Page 41 of Knocked Up By the Russian

He tried to say something else to maybe ease her mind, but Amy had already put her earphones in as she buried herself in her work.

Ivan let out a sigh before doing the same sans earphones. He had to stay alert. He had to keep her safe... but no matter what he did, it didn't seem like enough.

After hearing about the three packages sent to her two weeks ago, Amy had been adamant that there was no reason to stay in the apartment. He'd had no choice but to agree; her tears were something he refused to see ever again. However, that didn't mean he didn't have his own conditions. One of those was that she wouldn't be alone no matter where she was. She had to ensure she was with either him or Adrian at all times—and the best way he'd seen fit to allow that was by making Adrian and a few of his bodyguards reallocate to Eclipse. It was for her safety, but he knew it only pissed her off.

Some nights things were easy, and she fell asleep in his arms. Other times they still argued about petty things until he retreated to the couch. He knew it was because she was getting restless, that she wanted her freedom back, but until they caught the person behind the threats, this was the only way he could see to do things.

He'd tried taking Amy out on a few dates or shopping, but that didn't seem to help. She argued whenever he spent money on her, and he didn't know how to tell her that anything he owned was hers anyway. She still seemed to act like they'd be done when their deal came to an end.

Since her breakdown, he hadn't had to worry about Amy's cold shoulder—but that didn't mean things were any better than they were before. Ivan was trying his best; they'd gone on a few awkward dates and spent most nights having family dinners. None of it seemed to work, though. There was a wall between the two of them that he didn't know how to cross. It still felt like Amy was waiting for the six months to be over so that she could get the freedom he'd promised her.

Ivan wasn't sure how he felt about that.No, he glanced over at her again; he knew exactly how he felt about it all, but hedidn't know how he was going to change her mind. She belonged to him. He just had to figure out how to convince her of that too.

Adrian and Ilya returned thirty minutes later, breaking the silence with their banter, and Adrian winked when he caught his brother's eyes. Ivan glared, hating how obvious it was that things weren't going the way he wanted them to. But at least their jokes got Amy to talk again. She pulled out her earphones with a smile and even laughed at their jokes.

Each time it left him feeling like he'd been punched in the gut. Didn't she see how she fit in? How his brothers had already accepted her as his? Her family felt the same way too. In a surprising turn of events, Mira and Paisley had become good friends, and now family dinners were spent at Mikhail's. Kostya and Adrian attended as well, along with Lev and his little family. It was on its way to becoming a tradition, but not even that seemed to influence how things were going with his wife.

Ivan ran his fingers through his hair. He had to figure out a way into his wife's heart. They barely had five months left.

***

Another week passed, and Ivan was growing desperate to bridge the gap between him and his wife. Desperate enough that he unknowingly mentioned it during the latest Bratva meeting at the club. He wasn't surprised when the men around guffawed, sputtering vodka and bourbon onto the tabletops.

"Jesus Christ, you're all acting like I don't know what I'm doing," he snarled, fingers running through his hair.

"That might be because you don't," Mikhail answered dryly, his lips curling into a mocking smirk.

"Fuck off, I've got enough stress as it is." Ivan scowled, glaring daggers at the staircase leading up to their office. Ilya and Amy were up there right now, staring back down at him. He didn't need confirmation to know that was it.

The club was still quiet; they weren't opening for a few hours. They'd chosen a table near the VIP section to stop busybodies from eavesdropping.

"Take her out tonight then if you're so worried," Lev shrugged, fingers tapping on the edge of the table. The rhythm grated on Ivan's nerves, but he kept quiet. "Things weren't easy with me and Zia either. It took time."

"And do what?" Ivan muttered, scratching at the prickly shadow caused by his beard growing in. He normally preferred a cleaner-shaven look, but Amy had squealed this morning when he licked her to pleasure, and he was considering keeping it for a little while.

"God, she was right, wasn't she?" Adrian mocked under his breath. "The spoiled playboy doesn't know how to romance a girl. Jesus, this is your fault." He threw a glare at Lev and Mikhail, and they both sputtered. But Ivan was already snapping to his own defense while they sputtered their excuses.

"I have been romancing her," he snapped, and Adrian ducked the punch he threw in lighthearted annoyance. "I've made her dinners, and taken her shopping. We've had movie nights in bed—and I fucking bought her flowers too. Damn it."

"So romantic," Mikhail snorted. "When was the last time you took her on a date?"

"Last week," Ivan gritted out, his eyebrows creased. They'd gone to Giovanni's with Adrian and Ilya there as backup—and while it might've been a bit awkward with them at another table, she'd seemed to have fun.

"I wouldn't really call that a date, brother," Adrian snickered. "Felt like we were babysitting you for your first date."

Ivan closed his eyes and cursed.

"Things are quiet at the moment," Kostya interrupted before another fight could start. He leaned back in his seat and glanced around the club with a thoughtful expression. "We've got men watching the estate and tailing the two of you. If they're any good, then they'll pick up the second someone attempts anything."

He wasn't wrong. But while they were used to constantly watching their backs, their family was growing, and so was the stress of making sure everyone was all right.

"And if they aren't, they'll soon learn better," Adrian muttered darkly.

Ivan didn't disagree, but Amy trotted down the stairs before he could say anything. A friendly smile lit up her face as she went to speak to the employees. She'd started relaxing this past week—just a little for them to joke a bit the night before—but still not enough to stop the night terrors haunting her in her sleep.

"Go," Mikhail uttered as the women walked toward them. "Take her for a date. Somewhere she won't have to worry about all of this. Somewhere public, where no one will try anything," he amended quickly. "We can meet up later again to discuss everything."

Ivan nodded, already rising from his seat. He greeted Ilya, then grabbed Amy's hand in his.

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