Page 28 of Hating the Bratva

Alek

I wake to the scent of her shampoo as she snuggles against me in the same position we fell asleep in. It was stupid of me to come to her room last night. After she went upstairs, I’d sat in my office with a glass of vodka in front of me. I’d wanted to hunt Ivan down and bury my fist in his face for making Delaney cry like that. She isn’t a weak woman, far from it, but that asshole broke her. If she’d told me he put his hands on her, I would’ve killed him. Killing another member of the brotherhood would result in my death, but it would be worth it to see Delaney free. But she wouldn’t be free. They’d marry her off to someone else, maybe someone worse than Ivan, and I wouldn’t be around to protect her. She said she wasn’t mine anymore, but she’s wrong. She’ll always be mine, even if she belonged to someone else. The way she’d made me promise last night, I hadn’t been thinking straight. I sneak out of the bed before she can wake up and go down to the home gym in the basement. The basement is a temporary spot for it until the real gym is finished. The gray walls and concrete floor will have to do for now. I jam my earbuds into my ear and turn the volume up. Getting a good sweat in is how I think clearly, and right now, I need to get my head on straight.

I start on the treadmill to warm up, letting my thoughts flow through my head. Once I move on to the weights, I lose track of time. I work out until my muscles ache because I don’t know what else to do. I rack the weights and turn around to see Delaney standing at the bottom of the steps. She’s dressed in blue scrubs with her hair in a tight bun. Even like this, she’s gorgeous, more beautiful than any other woman I’ve come in contact with. I pull out my earbuds and use a towel to wipe the sweat off my forehead.

“I saw your car was still here. It took me a while to find you.”

“School?” I ask, nodding at her outfits.

She looks down at the scrubs. “Yeah. Even though classes are over for the semester, I still have to do my clinicals.”

“Let me clean up real fast, and I can drive you,” I say, crossing the room toward her.

“I can drive myself if you let me take one of the cars.”

I wave her off. “I’ll drive.”

I walk past her up the stairs. She stays in the kitchen as I go upstairs to hop in a hot shower. I make it quick so she doesn’t end up late for her clinicals. Her words from last night come back to my mind as I head back downstairs after changing into my clothes. She said that Ivan doesn’t believe a married woman should have a job outside the house. What kind of man is so insecure that he doesn’t even want his wife working? Ivan, that’s who.

Nursing seems to be the only thing that Delaney is passionate about, and even while staying here, she’s been adamant about going to all her classes. Even now, when she knows Ivan won’t allow her to work, she continues to do her clinicals. Through the kitchen, I notice the glass door to the backyard is open. I walk outside to see her standing on the grass. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she stares at the space where the hot tub will soon be. The rest of the yard is a mess, with construction supplies and papers weighted down by various tools. It’s gloomy outside today, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it rained for the rest of the day. She lifts a hand to her mouth and sucks on the lit cigarette. I hate those things. I used to smoke a long time ago, but it’s hard to be in good shape when you can’t breathe. I watch her for a while. Even in her scrubs, I can see the curves of her petite body. The same body that I held last night until we both fell asleep. The body that I promised I’d take.

“Are you just going to stare at me?” she asks, not bothering to turn around.

“Yes.”

She turns around to face me. Her big, round eyes roam over me. I’m not naive. I know I’m good looking. I’ve never had a problem picking up women in the past, but it feels different when Delaney looks at me like she wants me all to herself. Something deep inside me starts to stir. Maybe it’s because I know that at some point, I will get to have her. Perhaps it’s just a piece of her, something that Ivan will never get, but it’s something.

“You’re having them install the hot tub?” she asks, her eyes coming back up to meet mine.

“I want it installed before it gets too cold for them to pour the concrete. The hot tub is easy. In a few days, it should be done.”

She takes another drag of her cigarette. “Where are they now?”

“A day off. I want the house to be done as fast as possible, and I paid extra so my contractor could hire more people, but they still need at least one day off.”

She smirks. “Very kind of you.”

She reaches her hand up as if to take another drag of her cigarette, but I pluck it from between her fingers and throw it to the ground.

“What the—”

“Come on. We should go.”

Her eyes narrow at me, but I turn my back on her to head back inside. I grab the keys from a locked drawer in the kitchen, deciding to go with the BMW.

“You lock up your keys?” she asks.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of people coming in and out of the house right now. It would be idiotic on their part to try to steal from me, but I like to lock them up anyways.”

I wave her ahead of me and walk outside.

“Where to?” I ask once we’re on the road.

“The children’s hospital.”

I glance over at her. “I thought you didn’t like kids.”

She looks taken back by my comment. “Just because I don’t want kids doesn’t mean I don’t like them. I want to work with kids. They’re the best patients. Even though it’s heartbreaking to see some of them so sick, the hospital does some cool stuff for the long-term patients.”

I nod. I guess that makes sense.

“I’m required to work at the regular hospital, too, for my schooling, but I try to get in as many shifts at the children’s hospital as I’m allowed.”

I don’t bring up what she said last night. I don’t want to be the one to remind her that her future dick-head husband won’t allow her to work in a few months. I’m not going to let that happen. I can’t let her throw her entire life away for that man. I just don’t know how to prevent it yet. I pull up to the front of the hospital, and she reaches for the door handle.

“Call me when you’re done. I’ll pick you up, or I’ll send someone to get you.”

She nods before getting out and walking inside.

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