Page 20 of The Bratva's Forced Innocent Bride

I leaned into him, resting my head against his sturdy shoulder. He smelled so good I breathed deeply, making him think I was about to start crying again. I shook my head, turning into the smooth skin of his neck, and let out a sigh.

The feel of his hands moving up and down my back had me scooting closer and putting my arms around him, just for a moment of support. Just to breathe in his masculine, earthy scent, like he’d been out in the rain and stirring up freshly cutgrass. I turned my face a little more at the same time he did and our lips brushed.

Everything disappeared except the feel of him as his hands moved swiftly up my back to tug on my hair. Our mouths crashed together as he rose, pulling me up to stand with him, crushing my body close to his. Every bit of me was pressed tight against him as his lips teased mine to open so his tongue could enter me. Our tongues found each other like long-lost lovers, and I moaned without a single thought as I dragged myself even closer to his rock-hard chest.

Rock hard everywhere. I ground against him, heat pooling lower as the hand that didn’t grip my hair ran up my side. His thumb brushed my breast, and we both moaned. I’d never, never experienced such a rush of pure longing in my life. It was like a jackhammer had replaced my heart, and the senses of a wild animal had replaced my mind. I was starving, on the hunt, and Max was my prey.

What the hell? I pulled away, breathless, barely able to see.

“I feel dizzy,” I gasped.

His hands tightened on me, holding me up. I blinked away some of the haze of lust and saw concern in his darkened eyes.

“You need more rest,” he said, thinking it was the aftereffects of the drugs that had me nearly swooning in his arms. “Let me get you up to your room so you can take it easy. I’ll be here if you need me.”

I staggered away, brushing off his offer to carry me. That was the last thing I needed. Still, he stayed by my side until I was safely sinking onto the bed in the same guest room I’d spent the previous night in.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” he said, leaving me with a long look.

The only thing I was worried about just then was how damn attracted I was to him after everything that had happened. How was it possible? One thing I knew for sure was that I had to fight it, or I’d be miserable once this was all sorted and I was back at home.

Unsure how I managed to fall asleep at all, I woke up an hour or so later, feeling like myself again. No more grogginess or feeling like I was slogging through mud, and definitely no more crazy feelings for Max. Now that I was clear, it hit me that Jenna must have been going out of her mind with worry.

My phone was still missing, but it might have fallen out of my pocket in Max’s car, or maybe he’d grabbed it and put it somewhere and, in all the confusion hadn’t remembered to give it back to me. I straightened my hair and my dress, and went downstairs to look for him.

I found him in the kitchen, sitting at the long granite bar, sending messages.

On my phone.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, lunging for it. He deftly held it out of my reach, shocking and enraging me.

“You don’t have to worry about it,” he said.

“If you tell me that one more time, I’m going to scream,” I said. “What are you doing on my phone?” Did he take it on purpose?

“I texted Jenna that you had a minor emergency and had to get back to San Francisco early.”

I snorted. “Without my things? She’d never believe that.”

He held up my phone. “She already did.” I peered at it, still out of my reach, to see that she did indeed fall for his baloney. “I’ll keep texting her as long as I need to.”

“Why?” I asked, more confused than pissed off just then.

“Because I want to keep my wife to myself for a little while,” he answered, as if that should have been obvious.

I shook my head in disbelief and mounting horror. “How long? I have a job to get back to next week.”

“Not anymore,” he answered. “I put in your resignation.”

Okay, now I was furious. I’d worked so hard to get that high-end boutique job, had proven myself as a top salesperson to the point my boss had been making noises about giving me an assistant manager position. I loved that damn job, and it was good money. But I could still explain if I got my phone back.

I threw myself at him, and he moved from the barstool to stand a foot away, making me stumble as I missed grabbing his arm. Undeterred, I practically climbed his body like a tree trying to get my phone back, but he held it high. Since he was almost a foot taller than me, there was no shot unless I climbed the bar and flew at him like an enraged cat. His mild laughter as he easily kept my phone from me made me want to do just that, along with clawing his eyes out.

I finally gave up and stomped over to the kitchen table and slammed into a chair, crossing my arms over my heaving chest. I’d never beat him like this, I had to stop and think. Nothing was lost. My boss would understand once I got out of there and was able to explain.

If I ever got out of there.

Chapter 13 - Max

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