Page 17 of Escaping the Bratva

Twelve Years Ago

Sasha

Goosebumps rise over my skin as his hot mouth grazes over the side of my neck. V lays beside me in the bed, his hardness pressing into me.

“I have to get ready,” I argue.

He chuckles. “Becca and Laura can wait.”

It takes all my strength to put some distance between us. “I can't. I already pushed the time back.”

We’re all going out to Spotty’s tonight to celebrate Becca's new job.

“What are you going to do tonight again?” I ask V as I push myself to the edge of the bed and pull my hair from where it’s stuck in the collar of my shirt.

He sits up against the headboard, his naked chest on display. “Running a few errands.”

“You can’t do that tomorrow? It's dark out.”

I try to stand, but he grabs me around the waist and brings me back to the bed. I giggle as he plants small kisses all over my body. Since he’s a senior, he’s able to stay in a campus apartment. He has roommates, but his bedroom has its own bathroom so it’s much more private than the small dorm Becca and I have to share. We spend most of our time either in his bedroom, at Spotty’s, or at whatever party might be happening on campus that night. His lips crash against mine and I melt into him. Being wrapped up in his arms is the best feeling in the world. There’s something different between us that I’ve never had with anybody else. It’s like we fit together perfectly.

“Your grandma called me yesterday,” he says once we pull apart.

“She did?!”

He smiles. “Yep. She said she couldn’t get ahold of you, but then you called her back on the other line.”

“What else did she say?”

“That she wants to meet me, the guy that her granddaughter can’t shut up about.”

I slap his chest. “No, she didn’t.”

“Yes, she did. So what have you been telling her, kitten?”

Of course Nana would tell V that I’ve been gushing about him. I didn’t do it on purpose, but when I talked to her, V’s name kept coming up. He’s such a big part of my life, I can’t help it. I only gave Nana his number in case there was an emergency and she couldn’t get a hold of me.

“I told her that she can call you if there’s an emergency and I don’t answer,” I say stubbornly. V is cocky enough he doesn’t need to know the things I’ve told Nana about him.

He laughs. “I don’t believe you.”

I wiggle out of his hold and stand to my feet. “Then I guess you don’t believe me.”

I pull my hair up into a high ponytail to get the long strands off my shoulders. I feel a bit sweaty and sticky from spending the day rolling around in bed with V, but if I take a shower now, I’ll be late to meeting Becca and Laura. Plus, Spotty’s isn’t exactly the nicest place. I'm sure I’ll feel the need to shower after leaving there anyways.

“Your grandma took you in?” V asks me as I grab my pants from the floor and slide them over my legs.

“Yeah, I told you. My mom was good at finding men with money to take care of us. That's the one thing she did have, good looks. She usually found some sucker at a nice bar and started dating him, and within weeks, we’d be moving into his gigantic home.”

V is watching me, waiting for me to continue.

“One of her boyfriends tried to sneak into my room one night.”

V’s jaw twitches as I talk.

“I woke up and kneed him in the balls. When I told my mom the next morning, she didn’t believe me. That’s when I told Nana and she immediately took me in. I really think she hated my mom after that. I don’t blame her.”

V’s face softens. “I’m sorry.”

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