Page 16 of Bride of the Bratva King (Blood & Bride #1)

Chapter fifteen

The Confession

M ila

The weight of Viktor's words settles over us like a blanket as we sit in Alexei's study, holding each other in the aftermath of love confessions and posthumous blessings.

I can't stop thinking about what my brother said—how he saw something between Alexei and me before we even knew it existed ourselves. How he trusted this man not just with his life, but with mine.

"I owe you an apology," I say quietly.

Alexei's arms tighten around me. "You owe me nothing. You’ve already bared your heart to me once… that was enough.”

"I do. Three years of hatred. Three years of planning revenge against an innocent man. Three years of—"

"Three years of grief," he interrupts gently. "Three years of protecting yourself the only way you knew how."

"That doesn't make it right."

"It makes it human."

I pull back to look at him, this man I thought was my enemy and who turned out to be my salvation. His pale green eyes are soft with understanding, and I can see the forgiveness there that I don't deserve.

"You're too good to me," I whisper.

"Impossible. There's no such thing as being too good to you."

The simple words make my chest ache with emotion. How did I get so lucky? How did my plan for revenge turn into the greatest love story of my life?

"Alexei," I say, suddenly needing him to understand something important. "When I said I love you—I need you to know it's not because of Viktor's video. It's not because he gave us his blessing or because he thought we'd be good together."

"No?"

"I've been falling in love with you since our wedding night. Maybe since the moment you helped me out of that car and I felt electricity shoot through me from a simple touch."

His smile is soft and wondering. "You hid it well."

"I was terrified. Love wasn't supposed to be part of this plan."

"What was the plan?"

"Get close to you. Learn your weaknesses. Find a way to destroy you from the inside."

"And instead?"

"Instead you destroyed me from the inside. In the best possible way."

He cups my face in his hands, thumbs brushing across my cheekbones. "You want to know a secret?"

"Always."

"I started falling for you the moment you looked at me with pure fury on that auction stage. Most people are afraid of me, intimidated by what I represent. But you looked at me like I was just a man you were planning to take down."

"You are just a man."

"A dangerous man. A man who's done terrible things."

"A man who tried to save my brother. A man who's been carving Viktor's face every night out of guilt he doesn't deserve to carry. A man who spent three million dollars to make sure I was safe."

"A man who's falling deeper in love with you every moment."

The words hang between us, heavy with promise and possibility. I can see the future Viktor envisioned—the two of us taking care of each other, building something beautiful out of the ashes of tragedy.

"Show me," I whisper.

"Show you what?"

"How much you love me. How deep this goes. I need to feel it, Alexei. After everything—the video, Viktor's blessing, admitting how wrong I was about you—I need to feel connected to you."

"Mila—"

"I need you to make love to me. Not sex, not claiming, not punishment. Make love to me like the woman you want to spend your life with."

The request hangs in the air between us, vulnerable and honest and everything I've been afraid to ask for until now.

"Are you sure?" he asks softly.

"I've never been more sure of anything."

He stands and helps me to my feet, then leads me out of the study and up the stairs toward his bedroom. Our bedroom, I realize. When did I start thinking of it as ours?

Probably around the time I admitted I love him.

The master suite feels different tonight—not like a luxurious prison or even a seduction scene, but like home. Like the place where two people who love each other come to shut out the world and focus on what matters most.

Alexei turns to face me beside the massive bed, and there's something almost reverent in his expression.

"You're beautiful," he says simply.

"So are you."

He laughs softly. "Men aren't beautiful."

"You are. Dangerous and powerful and absolutely beautiful."

I reach for the buttons of his shirt, taking my time with each one. This isn't about urgency or desperation. This is about savoring every moment, every touch, every breath we share.

His shirt falls away, revealing the broad chest I've come to know so well. I trace the scar from Roman's bullet with gentle fingers, this physical reminder of how he tried to save my brother.

"Does it hurt?" I ask.

"Not anymore. Not when you touch it."

I press a soft kiss to the mark, tasting salt and warmth and the slight tremor that runs through him at the contact.

"My turn," he says, reaching for the hem of my sweater.

He undresses me slowly, reverently, like he's unwrapping the most precious gift he's ever received. Each piece of clothing that falls away is accompanied by soft kisses, gentle touches, whispered words of love and appreciation.

By the time we're both naked, I'm trembling with need and emotion and the overwhelming feeling of being truly seen, truly valued, truly loved.

"Come here," he says, settling back against the headboard and opening his arms.

