Page 35 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

I lean back in my chair and watch Riley for a moment. She's deep in concentration, scratching behind her ear while she reads. I study her face. She's so intense. It's such a turn-on. I go back to work, and when my phone rings, I notice it disturbs her, so I answer it and walk out. I have the conversation down the hallway, and then I come back.

“You don't have to leave to answer your phone,” she says casually. “You're not disturbing me.”

“Okay,” I say, kissing her head. She looks up at me and uses her index finger to tap her lips.

I smile and lean down, kissing her deeply. She slips her tongue into my mouth and I suck on it lightly. She groans softly and I'm about to pull her into my arms when there's a knock at the door and Rachel clears her voice.

I break the kiss, and I see Riley blush. She's so beautiful when she blushes. I love her innocence. I look at Rachel as she brings in a tray with fresh coffee and some cookies.

“You asked me to refresh Mrs. Milov's coffee regularly,” she comments. She isn't embarrassed but is merely offering an explanation for the interruption.

“It's fine. I'm sure that she would like some fresh coffee and cookies.”

“Thank you, Rachel,” Riley says without looking at her.

Rachel sets the tray on the end of my table since it's bigger and she bows and leaves.

Riley gets up and gets herself a cup of coffee and two cookies before she sits down again. She starts typing on her computer, and I glance over her shoulder. It's an essay, and she's writing fast. She clearly knows what she wants to say. I realize I don't even know exactly what she's studying. I want to ask her, but I don't want to interrupt her as she's working.

I turn back to my reports and I start sending the emails to the politicians I need to contact for our supply runs. Everything is coded carefully so nothing can be translated or implied in court. I glance at Riley and lean back. She meets my gaze and I smile. She smiles back and I stretch again. She shakes her head and goes back to her essay.

Over dinner, she tells me about upcoming exams that are really important because she failed the last ones. I resolve not to distract her, but we do share a bed. I don't initiate anything. I simply hold her at night, and I'm happy to notice she's sleeping through the night without any nightmares. I'm glad she feels safe.

As the week progresses, I have to restrain myself. Everything she does is incredibly tempting to me, but I want her to pass her exams, so I keep my hands to myself except for the occasional chaste kisses we share every now and then. But I'm already imagining how I’ll seduce her once her exams are over. I could take her out for dinner, and then we can enjoy a romantic walk. Or I could follow Roman’s lead and whisk her away to an island, where we could have fun on the beach and in thehotel room. Or maybe tropical weather isn't the solution, and we should go somewhere chilly where we have to stay inside, naked in bed all day.

I daydream about it all day.

By Wednesday, I'm finding it hard to resist her. She must have noticed because she keeps chatting with me throughout the day. She tells me how hot she is, and how she might need to go cool off in the pool. She tells me how she enjoys being wet, so the pool seems like the best answer. At first, I don't really notice, but soon enough I realize she's trying to turn me on.

I find it hard to concentrate on work every time she looks up and says something about being wet, or hot, or wanting a shower, or wanting to be naked. I breathe deeply every time and when she doesn't get a reaction, she smiles and goes back to her work. I can't tell her how she's affecting me. I can't give her that satisfaction.

That's until Friday when she walks in wearing a very short dress and she's barefoot. I look up from my computer and raise an eyebrow. “What happened to your comfortable clothes?”

“I wanted to change things up today,” she says with a small smile.

She sits on her chair and fixes her dress, but it rides pretty high up. Rachel comes in with coffee and sets it down. When she leaves, she shuts the door. Riley glances at me and I smile softly, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.

“Do you like my dress?” she asks quietly.

“I love it,” I say, looking at her now and sitting back in my chair.

Riley faces me and opens her legs slightly. “It's all I'm wearing.”

“You need to study,” I comment, my eyes traveling up her legs.

“I need a break,” she says with a grin. “Don't you want to give me one?”

“Maybe,” I tease. “Maybe I should punish you later in bed for being such a naughty girl.”

“Oh, I like it when you're dominant with me,” she purrs and I cross my legs.

“Maybe we could take a little break,” I say quietly. “The bedroom isn't far from here.”

Riley smiles and stands up. She's about to walk toward me when my phone rings and I glance at the screen. It's my brother Rigor.

I hold a hand up. “Sorry.” I pick up the phone. “Rigor.”

My brother immediately launches into speaking to me. “We have a huge problem. Anton's been taken by a gang and we can't find him. We traced his phone's last location to the club and the CCTV footage shows he was dragged off by some guys.”

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