Page 74

Story: The Bratva's Captive

All thanks to you.I smirked at Maxim sleeping in bed.
I pulled a robe on and headed down to the kitchen to make a light snack. Even if the food didn’t help me sleep, it was something to do.
Having a little breather from Maxim could go a long way toward clearing my mind, too.
Finding the kitchen empty and no staff around to bother me, I browsed the fridge and pantry to see what I could create. While I wasn’t so dumb as to think I had free rein in Maxim’s entire building, I bet I could do whatever I wanted in terms of cooking or baking something to my liking.
As much as I missed my independence and freedom, this wasn’t a prison sentence. Not completely.
Even though I’d spent years working as a dancer and stripper, the graveyard shift hadn’t stuck with me. After weeks of being able to sleep like a normal human should, I’d reset myself towake in the morning and go to bed at night. Other than the times when I was up being taken hard by my insatiable Mafia boss, my circadian rhythm was balanced.
Just not tonight. Maybe this strange stroke of insomnia was another pregnancy symptom.
In the middle of preparing pancake batter, which I’d settled on at a whim, my “warden” showed up. Maxim strolled into the kitchen, squinting and still sleepy. His eyes weren’t open all the way, and he yawned as he came toward me. Rubbing his hand over his bare chest, he paused near the island.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.
He had no business sounding sexier with that sleepy voice.
I shrugged. “Making pancakes.”
“Now?” he asked. “At one in the morning?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
I gave him another shrug, mixing the batter. “Why not?”
“If you wanted something to eat, you could’ve asked one of the cooks for it.” He took a seat on a stool at the island.
I wasn’t shocked that he didn’t suggest that I could ask Ronny for pancakes. Even if someone on the kitchen staff were in here, I wouldn’t have wanted to bother anyone. Ronny was now recovering with that deep gash in his hand, though, relegated to another household duty instead of the kitchen.
“I didn’t want to.” I met his gaze, unafraid to defy him like this. It was just pancakes.
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“Am I?” I challenged.
He smirked, resting his forearms on the counter as he settled in to watch me. “I think you are.”
“What a shame.”
A slow smile lifted his lips as he watched me, and I figured I could call it a victory that he didn’t order me to stop and go back to bed.
30
MAXIM
“No, it’s not a shame,” I replied.
Sloane kept stirring the big spoon in the bowl, meeting my gaze.
“I like that you’re stubborn.”
“Ha.” She smirked at me.
“I do.” Even though her sassy smile tempted me to approach her and kiss it off her lips until she moaned, I kept my distance and sat here for the pleasure of watching her. “My life would be considerably more boring if you weren’t stubborn.”