Page 4 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

But with the mask covering his face, my curiosity piqued even more, and I just wanted to know who it was.

The man was alarming...yet intriguing.

I swallowed hard as my eyes briefly tracked over the mystery man’s figure again, losing myself for a moment in how defined his physique was even beneath his clothes.

In that moment, I felt no better than a man…

As I looked him over, the guard stood perfectly straight with his arms crossed behind his back, facing the wall opposite him. With the mask on, there was no way of knowing where he was looking. Still, I couldn’t help but feel the heat of his gaze on me.

The intrusive sensation shook me out of it at once.

Clearing my throat and forcing myself to get my head back on straight, I tore my eyes away and picked up my pace by a hair, all while holding the documents close to my chest.

Reminding myself, I was at work and shouldn’t be ogling over whoever was stationed in the office building, I continued to Gemma’s office. I needed to focus and get those revisions to her before I missed my chance.

Pushing my dazed thoughts about the guard aside, I couldn’t get my mind off of how odd it seemed.

Ever since I was hired, we never had anyone posted to guard the place. As far as I knew, we never had any security problems.

It was definitely strange, but I set my sights on Gemma and noticed her sitting in the conference room still as the investors left the glass-encased room once their meeting wrapped up.

When she saw me in return, Gemma waved me in.

With a nod, I waited until the others were gone before I slipped inside and smiled despite still feeling unnerved by the guard in the front foyer.

“Everything alright?” she asked, leaning back in her chair with a hint of concern in her gaze. She caught the uncertainty written all over my face.

Brows furrowed, I gestured behind myself. “What’s going on?”

Recognition immediately entered her features, and Gemma seemed to school her expression into a calm one. She nodded her acknowledgment of what I was talking about. “You mean the guard in the foyer?”

I nodded simply.

“Given my husband’s family and the nature of what we report on here, Benedikt and I figured it would be smart to have a guard on rotation. Just for everyone’s peace of mind.”

Considering her words, well aware of what she meant, I pressed still. “Who is it?”

“It’s just Damien Novikov,” Gemma said evenly. “He’s starting the rotation, at least. I wouldn’t be surprised if the other Novikovs were eventually here too.”

I lifted my brows, surprised to hear it. “That’s Damien?”

Gemma chuckled and nodded. “Yes, it’s him. I know he’s pretty intimidating, but that just means he’s doing his job.”

Intimidating was certainly one way to put it.

Still, I couldn’t fight the slightest thrill that moved through me at the mention of his name.

I had seen him a few times while attending some Levov events with Gemma, and he was definitely good-looking, albeit with a healthy dose of terrifying just like the rest of them.

I never really had the chance to talk to him myself, but even I could admit he was interesting.

Knowing that his family, as well as the Levovs, were running the city didn’t make matters any more comforting, but I figured having someone like Damien guarding the place made sense.

In all honesty, I still couldn’t wrap my head around how Gemma was able to accept everything surrounding them and their business, but if she was at ease, then I found it easier to follow her lead.

Letting go of a breath, feeling a little more relaxed at the idea, I nodded. “I suppose that makes sense...better to have some precautions than none at all.”

Gemma smiled and nodded. “Exactly…soon enough, you won’t even know he’s there.”

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