Page 20 of The Bratva's Hostage

I borrowed from his strength, every time I thought I was down for the count, I looked his way and saw him soldiering on. That was more than enough encouragement for me to keep going.

I don’t think he realized how much he was supporting me through this ordeal. Now that it was over, it was up to us to make our marriage work. There was too much riding on us, and too many people banking on us falling apart.

My thoughts were with my father for huge parts of the day. This was something I always hoped I’d get to do with him. While Uncle Lucas was excellent and completely supportive, the day would have felt better if my father had been there to witness it.

“Finally,” Maksim said, “I thought the day would never end. I’m spent.” He turned to look at me.

I groaned. “I feel as bad as you do, probably worse. Good thing I don’t plan on ever going through this again. Couldn’t we have done something smaller?”

He smiled, his expression somewhat teasing despite his visible fatigue. “I wish. As much as I hate to admit it, we needed it. A united front. We managed that..." He eyed me languidly from top to bottom. "... thanks to you. You were great.” A mischievous smile spread across his face, and I felt my cheeks turn red.

“So, I’ve heard.” I leaned on the door and rubbed my neck, feeling shy and trying to change the subject. “You didn’t do too badly yourself. What’s next?”

He let out a deep sigh. ”We live happily ever after, right? That’s how it goes in the storybooks, no?”

“I stopped believing in storybooks a long time ago,” I said. “Happy ever after doesn’t exist.”

He grunted his approval. “We should get you out of that dress.”

“Please.” I smiled and he laughed. Moments like this almost made me forget just how ruthless and cold Maksim was. At that moment, he was almost like a normal man. It was a comfortable lie, and I wondered how much I’d have to repeat the lie to myself in the years to come.

“Come on,” he said, holding the door open. We walked in together. A team of servants moved through the house, cleaning the mess that two hundred guests had made.

I followed Maksim up the stairs to his bedroom, where he sank into the bed. My things were arranged neatly near the closet, and it dawned on me that I was really married.

The feeling was both surreal and terrifying. Did every new bride feel as afraid as I do now? It seemed highly unlikely, but what would I know? I didn’t have a lot of married friends. I didn’t have a lot of friends, period.

“We should shower,” he said from the bed.

His words put the picture of his naked body in my head. I turned to look at him shyly, my eyes wide.

“You should go first,” he added after my mind had already thought different things.

“You go ahead, I need to clear my head a bit.” I was blushing.

He nodded and walked into the bathroom. A few moments later, I heard water running. Against my better judgment, I found myself harboring wild thoughts about him. How nice would it have been to share the shower with him? Running my hands over his perfectly toned body…

I shook my head. This wasn’t that type of marriage. This was a business arrangement, and it was pointless expecting it to be anything more than that.

And yet…

He stepped out of the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist. Droplets of water still clung to his body and there was a healthy mound on the towel between his legs… I tore my eyes away from him and turned back to the mirror. Get those thoughts out of your head!

I took off my accessories and Maksim walked up to me. I turned to him questioningly. He smiled and reached for my back. I gasped and froze, but he simply pulled down the zipper of my dress.

I let out a deep sigh as relief spread through me. I had no idea what to think. Since we were married, it was expected that we had to consummate the marriage like a normal couple. But we aren’t a normal couple…. are we?

He walked away to the closet and rummaged through his clothes. I took the opportunity to grab a pair of silk pajamas and ran into the bathroom.

Once the door was shut behind me, I noticed how fast my heart was beating. The thought of sex terrified me. I didn’t expect him to bring it up, but I knew he would. Should I refuse? We are a married couple now, so what would my refusal of him say?

Feeling nervous, I undressed and got into the shower. The cold water running down my body worked magic to help me relax. I loved the feel of the cold water on my skin, and I considered locking myself up in there for the rest of the night.

When I turned off the water, my anxiety returned with force. Maksim was waiting beyond that door, and who knew what thoughts were running through his mind?

I dried off and put on my loose pajamas. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked unremarkable, but would that be enough to make him uninterested? It had to be.

With a deep breath, I stepped out of the bathroom, and there he was, sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but comfy sweatpants. He was scrolling through his phone but put it down when he saw me.

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