I go to him gladly, straddling his lap and settling into his embrace. The position is intimate without being sexual, close without being overwhelming. Perfect for what I need right now.

"Better?" he asks.

"Perfect."

We kiss slowly, deeply, taking our time to explore and taste and reconnect after the emotional intensity of the evening. His hands roam over my back, my sides, mapping my body like he's trying to memorize every curve.

"I love the way you respond to me," he murmurs against my lips. "The little sounds you make when I touch you. The way you arch into my hands like you can't get close enough."

"I can't get close enough. I want to crawl inside your skin and stay there."

"You're already under my skin. In my blood, in my heart, in every breath I take."

The words make me bold. I shift in his lap, feeling how ready he is for me, how much he wants this connection between us.

"I need you," I whisper.

"I need you too."

"Then take me. Love me. Show me what forever feels like."

He lifts me easily, positioning me over him, and then I'm sinking down slowly, taking him into my body with a sigh that comes from somewhere deep in my soul.

"God, yes," he breathes. "Perfect. You're perfect."

I begin to move, setting a rhythm that's slow and deep and designed to draw out every sensation. This isn't about reaching a destination—it's about the journey, about the connection, about the love that flows between us with every breath.

"I love you," I whisper as I move above him. "I love your strength and your gentleness and the way you make me feel like I could take on the world."

"I love you too," he responds, his hands on my hips guiding my movements. "I love your courage and your brilliance and the way you chose to trust me even when everything told you not to."

We make love like we have all the time in the world, like nothing exists outside this room except the two of us and the feelings we've finally acknowledged. When he rolls us over and covers my body with his, it's with a tenderness that brings tears to my eyes.

"Okay?" he asks, noticing my tears.

"More than okay. This is... it's everything."

"You're everything."

He moves inside me with slow, deliberate strokes that hit every sensitive spot and build the pleasure gradually, sweetly. When he reaches between us to touch me where we're joined, I arch against him with a cry of pure pleasure.

"Come for me, beautiful," he whispers. "Let me feel how much you love me."

The climax builds slowly, then crashes over me in waves that seem to go on forever. I come apart completely, shaking and gasping his name as pleasure consumes every nerve ending.

He follows moments later, burying his face in my neck as he empties himself inside me with a groan that sounds like my name and a prayer rolled into one.

We lie tangled together afterward, hearts still racing, bodies still trembling with aftershocks. I've never felt so connected to another person, so completely loved and understood and cherished.

"That was..." I start, then trail off because words seem inadequate.

"That was making love," he finishes softly. "Real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime."

"Is that what we're building? A lifetime?"

"If you'll have me."

I prop myself up on his chest to look at him. "Alexei Morozov, are you asking me to spend the rest of my life with you?"

"I'm asking you to be my partner in everything. Business, pleasure, the fight against Roman, whatever comes after. I'm asking you to build a future with me."

"Even though it'll be dangerous? Even though being with you means always looking over my shoulder?"

"Especially because of that. I can't protect you if you're not beside me."

"And you want to protect me."

"I want to love you. Protecting you is just part of that."

The simple honesty in his voice makes my decision easy.

"Yes," I say.

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll spend the rest of my life with you. Yes, I'll be your partner in everything. Yes, I'll build a future with you, even if it's complicated and dangerous and completely insane."

His smile is brilliant, transforming his entire face. "Even if it means being married to a criminal?"

"Even if it means being married to a man who thinks he's a criminal but is actually a hero."

"I'm not a hero, Mila."

"You are to me. You're the man who tried to save my brother. You're the man who's going to help me honor his memory by destroying Roman Volkov. You're the man I love, flaws and all."

"I love you too," he says, pulling me down for another kiss. "More than I thought it was possible to love anyone."

We hold each other in the afterglow, and I can feel the shift that's happened between us. We're not just married anymore, not just partners in a war against our enemies. We're a team, a unit, two people who've chosen each other completely and irrevocably.

"What happens now?" I ask.

"Now we rest. Tomorrow we finish preparing our case against Roman. And then we show him exactly what happens when someone threatens our family."

Our family. The words make warmth bloom in my chest.

"I like the sound of that," I say.

"Good. Because you're stuck with me now."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I settle into his arms, feeling safer and more loved than I ever have in my life. Tomorrow we'll face whatever challenges come next. Tonight, there's just this—the man I love holding me close, whispering promises about the future we're going to build together.

A future Viktor would have wanted for us. A future worth fighting for.