Page 9 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

“I’m over forty now. I need to find someone, someone to give me an heir. You’ve got your heir. You’re sorted. Now, don’t you want a little cousin for Samuel to play with?”

“What I want is a little brother or sister for him. I get Penny pregnant by accident when I sleep with her one time. Now I sleep with her regularly and nothing.” My brother sighs and looks at me. “So maybe a cousin would be nice, but Danil, it’s a huge commitment. You don’t want to be miserable for the rest of your life.”

“I won’t be. I will choose who I want, and I will take it from there.” I stand up. “Are we agreed on the casino? Can I give the go-ahead for the transfer from the lawyers?”

“Yes, go ahead. Let’s get it set up, and yes, you can rope Luka into managing it. He does need something to do other than race cars in the desert.”

I smile and walk out. Luka might be the baby of the family, but it’s time he did some real work. He’s had it too easy his whole life, and this will make sure that he’s kept busy while I find a wife to marry.

My mind strays back to Asher, and I picture her in a wedding gown walking down the aisle to me. She wouldn’t do something pretty or cute. She’d wear something figure-hugging that would show off her breasts and curvaceous hips. Then, that night, I would rip it off her.

No, maybe I won’t. I’m generally fast and rough in bed, but with Asher, I might want to pleasure her slowly. I may want her to squirm underneath me, begging me to end her torture as she comes so close to orgasm, and then I just take it away from her, edging her.

I feel an uncomfortable tightness in my pants and cross my legs. I need to distract myself because Asher is the worst possible distraction when I’m trying to work. I know I want to win this bet, but I must be careful how I play this. She is Samuel’s godmother and Penny’s best friend.

And you don’t just fuck around with someone who is best friends with the queen of the Russian mafia.

Even if you have the power to do so.

Chapter 4 - Asher

I stand outside arrivals with a bright sign that reads Piper in various colors. People start exiting, and I look around excitedly, trying to find her face in a sea of faces.

“Asher!” I hear her call from the right of the exit. I put the sign down and hug her tightly as she launches herself into my arms.

“Oh, it is so good to see you, Piper,” I say.

She lets go of me and looks at me. She definitely has matured physically. She seems so much more grown up.

“Come on, let’s get you to the house. How long can you stay?”

“Just the weekend,” she says. “I have to fly back to study for an important exam that’s happening as soon as we open in January.”

I load her luggage in my car while she stands there, staring. “What?” I ask.

“Sweet ride! How did you afford this?” she asks.

I smile. “It was a gift from Penny. She’s living the high life now.”

“And she bought this for you? That is such a cool thing to do.” Piper smiles. “Can I hop in over the door?”

“Go ahead,” I say as I smile brightly at her.

She grabs the door and hops over, sliding into her seat. I get in and start the car. “It’s pretty late. Do you want to get takeout?”

“Let’s drop my bags off, get changed, and go out! I don’t want to miss anything while I’m here this weekend.” She throws her hands up as soon as we exit the parking, squealing loudly.

I laugh, caught up in her excitement. I can take her to dinner at Zeek’s, and then we can see what show we can watch that might still have tickets.

We sit in traffic, and she looks around, chattering about every little thing she sees. “I forgot how beautiful Vegas is,” she finally sighs. “But it’s a little too busy for this small-town girl.”

“Well, when you’re a big shot doctor, you can move to a big city and get used to it. They’re not so bad if you find a decent job and have a decent place to live. Especially if it’s a city like Vegas.”

I pull into my driveway, help her get her luggage out of the trunk and carry it into the house. I lead her to the guest bedroom. “This is where you’ll be staying.”

“I love this house. When did you move here?” she asks, throwing her bag on the bed and opening it.

As she rummages through it, I sit at the small dressing table. “Two years ago.”

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