Page 38 of Innocent Bratva Virgin

“Okay, well, this search isn’t going very well.”

I turned around, planning on just going back to Vlad’s room. I’d wound up on the other end of the house, and while the view on the patio was quite lovely, it was late, and I really needed to rest. I could hear voices downstairs still going over plans as I passed by the pool table; the low murmuring of the brothers talking had created a gentle din in the background.

Maybe I’ll just check the other side one more time.

Starting down the opposite hall, I knew that Vlad’s room lay at the far end, but there was also a little library-like spot off to the side. The seating sunken into the floor and surrounded by walls made from the bookshelves. It looked cozy, and I decided to peruse the titles for more promising prospects.

I stepped around the corner, looking down at the step so I wouldn’t fall on my face. But when I looked up, I stopped in my tracks.

“Oh,” I exclaimed before quickly covering my mouth to keep the noise down. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you in here.”

Adley looked over with a smile, holding the baby in her arms while she gently bounced and circled the quiet space.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Just trying to get Grace to stay asleep longer than five minutes. She likes it when I walk around. I can usually set her down once she’s good and out.”

I grinned at the baby, who looked asleep enough to me, but I wasn’t exactly an expert.

“Oh, okay.”

Looking around the small enclosure, I had absolutely zero idea what I was supposed to say or do at that point. I had a feeling Adley picked up on that because she offered another smile as she laughed without a sound.

“The bedroom gets stuffy for her or something. I’m not sure, but on nights like this, when she’s having issues, I usually get her to go back down if I pace around a different room. You had no way of knowing, so don’t feel bad.”

Crossing my arm over myself, I rubbed the opposite bicep before gripping it and looking back at Adley.

“Thanks. I can’t say I’m all that familiar with babies.”

Adley nodded in the way you do to let someone know you’re listening. “Eh, yeah. I’ve been around them for a while. I have two younger siblings and a large Irish family that has more kids than you could imagine. When they’ve come to visit, it’s always chaos.”

Glancing at said baby again, I furrowed my brow as I dropped my volume even lower.

“We’re not going to wake her up, are we? Talking like this?”

It was just then that I realized there was a gentle humming noise playing in the background sourcelessly. I didn’t see any speakers, and it wasn’t music—just a white noise sound that created a constant backdrop.

“No, no. Grace is good around noise. I actually keep this on pretty loudly when Ivan and I are sleeping andcan’ttalk around her.” Adley jutted her hip out, and I noticed the small device that was apparently responsible for the sound. “One thing I learned about having kids when I was growing up is never to be too quiet. They can’t get used to needing silence for sleep. Because silence does not exist in a busy household.”

I chuckled. “That’s fair. I don’t have any siblings, so…yeah, no worry there. But I was pretty sheltered as a kid and can admit that it’s affected me a bit.”

There was a natural pause in the conversation, with nothing else to talk about, and I found myself trading the weight between my feet and staring down at the wood flooring, which was admittedly beautiful.

“Umm, you’re the therapist who’s been seeing Vlad, right?” I looked up at Adley and nodded, which prompted her to continue. “I don’t mean anything by this, I swear, but…do you know why he came to you when he was injured?”

Surprise hit me, and I was unable to school my expression quickly enough to keep Adley from offering an apologetic smile.

“Ivan texted me the details when you two were getting settled. And really, I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just…I’ve lived with Ivan for a while now and, by extension, his brothers. They’re not social beings, to say the least. I only ask because if Vlad trusts you enough to bring you here, it…well, it says something. Especially for him.”

The weight of Adley’s words sunk into my belly like a rock, and I shuffled over to the small couch in the seating area without really thinking about it. Vlad and I had had sex twice now, and there was no use in denying the way that I really felt about the guy. Not now. Not after everything we’d been through since he arrived at my office.

“You know, I would have said it was just a professional trust, a connection between us that we’d created during our sessions. Iwouldhave said that before Vlad stumbled into my office bleeding. I live a pretty clean life; by that, I mean I keep things routine and simple. There are not many changes in my day-to-day life, and I like it that way. Vlad has changed that—a lot. And I don’t just mean by being my patient.”

Glancing up from my seat, I met Adley’s stare, expecting some kind of grimace or external show of her judgment about me. But it wasn’t there.

Adley stepped closer, swaying back and forth as she stood in front of me.

“I imagine you’re expecting me to judge you for that. But that would be like the old saying. Throwing stones in glass houses. Kind of literally this time.”

We both laughed at that one.

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