Page 70 of The Bratva's Prisoner Bride

At the very least, neither of them seemed overly tense or angry, and I took that as a good sign.

When Daria managed to pull a faint smile, looking more hopeful than before, the three of us seemed to all sigh a breath of relief.

“Thank Christ…” Dima commented, sounding just as mentally done with the tension that had existed between them for far too long.

“You could say that again.”

While I understood why Olivia held that grudge against her, it had become somewhat tiresome since the tail end of her anger seemed to stem from sheer stubbornness for a while. But it seemed she finally crumbled and didn’t mind the idea of making amends again.

Fortunately, it seemed our family outings were about to get easier to sit through.

Knowing how happy it would make her to patch things up with Olivia, I was glad to see it.

Opening night continued on without a hitch, and while I wasn’t one to care about creative pursuits, there was something to watching Daria immerse herself in that world that brought me a sense of satisfaction. She seemed so fulfilled…so complete…

And I was more than willing to let her bask in it and continue chasing after her goals without getting in the way of her progress.

As it grew later, most of the crowd was already gone by the time I found her standing off on her own, smiling still despite looking exhausted on her feet.

“Finally…I get to have you all to myself again,” I murmured with a gentle grin as I slid a hand against the small of her back, pulling her into me. “I was getting worried I’d have to start fighting for your attention.”

Daria smiled in return and leaned against my side, resting her cheek against my chest. “I’m glad you managed to restrain yourself then.”

Humming, I gave her hip a light squeeze before letting my hand ghost over the swell of her stomach. “It was barely contained, mind you…especially with you looking so delectable all night.”

Her smile stretched at that. “Delectable, hm? Even while I feel like I could collapse at any moment?”

Chuckling, I nodded and kissed the top of her head. “Even then…maybe even more so because of that.”

Daria looked up at me and cocked a brow. “And why’s that?”

“Because it means you won’t slip away from me anytime soon…and it gives me even more of a reason to spoil you tonight,” I said, drinking in the sight of her before gently cupping her cheek and guiding her face closer to mine, capturing her full attention. “Not that I need a reason…”

A mutual warmth moved between us while her gaze flickered between my eyes and lips, clearly already thinking the same thing on my mind.

With a stirring in my chest, I leaned in and gently brushed my lips against hers.

It didn’t matter how many times we kissed, it always managed to send a jolt of longing through me, making me want more and more.

She turned me into a starving man just by easing into the affection and kissing me back, gracing my mouth with the softness of her own.

For better or worse, she was a walking temptation down to her core, and as dangerous as she still was because of it, I didn’t mind anymore.

Not while she was completely mine, and I was hers.

Chapter 30 - Daria

I had never been to Italy before, but every part of me was glad to spend that first time with Ivan.

Every moment was pure bliss while we took everything in stride, soaking in what time we had left as just the two of us.

While the trip initially started out as the one I wanted to surprise him with, we decided to reschedule after everything and made it out to be a baby-moon instead. With Ivan’s help, we put together a perfectly relaxed itinerary to sightsee what we wanted while not sacrificing our leisure.

My cheeks ached from smiling while we moved through The Uffizi Gallery, taking every second of it in.

Even if Ivan wasn’t the most invested in the art scene, he still seemed to appreciate it as much as I did, quietly looking everything over and occasionally pointing at something that caught his attention.

While our marriage didn’t start out as ideally as I would’ve wanted before, there was no denying the progress we made, and how everything seemed so much more relaxed. Our time together was natural, filling every moment talking or quietly marveling over the sights together.

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