Page 30 of Hating the Bratva

I look back down at the kitten. She’s so small. She’s found comfort in one of my hands and has curled into a ball. I can feel her purr against me. I’ve already decided that the cat is a female.

He sighs. “You want to bring a cat into my house?”

I blink my eyelashes at him, trying to appear innocent. Alek’s house is as good as any, and maybe the kitten could keep me company.

He says something in Russian under his breath before driving off.

“She looks to be perfectly healthy. Hungry, yes, but it doesn’t look like she’s been on the streets long. She’s been separated from her mother too early,” the blonde vet says as she hands the small cat back to me. Alek sits by my side. Besides telling me he’ll take care of the bill, he’s stayed quiet the entire time, allowing me to talk with the vet and soothe the kitten.

“Being separated from her mother too early—what does that mean?”

The vet removes her gloves and drops them in a trash can. “She’s about two weeks old, so you’ll need to bottle feed her for at least a couple more weeks. Our receptionist can get you everything you need at the counter. Do you have any more questions?”

A ton, I want to say. I’ve never had a pet. My mother would never allow one at home. She always claimed that pets ruin furniture and make the entire house smell.

“Here,” the vet says, holding a pamphlet out to me. “There’s a shopping list and some care instructions in there and numbers you can call if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

“Good luck. The receptionist can check you out.”

She leaves, and I stand to my feet, cradling the kitten close to my chest.

“I never thought there’d be a cat in my house,” Alek says as he opens the door to the waiting room for me.

I smile at him. “Then I guess it’s like a dream come true.”

He shakes his head, and we walk to the receptionist desk. A woman who looks to be only a few years older than me with curly hair sits at the desk.

She smiles at me. “You need to bottle feed, right?”

“Yes.”

“Great.” She types something on the keyboard. Alek comes from behind me and leans against the counter. The receptionist looks up from her screen, and her eyes roam over Alek. Jealousy twists in my stomach. Unlike Ivan, Alek doesn’t need to hide his fascination with other women from me. I have no hold on him. He’s free to date whoever he wants, but still, I wouldn’t say I like the way she was ogling him.

I clear my throat. “Do you have the bottle?” I say, my voice coming out harsh. The woman looks taken back by my tone but quickly recovers.

“Um…yes.” She reaches under the desk and gathers all the stuff I need. I turn to see Alek look up from his phone with a cocky smile on his face like he knows why I’m suddenly so snappish. Bastard.

The receptionist talks me through how to use everything before reading off my total. Alek slides his card to her, and her cheeks turn a rosy color as she takes it. I roll my eyes and head out to the car while Alek finishes paying. I don’t want to stay here and watch her drool over him. It’s started to rain a little while we were in the animal hospital, and I wait under the overhang. The kitten digs her claws into me, not hard enough for it to hurt but to tell me that she isn’t a fan of the water falling from the sky, even at this age. A moment later, Alek walks out with that cocky grin still on his face. I want to slap it off.

“Don’t,” I warn.

“You jealous, Bunny?” he teases.

“Can we just go?”

He wraps her arms around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. His spicy cologne surrounds me, and the warmth of his body sends goosebumps over my skin. My mind goes back to the question I asked him—more like begged him—the other night. Bratva women are supposed to be virgins when they got married, but losing my virginity to Ivan would be a nightmare. I want Alek. I’ve always wanted Alek.

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