Page 2 of Bratva’s Vow (Bratva’s Undoing #2)

CHAPTER TWO

WREN

“ J ess, we’ll be late if you don’t get a move on.” I knocked sharply on my roommate’s door while checking my watch. I knew she was still inside because a few minutes ago I’d heard moaning. And not from her either.

“Will get off in a sec!”

“Does that mean getting off off or getting off Darius?”

“Same difference! Now go away.”

I shook my head and went over to the mirror in the hall to check that my hair wasn’t doing that thing where it stuck up in all directions after being washed.

Jess wasn’t the only one running late, though technically, it was her fault.

I’d almost called Nik in the middle of the night to take me to Maxim’s.

Two things had stopped me.

Not being convinced Nik wouldn’t join them.

Not wanting to show up at Maxim’s place unannounced like I’d done at the office and getting another nasty surprise .

I tried not to think about those Russian men, convincing myself it was a one-off experience that would never happen again. That whatever Maxim had to discuss with men like that was aboveboard.

My relationship with Maxim had never been better.

Even when he was brooding, he was still affectionate with me.

I’d heard him shout at people over the phone.

He’d fired two employees since I started working for him.

But whenever he saw me, his eyes softened as if he never wanted me to be afraid of him.

Although we spent most of the time together at his house—half of my belongings having magically shifted there—he took me out for dinner a few evenings.

Always to expensive places I would never have been able to get into without him.

Always with a bodyguard hovering, but I hardly noticed them anymore.

As long as they kept Maxim safe, I could tolerate them.

My phone buzzed, and I checked it.

Jess

I promise it was worth the wait. Getting dressed now!

I rolled my eyes. Worth the wait for whom? Her orgasms were her own, as mine belonged to me. In my case, I’d been so sore from all the sex that after dinner with Maxim last night, I stood my ground that I would sleep in my own bed.

My legs had a habit of spreading themselves for him and making me love everything he did to me in the moment. It was the after that left me rubbing my back and sitting in a sitz bath.

A knock sounded on the door, and my heart skipped a beat.

My pulse tapped furiously in my neck, and I automatically tightened my fingers on my phone.

I had to force myself not to run to the door like an overeager puppy, but my heart was racing.

Maxim was on the other side of the door, and a night apart only intensified everything I felt for him.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. And stared.

Maxim stood there, dark coat open, shirt crisp, collar loosened just enough to tease.

One hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone, scrolling through something he clearly hadn’t finished reading.

His hair was slightly mussed, like he’d run his fingers through it in the car, and the faintest shadow of stubble lined his jaw.

He looked expensive.

Unbothered.

Utterly untouchable.

He looked at me.

Just one glance and every defense I’d braced myself with crumbled. His mouth curved into that rare, crooked half smile that was just for me. The one that said, “There you are.” The one that made my chest ache.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. I didn’t run into his arms or throw myself at him, but god, I wanted to. My body thrummed with barely contained energy, my fingers itching to touch him, to reach out and remind myself he was real. That this was real.

How had a man like him ended up with someone like me? A powerful, calculating, dominant force of nature. Yet when he looked at me like that, I didn’t feel small.

I felt…chosen.

Belonged.

I couldn’t understand it, but I craved it, clung to it like a lifeline. I wanted to memorize this moment. Bury it somewhere deep. And then I wanted to drag him into my bedroom and kiss him until neither of us could remember our names.

But I didn’t move.

Sergei and Nik stood behind him.

I smiled. “Hey, you made it. ”

He glanced at his watch. “Told you I’d pick you up at one, and it’s five minutes to.”

Because I was trying to be chill, trying to seem unbothered, I leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to Maxim’s mouth.

Just a peck. Respectable. Sweet.

But a part of me wished I had Jess’s boldness. To wrap my legs around his waist and drag him off to my bedroom for a round while they waited on us to finish, knowing all the while what we were up to.

Maxim scowled down at me and caught my arm when I stepped back. “That’s it?” he said, voice low. “You let me sleep in my big bed all alone last night, and that’s the best you can do?”

“I—” I squeaked, but he was already pulling me in, cupping the back of my head with one hand while he slid the other around my waist and lifted?—

Oh. Okay.

My legs were doing that thing again, where they followed their own volition. Wrapped around his waist. This was happening.

The kiss was slow and devastating, the kind that made my toes curl and my brain forget we weren’t alone. He kissed me like we had hours, like he owned the next breath I took.

Behind us, someone cleared their throat. Loudly.

“Don’t you think it makes more sense,” Sergei said over Maxim’s shoulder, “for the two of you to simply go to the bedroom and spend the entire day there? Then I would be spared from today’s absurdity.”

I broke the kiss with a gasp, clinging to Maxim’s shoulders and trying to remember how legs were supposed to work.

“Nope,” I gasped. “No way. We’re all going. It’ll be fun.”

“Sergei’s idea sounds good,” Maxim said.

I pouted at Maxim. “You don’t want to go?”

“Course I do. ”

“Liar.” I stepped aside so they could enter the house and to give myself space from Maxim so my body could remember how vital oxygen was. At least he still wanted to go, even if it might not be something he normally would go for.

“He’s got you there, Maxim,” Nik said. “You usually have a good poker face, but not so much with Wren.”

“You guys want something to drink?” I asked. “Darius and Jess are—speaking of the horny devils.”

My roommate’s bedroom door opened, and Jess strutted out like she was headlining a runway show, her lipstick a perfect shade of witchy sage. How the hell did she make camo look so good?

