Page 18 of The Bratva King's Kidnapped Bride

“What are you doing?” My hands flailed as I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he only tightened his grip around my legs as he strode toward a dark car that was parked on the side of the road a few yards away. “Hey!” I shouted.

No one came rushing out of the restaurant to help me, and in the next second, Aleks tossed me into the backseat, crowding in next to me. The door on my side was locked, so I tried to shove him and climb over his lap, but he only chuckled and grabbed both of my hands in one of his.

“Go,” he said, and a shadowy driver pulled away.

Keeping my hands held tightly, Aleks grinned down at me. “Seems you need a bit more time to think.”

I couldn’t speak, could hardly breathe.

Holy hell, was he kidnapping me?

Chapter 10 - Aleksandr

My driver made his way through the city streets toward my apartment while I kept a firm grip on Katie. It was closer, and we shared some very good memories there, so I hoped she’d come around once we were alone.

Taking her this way was completely out of the blue, but she consumed me. Her passionate responses to me were more honest than her reluctant refusal. I wouldn’t give up as long as she let herself melt against me so eagerly, like she did every time I touched her.

“I still have to finish cleaning the kitchen,” she wailed. She didn’t seem scared of me at all, not even as we zoomed further and further away through the night.

“I’ve left someone behind to make sure everything gets done to the highest standard,” I told her.

She jerked her hands, and I let go, trying not to grin as she sputtered at me. Her chef coat was no longer pristine white like at the beginning of dinner. Evidence of the delicious meal she’d served us was splashed here and there on the starchy white fabric. She had proved herself to be a talented chef and organizer, putting on such a great dinner at such short notice, and it was admirable that even in the middle of being kidnapped, she was only worried about finishing the job properly.

This evening had done nothing to shake my obsession with her. Every second that passed, especially now that we were together again, only increased it.

Crossing her arms tightly over her chest, she sat stiffly in the seat, sliding sideways when my driver took a left a bit too sharply. With a snicker, I leaned over to pull the seatbelt across her and lock it in place. She turned briefly to scowl at me, muttering about making sure the sliced lemons were stored correctly.

I pulled out my phone and waved it in front of her before calling the guy I’d left behind. He was no stranger to industrial kitchens, having worked at Max’s restaurant for years. “Make sure the lemons are properly stored,” I told him.

Katie’s mouth dropped open as I ended the call and put my phone away. I couldn’t tell if she was amused or still pissed off, but I liked the fire in her eyes.

When we pulled into the underground garage of my apartment building, the driver stopped at the entry to the private elevators.

I turned to Katie, reaching to unbuckle her seatbelt. She snatched it away from me with a scowl and pulled it off herself.

“Can you walk calmly to the elevator, or would you prefer I carry you up?” I asked.

She made an adorable sound. “I’ll walk,” she said begrudgingly.

“Calmly?”

Another flash of fire as she looked at me, then quickly looked away. “Yes,” she sighed.

As soon as we were out of the car, I picked her up anyway, cradling her close to me instead of flinging her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Why?” she wailed as I pressed the elevator button. “I said I’d be calm.”

“I like holding you.”

After we got on, she relaxed in my arms but wouldn’t look at me. I watched her in the mirrored walls, and her face was set with grim lines. Her hands told another story, reaching around my neck to hold on.

“I won’t drop you,” I promised. She only locked her fingers behind my neck, studiously not looking up at me.

It was a fight to stay focused and not slide her body down mine and begin kissing her senselessly, but I was determined to hear her give me the answer I wanted before I let us get caught up in the heat of the moment. And the heat we generated would create a much too distracting wildfire.

Once we were in my apartment, I held on for longer than necessary, carrying her all the way to the living area before letting her feet touch the floor. I raised an eyebrow at her, a silent warning not to bolt.

She rolled her eyes at me and sat down heavily on one of the overstuffed, pale gray sofas. The stiff collar of her jacket bunched up around her chin.

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