Page 8 of Bratva’s Vow (Bratva’s Undoing #2)

CHAPTER SIX

WREN

T he water was warm against my skin, sunlight flickering on the surface like spilled diamonds.

I sat on the edge of Maxim’s pool, legs submerged, arms behind me as I leaned back and let the afternoon heat seep into my shoulders.

If I closed my eyes, I could almost forget the strange weight that had settled over things lately.

Almost.

Jess let out a loud laugh, the wild, unbothered kind that only she could pull off, and I cracked an eye open. She splashed water directly at Nik.

He didn’t flinch.

“C’mon,” she taunted, floating backward with a lazy grin, “just admit you’re dying to get in here with me.”

“I’m on duty,” Nik said, his voice flat but his mouth twitching at the corners.

“It’s not like we’re in public.” She flipped onto her back and spread her arms like a sea nymph. “Maxim’s mansion is practically a fortress. There’s more security here than SuperMax.”

So I wasn’t imagining things. Jess had noticed the extra security too. I’d kept my unease to myself, figuring maybe I was being paranoid.

Maxim had enough on his plate without me piling on my anxiety over how rapidly things were changing. With less than two weeks left before I returned to college to finish my final year, I’d promised myself I’d make the most of the time.

Soak up the sunshine. Enjoy the quiet. Try to enjoy my relationship.

“Are you afraid of getting your hair wet?” Jess continued to taunt.

“It’s not the hair,” Nik muttered, scanning the yard.

I snorted. “He’s probably worried you’ll drown him with your thighs.”

Jess flicked water in my direction, but I was too far away for the droplets to make an impact. “I have been told they’re lethal.”

“Stop encouraging her,” Nik said, but there was zero heat in his words.

The sun glinted off the stone tiles around us, cream and gold, warm to the touch, like they belonged in a Grecian palace instead of Maxim’s backyard.

The pool was all clean lines and quiet luxury: deep blue tiles, water so clear it could have been glass, and subtle jets that made gentle ripples across the surface.

Even the chaise lounges looked expensive, draped in white towels that probably cost more than my rent.

The whole space smelled like jasmine and citrus. It was like everything Maxim touched. Perfect.

Too perfect, maybe.

I looked toward the house. Maxim had been in his office for hours. That was starting to feel like a pattern lately .

Jess swam to the edge of the pool next to me and rested her chin on her arms. “You okay, Wren? You’ve gone quiet.”

“Just thinking. Maybe I should return to the apartment and not bother Maxim so much. He’s probably sick of me already.”

“As if. The guy’s crazy about you. Can’t you tell?”

“Well, at least to grab a few more clothes from the apartment, then. I’m afraid everyone at the office has figured out by now that I’m screwing the boss.”

When I’d gone home with Maxim the day after TagX, I never intended to stay, but he’d insisted. The days sort of flowed into each other, and now I was practically living under his roof.

Nik’s posture shifted. Not tense exactly, but not relaxed either.

“You should probably check in with Maxim before you go,” he said.

I blinked. “Why? I don’t need Maxim’s permission to go out, you know. Jess can come with. We can take her car.”

“Or Nik can drive us. That way we can both be passenger princesses.” Jess hauled herself out of the pool and stood, water cascading down her svelte form. Her barely there hot pink bikini clung to her like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination.

“All right, but we don’t need to disturb Max. He’s busy working.” Although it was a Saturday and he should be enjoying the pool with us.

“Still. Just… tell him.” Jess squeezed the excess water from her hair. “You know how he gets when he can’t reach you.”

Something about the way she said it made me pause. Maybe she was right. The man did get paranoid if I wasn’t where he thought I would be when he checked up on me. It was creepy but also sweet. I’d never had someone care about me that much before .

“Okay, I’ll let him know.”

I padded barefoot across the sun-warmed tiles, wrapping a towel loosely around my waist as I stepped inside the house. The cool air hit me, the hush of Maxim’s home pressing in like velvet. No distant chatter, no TV. Just the quiet hum of central air and my thoughts.

As I approached his office, I hesitated.

The door was not all the way shut, and no sound filtered through. I leaned in and pressed my ear against the wood.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No rustle of paper. No sound.

Maybe he wasn’t in there after all?

I turned the knob and cracked the door open a few inches, enough to peek through.

Maxim was inside.

Pacing.

Phone pressed to his ear.

His back was to me, but he spoke, his voice low, sharp, fast. Russian. I didn’t understand a word, but the tone was enough to send a chill skating down my spine.

This wasn’t his usual business voice. This wasn’t the clipped, polite register he used with clients or staff. This was something else entirely. Rougher. Edged in steel and smoke and fury.

I must’ve made a sound because he turned. His eyes landed on the sliver of the open door. And me.

Busted.

My cheeks burned. I pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside. I was certain guilt was written all over my face.

“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t want to interrupt if you were busy. I just… didn’t want to knock if you were in the middle of something.”

Maxim spoke curtly into the phone, then dropped it onto his desk and sighed. His whole body sagged into the leather chair behind him like the call had wrung him out.

“Just a business call,” he said, calmer now. “What’s up? You enjoying the time with Jess?”

“Yes, Jess is a hoot as usual.” I approached him slowly. “You sounded upset. You’ve seemed awfully stressed lately. Is it…me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. How can you ever cause me to be stressed? Hmm?” He took my hand and tugged me down onto his lap. “You’re the one who makes everything better.”

