Page 54 of Knocked-Up Bratva Prisoner

“What is it?” she grins at me, shifting to the edge of her seat and pulling the box closer on the coffee table.

I crack up laughing. “Why would I tell you? Doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of a surprise gift?”

She rolls her eyes playfully.

Wiggling the lid of the big box, she lifts it off. As per my request, each item is wrapped in tissue paper.

She lifts the first item out, carefully unwrapping it.

It is a luxurious skin care set. Toner, day cream, night cream and serum. She squeezes a little of the serum onto her fingertip and rubs it in the back of her hand. “Oh my goodness, it feels amazing.”

Next she opens the perfume.

She dabs the wand on her wrist, sniffs it, closes her eyes for a moment and then holds her hand out towards me. I gently take her wrist in my hand and lean forward to breathe in her scent.

White jasmine. It smells incredible on her.

Each gift she opens, she looks even more excited about.

A cozy, cotton knitted jacket, a summer dress, new shoes, makeup, books to read and books to write in, a gorgeous rose gold watch that suits the tone of her skin, jewelry and chocolates and hair care.

By the time she is done unwrapping everything, she is sitting on the floor, having pushed the coffee table all the way backwards, the gifts spread out around her on the Persian rug.

“Alexei, this is—this is so much—it’s so amazing. I don’t understand why you spoiled me like this.”

I shrug, then shake my head. I wanted to play it cool, brush it off, but that would be me holding back something I shouldn’t hold back.

“I want you to know I am sorry—about the kidnapping thing. And that you didn’t deserve that. I also just want to see you smile. I want to spoil you, Clara.”

She pushes herself up to her knees and wiggles over to me. Moving between my legs where I am sitting on the sofa, she crawls onto my lap, wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into a very tight hug.

I slide my arms around her waist, lowering my face into her neck, letting the warm scent of her steal me away for a moment.

My body is alive with surges of electricity that rush through me, tingling along my skin. With her this close to me, it is hard to focus on anything else, anything other than her—her body, her smell, her breathing.

“No one has ever done something like this for me." Her voice sounds muffled as she is squished against my chest.

“Didn’t your uncle buy you presents? For your birthday or holidays?”

“He did, but it wasn’t personal. It was sort of…obligation, rather than anything he put thought into. Everything you put together in that box—they were all things that I would have chosen for myself. I don’t know how you managed to get it so right, but it’s like—it's like you really know me, better than anyone before…."

Her voice trails off as though her words are confusing her.

I smile as I squeeze her a little tighter. I don’t want to admit it, but the reason I know those are all things she likes is because I had been following her for months before I finally kidnapped her on a whim.

She leans back and looks into my eyes.

”Honestly, Alexei, thank you. That was really thoughtful of you. It means a lot.”

My heart begins to soften under her gaze, and I have to force myself to look away from her for fear that she will be able to see straight through me into my thoughts.

I clear my throat and stand up, lifting her with me as she laughs, clinging on to my neck.

“I have a really great dinner planned for us. Now, you have a choice; you can relax, have a glass of wine and enjoy a quiet afternoon while I cook, or you can come and make a big mess in the kitchen with me—and have a glass of wine, of course.”

“I have to admit, the mess sounds like a lot more fun.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” I carry her through to the kitchen, not letting her down even though she is blushing the whole way. I slide her onto the kitchen counter and hand her a bottle of wine and two glasses.

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