Page 156 of Bratva Bidder

And I do. I break apart beneath him, pleasure crashing over me, body clenching around him as he follows, thrusts growing erratic, his voice rough and wild as he finds his own release.

He collapses onto me, bodies tangled, hearts pounding, sweat cooling on our skin. I cradle his head to my chest, fingers in his hair, and he holds me so tightly I know he’ll never let me go.

We lie tangled together in the aftermath, skin sticky with sweat, the sheets bunched around our hips, the air thick with salt and warmth and everything we haven’t said out loud until now. My head rests on his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my cheek, and his fingers trace slow, lazy circles on my back.

For a long while, neither of us speaks. We just breathe together, bodies humming with a softness that only comes after the storm.

“What do you want?” he asks eventually, voice low and warm in my hair.

I lift my head, meet his eyes. He looks so content, so open—it makes my chest ache. “What do you mean?”

“For the wedding. The ceremony. I’ll do the whole fanfare, if that’s what you want,” he says, smiling a little. “Church, flowers, a thousand guests. The works.”

I laugh, brushing my fingers across his jaw. “I don’t want much,” I say honestly. “I want the actual wedding to be private. But a dinner would be nice. Before the wedding.”

“A dinner?”

I nod. “Not a big thing. Just…everyone we care about in one room. Food, music, maybe a few awkward toasts. You know.”

He smiles at that, reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Then we’ll do a dinner. The awkward toasts are nonnegotiable, though.”

I grin, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. “And then after, I can’t wait to elope with you.”

“Is that something you want?”

I nod. “Yeah, it would be good. Mila and Nikolai can stay with Irina and Lev. We’ll just be gone for a few days.”

There’s a moment of quiet again, but I can feel something shift in him, something still heavy beneath the surface. I take a breath, then ask, “Do you want to invite your father?”

He doesn’t answer right away. I feel the subtle tension creep into his muscles, the way his fingers go still against my skin. He exhales, long and slow.

“Wouldn’t be the worst idea,” he says finally.

I study his face, the hard line of his jaw, the way his gaze drifts toward the ceiling like he’s trying to puzzle out a future he never thought he’d be part of.

“He gave his blood for our son,” I murmur. “That means something.”

“Yeah,” Konstantin says quietly. “It does.”

The last few months have been weird. Alexei has dropped by a couple of times to check in. On more occasions than once, I’ve found him reading to Nikolai. They have a special bond.

“I’m sure Nikolai will be happy if Alexei comes.”

“Yes,” Konstantin says distractedly. “They’ve been really bonding lately.”

He wraps his arm tighter around me and kisses the top of my head. “Let’s invite him.”

I nod, resting my cheek back on his chest. He just kisses my forehead and pulls me tighter.

And for now, that’s enough.

35

KONSTANTIN

I don’t rememberthe last time I felt this light.

Mila shrieks with laughter. I’m on my knees on the rug, letting her climb onto my back like I’m some kind of mountain goat, her little hands tugging my collar, her curls bouncing wildly.