Page 12 of The Bratva King's Kidnapped Bride

I turned as he pulled me close to his chest. Nestling against him as we slowly recovered was almost as good as the heights he’d brought me to a few minutes before. I’d never felt so safe and comfortable and cared for.

We lay in silence for a little while, our hands lazily roaming, until I finally looked up at him.

“I liked that,” I said. “More than liked it.”

“I can honestly say it was like no other,” he told me solemnly.

“Well, me too,” I agreed, making him laugh and drop a kiss on my head.

Then he rose up on his elbow, perusing me from top to toe and back again. A thoughtful look creased his brow.

“Move in with me,” he said. “Let me keep showing you things. Let me take care of your every desire.”

I laughed, but he didn’t. I lightly smacked his shoulder. “Stop,” I said with a smile. It was funny now, but if he knew how much I would have loved that, he wouldn’t have been teasing.

He shook his head, still not laughing. “I’ll up the ante, then. Marry me, Katie.” His hand moved to my belly and rested there. “Have my child. You’ll never want for anything, and I’ll make all your dreams come true.”

He sounded dead serious, looked dead serious. But how could he be? I never remembered him being a jokester, but I had barely interacted with him when Nataliye and I used to hang out together. I was in such shock imagining what it might actually be like to be married to him that I couldn’t speak. Because, of course, I couldn’t tell him why it was impossible. The whole point of this being a one-time deal was so that Nat would never find out. This was definitely going with me to the grave.

He tapped my chin with his fingertip, gently shutting my mouth, which had fallen open at his bizarre proposal. He chuckled and kissed me.

“Spend the night,” he said. “Let me show you more of what you’d be getting in the bargain. Answer me in the morning.”

I was more than fine with spending the night. Tomorrow could take care of itself, and he’d probably forget his crazy offer by then anyway. And when his next kiss was deep and slow and questing, I once again forgot about anything but how he made me feel.

Chapter 6 - Aleksandr

I woke up with my back to Katie, but I could feel her soft pressure close by. A glance at the clock told me I’d slept longer than I normally did, but we’d only drifted off a few hours before. The night was spent exploring each other, and before I rolled over to claim her again, I let those memories repeat in my mind.

She was gorgeous, no doubt about that. She was a little young but mature, having been through things that gave her an understanding of the world, not many her age would have. Her eagerness to please me was intoxicating, and instead of greedily taking what she offered, it made me want to give.

It made me blurt out a proposal. Marry me, give me a child. It wasn’t just because I already craved the idea of watching my seed make her smooth belly grow round with our child, or because my father was back on a nagging spree, demanding a male heir from one of us before he shuffled off the mortal coil.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew they were right. Kate was already mine; she just had to be convinced of that fact. My hand spread out on the bed as if it were her silky skin. As much as I wanted to let her rest after our intense night, I had to have her, now. I was rock hard, every fiber of my being ready to take her again.

I rolled over to gently wake her with a shower of kisses, to ease my hands between her thighs and hear those sounds she made that drove me wild. But it wasn’t her resting against my back, but some of the pillows we’d stirred up with our acrobatics. The bed was empty, and the sheets on her side were cold.

I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Empty. Pulling on a robe, I headed to the kitchen. She loved to cook, and the little sweetheart probably made breakfast. I couldn’t wait to share it and learn more about her. That was another thing that made me so certain of my offer. I didn’t just want her body; I wanted everything. To know her experiences, her hopes and dreams, and what made her smile, laugh, and even cry.

The kitchen was also empty, with no sign she’d ever been there. Not even to grab bottled water from the fridge. I flew through the rest of the apartment, but she wasn’t in any of the other rooms, either.

The little minx snuck out before I woke up. I stood in the middle of the balcony, overlooking the city I ruled with an iron fist, and laughed. It was cute she thought that this was over. That I’d forget about her so easily.

It wasn’t. And I wouldn’t.

That wasn’t how I worked.

Chapter 7 - Katie

It was barely the crack of dawn as I ran up the downtown street, terrified of being mugged. Even though this was a high-end area, it was still Los Angeles and still mostly dark. As soon as I found a coffee shop that was already open, I slipped inside and ordered an Uber to pick me up. It was money I hated to spend, but I didn’t know the buses in this part of town, and it was embarrassing to be so obviously doing a walk of shame in last night’s slinky dress.

Once I was on the way home, I could relax, but I could still barely think. What got into me last night? Did I really go home with Aleks? Did I really spend the night with him?

The wildest and best night of my life, where he opened up a whole new world of passion to me. The way he made me feel still had me shaken.

And that proposal! Completely bizarre and out of the blue, but he acted deadly serious, repeating it to me throughout the night, usually right after he’d made me scream the roof down with his masterful touch.

He had to be joking, though, right? He couldn’t have been serious. Whether he was or not, I had to get out of there before he woke up. If he’d been joking and had kicked me out without even offering coffee, it would have killed me and ruined all those good memories I now had.

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