Page 65 of Baby for the Bratva

I grit my teeth. “Yeah, so risky,” I reply sarcastically. “Maybe because I might dump my tea on your goddamn head when it gets here.”

“I think it’s a good idea. Not the tea, of course. I mean getting married,” he replies, trying to sell his idea even though I hate it with the very core of my being.

“I think it’s stupid,” I grumble. “And I think you’re an idiot for ruining dinner with something like this.”

He frowns, holding up his hands like he’s done nothing wrong. “Seriously? This is the best of both worlds. Maybe you’re not understanding me.”

“Explain yourself, then,” I snap, already fed up with this conversation. I doubt he’s going to be able to rescue it, but given that I’m stuck with him for the rest of the night, I might as well hear him out.

“I like you. That’s the first thing. I feel like you’ve gotten the wrong impression by how I came out of the blue with the marriage idea. I met you, I wanted you from the moment I saw you, and here you are in front of me. God, if I could have you forever, I would, but I know when this cruise is finished, you’re going back to your old life.”

“Says who?” I ask, my voice cracking as I struggle with my emotions.

“I’m assuming you don’t want to be part of this beautiful disaster forever,” he says, his eyes pleading at me for that not to be the case.

The truth is, though, that I still haven’t decided. The assumption was and still is that we’re not going to be together forever, and that this is all just a story I’m going to get to tell when I’m old and gray. Not many people will even believe me, but I’ll know it’s true. Yuri will always be real to me.

My throat is tight, and there’s a lump in it that I can’t swallow. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Is that okay for me to say?”

Yuri nods. “It’s better than no.”

I laugh, tears threatening to spill even as our tea arrives.

“Here you are. Would you like to order food this evening?” the waiter asks, avoiding eye contact with me and looking at Yuri. I must look like I’m about to burst into tears.

“The chef’s special, please,” Yuri says quickly.

“Right away.” The waiter rushes off, probably eager to leave our table. The awkwardness is palpable. It’s like someone walking into your bedroom when you’re having sex.

The music has slowed, and some people have gotten up to dance, but the only thing I feel like doing is crying. A moment of silence settles over our table, but it feels like an hour before Yuri continues.

“So, like I was saying, I wasn’t sure what to expect from you when we first met, but I quickly realized I liked you more than I’ve liked anyone before.”

“I bet you say that to every woman,” I say with a small laugh, but I’m hoping to God that he means it.

He sighs. “Stella, don’t push me away. I’m opening up here, and I want you to hear me out.”

I perk up. “I’m listening. Go ahead.”

He runs his fingers through his thick hair until he reaches the back of his head. He stretches it for a moment, then he lets go and looks at me. “I want you to marry me, but it’s too soon for it to be for any romantic purposes. That’s the plain and simple truth. Of course, I’m obsessed with you, but we need time that we don’t really have to know if it’s a forever thing.”

I shrug. “Then the answer is no. I think that should be obvious at this point, Yuri. I’m not going to marry you just to save your ass from something you got yourself into. There’s absolutely nothing in it for me.”

A grin spreads across his face, much to my surprise, and he holds up a finger. “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. There is something in it for you, but only if we actually need to get married. If I can convince them to drop the bounty, there will be no need for any of this.”

I narrow my eyes at him, suspicious of what this is all about. “Okay, then why don’t you just wait and see if they’ll drop it? Why bother bringing this up at all?”

“Because I know they’re not going to drop it, darling. Clear as day, they want me dead. I doubt they care about money anymore,” he replies, oddly comfortable with the idea of being a dead man walking.

“So, you think you’re going to convince me to marry you? That’s cute,” I say, fully intending to shoot him down again.

But then he comes through with the most insane part yet, and I’m instantly blown away. “You are going to marry me, Stella, because I’m going to pay you ten million dollars to be my bride.”

31

Yuri

I see an entire life’s worth of emotions cross Stella’s face at the mention of paying her ten million dollars to be my wife. The thing I like about her is that she still looks like she’s considering turning me down, which only makes me want her more.

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