Page 10 of Pregnant Bratva Wife
“Because you need money and I need a wife. I’m a powerful man, and people view powerful men with wives with just a little more respect,” I said simply. “It’s good for my reputation.”
But the truth? The truth was that she was real. God. She was, and it was written all over her. Right then, she was trying to play it cool, but I saw the way she bit her lower lip nervously and the way she flung her ponytail over one shoulder, fiddling with her hair.
“So this is like a business arrangement?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes. Exactly.”
She looked away, shaking her head as if she were fighting an inner battle. “What would this... arrangement... entail exactly?”
“You would become my wife. Live in my home. In return, I would take care of your financial problems.All of them.Your mother’s debts. Anything else. Everything.”
“And... physically?” she asked, her cheeks flushing.
I felt a stir of heat at the question. God, to have her, physically. I could already imagine what it would be to claim her, to mark her, to slide off those clothes and caress that skin. “I won’t force it.”
She let out a sigh of relief, though her eyes softened when she looked at me. “I have a sister. Megan. Her college…”
“It’ll be handled,” I said, without wasting a moment.
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
She looked like a kid who had been told they could have ice cream for dinner—like all of this was too good to be true.
Her fingers twisted together on the table. “For how long?”
“The marriage? Indefinitely.”
“And if I want out?”
“You’d be generously compensated in a divorce. But I’d expect you to give it at least a year before considering that option.”
She bit her lip, clearly weighing her limited options. “When would this happen?”
“As soon as possible,” I said. “And the deal stands if you pack your stuff and move into my house today. Right now.”
I knew where she lived—with a friend in a tiny apartment. I couldn’t imagine her living in such a cramped space. I also knew she’d appreciate my place once she saw it.
Her head snapped up. “Today? That’s impossible.”
“That’s the deal.”
“But—”
“My offer has conditions, Autumn,” I interrupted smoothly. “And all I ask is that you move in today and we marry within the week.”
“That’s insane,” she protested.
“That’s non-negotiable.” I leaned forward. “Five thousand dollars is just the beginning of what you need. I’m offering you a way out. The only way out.”
She stared at me in shock.
“I’ll pay your mother’s debt in whole,” I continued. “I’ll make sure your sister completes her education without financial worry. All you have to do is say yes.”
Autumn’s hands trembled slightly. “You know I don’t have a choice.”
“Everyone has choices. Some are just harder than others.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “You’ve backed me into a corner, and now you’re acting like you’re doing me a favor.”
