Page 19 of The Bratva King's Pregnant Bride

I chuckled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I’m not done with you. You can’t escape me. Just know that.”

The way she looked at me told me that she understood me. It felt good to see her struggle, but she still stood her ground.

My chest burned as I watched her fight her emotions: Her attraction to me was evident, but there was also stubborn denial. I wanted to break her, to remind her that she had no choice; she couldn’t reject me. Not anymore.

But there was no time. Feliks was still waiting for me inside, and the things I wanted to remind her of, to teach her never to forget? They were too explicit to cram into a few minutes.

Maya glared at me. “I am not your toy, Mr. Sharov.” She must have found out who I was, and that was why she was reacting like this. There was anger in her gaze, but most of all, there was defiance, and it showed.

My eyes flickered with satisfaction. “Oh, Maya,” I hummed, “You will be whatever I say you are. You are mine—never forget.”

Her eyes flashed with anger beneath her fear. I narrowed my eyes, my heartbeat spiking. Seeing that look in her eyes filled my head with all sorts of ideas, every one of them rather filthy. Was she trying to entice me?

“Maya!” Again, that voice interrupted our moment.

I turned to see the girl whom Maya had been with. She had strawberry-blonde hair, clear green eyes, and a nice, slender body. She was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, looking at Maya.

As much as I was drawn to this lady’s fearlessness, I wasn’t sure if she had what it took to play with fire. She had to be shielded, for her innocence was a rarity in this ruthless world. Particularly my world. Introducing her to our grim reality was a risk I was reluctant to take, but I was willing to take it if was the price of being with her.

As I walked back into the restaurant, I found myself wrestling the beastly urge to turn back around and take her with me.

Chapter 7 - Maya

I blinked my eyes open to the sight of a stark white ceiling. For a second, I thought I was dead, and this was heaven.

Coming to, I felt weak, but slowly, I moved my head to the side to see the white walls. Was this a mental facility? What had brought me here anyway?

My vision, somewhat blurry with my foggy mind, failed to get a grasp on reality. I recalled his dark look, Jenna’s voice. My sight became clearer.

Apprehension thrummed in my veins as I turned my head to see Jenna, her brows furrowed with worry.

Her hand clutched mine as she searched my eyes. “You’re okay,” she whispered.

“What happened?” I croaked, my throat dry.

Jenna squeezed tighter, her expression unreadable.

“You fainted,” Jenna told me. Her green eyes were swollen and red, as though she’d been crying, but she only shook her head. “No sign of a concussion.”

I closed my eyes, trying to recall what had occurred.

“We were on our way to Anna’s place when you suddenly slumped,” Jenna said, “just like that. For a second, I thought you were dead. I checked your pulse, and you were breathing. So we took you to the hospital.”

Flippantly, I blamed my lack of sleep, but Jenna gave me a serious look, her anxiety palpable. “It’s more than that, Maya.”

I couldn’t even believe she would suggest that; I felt fine. Surely, I wasn’t the first person to ever faint and feel fine later. Not everyone who fainted ended up on a bed in a hospital; a bit of cool water on my face and I’m sure I would have come to.

“I’m glad you’re okay now, Maya,” Jenna whispered, “but we need answers. We’ll figure this out, I know it, but you have to take this seriously. I know what I saw.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I waved my hand dismissively, attempting to ease her worries. “I’ll make sure to sleep better next time.”

Just then, the door creaked open and a doctor walked in. A white coat hung off her slender shoulders, and she clutched a clipboard in her hand. The glasses perched on the bridge of her nose made her eyes appear enormous. She had a kind smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was something about her expression that said everything was fine yet, at the same time, everything was not, and that made my stomach tighten.

She exchanged a brief look with Jenna before shifting her attention to me. Her cerulean eyes pierced through me, studying me.

“You must be Maya,” she began.

“Yes.” I swallowed.

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