Page 18 of The Bratva's Arranged Virgin Bride
“Well?” my father said, jaw so tight I feared he’d break it. “What’s the reason for what you’ve done?”
So much hung in his words. Why had I drugged my cousin and attacked her guard? Why was I screwing with an alliance that could mean war if things went wrong? What could I say about any of it?
“I didn’t want Masha to have him,” I blurted, feeling my face and neck burning as soon as it was out. I continued to give Katie the look, and she almost imperceptibly nodded. She didn’tknow what, but she knew something else, something deeper, was going on.
“What?” My father was no longer yelling, but utterly stunned.
“I didn’t want Masha to have him,” I repeated, the words tasting sour in my mouth. It was kind of the truth, and it worked well with my plan to break Kolya’s twisted, dried-up heart.
Both he and Kolya went silent until Kolya had the audacity to laugh. The smug, conceited jerk believed it. He moved back into the frame and put his arm around me, pulling me close.
Leaning in, he grinned at my father, who was turning purple way over in St. Petersburg. “This is no longer an arranged marriage. We’re going to be very happy together,” Kolya crowed.
I tried to convey to my father through the screen that I had this under control and that I knew what I was doing. I did, I was sure of it. I could get my revenge and keep a war from breaking out, but revenge had to come first.
I leaned into Kolya. “We’re all family now, Papa,” I said firmly. “You should trust me.” I gave him a pleading look. “And Kolya.”
“That’s right,” Kolya said, running his hand up and down my arm as he kept me locked to his side. “It would be better if you did.”
My father muted the call, and I could see him speaking to someone, probably my uncles or Matvey or all of them together, on another line. Because of me, they were probably in some shit, too, but ultimately it was me he was furious with. It would take a long time to get him to forgive me. Was it worth it?
As Kolya kept his arm around me, the heat of his body sinking through my clothes and a look of triumph on his much too handsome face, I decided it was. He needed to be brought down, and not just a peg or two, but to the lowest he’d ever been. Then lower. And I’d be the one to bring him there.
A few minutes later, my father got back on with us, looking resigned and glaring at my new husband. “I will honor the deal for what it is,” he said. “A business arrangement.”
To my shock and horror, Kolya laughed and reached over to end the call.
“He’s warning us not to have a honeymoon,” he told me needlessly.
“Yeah, I got that.”
He slid his arm from around my shoulder, his fingers trailing along the back of my neck as he let me out of his hold. My damn confused and traitorous body was almost sorry to lose the heat of his nearness. He stood and looked down at me, still sitting at the desk. I was befuddled, to say the least, feeling like I’d just been dragged back from a precipice. All in all, that little chat with my father could have gone so much worse.
“Do you enjoy playing chess?” Kolya asked, throwing me even more for a loop.
“No, I hate it,” I said. “I’m not good at it at all.”
“I can tell, because to be good at it, you need to think several steps ahead.”
His smile was infuriating. Was he calling me out for not having a solid plan past getting down the aisle? How could he know what I had in store for him? I stood up, and he moved to block my exit from the room. The sudden, lascivious look in his eyes had me swaying on my feet. And I had let my father knowin no uncertain terms that this arrangement was no longer just a business deal.
Nervous now, with a throat so dry I couldn’t have spoken if I could think of anything at all to say, I tried to sidestep him. No use. I tried to give him an icy look that did nothing to freeze the heat in his eyes. His smile slowly grew as he leaned closer.
With a gasp, I was once again flung over his shoulder. His hand moved over my backside as he carried me upstairs, laughing under his breath as he went.
Should I fight him and risk jeopardizing my plan? Was I ready for this? I found myself hoping I’d end up locked in the guest room again, but no, he turned into a much bigger bedroom. This one actually did look somewhat lived in.
The massive bed took up half the room, covered in a staid dark blue spread, with no frilly or decorative pillows to lighten it up. A pair of running shoes lay in the open closet doorway, and I could see some clothes hanging up, with half the closet bare, maybe in readiness for the new bride. As he swung me to the floor, I grabbed inadvertently for his shoulders to keep from toppling over, barely noticing the pictures on the walls as he wrapped his big hands around my waist.
My head snapped back, and our eyes met. His were dark and full of mischief, full of desire that was going to consume me if I didn’t look away. Somehow, I didn’t want to look away. With his fingers tightening, he slid his hands lower, tugging me so our bodies were flush with each other. The hard planes of his hips and chest slammed against me, taking what little breath I had left after being unceremoniously hauled upstairs like a sack of grain.
I was dizzy, couldn’t speak, could hardly breathe. All I could do was hold onto his shoulders and stare into his eyes. Hebelieved he owned me now, and there was nothing I could do to dispute it.
Pulling me even closer, he leaned down, his mouth next to my ear, breath warm and ruffling my hair. “Nat,” he said, low and rumbling.
Memories came rushing back. The way he said my name, like he was the only one who knew it, and it was a secret more valuable than gold. I could barely answer, only making a soft questioning noise, the slight stubble on his face rasping against my cheek.
He chuckled, his hands moving steadily lower. “What should we do now?”
