Page 19 of Bought By the Bratva

With the adrenaline of the chase, I hadn’t even noticed that I was shot. But thinking back, it made sense why I had blacked out. She had stopped the bleeding, but I wasn’t sure if she removed the bullet. I will probably need to see a doctor soon. But I felt relieved knowing she would take care of me.

My dick was hard and throbbing the more I thought of her. I had to wake her and get up. Lightly touching her cheek with my fingers, I loved the feel of her skin. Closing my eyes, I could see us together under different circumstances.

I felt her stiffen and shift a tad. Glancing down, her eyes flickered open. Looking up, her sleepy eyes met mine. The tension between us was palpable.

“Good morning, how are you feeling?” she spoke, filling the room with her sweetness.

Trying my best to smile at her through the pain, I responded softly. “Good, I think, and it’s all thanks to you.”

Her smile was so bright it even lit up her eyes. Then she frowned, sitting up quickly. “Who were those people trying to kill us?” she inquired.

There were so many options, but I didn’t want her to know all about my life. Plus, I had my suspicions that it could be her family. I knew she was snooping and had to keep my guard up. “So, how did you get me inside?” I asked, changing the subject.

She scrunched up the sheet around her as she glanced at me. Nadia rolled her eyes as I shifted to get up. “You’re quite a weight you know,” she replied teasingly.

“Oh, am I?” I asked, grinning.

She flopped back down next to me, puffing. “I had to drag a ton of weight inside. Then try to get you on the mattress. It wasn’t an easy task,” she breathed out.

Her words and facial expression made me laugh, and I had to hold my shoulder.

“That’s payback for making me drag your sorry ass in here,” she added, giggling.

Smiling at her, I replied between breaths. “Okay, okay, that’s fair.”

Sitting back up, she turned to face me. Her face was stern as she spoke again. “You are avoiding my question.”

Smiling at her, I gave her something as she wouldn’t let it slide. “Okay, well, we have many enemies that would like to see us perish. In the Bratva world, we are seen as new and weak. But it’s not true.” Sitting up, I turned and leaned against the couch.

Nadia sat quietly, waiting for me to continue. “There are people who would do anything to bring us down. But I have to say this is the first time they have come at one of us directly.”

I could see she was thinking very hard about what I had said. I felt sure she was also wondering if it was her family. “It’s nothing,” I added. “We’ll just show them who we are, so don’t worry your pretty little face, okay?”

She frowned and then glared at me. I was confused by her reaction. “And now, why the stare?” I asked.

“Why did you take a bullet for me, you could have died?” she asked softly.

The look of pain and sorrow filling her eyes spoke to me. The realization of her actions hit me as I looked at her. I didn’t want to believe I was right and had to confirm it.

“Nadia,” I replied in a gentle tone. “Please tell me it’s something your family would also have done. Your life is worth just as much as any other.”

She diverted her gaze to the door. I felt my anger igniting. Before I could stop myself, the words just flowed out of my mouth.

“What the hell was your cousins doing with you all this time?” I could hear my voice burning with the anger I felt inside.

Nadia lowered her head as she replied. Her voice was shaky and barely audible. “They only took care of me because I was family. They didn’t want me.”

As she spoke, it dawned on me that she was nothing more than a tool for them. They would use her in any way they saw fit. Frustrated and engulfed by my anger, I stood sharply. “How can anyone treat family like that!” I spat.

Nadia scrambled to her feet. Her face filled with shock as she replied harshly. “Who are you to judge? They had their own lives, yet they provided for me.” She took a deep breath as she stepped backward. “They could have thrown me out. But they didn’t!”

As she fought with me, I felt my frustration growing. How did she not see what they were doing? I had to make her realize she should be thinking about herself now. “You deserve more, especially from blood. Family doesn’t treat each other like that.”

I could see the tears clouding her bright green eyes. Walking closer, I held her shoulders as I spoke with tenderness. “You deserve so much more than just basic living.”

I gazed into her eyes and saw the first tears strolling down her cheek. Smiling warmly at her, I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. “It’s okay,” I breathed out, feeling the pain shooting through my shoulder.

We stood frozen in a tight embrace as she cried softly. I could feel the tension between us breaking. There was a different kind of tension suddenly building between us. Pulling her tighter against me, I softly lifted her face. Leaning down, I claimed her mouth with mine.

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