Page 71 of The Bratva's Sold Bride

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I understand if you can’t forgive me for betraying you and if you don’t believe me now.”

“Why would you lie now?” he asked earnestly, glossing over the betrayal bit.

“I’m not. I have no reason to since I know you’d see through it anyway. But I get it seems awfully convenient that I suddenly realize I love you when my life’s at stake.”

“You know, I realized I wanted to buy an apartment in London when my life was at stake once,” he said.

My jaw dropped, and he laughed, tapping my chin to shut it.

“I’m just saying we sometimes see the truth in desperate situations. I enjoy London, and didn’t get to visit enough, so I bought the flat, and now I go at least twice a year. I think you’ll enjoy it, too.”

“You mean, because you’ll take me? You forgive me?”

He shrugged. “Yes, of course, I’ll be taking my wife on my vacations. And there’s nothing to forgive. I was a bit heavy-handed in the beginning, I can admit that.”

“A bit?”

He nipped at my lower lip, dragging it into his mouth for a long kiss. “A lot,” he said, his breath warm against my cheek. “I’m sorry, too. But you’re mine. And this is real. Really real, now.”

I was almost floating with relief that he wasn’t furious enough to kick me to the curb, but I came crashing down at those words.

“No, it isn’t, not yet,” I said, holding up my hand to stop any bossy arguments or decrees. “My father is still missing, so that’s a problem. And if I’m not going to be able to fulfill my mother’s last wish not to marry into the Bratva, then I want to be able to fulfill another one of her wishes.”

“What’s that? Anything and I’ll make it happen, because I think—”

I stopped him. “She wanted me to have a huge, lavish wedding surrounded by family and friends,” I said, waiting to see if this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

“That’s all? That’ll be easy, and we’ve got the family part covered. And stop worrying about your father; he can’t hide forever. Finding him is at the top of my priority list, along with bringing the Kuzmins to their knees.”

I involuntarily shivered at the name, and he pulled me close, wrapping the covers around both of us.

“That might be harder than you think,” I said. “I don’t doubt you, but how much does he hate you to keep his sister hidden for eight years like that? Was he just biding his time until she could be useful? That’s about as low as you can get.”

I almost felt sorry for her, but then remembered every disgusting thing Rurik had threatened me with. She had brought me to him. They could both rot.

“That’s something else you don’t need to worry about, or about your mother’s last wish,” he said. I nodded, trying to let go of the disappointment that I couldn’t grant it, not and still be happy, anyway. “All that work I’ve been doing here is to start a new resort. It’s going to be huge, and I think it’ll really take off. That and some of my other legit businesses should keep us in a pretty comfortable life.”

“What are you saying?” I asked, sitting up to stare at him.

“I’m going to ease back on the family business. You don’t have to be married to a mafia boss anymore.”

I was stunned at his announcement that he was willing to give up so much for me. And still so mad at my close call withbeing Rurik’s prisoner and my so-called friend’s betrayal that I found myself shaking my head.

“No way. No way in hell. I can see now that the normal life I wanted was never going to be enough. What you do is in my blood, too. The Kuzmins are my enemy now, and I want to take Rurik down every bit as much as you do. Him and all the other people who try to rise up against you.”

“Us,” he corrected as he tugged me back down. “You’re a Fokin, too. If you consider yourself one of us.”

“Damn right I do,” I said, swelling with happiness at the delight on his face. “That’s who I’m married to, so of course I am.”

“No more running away?” he asked.

I answered him with a kiss that had us both heating up and shoving aside the blankets.

No more running away. I was right where I belonged, next to the man I was always meant to be with.

Chapter 42 - Dimitry

There were no words to describe how happy I was, but things were far from over. Relief flooded my system when I learned Olivia still wanted to be my wife. More than that, she refused to hear a word about leaving the Bratva, or even pulling pack and concentrating on the legit side of things.

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