Page 22 of The Bratva's Prisoner Bride

Daria bristled at my words, looking prepared to spit something back at me, but her resolve faltered for half a second, and I caught the way her eyes flickered down to my lips.

"You may have taken my free will away, but I can still resist you. I can still make this difficult," she murmured, unable to raise her voice higher than that while she swallowed hard.

With a flare of irritation moving through me at her claim, I gripped her jaw tight enough to let her know I was serious. Tipping her head back until it pressed against the wall, my eyes roved over her features.

Despite myself, she looked stupidly gorgeous, which only made me angrier.

"Resist me, and you’ll find out very quickly why that isn't a wise idea," I returned, giving her jaw a faint squeeze for emphasis. "You'll regret it. And don't assume I'm bluffing."

Her chest rose and fell a touch harder while her pulse thrummed beneath my hand, and despite the angle I kept her head at, she still held my gaze. "You're a bastard."

Something about the situation sent a thrill down my spine. I was taunting and teasing her on purpose to further my strategy to make her suffer, and she was playing into it all too well.

Whether it was the knowledge that my presence was having an effect on her, or the fact that she wasn't completely cowering away from me, I couldn't deny how much pleasure I was gaining from it.

As much as I wanted to think it was only bothering her, I could feel the swell of heat forming within me. The desire to touch her more.

Pushing back the temptation to do more, I let the corners of my lips turn up faintly.

"Keep pushing, little wife...push and see what happens."

Before she could say anything, I wedged my thigh between her legs, making her eyes grow by a touch while her breath hitched.

That stubbornness faltered again for a moment while she pulled in a shaky breath, struggling to find the words to fire back at me.

I chuckled and tilted my head while letting my thumb graze her lower lip. My eyes tracked the movement, watching how the softness of her skin gave way to the pressure of my touch, only to bounce back with ease. Something about it pulled me in, making me forget about my antics for a beat.

Daria shivered and couldn't hide it regardless of her attempt to, forced to take in my touch while I kept her pinned against the wall.

Catching that soft glow of color in her cheeks made me zero in on her features even closer, becoming keenly aware of every quick breath and rapid beat of her heart. I applied the faintest hint of pressure against the apex of her legs, making a barely audible gasp escape her lips.

I had to swallow back the satisfied growl that threatened to leave the back of my throat. Even if I was trying to get to her, there was no mistaking how it was having the same effect on me.

Regardless of how tempting she was, especially with the knowledge that she was my wife freshly in my mind, I had to resist.

Giving in to her wasn't part of the plan, and I'd be damned if I let it get the better of me.

Just when she seemed to soften slightly, as if contemplating giving up resisting me, I did a once-over of her face, then let go and pulled back.

"Get in the bedroom. I won't take no for an answer," I muttered, centering myself again.

Daria blinked back at me, looking all kinds of disoriented, while she straightened up and regained her bearings.

After a moment, I narrowed my eyes at her again. "Or do you need me to carry you in again?"

At that, her irritation returned, and she began for the master bedroom with her arms crossed.

"Go to hell..."

It was all I needed to hear to know that our marriage was about to be nothing but paradise.

Chapter 10 - Daria

The other side of the bed was empty when I woke up, and despite myself, a barb of disappointment took root in my chest.

I didn't know why. It didn't make any sense.

The night before hadn't exactly been a pleasant one—not with Ivan making more demands of me, forcing me to sleep in the same bed as him, and taunting me like he had a right to after everything.

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