I wrapped my arms loosely behind his head, leaned in, and teased his lips with mine. When he tried to deepen the kiss, I eased my head back. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Just having you here already helps.” His hands splayed low on my back, holding me there like I was something breakable.

“Are you sure?” I wriggled a little until I was straddling his lap properly. “Because I’m good at more than just moral support.”

He arched one of his eyebrows, amused. “Oh?”

“Mm-hmm.” I trailed my fingers down the front of his shirt, toying with the first button. “Let me help you relax, Mr. Morozov. Isn’t that what a PA is for? To take care of the little things,”—I cupped his cock—“and occasionally handle some big things.”

I slid off his lap and kneeled between his legs. The carpet was soft beneath my knees, the room quiet except for the sound of his breath catching as I opened his fly.

Maxim watched me silently, his clear blue eyes darkened and filled with a desire that matched my own.

I unbuttoned his pants, a thrill coursing through me at the bulge growing beneath his boxers.

Maxim’s breathing hitched slightly as I brushed my fingers against him, and he leaned back farther into the chair, the leather creaking under his weight .

Slowly, teasingly, I pulled down his briefs. His cock sprang free, hard and eager under my gaze. A purr of satisfaction left my lips as I wrapped my hands around him. “So big,” I murmured, glancing up to meet Maxim’s eyes and taking him into my mouth.

Maxim tightened his grip on the edges of his chair, and a low groan rumbled from deep within his throat as I moved slowly, teasing him with gentle licks and strokes that left him gasping for breath.

It was heady, the power I held over him in these moments.

How I could unravel him with just a flick of my tongue.

It was hard to believe this was the man who’d been barking with such authority on the phone a few minutes ago.

With a hiss, Maxim threaded his fingers through my hair, soft curses spilling from his lips. “Fuck, kroshka. Take it all the way in.”

I complied eagerly, my throat working around him as I took him deeper, coaxing a moan out of this man who was usually so composed. Maxim’s body twitched under me in time with my movements, head thrown back against his chair, eyes closed.

His muscular thighs trembled beneath me, knees flexing as he shifted restlessly in the chair.

I didn’t let up but swallowed him down, sucking and slurping until he was clenching the arms of the chair.

His cock hit my tonsils with a gurgle. Before I could pull back to claim air, he pressed my head even farther down.

“Fuck, stay right there. I’m so close.”

He moved his hips slowly, grinding his cock into the back of my throat over and over until my nostrils burned and saliva dripped from my lips. I needed oxygen. But he was on the brink. The tension in his body was a telltale sign.

My vision swam, heat rushing to my face as I struggled to breathe around him.

Tears stung my eyes, and my pulse pounded in my ears.

Every second stretched out, sharp and dizzying, until I wasn’t sure if I’d make it another breath.

I dug my fingers into his thighs, desperate, but still didn’t pull away.

A strangled groan tore from Maxim, and ropes of cum shot down my throat, hot and thick as the edges of my consciousness blurred.

His cock slipped from my lips, and the sweet relief of air flooded my lungs.

I wheezed, gulping in oxygen and coughing from the abrupt release.

My vision slowly righted itself as I gasped for breath, droplets of tears spilling over onto my cheeks.

“Fuck.” Maxim lifted me onto his lap, running his fingers through my hair, brushing the strands sticking to my forehead. “You’re incredible, you know that, right?”

“Pretty sure swallowing your load doesn’t make me incredible, Maxim. Many guys would do that for you in a heartbeat.”

But I wanted to be the only one.

He dragged a finger down my cheek, frowning. “Is that what you want?”

“No.”

“Then don’t mention other men. It’s been only you since the moment we met. That’s never going to change. Okay?”

I smiled and nodded. “I got distracted. This isn’t why I came here.”

“No? That’s disappointing.”

I kissed him, and he made a face. “What? You’re not fond of your spunk? But you expect me to swallow it?”

“Only sometimes, but you don’t have to if you hate it.”

“I don’t hate it.” I buried my face into his neck so he wouldn’t see my smiling face. “It’s hot when you fuck my throat like that.”

Maxim groaned. “If we don’t change the subject, I’m going to get hard again and fuck your brains out.”

Laughing, I hopped off his lap. He ran his hand up my chest, caressing my abdomen. “Jesus, Maxim, stop that.” I ran out of his reach. “I just wanted to pop in to let you know Jess and I are going back to the apartment for a bit.”

The playfulness fell away from Maxim’s features, transforming into something cold and sharp beneath the surface.

“No.” He straightened in his chair. “Whatever you need, I’ll have it brought here.”

I blinked. “Seriously?”

“You don’t need to go anywhere, Wren.” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “Tell me what you want. I’ll buy everything new.”

“I already have everything I need. At the apartment.” I gave a half laugh to ease the tension. “It’s just clothes. I’ll grab a bag and be back before you have time to miss me.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared at me, jaw clenched, like he was doing math in his head and the answer kept coming up wrong.

“Nik’s taking us,” I said, softer now, though I didn’t understand the reason Jess and I couldn’t go on our own. How did he think I survived without him?

The muscles in his forearms flexed, but he nodded slowly. “Fine. Go. But don’t stop anywhere else. And keep your phone—the one I bought you—on.”

“Of course, Maxim.” I sensed that pushing any further would turn this into something bigger. “We’ll be quick. Don’t miss me too much.”

I blew him a kiss and turned to leave, but I couldn’t shake it. That look in his eyes. Like he’d watched something slip out of his hands and couldn’t figure out how to get it back.

That look stayed with me long after I walked out.