Page 51 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

The men teased the sweet side he reserved for her, and I saw Mark throw glances at me in between the conversation. Ava, Viktor’s wife, wasn’t in the circle but I spotted her at the food section with a little boy in her arms. His name was Avian and looked a lot like his father.

The last person I was introduced to was the first woman I saw at the table. Bright red hair, a killer dress and a stunning body that could pass for a supermodel.

“Irina, meet Addison. Addison, Irina Varkov.” Mark introduced us more solemnly than with the men, and I understood why. This was her, another victim of Logan Mercer’s evil machinations; his wife before he even thought of proposing to me. I had felt her pain, knew what it was like to be betrayed by someone who meant the world to you, and wondered what was going through her mind as she stood before me with a ghost of a smile on her lips. Before I could stop myself, the words were already spilling out of my mouth.

“I’m so sorry.”

She raised an eyebrow and looked from Mark to me, and I glanced at him. He nodded curtly and urged me to continue.

“I know about Logan.”

Her expression changed from unimpressed to blank. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I heard what happened to him.”

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and felt a little uncomfortable. A week ago, the news reached us. Logan died in one of the cells Mark had thrown him in. And it was even worse when we learned the truth behind his sudden demise. He killed himself.

“I should be sorry too.” Irina’s voice reeled me back. “The bastard could never stop with his games, could he? He got you too?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. Talking about Logan was not as sore as I imagined it to be. “Almost did. We were engaged.”

The blue in her eyes twinkled and she fixed it on Mark. “Well, then, thanks should go to the knight in shining armor that saved you from destruction.” She threw her head, gulping a mouthful of white wine in her glass. “You deserved better than that jerk.”

“You too, Irina.”

****

Noon soon turned to night and the moon came out, shining brightly with a blanket of stars spread across the sky. I stood by the window, wrapped in a bathrobe, a large purple towel wrapped around my hair and air pods in my ears as I gazed out at what was now officially mine. I would never look at the motor pool or the first floor the same again. Instead of being afraid of being chased by men in black and speeding cars, I now had, as Mark had called it, the authority to have everything at my command and disposal.

My thoughts drifted to Maria, wondering what she was up to. When she didn’t hear from me for a while, she took a gap year, and went backpacking through Europe. I was sad that she didn’t come to the wedding but understood her reservations and lack of money.

Adele’s voice echoed in my ears with a thrilling high pitch, and I closed my eyes, slowly moving my hips to the rhythm and singing in tune with the lyrics. When strong arms suddenly wrapped around me from behind, I jumped out of my skin.

His deep, rich laugh vibrated on my skin, and I felt every tense muscle in me relax. He smelled like a mixture of soap, vodka, and musk. My back nestled against his front.

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

He shrugged and kissed the sensitive spot below my earlobe. My toes curled on the carpet, and I threw my head back and rested on his shoulder. “Why?”

Was he serious?

“You could give someone a heart attack?”

“Highly unlikely. One in a million chances.” My ever so precise husband replied. There was a deep silence as if he were thinking about something. Then he murmured something that sounded like a curse in Russian and pressed gentle kisses on my neck.

“I need to tell you something, I ...”

I could already feel the simmering below my belly and the small flames flickering in my chest. Warmth spread between my thighs and the hairs on my skin stood on end.

“You, what?”

His grip tightened and he rasped. “Te amo.”

My eyes flew open, and I pivoted three sixty degrees on my heels to look him in the face. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. The weight of those eyes was as heavy as his arm around my waist, but there was something deeper in those midnight eyes. A vulnerability that mirrored my own.

“I never thought I'd hear you say those three words,” I whispered with a trembling voice.

“Two.”

“What?” My breath hitched, then I giggled. “Oh, right.”

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