She wore a cropped black tank that clung to her like a second skin, the hem barely brushing the top of her camo-print pants, which rode scandalously low on her slim hips, slung there like a dare.

The waistband dipped just enough to reveal a glittering chain around her waist and the faintest glimpse of a tattoo curling along her pelvis.

Her boots were combat-style, laced tight, but somehow added to the sex-on-a-mission vibe.

A pair of mirrored aviators hung from the collar of her shirt like she’d been cast as the latest Bond girl.

Behind her trailed Darius, shirt wrinkled, lips slightly swollen, and that exact lipstick shade smeared across his mouth like a declaration.

“Finally,” I muttered.

“Should have stayed with me last night,” Maxim whispered in my ear.

I wish I had.

“Don’t hate because I’m having twice the fun.” Jess sashayed up to Nik, who opened his arms and pulled her in. They kissed with so much tongue I was genuinely concerned for their lungs. When she finally pulled back, she winked at us. “Though we may have room for two more.”

“Hardly likely,” Maxim grunted, squeezing me to him. “I have no desire to see my bodyguards’ dicks, nor do I want them anywhere next to this one. I don’t share.”

Pleased that Maxim and I were on the same page where sharing was concerned, I snuggled closer to him.

Somehow, Jess seemed to be making it work with both Darius and Nik.

Even the competitive edge the men used to have was gone.

Like they’d all come to terms with being a throuple, though they hadn’t made it official.

At least Jess hadn’t said anything about it, and she told me everything.

Even the dirtiest bits that had me sticking my fingers in my ears.

“Everyone has to follow their own path,” Darius said, his eyes soft as he stared at Jess. “Whatever feels comfortable to them.”

“Are we gonna stand here all afternoon talking feelings or what?” Sergei barked.

“Don’t worry, sugar.” Jess patted his cheek, and I held my breath. For what? Sergei to chew her fingers off? “I will find you a match. Someone tall and mean and broody, with rage issues and great legs.”

“Dear god, don’t even joke about that.” Sergei shuddered. “I am perfectly content without your matchmaking.”

She winked at him.

We finally made it out of the apartment and piled into the car.

Jess climbed into the back seat with me and Maxim, while Nik took the wheel and Darius rode shotgun.

Sergei, muttering something about needing to protect what little sanity he had left, drove separately.

I was with Jess. Someone definitely needed to get laid. Stat.

Maxim settled beside me, his thigh brushing mine, and his arm across my shoulders like it belonged there.

It was a simple touch, but every time he did, those little gestures melted my insides.

Something about the way he always seemed aware of where I was, of needing that point of contact like a silent promise: I’ve got you .

Jess, of course, didn’t miss a beat. There was never a dull moment with her. “Remember when we first met?” She twisted and looked at me with a gleam in her eye. “You’re so different today from back then.”

“Yeah?” Maxim asked. “How so?”

“In so many ways. He was quite prudish. Didn’t even get his cherry popped until?—”

“Oh my god, Jess! No one needs to hear about that.”

She had the grace to look repentant. “Sorry, love. I’m just glad to see you’re more laid back and accepting the good things life is offering you. I mean, you once cried because you missed the deadline for an online coupon. Now you’re dripping in diamonds.”

Hardly likely. It was just one bracelet. An expensive bracelet. Jess had found the exact model online, and I’d almost passed out at the cost.

Maxim snorted beside me. “You cried over a coupon?”

“It was thirty percent off, and it was for a limited time. How else was I supposed to get that new pair of sneakers I wanted?” I leaned across Maxim to glare at her. “If you don’t can it, I’ll push you out of the car.”

Nik cackled from the front seat while Darius said, “Could we try to keep the murder to a minimum today? It’s supposed to be a fun day, and cleaning up blood stains and covering up a murder is exhausting.”

“And you would know that because?” I asked.

That seemed to set Nik off even more. He patted Darius’s thigh. “Didn’t you know, Wren? Darius here loves his crime shows.”

“Ah, well, one of you needs to put a gag on your girlfriend.” I leaned back against Maxim, and he nuzzled my hair.

“I’m the only family Wren’s got,” Jess said. “Do you have a big family, Maxim?”

Normally, I would reprimand her for prying, but I cocked my ear, waiting for Maxim’s response. I didn’t know anything about his family. Why hadn’t I ever shown interest?

“No,” he said. No explanation.

Jess raised a brow but didn’t press.

My stomach flipped, nerves flaring out of nowhere. Did he not want me to meet them? Would they disapprove of me? Would I disapprove of them? Maybe they didn’t know he was out. I shook off the thoughts. Maxim had a way of keeping things close to the chest, but it didn’t always mean something bad.

The venue, TagX, came into view. A converted old warehouse turned into a neon-drenched entertainment space with games and food trucks. Definitely not Maxim’s usual scene.

As we pulled into the lot, I noticed his body shift. His eyes scanned the area, sharp and focused, and the slight downturn of his mouth made my stomach dip.

He didn’t want to be here.

I leaned in, voice low. “Hey… if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to. We can go somewhere else.”

Maxim turned his head, eyes meeting mine. For a second, I thought he might take the out. But then his expression softened, and he smiled, thumb brushing my cheek.

“I want to be here. With you.”

The tightness in my chest eased instantly, and warmth flooded me. “You sure?”

“I’m always sure about you, Wren.”