Page 23 of The Bratva King's Kidnapped Bride

“Says who?” I growled. “Bring them to me.”

She laughed delightedly and switched the screen to another sapphire blue, silky dress, and about to make me drool thinking about taking it off of her. Was I actually enjoying shopping for dresses online? It seemed Katie made anything possible.

“That’s the one,” she purred. “It’s my absolute dream dress.”

Her finger hovered over her size and I pressed it down. “Good. Now get some jewelry to match and plenty of other outfits, too. I don’t know when I’ll have time to get back to your place to retrieve your things.”

She gave me a look as if to ask why she couldn’t go on her own, then shrugged it off, engrossed in her chore now. I didn’t want to leave her, not even for a moment, but I had some things to tie up. Possibly literally if the people I was meeting didn’t cooperate.

And I still couldn’t get up from my place beside her. Watching her idly nibbling on her breakfast as she scrolled on the tablet was mesmerizing.

“Do you really have to work today?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we celebrate or something? I mean, we’re engaged, I guess?”

I gave her a quick kiss on her temple. “We are definitely engaged. Perhaps we can celebrate later. And I’ll have my lawyers work on getting everything you asked for taken care of by this evening.”

She dropped the tablet into her lap and stared up at me. I reveled in seeing the awe in her eyes and couldn’t hold back from kissing her again. She turned her face, and our mouths met, lingering for a long, heated moment. As her body began to turn toward me, I pulled away.

I had things to do, and she should simmer for a while.

“You’re coming back for me?” she asked as I rose to leave her room. Much too slowly, I pulled myself away.

“I’ll have a driver take you and meet you later on.”

“When?” she asked, leaning across the bed.

“Later on.”

“Aleks!”

I left the apartment, chuckling as she called out more questions. “I’ll see you later,” I called.

My laughter faded in the elevator as I straightened my shirt and black suit jacket. The time for smiles was over. It was time to be intimidating, and in order to quickly take care of this unsavory business, I definitely couldn’t tell Katie anything about it. As much as I would have liked to keep her bright voice and eager questions rattling around in my mind, I had to put her aside for the moment and get my head in the game. It was imperative that this business with the Armenian crew be taken care of swiftly.

For all of us, but especially Katie, now that I’d promised she’d never come to harm because of my life in the Bratva.

Chapter 13 - Katie

I finished up my shopping, trying not to balk at the staggering total I’d racked up. Aleks had seemed adamant about me having everything I needed to move into his house immediately. I didn’t understand why he had not so subtly let me know I wasn’t going to be going anywhere without him, not even back to my house to get my own things. I only knew I wouldn’t argue with the man who promised to pay my sister’s tuition for the next three years, along with my aunt’s medical bills.

I didn’t want to argue with him. In all honesty, I was floating on a cloud. The fact that this whirlwind adventure had an expiration date that was going to be so awful that I didn’t know how I’d live through it, was far from my mind.

In the big ensuite bathroom, I warred with myself over a long soak in the tub or an invigorating shower. This was the kind of tough decision I could get used to, and as I filled up the tub, I sent a text to Jenna saying she could definitely go on the DC trip with her class.

The five rows of smiley faces and heart emojis she sent back had me soaring. I mean, this was all for her and Aunt Marjorie, right?

I giggled to myself as I climbed into the steaming hot suds. Sinking into the decadent fragrance of roses and jasmine, I had never felt so relaxed. At least not in many long years. Who was I kidding? I could pretend I was going along with Aleks’s marriage scheme for unselfish reasons, but most of my giddiness was because I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him again. That man would be mine for as long as I could drag out the wedding plans, and I would savor every moment with him.

After putting on a thick, velvety robe hanging in the guest bathroom, I wandered around the apartment. The living area and entry hall were decorated in a stark, modern fashion, and Aleks’s bedroom, from the one quick peek I took, was sleek and modern, too. Grays, black and silver, and shades of deep blue. But the three guest bedrooms were explosions of eighteenth-century decadence, with spindly wooden furniture and gilding everywhere, lace and satin, and pale, creamy pastels. I liked both and wouldn’t have minded living here. It had a great view and was close to the office buildings where I delivered my lunches to. Much more convenient than being way out in the hills, especially with my erratic old beater.

And the kitchen was a showpiece. I could only stop and stare in awe for several long seconds. Vast and airy, tons of counter space, and big, butcher block island in the middle. I definitely could whip up some amazing meals with all that space and all that state-of-the-art equipment.

An hour after Aleks left, a stern-looking man delivered a package to me and told me to be ready to go in twenty minutes. I assumed he was the guy who was taking me to the house. The slight Russian accent was a dead giveaway if the scowl hadn’t been enough.

The package was a pair of jeans, a buttery soft summer sweater, some very sexy undies, socks, and stylish sneakers. The kind that was cute but would never hold up to a day on your feet, and was probably nightmarishly expensive.

I was happy not to have to put my grubby work clothes back on and beamed as I got dressed. Aleks had thought of my comfort even when he had to rush away to an important business meeting. As I got dressed in the new clothes, I let my mind wander to how devastatingly handsome he looked in that sleek black suit, with his gray and red tie loose at his throat.

I had never been interested in guys my own age, so it was easy to turn any suitors down by claiming the truth, that I was too busy and preoccupied for a relationship. Maybe my early crush on Aleks had spoiled me, because there really was no comparison to him, but I was glad he didn’t have any hangups about our age difference. It didn’t bother me at all. In fact, his maturity and strength of character, which only age could bring, were part of his endless charm.

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