me for a second. “Mariya, a pleasure as always.”
Ugh.
I walk to where my towel and water bottle are lying and pick them up. I pat the towel over my cheeks and neck while watching the men take their positions.
Kick his ass, Viktor.
Viktor starts to move, lightly bouncing on his feet, but Luca doesn’t move a muscle.
As I lift the bottle to my lips, Luca suddenly lunges, turns his powerful body in mid-air, and slams the heel of his foot against the side of Viktor’s head. Then he lands on his feet and swipes Viktor’s legs from under him.
Jesus.
I’ve fought Viktor before, and I’ve never been able to get the drop on him.
The bottle is still suspended halfway to my mouth, my jaw practically lying on the floor as I try to breathe past the instant burst of lust warming my lady parts.
Viktor’s quickly back on his feet, and they lunge at each other, moving so damn fast, I can only blink as I watch them fight.
I realize Dad’s been taking it easy on my ass because I don’t stand a chance against them.
I keep drooling over Luca until they take a breather. With his breaths coming fast and a serious expression on his face, he glances at me.
So, so hot.
Then I realize Luca’s watching me watch him. My stomach does a crazy somersault, and rattled because I was caught ogling him, I turn to leave but head in the wrong direction. “Get your shit together,” I mutter under my breath before storming in the direction of the door.
I swear my brain melts into a puddle of hormones whenever that man is around.
It’s so frustrating having a crush on someone who doesn’t even see you as a person worth his time.
It’s your birthday tomorrow. Go collect the dress you ordered and pamper yourself.
Forget about Luca Cotroni.
Ugh, I wish.
I’ve tried getting over him for eleven years, but it’s no use. The more he ignores me, the more I want him.
It’s a vicious cycle I can’t escape.
Luca
Mariya Koslov – the only woman alive with the power to drive me fucking crazy.
Christ, does she drive me crazy.
I’ve spent the past three months defending my turf in Europe from the Albanians, constantly flying between Italy and LA. Belonging to the Priesthood, a brotherhood of sorts, Viktor and I also had to take time to help Gabriel Demir, the head of the Turkish mafia, who took his revenge on the Polish mafia.
It’s been fucking busy, as always, never having any time to even think about pursuing Mariya. My only saving grace is that most men are too fucking scared of her family to try to date her, and it’s kept her single while I took over the mafia from my father.
I’ve known her all my life, but where Viktor and I became best friends, there’s always been an invisible line drawn between Mariya and me. The only reason I haven’t mentioned an arranged marriage to our families is because I know Uncle Alexei will never agree to one unless Mariya’s willing. She’s a bratva princess, and no one will force her to do something she disapproves of.
As Viktor takes a fighting stance, my thoughts turn to the fucking sexy scene I walked in on earlier when Mariya flipped her father to the ground.
God damn, it was hot. I knew she received training, but I didn’t realize she was that good.
Viktor’s foot connects with my thigh, and I only have time to lean backward before his other foot narrowly misses my head.
“Stop fucking dreaming and fight,” he taunts me.
I focus on the sparing session, and we start to move. Having done this many times before, neither of us gets a good hit in, and by the time we’re done, we’re soaked in sweat and gasping for air.
Also, thinking about Mariya when I’m facing off with Viktor is just plain stupid, but damn, the woman is distracting.
She radiates elegance, beauty, and power – royalty in the mafia world. A true princess who’s worth killing for.
She’s one of the reasons I’m still single at thirty-four. The other is that I’ve been too busy working my ass off to bother dating. But I’m not getting any younger. I’ll have to figure out a way to erase the line between Mariya and me.
“Are you coming to Mariya’s birthday party tomorrow night?” Viktor asks.
“Of course.” I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s an excuse to be around the woman I consider my future wife.
People see her as a spoiled socialite who has nothing better to do than spending her parents’ money.
But there’s more to her than meets the eye.
Mariya loves with all her heart. She’d die for her family and friends, and that kind of loyalty is rare in our world.
She’s stubborn, but that’s a turn-on for me. The more she snubs me, the more I want her.
But what I love most about her is that she’s always direct. The woman doesn’t play games, and that’s so fucking refreshing.
I have to make her love me, which is a problem because I’ve never seen Mariya date. I have no idea what she finds attractive and what she hates.
I can’t ask Viktor because he’d probably try to kill me for even thinking romantically about his sister.
If only I knew where her mind’s at, it would help a great deal.
“We’re going to Vegas this weekend. You want to come? I could use the company while babysitting Mariya and Violet.”
A smile spreads over my face. “Sure. The break will do me good.”
We walk out of the gym, and I head to the guestroom I used to change out of my suit.
Grabbing the back of my sweat-soaked shirt, I tug the fabric over my head. Just as I turn the corner, someone slams into my chest. Instinctively my arms come up, and I grab hold of a pair of slender shoulders.
As I look down, Mariya’s eyes widen as she stares at my chest, one of her hands firmly planted on my abs.
“Good God,” she breathes, then her gaze burns over my skin until she locks eyes with me. Her pupils are dilated, her lips parted.
We stare at each other for a moment until Mariya takes a step back. She shakes her head once, turns around, and hightails it away from me.
Interesting.
The princess liked what she saw.
The corner of my mouth lifts in a smirk as I step into the guestroom so I can shower and change back into my suit.
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