Page 18 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

Hovering over it with my palms against the surface, I forced out a breath and my fingers through my hair. For some reason, my heart was beating faster than it had been before.

Whether it was because I thought I was alone and didn’t expect to see him there with me, or just because it was Damien, I didn’t know. But either way, I had to take a deep breath to calm my heart.

That initial shock ebbed away, however, and my brows furrowed as I quickly checked the time.

It was already eight, and he should’ve been long gone by then. He normally left shortly after everyone else did, so I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly sticking around.

Sighing, I couldn’t help how my mind stayed on the topic and essentially halted all of my progress for the night.

There was no denying how strange he had been acting lately.

At first, he had been splitting his time up between floors as far as I knew. He did sweeps throughout the building, sometimes standing by the front door, or tucked away in the room he was using to keep an eye on everything. But recently, he had been on my floor more often than not.

It made me feel paranoid to even think about it, but it seemed that no matter where I went, he was there somewhere, lingering in the background. He was interrupting my work, questioning my coworkers’ integrity, and unsettling people in general.

And while I pretended to not notice, I could feel his eyes on me from time to time. It was like I couldn’t shake him no matter what I did.

I potentially would’ve been flattered by the idea of him taking an interest in me, but by that point, he was getting on my nerves.

He was always there, always watching, and always acting so entitled. So important, as if I couldn’t handle anything on my own.

I couldn’t understand why he decided to attach himself to me, but it was driving me insane.

I stood there awhile longer and tried to process my frustration, I eventually forced out a breath and pushed away from the table.

I couldn’t keep going with him constantly lingering, and I knew I had to say something.

Even if he was a big, intimidating guy, he was grating on my nerves, and I needed him to stop.

Exiting my office again, I fixed my lips into a tight line and moved across the floor, eyes set on him. As I approached, Damien eventually lifted his head, eyes landing on me.

Having him look at me like that, with both a mix of surprise and what looked like sheepishness made me fight back a shiver. The way he took me in always made it seem like he was giving me his complete and utter focus and something about it made me want to melt, but I couldn’t. I steeled myself against it and crossed my arms.

“Sky…can I do something for you?”

Not letting up on my irritation, I looked over his impromptu workspace, wondering why he wasn’t tucked away in that small room of his. “You can tell me what you’re still doing here.”

As if aware he had been caught, that sheepishness took over as he wore a faint grin and leaned back in his seat with forced nonchalance. “Well, I thought I’d review some old footage since nobody’s here.”

Something about that response only irritated me more. “Reviewing it for what?”

I could tell he was searching for something to say as he absently scratched his chin. “You know…to see if I can find those rats.”

My eye nearly twitched at his words, not believing him for a second. “Yeah, sure…the rats you keep going on about.”

He chuckled. “Don’t believe me?”

“No, I don’t,” I mumbled, arms still crossed. “I don’t believe Gemma has you here to keep an eye on the possible rodent population in this building.”

Damien’s smile turned a bit more smug, as if enjoying getting on my nerves. “You might be surprised…knowing New York and all…”

At my wit's end, I couldn’t help but drop my usual politeness as I leaned a bit closer, brows furrowed. There was something about him that irked me despite how beautiful he was. He got under my skin so easily, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Cut the bullshit, Damien.”

Caught off-guard by my sharp words, his brows went up, and the words died in his throat before he could even say them.

Not wasting the opportunity, I continued, voice raising slightly. “Listen, I’m not oblivious. You’ve been hovering around my floor and me more often than necessary, and don’t you dare try to deny it. I don’t know why you’re doing it, but I don’t need you guarding me like I’m some precious artifact.”

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