Page 36 of Claimed By the Bratva

“From which gifts can I select?” he asked the guy behind the counter. The guy pointed at a selection down the middle. Anton glanced at me and back at the selection before reaching out to me. He took my hand and turned me to face the other way. “Don’t look,” he huffed.

“You’re a little childish, you know,” I said.

“You may now turn around,” he replied. Turning around, all I saw was a gigantic pink unicorn with rainbow-colored hair. I giggled as Anton stuck his head around it. He beamed with happiness.

“Thank you for an eye-opening day,” I huffed, taking the bear and snuggling it. I noticed Anton watching me with a wide grin and felt my cheeks heating up again.

“Time for supper,” he said, checking his watch before taking my hand.

We were almost at the entrance when he stopped and turned. “Did you forget something?” I inquired.

“No,” Anton spoke over his shoulder. “Just give me a second.”

He walked to a group of kids sitting on a bench. I watched him remove the remaining tickets from his pocket. He held themout to the group of kids. “Thank you, sir,” they chimed in unison. We watched as they ran off towards the rides. I felt my heart melting. He was so kind and generous. He loved making others happy.

“There were so many tickets left,” I said, taking his arm.

“Well, don’t worry about how many was left. Those kids appreciated it and will have a ball.” Anton replied.

Holding his arm, I rested my head on his shoulder as we returned to the truck. “Dinner?” I inquired.

“Yes,” Anton replied, unlocking the truck and opening the door for me.

“I still can’t believe that we did all of this. You’re a daredevil with a flair for excitement. It was a perfect day,” I breathed out.

“Well, doll, there are many perks to being Bratva. You have a lot to learn and experience to have still,” he whispered, taking my hand and kissing my fingers. Closing the door, he moved around and got in behind the wheel. The drive to the restaurant was quick as it was just up the road.

I leaned over and kissed his cheek as he pulled into a dark parking lot. “Are we at the right place?” I questioned. It looked like an old run-down restaurant. “You aren’t going to kidnap me again?” I added, grinning.

Anton glared at me as he responded. “No, doll, why would you think that after the day we had?”

“I’m just joking,” I responded as I opened my door.

“Wait, wait…,” Anton spat as he jumped out.

By the time he got to my side, I was already out and closing my door. “I’m capable of opening my own door,” I said, patting him on the chest.

“Come on, where are we going?” I asked.

Anton locked his truck. Taking my hand, he led me inside. It looked like a hotel lobby, but there were no people around. It appeared as abandoned inside as out. Walking past a quiet, dark bar area, we headed to a desk at the back. Only a single light was burning, and a dark-haired woman stood waiting.

“Hi there,” Anton said to the lovely woman at the door. “I made a reservation under Dubow.”

She checked a long list and glanced up, smiling. “Yes, right this way, sir, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“What…,” I started saying but couldn’t finish as Anton lifted his hand.

“Shh, doll, wait and see,” he whispered.

I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes at him. The woman led us through a dark passage. At the end, there were two large wooden doors. She informed the man at the door of our arrival and table number.

The young man opened the big wooden doors, and light flooded out. I felt like I was walking into a fairytale. I stood frozen just inside the door. It was astonishing. Anton took my hand and guided me to our table. I looked around, enchanted by it all.

Our table was in the middle, surrounded by trees in full bloom. The tiny pink blossoms were perfect, and silver fairy lights hung between them. A little pond was by the entrance, and pathways between the thick, lush green grass.

The tables were covered with white sheets. In the center were some candles surrounded by light purple flowers. These looked like they were floating on a watery surface. Anton pulled out a chair and waved his hand so I would sit down.

Just as I sat down, Anton pulled a silver flat box from his jacket pocket. He placed it before me on the table, beaming like a ray of sunshine. “What’s this?” I asked, raising my brows at him.

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