Page 36 of Forced By the Bratva Beast

Rita smiles, getting back to her fake dusting. “Thank you.”

“You missed a spot,” I point, scooping up a thin layer of dust at the end of the shelf. She doesn’t look up, but I take the short trip down the hall, creaking the room door open to find a distressed Sophia. She looks up at me as I hold court in the doorway.

“Andrei, I just want to talk.”

This isn’t what I intended, but it is what it is. Entering, I stand just inside the door. As far as I’m concerned, I can handle this one for myself. There’s no need for anyone to stand guard.

“I’m here. What do you want to talk about, Sophia?”

“We can’t get married.” Her frank admission almost brings me to laughter.

“You’re under the impression you have a choice in the matter,” I drawl, her cheeks growing hot making them flush.

“This is my body, my baby, and I have a life. You can’t just drag me here to be a part of a marriage of convenience,” she puts forward, overreaching.

“Hmm. Marriage of convenience. It’s not so bad, and you’re going to have more than you’ve ever had before, so why be upset? You’re only locked up here because you’ve been irritational, and I don’t want you anything bad to happen. I’ve saved you twice already,” I tell her in an even tone.

Her hand runs a circle over the couch arm, but she continues shaking her head. “No. We can’t. We really can’t.”

Snickering, I arch an eyebrow. “Tell me why. Breakdown the reason, Miss-lawyer-to-be.”

“Marriage is about love,” she naïvely states. “We are not in love; my parents were in love with each other. I saw it, and I know what it looks like. It’s nothing like what we have.” Shestands, crossing her arms to match my stance. Walking a step towards her, I inch closer, but she steps back. Enjoying the game, I back her down to the wall between the en suite and the main room, until she leans against the wall. Her ginger hair is straight, those smattering of freckles I adore making me want to kiss her nose.

“You will grow to love me. I will make it so you fall in love with me,” I reply, feeling out the buried attraction between us. It’s simmering under the rubble, but I just need time to take the rocks away. She’s going to see, I’m the best man for her.

Sophia closes her eyes opposed to the idea. “No. I will never love you. No chance. It’s criminals like you that killed my parents,” she says coldly, and I begin to understand the reason why she’s so opposed to me.

Chuckling, I know the opposite is true. “No. It’s people like me who can find the Saints of Destruction who killed your parents and bring them to justice,” I reply sarcastically.

A pregnant pause hangs in the air as Sophia glowers at me, her lips pursing together. I dare her with my eyes to dispute it, but she doesn’t, taking her eyes off me, as if she can’t stand the sight. “How about I do you a deal, then,” I level with her, placing a hand above her head, her face neutral, but she’s full of emotion and hormones going awry, I suspect.

“What kind of plea bargain are you offering?”

Grinning at her deadpan delivery, I touch her ginger locks offering her the time to fall for me, because that’s whatisgoing to happen. “How about we stay married until the baby is born. We are not having a baby out of wedlock. It’s a big no for the family.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. And if you still feel the same way about me then, we will get a divorce.”

Sophia pauses her full lips calling me to seal the deal with a kiss. My eyes go to them, and hers are carefully assessing. I have no idea what she will do. She’s unpredictable, and if she decides to knee me in the balls spontaneously, I will have no defense. It’s not something I would put past her.

“You have my word.” Smirking, I flick my tongue out across my mouth, and it’s too close for her to deny. I see her pulse jumping in her neck as her hands lay flat on the wall. Is it fear, or is it a longing? There’s room to explore, I figure. All in good time.

“Good. Then I can handle that deal until the time is up,” she replies methodically.

Snickering, I lean in, cupping her chin. “Once we’re married, we will stay together like any other married couple.”

“And what does that mean?” Oh, she wants the details.

Smiling, I provide her with the marital template that will satisfy my appetite. “You will share a room with me. That means sleeping in the same bed as me, and you will abide by all the responsibilities of a wife, and so will I as your husband. Do we have a deal?” I whisper, putting my hand under her nose to shake. She offers hers up and I kiss the back of it.

“We have a deal.”

The naïve one doesn’t know she’s playing right into the devil’s hands. You’re going to fall head over heels for me.

Chapter Nineteen – Sophia

It’s not going to last forever. It’s not going to last forever. Have his baby and then it’s done.You only have to put up with him for the next seven months or so, and if you have the baby early, you don’t have to think about it at all.I keep running through my survival notes, hoping these are the ones that are going to get me through.

---