Page 21 of Forced Bratva Bride

So many people introduce themselves to me that I struggle to remember all of their names.

“This is Fyodor, that’s Kiril. Kat is Fyodor’s wife…"

I smile, say hello, and step a little closer to Maxim, feeling like he is my comfort zone amid all of the unknown.

He wraps his arm around my waist, and I am reminded of how amazing his body feels against mine.

I glance up at him, at the gorgeous smile splashed across his lips. “Are you doing okay?”

I nod with a tight smile.

“The girls are all really sweet, give them a chance. I promise you'll like them."

Darya rushes over to us.

“Chiara, oh my word, I've been waiting for you to get here.” She grabs my arms and pulls me away from Maxim. “I'm stealing her. The girls are busy pouring cocktails.” She laughs, and I am whisked away.

In all the bubble and chatter, though everyone is really friendly and makes me feel welcome, the person I connect with the most is Amelia. She's Paval’s wife, and we are sitting on the patio chairs, watching the kids run around screaming and laughing.

“How did you meet Paval?” I ask, curious if hers was also an arranged marriage.

“It’s kind of a funny story, actually.” She giggles. “I used to work as a waitress. I had no mafia ties, and I actually had no idea about how any of this, you know, this world, functions. I was clueless. I didn’t know it, but I was working in the restaurant of a family who was a rival of ours, and Paval was planning to kidnap their daughter after an incident. Well, he kind of kidnapped me by mistake instead.”

She laughs, as though she is remembering what happened with fondness, and even amusement.

“What do you mean, kind of kidnapped you?” I say in horror.

“I mean, he did kidnap me. I was held hostage here for months.”

I can’t figure out why she is smiling at me while she tells this story.

“You married the man who kidnapped you?” I say, not able to hide the shock in my voice.

“I know, I know, it sounds really bad. But, honestly, I would not change a thing. I mean, sure, in the beginning, I hated him, but somehow I fell in love, and I have not stopped loving him since.”

I stare at Paval, trying to imagine how scary it would be to be kidnapped by him and held as a prisoner in his home. The thought is horrible. I would hate it.

Amelia is still chatting away about her children and what an amazing father Paval is, but I find myself staring at Maxim.

He is so different from his brothers.

He's gentle, and has been so respectful of me from the moment I met him. I mean, except for that first time we spoke, when he didn’t tell me who he was. But even then, he listened and took the time to empathize with me while I vented everything. Even afterwards, he never held it against me, all the bad things I said about my future husband, who turned out to be him.

At home, he is very respectful about giving me my space, still providing everything I need and then some.

He has not once been pushy about being intimate, even though I know he wants to. I can feel it, when we are close together, the tension, the electricity. I feel the same way he does, but I just can’t seem to bring myself to be with him again. I'm really fighting against it.

Gentle really is the right word for it.

His brothers, I've noticed from watching them, don’t seem to have that same side to them.

I mean, for some reason, I cannot picture Maxim kidnapping anyone. But maybe I am wrong. Maybe he is exactly like them, and he's just doing a good job of hiding it from me.

I hardly know him at all, so I can’t make assumptions about what he's capable of.

We are married, though, and a husband has needs as much as a wife does, and he hasn’t forced any of those expectations onto me.

“How are you getting on with Maxim?” Amelia asks, interrupting my thoughts.

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