Page 38 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride

At the mention of her brothers again, a thought popped into my head, and I straightened up for a moment. “Speaking of,” I murmured, heading over to the front door. “Just a moment…”

She gave me a curious look as I disappeared for a few seconds while I grabbed the box I had set down in the entryway, returning with it in hand.

I gave her a small smile and held the phone box out to her. “This is for you. I had the chance to grab it after work.Seeing as neither of us knows where your old one went, thanks to the Gromovs, I got you a new one.”

At the realization, Lara softened somewhat as she mirrored my expression and carefully took it from me, opening the box to find the shiny new phone inside.

“I had them set it up at the store, and I was able to at least put Ari’s number in. You’ll have to take care of the rest, but otherwise, it’s ready to use.”

I felt strangely put on the spot at that moment, as if worried she might take it the wrong way or not like the one I grabbed. It was weird to find myself overthinking something so minor, second-guessing myself. But I just wanted her to be happy, and I wanted to know that I could contribute to that in some way.

But to my relief, her smile grew as she looked between me and the phone as the screen turned on. “Thank you. It’s been a bit strange feeling so cut off from the world by not having one, but I’m glad you followed through with that promise.”

I nodded somewhat bashfully. “I don’t want you to feel isolated or like you can’t reach your family, so this seemed like a suitable first step.”

Beyond following Ari’s terms, I wanted her to know I trusted her, and that I didn’t think she’d jump ship on me. By giving her access to a phone and her brothers, I knew it could run certain risks, but I had every reason to believe she was loyal to me.

She didn’t sell me out to her family, and we had been bonding a lot better than before, so I figured the odds of her leaving were pretty slim by then.

Smiling still, Lara moved in for a hug as she gently wrapped her arms around me. While I hadn’t expected it, Iwasn’t prepared to push her away, so I returned it with ease, noting how I towered over her.

Resting my chin on top of her head, I smiled to myself and soaked it in.

“Now, you can text me throughout the day to tell me how shit work is,” she hummed, tone laced with amusement.

I chuckled and managed a small nod despite the position, gently stroking her back. “You better count on it now.”

We laughed quietly at the idea, and we stayed that way for a moment, seemingly both savoring the contact.

When a faint, unpleasant smell reached me, I turned my nose up, only to realize the chicken was still on, and I completely forgot about it. We noticed at the same time, both pulling away as I immediately hurried over to flip it.

I sighed, seeing the darkened side of the chicken breasts. “Damn it…”

Lara leaned closer to see for herself, faintly amused. “A little char isn’t so bad, right?”

Unable to stay disappointed for too long, I cracked a smile too and chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. It looks salvageable, at least.”

Focusing on the cooking food once again, we eventually managed to pull everything together until we had an edible meal between us. Aside from nearly burning the chicken to a crisp, everything tasted pretty decent as we sat together at the table, drinking our wine and unwinding.

After spending that time together, catching her warm smiles and seeing how she looked at me so differently from the first night we met, I couldn’t ignore how our dynamic seemed to shift. How despite everything, we were clicking together, andit made me grateful. That hope I had of us becoming more was paying off, and as I took in her features, that previous guilt I felt seemed to melt away.

We were becoming something, and it was more than I could’ve asked for.

It was all the more reason for me to hold on even tighter, and to not let anyone like the Gromovs think they’d be able to take her from me.

By the time we both finished eating and were busy cleaning up in the kitchen, the warmth of the night left me feeling softer than before. My eyes flitted to her from time to time, smiling faintly as I took in her figure and the way she moved so gracefully through the space.

Everything about her seemed so effortlessly perfect, and it was more than enough to make me thank whatever higher power made everything align so that she could be mine. It truly had been worth all the trouble to reach that place between us.

Once the dishes were washed and Lara was standing by the counter drying them off, I moved in behind her and placed my hands on his hips gently, leaning over her enough to catch her smile.

“Dinner was nice,” I murmured, voice a low hum. “We should do this again sometime.”

Her smile stretched even further. “We should. I agree.”

“You know,” I began, carefully moving her hair to the side as I pressed my lips to the exposed skin of her upper shoulder, thanks to the relaxed sweater she had on. “We’ve come a long way in a relatively short amount of time, and because of that, I’d like us to reach a mutual agreement.”

I glanced at her face again, noticing the interest in her features. She paused her drying and set the dish towel downbefore turning around to face me. I adjusted my hold on her, hands moving to her waist as my thumbs idly traced against her.

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