Page 20 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

She didn’t want to be there any more than I did, but she was better at hiding it.

“You looked beautiful up there, Grace,” Raya said as the girls flocked to her, surrounded by their children. “Welcome to the family.”

My cousin’s wives were a force to be reckoned with, but around her, they all wore their welcoming smiles. One by one, Raya introduced them to her, and while she took it well, I could tell it was overwhelming.

“We’re always right around the corner if you need anything,” Violet said just as kindly.

They all agreed, and Grace gave them a small smile. “Thank you.”

Knowing I dragged her into this foreign world made that guilt mount even higher within me. She had no reason to be there other than to pay for her father’s mistakes and because of my hastiness.

She did nothing wrong, but I threw her into something completely different from what she knew.

No matter how everything would play out for us, I had to live with that reality.

As the girls continued to talk, Andrei approached, holding his plate of cake. He gave me a small nudge. “You two staying somewhere for the honeymoon?”

While I knew that suggestive look in his eyes, I didn’t play into it. I didn’t want to even pretend like I had thought much farther than getting the ceremony done.

“I skipped on the suite,” I murmured, hoping to drop the conversation as soon as possible. “It was an unnecessary expense. Enough had been put toward the ceremony already.”

“Money is no issue here,” he returned gently, giving me a strange look. “But I hope you enjoy your night anyway.”

It was true that we had no shortage of it, but I didn’t want to dip into my cousins’ accounts just to pay for a last-minute wedding. Restricting the budget was a way for me to minimize the fuss involved.

I hadn’t even considered our wedding night—technically, our honeymoon. There was no way for me to know how it would unfold, even if I envisioned the two of us locking ourselves away in our separate rooms and not coming out until morning.

The thought irritated me. That wasn’t how I wanted it to happen.

But I had the feeling it would be bleak.

As the lights dimmed and the music changed, I knew immediately what was coming, and my stomach dropped.

“It’s time for the first dance!” Raya shouted. The family hollered at us as I begrudgingly went to the center of the room and waited for Grace. She wasn’t far behind.

I wanted to jump out of my skin, but I went along with it anyway. I didn’t want to disappoint the family, not when they were happy among themselves with their partners. Elias gave me a loud ‘whoop’ as I reached for Grace.

My hands fell to her waist as hers rested on my shoulders, and we began. I felt like a middle schooler experiencing his first dance. It was unnatural for me and more awkward than I cared to admit.

We were silent as we danced, and while I hoped for something to soothe our rigidness, it was hard to miss how good it felt to hold her. The warmth she emanated was something I hadn’t experienced for a while.

Even if I didn’t know her that well yet, being close gave me a small sense of comfort. Something to help move more naturally.

It seemed like a redeemable part of the day.

As we swayed, I found myself relaxing more, thanks to her. Grace did the same as if unconsciously following suit.

Regardless of how I felt about the dance, I didn’t mind the opportunity to take her in completely. She was more beautiful than I initially wanted to admit. While her light green eyes still held lingering discomfort within them, they seemed to soften the longer we danced. Her features were so soft looking and perfectly accentuated by the makeup Raya had done for her.

As Grace relaxed even more, looking exhausted from it all, she leaned against me with her arms wrapped around my neck.

A tender sensation rushed through me at once, and I could only breathe through it as I held her closer.

The subtle shift didn’t seem so bad, and I even found myself appreciating how she felt safe enough to lean into me. Whether she was just doing it out of duty or to convince herself everything was fine, she didn’t utter a complaint about it.

With her pressed against me, it stirred new thoughts I didn’t previously have, and I regretted not getting that suite.

Grace was so warm and enticing before me, and something about her piqued my interest. When I initially took her from her campus, I didn’t expect to be drawn to her truly. I thought I would lift her to get back at her father, make things legal, then continue with the business.

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