Page 26 of Claimed By Desire

Instead, it’s all on me.

That’s just my shit luck.

I’d pace, but there’s no room. Nobody bothers me, which is a minor miracle. I check my phone, hands shaking, feeling sick to my stomach with nerves and worry.

Alex should be here.Someoneshould be here.

Except I’m all alone, like always.

Finally, my alarm chirps. I yelp and force myself to turn around and to look at the test perched on top of the toilet paper dispenser.

It’s positive.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to think. I can’t move, can’t breathe. I force myself to take the second test, but it says the exact same thing.

Positive.

Pregnant.

I’m pregnant with Alex’s baby.

I’m pregnant with the perfect Bratva soldier’s baby, with my older brother’s best friend’s baby, with the guy I’ve always equally hated and crushed on’sbaby.

And I’m getting married to another man in only a few short days.

Another wave of nausea hits me and I puke my guts up.

Chapter 10

Alexander

“You know we’re closing soon, right?” Lev is sitting in the corner of the jewelry shop with his feet up on an ottoman. He’s got three Rolexes on his wrist, all of them fake, and he’s admiring them in the light. “You don’t have to stay all night again.”

“I’m good,” I tell him, barely looking up from where I’m cataloguing another watch. This one happens to be real. “Tell the girls they can head out.”

“It’s just Dasha left.” Lev gets to his feet with a groan. He rubs his lower back. “You realize you’re a brigadier now, right? You don’t need to stick around and do this shit. I mean, you didn’t before, and youreallydon’t know.”

“Are you ordering me to go home?”

“No, obviously not.” He takes off the watches and puts them down on the table. I reach out and add them to my inventory pile. “But like I said?—“

“Then I’m good.” I don’t look up as I start on another piece. I write down the make, the model, add a tag to the wristband, andcome up with a reasonable price. Everything gets entered into a spreadsheet for inventory purposes.

Lev hangs around for a few more minutes before he finally heads out. I give it a few minutes before I head up front, pull down the gate, and lock the front. I’ll do the same for the back door after I leave.

It’s past ten on a Friday night, and I’m left alone in Fed Jeweler. I like it here this late with only the soft ticking of all the timepieces to keep me company. I can turn off my brain as I do mindless shit work, the sort of stuff Lev keeps begging me to pass off to the girls. But staying here all night until I’m so tired I can’t fucking think is better than sitting alone in my apartment and letting all my thoughts torture me to death.

Especially tonight.

The night before Natalya gets married.

I hate that I’m thinking about her like this. I hate that the moment I’m alone with nothing to keep my hands busy, suddenly I’m reliving that perfect night we spent together in Paris, and then I remember how she’s been such an annoying pain in my ass for so long, and then I hear that haunting beautiful music she makes, and then I remember she’s getting married to another man, and the painful cycle stars all over again.

If I could burn my brain out with acid, I think I’d do it, just to make this stop.

I’m aware that it isn’t fair and I did this to myself. I went into her apartment knowing she was going to marry another man, and I still slept with her anyway. I made that mistake, and now I deserve to suffer for it.

But fuck, I want it to be done with.

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