RECAP OF LAST CHAPTER:
"Please, stop!" I screamed as he began pulling down my thong with his left hand and making circles on my inner, upper thigh.
"Shh- Em-" Duke started as he was swiftly interrupted by a new voice I had never heard before that instantly comforted me.
"I believe the pretty woman asked you to stop." A deep Russian voice growled as I peeked over Duke's stature and caught a glimpse at the most enthralling man I had ever laid eyes on.
CHAPTER 3:
"And you are?" Duke questioned as he turned around and stood right in front of me, blocking my movement.
"A man who makes sure he has a woman's consent before he touches her intimately," the Russian voice smoothly replied. I could hear his footsteps on the porch coming closer and closer, but I was unable to see what was about to happen until Duke stumbled backwards, pushing me hard into the fence of the porch.
Regaining his balance, Duke clenched his fists and looked at his opponent head on.
"You wanna fight?" Duke asked mockingly, "I'll show you how it's done in America."
Duke had circled out of my way so I was finally able to take in the beauty and powerful aura that illuminated from this man.
He was laughing at what Duke said. His toned arms were bulging through his suit. I could also tell that his body was just as defined as his arms. I found myself almost drooling at the sight and was immediately embarrassed when I looked up to see the breathtaking man gazing at me. A blush crept onto my pale cheeks as I stared right back into his brown eyes and noticed him looking at me with rage.
Caught off guard by his rage towards me, I was startled when Duke lunged across the porch, knocking my angry savior to the ground momentarily. I could tell he was not fazed at all from Duke's push by the way he stood up easily, brushing off his suit and cracking his neck in the process.
"I didn't want to do this in front of such a beautiful lady," he spoke as he cracked his knuckles with a look that screamed "I'm here to kill" painted across his face. Continuing, he faced Duke with even more intensity as he added, "But it looks like you are giving me no choice."
The man threw the first punch at Duke but Duke dodged it and smugly glanced back at me. The look he gave me had me wanting to leave the fight. Something was stopping me from leaving though. My mind and heart were in a battle as I watched the fight happen in front of me. My mind was begging me to get out of the cold and find Nora, while my heart was commanding me to stay and thank this masculine Russian fighter.
It was not long before Duke was bleeding from his face after several more punches were directed towards his chin. The attractive man was winning the fight with ease and whenever I thought Duke might be giving up, he kept finding the inner strength to preserve.
'By the end, I hope Duke is begging for the guy to stop,' I menacingly thought.
My train-of-thought was quickly interrupted by another face I have never seen before. He had rugged, blonde hair with a slim body dressed in a black suit. He stepped through the screen door and onto the porch with a mixed look of terror and horror on his face. He quickly spotted me standing near the fence of the porch and moved around the fight to come near me.
'Why are so many people I don't know at this party and why are they all insanely good looking?' I internally groaned as the blonde leaned against the fence railing behind me.
"Hey," he whispered to catch my attention. My head flew towards him at the sound of his Russian accent.
"Do you mind explaining to me why these two characters are fighting?" He asked with a confused look on his face.
Just as I was about to reply, a voice finally started to talk between all the punches and groans (mostly from Duke's side).
"Don't even think about it, Yuri," my savior gave a serious 'don't test me' look towards the blonde as he went back to Duke. By this point in the fight, Duke was covered in blood and bruises, while the Russian seemed unharmed.
"Oh, I get it now." The supposed Yuri said with a smile as he exchanged a look between the man and I. I gave him a perplexed expression as I finally decided I had had enough of this fight.
Moving across the porch, I got closer to the two fighting men. It was easy to tell that the Russian man was not only extremely handsome, but also insanely tall. He had to be a solid 6'5. Suddenly, feeling very minusible, I took a deep breath in an attempt to gain some courage. I was glad neither of them had noticed, although sparing a glance towards Yuri, he totally did. He gave me two thumbs up and a smile for encouragement. I had to stop myself from smiling back in order to stay focused on the task at hand.
"Enough!" I shouted at the two men, mid-way through a punch. Both sets of eyes, two very different shades of green, snapped towards my direction. Slowly, they both let guards their guards down.
"I've had enough of you tonight to last a lifetime, Duke. Please leave me alone before I let this man continue to beat your ass," I direct towards Duke, causing his head to lower towards the ground.
"Is this it for us, then?" Duke sadly asked.
"Yes." I asserted with Nora's confidence on my mind.
"Don't do this," he begged with glossy eyes.
'Please don't look at me like that, Duke,' I thought sadly, giving him the cold shoulder in the process. I watched his back retreat from the porch back into the house. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in.
Looking towards the man who saved me from Duke, I found myself feeling small again.
Staring into his emerald eyes, I gratefully thanked him. Keeping his distance from me, he briefly nodded his head and glanced at Yuri, gesturing him to leave.
After Yuri obediently closed the screen door and left, I felt extremely nervous being alone with this man. I found myself hoping the same thing would not happen twice in one night.
Thankfully, he was the first to break the silence.
"Do you know what you are to me?" He asked angrily.
"What?" I asked confused.
He chuckled cynically briefly before replying, "We're mates."
'How does he know that and I don't?' I thought to myself out of pure confusion, 'Why is he laughing like that?'
"How do you know that?" I questioned as I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for his response.
Taking my hand into his gently, he moved his lips extremely close to my ear. I could feel his breath on me as he whispered into my ear, "This." His hand began rubbing circles onto the back of my palm with his thumb.
I had never felt a sensation like this before. It felt more intimate than all of the touches I shared with Duke and some of them were quite scandalous, in the words of Nora.
'This is your mate,' my mind spoke to me as I felt the sense of uncertainty rush away from me.
Just as fast as he started creating friction between our hands, he ended it. Moving my chin up so I was looking him in the eyes, he asked with his deep, thick voice full of anger, "Does your boyfriend make you feel like this?"
At a loss for words, I stood with my mouth open in front of this godly man, hoping that some kind of confidence would come. It never did.
"Forget it. All of you American girls are the same," He shook his head angrily, staring down at his feet before bringing his eyes to meet mine again.
"He's not my boyfriend," I blurted out after finding my voice, hoping to subdue his anger.
Unfortunately, that proved to be detrimental to my argument. "Even worse. You don't commit before you give boys what they want," he said, shooting daggers towards me. A knife felt like it was going through my heart.
"I'm not like-" I started as I was rudely interrupted.
"Save it for someone who cares," He spoke harshly as he exited the porch, leaving me cold and vulnerable.
"Thanks again," I muttered softly to myself as I turned around and sat down on the steps of the porch. Tears brimmed my eyelids, threatening to come out.
A tear slipped out from my left eye. Bringing my arm up to my face, I wiped away the tears that started to pour out. It was not long before my arm was covered in foundation and powder that once covered my face. I did not need a mirror to know Nora's amazing makeup job had gone to shit.
I never expected to meet my mate like this. Every girl fantasizes about who their mate will be and how they will meet them. I imagined meeting the man who is supposed to be only mine in a different fashion. He did not even tell me his name.