Page 7 of The Bratva King's Kidnapped Bride

I had spilled everything from my lunch box business to having to grovel at Chef Dannelo’s feet, but had barely only learned that it seemed like he owned this club. I knew they were rich, far richer than my family had ever been, and I was interested in everything about him. I was about to insist that he stop letting me hog our long conversation. I mean, didn’t men love talking about themselves? He was treating me like I was a woman, someone he was definitely interested in if his glances meant anything, so I wanted to treat him like a man.

Hell, I’d thought my long-held crush had been relegated to the distant parts of my memory, but with Aleks so close to me that I could smell his woodsy cologne, it had fully regenerated. No, it was stronger than ever.

Before I could ask if he still lived up in the hills, he asked me to dance. With him as my partner, no one would dare crush us, and the desire to have him put his arms around me had me eagerly letting him pull me to my feet.

But we didn’t go down to the dance floor. Aleks wanted to hold me close and sway to the sultry, hard-pounding rhythms up here, alone. My hands were locked around his neck without me telling them to, without my permission at all, and I slid up against him when he wrapped his hand around my waist.

I closed my eyes and breathed him in, trying to sear the way his rock-hard body felt against mine into my memory so I could come back to it in the long, lonely days ahead. And by rock hard, I meant rock hard. Every inch of him.

His hand slid up my back, and I tipped my head to take in his strong jaw and those intense blue eyes.

Now, I was doing something bad. I should have reminded him who I was and my connection to his daughter. I should have been thinking about that pending double murder if I didn’t say something soon and instead let this go any further.

But the idea of living out this fantasy of being with the man of so many of my dreams, and the feel of being held close by him, erased all the crappy feelings I’d been lugging around. The failed catering business was nowhere in my mind. My dwindling bank balance wasn’t even a glimmer. Chef Danello’s smug victory and the fact I was once again a lowly line cook, all my hard-earned skills demoted to slicing vegetables, seemed very far away. So far away I couldn’t see it. I could only see Aleks.

I let my eyes drift shut, getting lost in the feel of his strength holding me, and felt the brush of his full lips against mine. I tightened against him, some tiny part of me struggling to stay sane and reasonable.

Then his low voice rumbled near my ear, his warm breath making goosebumps rise on my bare arms.

“Come home with me tonight.”

It was a miracle I was still standing. Why couldn’t I have this one thing? How could I say no? It was unbearable, impossible.

I eased my hands from around his neck and let them slide down his chest, feeling the heat beneath his shirt and the thump of his heart under my palm.

I said yes.

Chapter 4 - Aleksandr

I couldn’t believe my good luck as I led my sweet little prize down the stairs and through the still-crowded club. I was a little disconcerted with how excited I was, like I’d truly won something huge. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in years, maybe decades, and I didn’t understand it. After all, leaving the club with a beautiful woman in tow was nothing new. Every woman, from the servers and bar staff to the patrons, were constantly throwing themselves at me. It came with the territory of being filthy rich and extremely powerful.

But this woman was different. If someone asked me to put my finger on how she was different, I couldn’t have done it. There was just something about her. Something my kid sister, who was probably only a year or two older than Katie, would have called vibes.

It was how she spilled out her troubles but never lost the humor in her eyes. No matter what happened, she wasn’t going to stay down. Her drive and fighting spirit brought out the same instinct I got when the guy on the dance floor crowded her too closely.

As we were passing the bar, Katie searched the dim booths until her eyes landed on the group she’d arrived with. She turned to me with a soft, questioning smile, her hand wavering near my chest. She’d gone shy since our heated dancing in my VIP area. I took her hand and kissed it. Even through the flashing strobes, I could see her blush.

“I just want to tell my friends that I’m leaving,” she said, waiting sweetly for my nod before hurrying over to their table.

It took her a few minutes, since one of the women in the group kept glaring over at me. I raised a hand and smiled, then sent off a quick message to make sure the cleanup crew had finished their job over by the construction site.

By the time I had an affirmative answer a few seconds later, Katie returned to my side.

“I thought I might have lost you,” I said.

She shook her head. “Not a chance. My friend Layla just wanted to be sure I knew you—I mean trusted you,” she said, her cheeks flooding with color again.

I wanted to tease her, see how red she could get. Leaning close, I asked. “And are you sure you can? Trust me, I mean?”

Her face tipped up toward mine, her eyes wide. “Absolutely,” she breathed.

I gripped her arm and led her toward the back, where I’d told my driver to have the car waiting. He was right there with the engine idling, and jumped out to open the back door for us as soon as we appeared in the exit.

My eyes never strayed from Katie as we made our way toward the apartment I kept. It was only a couple miles away, and I needed to get her alone as soon as possible. The mansion in the hills that was my primary home might have impressed her more, but this was closer.

Even my desire to impress her was something new for me. It seemed she brought out all sorts of new desires in me, and I couldn’t wait to explore them all.

And return the favor. I turned to pull her close, needing to feel those lips of hers against mine, but then I noticed her hands twisting somewhat nervously in her lap. When she sensed me looking at her, she put on a big smile and scooted closer, as much as the damned seatbelt would allow.

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