Page 27 of His Disobedient Bride

“And if I wanted to get married, I wouldn’t choose a plain American with no conversation, no talent, no extraordinary beauty,” I added.

“Mary has all of those things,” she said. “If you would have the patience to look for them.”

“She has none of them,” I said, my eyes drifting to the window where Mary was sitting with a cup of tea on the back lawns, her long legs tucked under her as she wrote on her laptop.

“You’re no prize yourself, Frederik,” Cerise retorted, making me laugh. “You should be so lucky.”

“Mary doesn’t need to get married to anyone,” I said. “The Pakhan has extended his protection over her.”

“Yes, but for how long?” Cerise asked sinisterly. “You know how my husband is. He is obsessed with finding and punishing any of the people involved with the hit. He is suspicious and angry. Except for those things he’s the perfect man, of course.”

“No one,” I said, steepling my hands together on my desk, and trying to ignore how Cerise looked teasingly at me, “would think Mary was a spy hired to infiltrate our Bratva.”

Cerise tightened her lips together angrily. “Fine! Have it your way, Frederik! Sit at your desk and let your dick get so unused that it shrivels off into a bag of skin on the ground if I care!”

The room shook as she left, slamming the door angrily behind her.

Cerise was 5 foot 3 inches on a good day, and she threw her power around like she was a 7 foot tall giant.

I glanced out at the back lawn, the sea sparkling beyond it, and stood up from my desk. I wasn’t getting any work done anyway. I would go check on Mary, make sure Cerise hadn’t suggested the idea to her. I didn’t want her feeling bad because I wouldn’t marry her. It wasn’t anything personal. I just wasn’t a good man, even though I knew she thought of me as the best and kindest person in the Bratva. Her grateful reactions when I did even simple things like handed her a cup of tea or asked her how her day was going showed that.

I was bad like the rest of them. I just hid it better.

As I walked up behind Mary, I saw her legs were crossed together, and I saw a flash of a long, creamy thigh as that ugly big skirt parted a bit. I was startled to feel a sudden twitch in my cock, the sight of that skin giving me a wild, brief urge to run my hands up her thighs. Her skin looked soft.

What would it be like to run my hands all the way up and between her legs, see her skin flush as she grew wet underneath my fingers?

I shook my head to clear it. Maybe it was a bad idea to come out here. Maybe Mary did attract me, despite myself.

But it certainly didn’t fucking mean I was going to marry her.

“Can I sit beside you?” I asked her.

“Oh yes,” she said, her cheeks flushing. I saw that her red hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a few auburn strands fluttering free.

I tried to put her at her ease, making sure Cerise hadn’t suggested anything to her. But I found that it was working the other way around. She was putting me at my ease, and her soft questions about my research had me answering her at length until I stopped myself and realized that I hadn’t accomplished anything of what I intended to.

I saw Andrei and some of his men come in through the gate, and he ordered his men to go clean their weapons.

I saw him direct a dark glance at Mary as he took his knives out to clean them. They flashed in the late summer sun and I felt a sudden uneasiness creep over my skin. Yes, Mary was under the Pakhan’s protection, but for how long? What if Andrei was able to somehow convince my brother of the ridiculous notion that Mary was a spy?

I knew my nephew. He only cared about his family. With anyone or anybody who threatened his family he was cold, ruthless, and uncaring. The world was divided into two groups of people: his family and not his family. And people he thought threatened his family were in the most danger from him.

I glanced over at Mary again. I wasn’t sure if she had even seen Andrei as she waited for me to finish what I was saying, her delicate fingers twisting her skirt around.

I had known the woman less than a week. There was no need to involve myself.

As she twisted her skirt around, I saw her rub her legs together, almost unconsciously, and I saw the movement as one thigh met the other, her hand running down her leg to pull her skirt back over her soft skin.

Goddamn Cerise.

19

MARY

I was making myself a cup of tea in the kitchen when Frederik entered from the side.

He was wearing a sleek pale blue dress shirt and tie, and I suddenly felt even more awkward and out of place than I normally did.

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