Page 26 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

Reaching out, I gently ran the side of my finger along her jaw, feeling the soft skin there.

When she didn’t pull away, I hummed.

“You don’t have to like me…hell, continue hating me if you want,” I said just above a whisper, letting my eyes rake over her gorgeous features. “But you can’t resist me forever…”

Something moved through her eyes then, giving away the faltering of her defenses. It happened so quickly, but it didn’t escape me.

With the faintest catch of her breath, her guard seemed to slip, and when she didn’t pull back, I took that as all the confirmation I needed.

She could pretend like she despised me until she was blue in the face, but I had every reason to believe at least something in her wanted me all the same.

Pressing forward, I let my lips ghost over hers. The barely-there brush of her skin against mine left me needing more. That trickle of sensations wasn’t enough.

“I admire how stubborn you are, Tia…but do you really want to deny yourself this?”

At my whispered words, she shivered, and yet, she maintained that semblance of space between us. “If that’s what it takes to prove I won’t give in to you…”

She was good, but I was prepared to be even better.

Chapter 10 - Tia

God, I was so close to letting go…to allowing that final thread of resistance to snap.

He was so agonizingly close. That faint brush of his lips against mine almost sent me over the edge, but I still needed to hold on. I needed to prove that he didn’t have anything over me, regardless of how badly he wanted to prove otherwise.

Using his height to his advantage, Val kept his face close to mine and let a small grin pull at his lips.

“Is that so? Well…it seems you have better self-control than I would’ve given you credit for.”

Every word fanned against my lips, and it took everything in my power not to shiver. To not show him how his proximity was affecting me.

But he was making it so difficult…even more than I cared to admit.

“Maybe that’s a sign you shouldn’t underestimate me,” I murmured back, feeling the wobble of my resolve.

Val hummed, barely moving again to tease that minimal space between us. With a spark of tempting sensation, his hand landed on my waist in an almost shameless grab. “You’re not wrong. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

I wanted nothing more than to pull away, but the warmth of his touch was enough to make me question everything—to wonder if I even had what it took to deny him.

As if he could sense just how fragile my resistance was, Val hummed and pulled me the faintest bit closer.

“So,wife…are we going to keep dancing around this?”

Everything in me was screaming to push him away and claim just how much I wanted nothing to do with him.

But having him so close, able to feel the magnetic pull between us…it was almost torturous.

That longing in his eyes was going to be my undoing, along with the way our bodies couldn’t seem to stay apart.

Not trusting myself to speak, I swallowed hard and focused on every point of contact—every subtle attack on my determination. While I wanted the chance to breathe and think normally again to regain my bearings, something in me didn’t want it to end, even if it was in my best interest.

That irritating amusement never seemed to leave him while his nose gently bumped against mine, making me pull in another discreet breath. “You really are stubborn…But I know you want this as much as I do…”

I hated that he was right. I hated how, despite my efforts, he was wearing me down, little by little.

“I don’t,” I insisted, despite how it didn’t sound convincing in the slightest. He had me and he knew it—I knew it.

Another low yet satisfied rumble came from his chest. “You don’t need to lie to me, least of all yourself.”

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