Page 76 of Baby for the Bratva

I hold up my hand to stop Yuri as he tries to touch me again. “No, Yuri. You made your choice. You’re going to marry me, but that will be the last time our lips ever touch.”

His body stiffens, and I see the blood pumping in the thick vein in his neck. Part of me is scared of what he’ll do, but the other part of me knows he’s a gentle giant. I’m hurting him, but he won’t hurt me.

He steps down, shaking his head and reaching into his pocket. “I wanted to wait, but this is the only way I can show you how I feel,” he mutters.

I stand on my toes to see what he’s doing as he turns away from me, but I can’t get a good look. Is he going to pull a gun or something? What’s happening?!

Suddenly, he spins around, dropping to one knee in front of me. In his large hand is a small red velvet box. He flips it open, and inside there’s a giant diamond ring glittering on the black padding.

I gasp, putting my hand to my mouth. I knew he was going to propose eventually because of the wedding agreement, but I didn’t realize it would be like this.

So genuine, like it’s a real marriage.

Tears rush to my eyes, and I struggle to blink them away.

“Stella, will you marry me?” he asks, his voice deep and confident.

I fan my face with my hand, trying desperately to dry my tears before they ruin my makeup. “Yuri, that diamond is huge. What are you doing?”

“It’s nothing compared to the way I feel for you,” he says, his eyes meeting mine with such piercing intensity that I nearly fall over.

My legs are like jelly and my heart is racing at what feels like a million beats per minute, but I know I’m not going to say no to him. The universe has thrown the most insane opportunity to change my life right in front of me, and I’d feel like a moron to turn it down.

Plus, I really have fallen for Yuri, even if I won’t admit it to him. I want to keep him in my life, even if it means taking longer to figure out if he’s really the one, or he just wants to use me.

Please, God, let it be the first one. I need him more than he knows.

I swallow my hesitation as he waits for my answer. I nod first, but that’s not enough to be clear. I need to be intentional about what I’m doing. This is such an important decision and I don’t want to half-ass my response.

“Yes,” I say, clasping my hands together. “Yes, I will marry you.”

He springs to his feet, a bright smile taking over his face like the sun popping out from behind the clouds. Suddenly, I know what I knew this entire time, but I didn’t want to admit.

I’m marrying him for love, not for the money.

But he doesn’t need to know that yet.

“Then take this ring, and you will be my bride,” Yuri says, slipping the ring out of the box and holding it to my hand.

I extend my ring finger, letting him slide it on. It fits perfectly, like it was made specifically for me, and I suspect it might have been. I don’t know how long Yuri was doing business today, and how long he was out ring shopping. The idea of him being so sweaty from looking at rings and finding the perfect one is nothing less than adorable.

The diamond on my finger sparkles in the light, like something from another planet. The cuts in the gemstone are perfect, smooth and angled just right to get the perfect reflection of light no matter how I hold my hand. Even down on my side, it draws attention, like it’s glowing in the dark.

The ring had to have cost a fortune. I’m not sure what Yuri had in mind for the wedding, but I suspect it will be similarly extravagant.

Money doesn’t matter to him. He’s rich beyond my comprehension.

“Now that you’re my fiancé, should we be discussing finances?” I ask, forcing myself to put my hand down and look at Yuri again.

He’s still smiling, but his thick eyebrows come together in a slight frown. “You mean the ten million dollars? I will wire it to your bank before the wedding.”

“I’m just curious what the ten million really means to you.”

He chuckles. “Curious if you should’ve asked for more?”

“No,” I say lightly, though it was part of my curiosity. “I’d just like to know more about the man I’ve agreed to marry. Most married couples share finances.”

He narrows his eyes at me, sitting down on the bed and pulling out his phone. “You want to see the numbers? I suppose that since you’re part of the Bratva, you’re entitled to know such things.”

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