Page 78 of Forced Bratva Bride

“Go, sweetheart, I am perfectly fine here. And Stefano will look out for you. Won’t you, Stefano?”

“Yes, Angelo,” Stefano nods, smiling.

I follow Stefano through the crowd and notice that my father did not send the bodyguards with me this time. I guess he wants me to meet some new guy and get a new business marriage contract going. I'm about to roll my eyes in annoyance when Stefano whispers. “Just keep following me.”

What the hell? I am following him.

We walk past the bar, around to the side of the pool. The crowd of people is thinner here. It's darker, the only lighting soft fairy lights.

As we walk near the edge of the house, someone grabs my arm and clamps their hand over my mouth as they pull me into the dark, away from the guests. My heart slams against my ribs, and I try to push them away, but then the scent of him overwhelms me.

“Thanks, Stef,” Maxim whispers.

“Be quick,” Stef hisses as he moves away.

“Maxim,” I say, breathless, as he lifts his hand off my mouth.

His lips crash into mine, and he wraps his arms so tightly around me that for a moment I forget how to breathe.

My entire body becomes alive with relief, need, love, and this incredible feeling of safety.

“We can’t be long,” he says, as staring down at me. “I have a car waiting around back. We can leave right now.”

“Max, I can’t.”

“Chiara, please. I just want to get you somewhere safe. Please, come with me.”

He sounds so desperate as he practically begs me to get away from all of this. I know he's trying to protect me. I know he wants me to be somewhere safe. But the reason I understand that is because that is how I feel about him. And that's why I have to stay; I have to stay in order to keep him and his family safe.

“Max, I'm not leaving. You need to trust me.”

“Babygirl," he whispers, pressing his lips against my forehead.

I run my hand over his back, feeling the shape of his muscles, the familiarity of his body.

I want to leave with him so badly, but I can't do that.

“I miss you so much,” I whisper, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him again.

“Chiara, I—"

My father’s voice carries over the crowd. “Chiara?”

“He's looking for me,” I panic.

“You have to go, then,” Maxim says quickly. “Now. Don’t let him see us together.”

He pushes me away from him, and I quickly step back into the crowd, beneath the soft fairy lights. I paint the biggest smile on my face, laughing musically as I turn to walk back towards the house, as though having a lovely conversation with one of the other guests. “I’ll be back in a moment. I just want to see what is taking my brother so long with my drink.”

My father spots me in the crowd, as I walk toward him.

“Daddy, have you seen Stefano? He left me with one of those clients and never came back with my drink.” I roll my eyes.

“How did it go? Meeting the allies?” my father asks, looking like he is testing me.

“Honestly, Stefano is as stupid as you think he is. This man is a small fish. If we are going to set up a new marriage, it can be with a much stronger ally than that.”

“I told you he's not the brightest,” my father chuckles. “Come on, it’s time.”

---