Page 7 of The Bratva's Prisoner Bride

With a volatile mixture of anger at her and frustration with myself for being so weak against her when I should be anything but, I put that irritation into dragging her along.

When Daria pulled back against me again with her brows pinched together, my patience started to slip away even more.

"Be gentle—“

"Gentle?" I retorted, veiled in near disbelief. "Now, why would I do that?"

Daria seemed almost surprised by my words, but she quickly corrected herself and tried to yank her arm back. "Maybe to prove that you aren't a complete monster?"

Anger flashed in my eyes at that, and I tightened my grip on her, moving closer. That restraint seemed to slip farther and farther away from my control. "And what if I am?"

Her eyes widened by a fraction, barely managing to murmur, "That wasn't who you were before..."

"You'd know a lot about that, wouldn't you?" I bit back, letting the faintest hint of a smirk cross my lips at the way she seemed to recoil.

A flicker of guilt moved through her eyes, and something about it pleased my need to see her bearing the weight of her consequences.

When she didn't say anything else, I yanked her forward more roughly to get the point across. "Hurry up...keep moving."

Even if a part of her was still trying to fight me, she eventually either ran out of the willpower to resist, or realized what was better for her, and she offered me a semblance of cooperation.

Reaching the SUV, I pulled the back door open, took a slight step back, and guided her in, not allowing any more interruptions or stalling. She had done enough of that, and whileI could only anticipate more pushback from her at some point along the way, I didn’t want to encourage it.

As fun as it would be to play with her a bit more, she was going to be stuck with me for quite some time, which meant I had more than ample opportunity to get my amusement. For the time being, I just wanted to get back home after dealing with everything.

Leaning into the back, I grabbed the seatbelt and pulled it across her body, pausing once I realized the proximity. With that position held, I glanced over at her, meeting those brown eyes that looked so jumbled with complicated emotions, given the circumstances.

There was no missing the slight fluster that spilled into her features. Nor could I ignore the stirring need within myself.

She was so temptingly close…close enough that all I had to do was move a fraction closer to finally feel her lips. To know what she tasted like.

No woman had ever sparked that kind of curiosity in me before, and of course, she, of all people, had to be the one to accomplish exactly that.

As much as I wanted to cut that space between us, I had too many reasons not to. Especially while that hot anger still coursed through my veins.

I watched as her throat moved with a hard swallow, and the corner of my lips pulled slightly. She could pretend all she wanted that I wasn’t affecting her, but I knew better.

Finally buckling her in, I withdrew and allowed myself to gloat for a moment, then shut the door and rounded the vehicle. When I slid onto the other side, I noticed the slightest shift in thecolor of her cheeks while she sat there, obviously struggling to compose herself.

As much as I wanted to let that anger fester inside me, I couldn’t even deny how good that felt.

Before long, the SUV started moving, leaving the hangar behind in favor of my place.

I busied myself on my phone all the while, Daria sat there in silence, staring blankly out the window. Glancing at her occasionally, I could feel more of that stirring that made me desire nothing more than to pull her against me and have my way with her.

Something in me just wanted to get it over with…to sate my curiosity and free myself of it. Yet, I had the feeling one time wouldn’t be enough.

Instead, I kept my hands to myself and did my best to hold back those urges. As much as I wanted her, I wasn’t about to throw my plans and convictions to the wind.

First and foremost, Daria needed to pay for what she did, and I was going to do everything in my power to make that happen.

From my seat, I could feel how rage akin to my own seemed to emanate from her, and while that should’ve been irritating, it was exactly what I wanted.

Chapter 4 - Daria

As much as I didn’t want Ivan to see anything I was feeling, I couldn’t stop shaking. His audacity caused that current of seemingly endless frustration to move through me, begging for an outlet.

The way he used his anger and smugness against me was maddening, like I was caught in a constant state of whiplash, unable to read him or his true feelings.

---