Page 24 of The Bratva's Hostage

“Like what you see?” I smirked as her eyes glazed over and she chewed her bottom lip, her need evident in her every action. I knew she wouldn’t come to me willingly, however. Not yet. That didn’t mean I had to make it any easier for her to resist me.

You’ll be mine, heart, soul, and body.

She frowned at me suspiciously when I continued staring at her. She would throw a fit and swear she would never be mine if she could hear my thoughts, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t intend to share her with anybody, nor did I plan to have a sad, loveless marriage. When the time came, she would come to like me, even if love might be too far-fetched of an idea right now.

“Sleep well?” I asked, still sporting my smirk.

Her eyes jolted up to mine, her disappearing blush making a quick comeback. She lowered her gaze to the bed, playing with the sheets. I frowned. This shy persona wasn’t the woman I’d come to know as my wife.

Is she embarrassed about what happened last night?

“Well enough,” she said, regaining some of her fire.

“Good. Means you’ll be ready for some more action,” I teased, enjoying the color splayed on her cheeks. “I’m ready whenever you are, as you can see.”

My hands wrapped loosely around my cock, stroking it lewdly as she watched, her face burning with embarrassment.

“Stop that!” she hissed, burying her face in the comforter. I laughed loudly.

Although I would have loved to continue teasing her until she begged me to stop, there was something I’d been curious to know for some time. It had been bugging me for a while, but the last time we spoke about it, she’d quickly escaped to speak with her friend. Now, there was only us here.

“When we first met in my office, why were you there?” I asked her curiously. “What were you searching for?”

I waited patiently for her to tell me why she rummaged through my office. As much as I’d like to believe that this was some way to get leverage to ruin me, it made no sense that her father would send her here, not when he knew the risks that were involved if she ever got caught. Somehow, he didn’t strike me as a man who cared so little for his daughter.

There had to be something. Something she wanted for herself, or thought would give them an advantage over us. That much was easy to figure out, but I ran blank on what exactly her motives were.

She hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. I sighed. The circumstances surrounding our marriage did not exactly make trust a likely commodity.

“You’ll have to tell me sometime, Elena. If whatever it is you want, can be found here, don’t you think it’s best to tell me so I can make it happen? You are my wife, and it’s my duty to make sure that you are content.”

Every word spoken was my truth but from the look on her face, I knew she didn’t believe a word of it.

I chuckled despite myself. It was evident that she didn’t trust me. And why should she? She would be a fool to let down her shield so easily.

“I have nothing to tell you, Maksim. I don’t need you to give me anything. I’m quite content already.”

She glared when I chuckled, hiding her confusion. Although I wished she had, I hadn’t expected her to part with the information so easily.

“I expect no less from you. A woman ought to have some well-guarded secrets,” I said.

“I have no secrets.” She snapped.

My brows arched, amused. “Everyone has secrets, my dear wife. You can keep yours for now, but make no mistake, whatever it is, I will find out one way or another.”

She fired back at me. “What about you, Maksim? Are there any closely guarded secrets you want to share with me?”

She was trying to challenge me. It was obvious she didn’t think that I would tell her anything. Although I could get the information out of her if I wanted to, she was my wife, and I would never subject her to any form of torture.

The room turned awkward as I stared at her without saying another word and Elena picked up her phone, mindlessly scrolling through it.

That was another way I could find out what she wanted or who I could torture to get the information that I needed. She had to have a partner.

Does she know I’m tracking her phone?

I should have felt guilty about tracking and monitoring her phone, but I felt no such thing. She was my wife and until I could trust her, she posed a risk to me and my family.

There would be no secrets on her except for the ones that did not go through her messages or call history.

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