Page 5 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

My smirk widens to a grin, and I squeeze her hands tighter. “What do you say, Riles?” I ask. “Take out the fake IDs and hit the town for the night, just like old times?”

Riley holds my gaze for a moment before she rolls her eyes again and nods. I immediately jump up and begin to cheer, which causes her to laugh. “Okay, fine, fine,” she groans dramatically, admitting defeat. “But, please, no later than two a.m., okay? If I throw off my sleep schedule, I’m finished.”

“Yes! Yes, fine, whatever you want,” I reply, too excited to fully focus on anything she has to say. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll literally ace all my exams just for you.”

“Please do,” Riley laughs before exhaling deeply. “All right. Fuck it. Let’s get ready.”

“Fuck it,” I grin.

***

Riley and I can’t help but giggle as we pass through the glass doors, the nerves from wondering whether our fake IDs would work swiftly disappearing as we enter the casino. The second we enter, we’re both in awe of our surroundings. We have both seen the massive building from the outside dozens of times, and we’ve seen photos here and there of the inside on different social media platforms, but nothing could do the casino justice other than actually being here.

The place was glorious. It was magnificent in size. Different slot machines litter one side of the room, while people crowd a bar on the opposite side. We eagerly walked down an aisle of red carpet, not at all blending in with the opulent crowd as we made way for our first stop—the restaurant. We were both starving, so we were in agreement when Riley suggested starting our night with a filling but not too heavy dinner before we got to the fun parts. I opted for a juicy medium rare steak while Riley wolfed down a Caesar salad with grilled chicken.

“Let’s say we hit the tables first,” I suggest, spotting the poker tables in the back right corner of the massive area. “Start off by tripling our money. How does that sound?” Riley couldn’t help but agree.

Riley was right about me potentially having an advantage. While I’m not at all experienced in playing poker, I was somehow able to bullshit my way through the three long games I played by reading the other players’ faces exactly how Riley predicted, turning my couple hundred-dollar bets into nearly a couple thousand.

Our next stop was the slot machines, where we realized we weren’t as lucky. My winnings went from almost twothousand to almost seven hundred. Riley found she had a little more luck than me and was able to turn three hundred dollars into nearly six hundred.

“Okay, this is killing me,” I eventually say as I lose another fifty dollars for the sixth time in a row. I need to find out what is possessing me to use the same machine I haven’t had any luck with for the last fifteen minutes. “I need a drink. Badly.”

Riley gives me a questionable look. “Promise me you won’t get too drunk,” she says.

I roll my eyes. “I promise. Come on.”

We head back the way we came from, nearly getting lost after accidentally turning into the wrong corridor. My gaze wanders around the casino while we walk, taking in every bit of my lavish surroundings. I scan the faces of every person as we gently push through the crowd when suddenly, my eyes land on a figure who stands out starkly against the opulence.

For a second, I struggle to peel my eyes away. The man is dangerously tall and imposing, with a chiseled jawline and dark, intense eyes that seem to sweep over the crowd with a practiced, almost predatory air. There’s a look in his eyes that doesn’t seem to match the wild sparkle that shines in everyone else’s eyes, and something tells me he’s not here to explore one of the casino’s many activities.

I pull my gaze away, but the man’s presence is magnetic, and despite the throng of people, my eyes keep returning to him. Whoever he is, he’s too focused on whatever he needs to do to notice my painfully obvious stare, which soaks in every inch of him. He’s disgustingly handsome in such a flawless way that you’d think he was handcrafted by god himself. Yet, I couldn’t ignore the sense of danger that seemed to be attached to him.

Riley nudges me, drawing my attention. “You coming or what?” She asks, and when I look back, the man is gone.

“Sorry, yeah,” I mutter before I follow her into the bar.

We ordered the fanciest-sounding drinks off the menu and settled at a cozy table with a good view of the entire bar. “I think we should hit the poker tables again,” Riley suggested before detailing an elaborate plan that she believed would make us the most money.

The more she talks, the worse I feel. I’m completely incapable of focusing on a single thing she’s saying. I can’t help but think about the man I saw before. Tall, brooding, handsome. My brain immediately conjures a million different theories about who he is. Undercover intelligence officer working a scary case taking down a criminal overlord. Maybe he was a hitman, stalking every corner of this place until he took out his high-value target.

God. I’m losing it. I can’t help but smirk as I try to shake the man from my thoughts, but before I can fully do so, that same man is now directly in my line of sight, tucked in a booth a couple of spots across from us. I can’t help but watch him closely as he takes a sip of his drink and then checks his watch.

“Who are you looking at?” Riley’s voice snaps me back to reality, just momentarily. I make eye contact with her, suddenly embarrassed.

“Oh, nobody,” I say, and though she doesn’t appear to believe me, she doesn’t question me further. I glance back, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach as my eyes meet the man’s. He’s dressed in a sharp black suit, further accentuating his dangerous allure that I can’t help but find both unsettling and captivating.

Almost immediately, I avert my eyes, lowering my head as I sip my drink, hoping to hide the redness of my cheeks. Maybe I successfully hid them from the man, but Riley had caught me. When I look up, she’s frowning at me.

“What’s gotten into you?” Riley asks with a playful but confused scoff. “You’re as red as a tomato. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I reply a little too quickly. I’m not sure why I’m denying anything. I’m an open book when it comes to Riley. Yet, for some reason, it’s almost as if a part of me wants this man all to myself.

A few minutes pass before I look in his direction again, a shiver crawling up my spine as I see his eyes are already on mine. There’s a small smirk on his face, a knowing, confident smirk that suddenly makes me breathless but also sprouts a daring sensation in the pit of my stomach.

Slowly, the corners of my lips curl up into a smile. It causes his smile to grow bigger. I can’t help but bite my bottom lip with excitement.

The excitement immediately drains from my body as I watch the man rise to his feet and begin to walk toward me with a purposeful stride.

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