Page 10 of Cruel Russian Monster (Safin Bratva #2)

I sensed him before I saw him, and my heart skipped a few beats.

I held my breath and flipped through my book until he was standing right next to me.

“Vera, you can’t keep sneaking out of the damn house.”

I hugged the books to my chest and looked up at him. His face may have been blank, but his eyes swam with emotion.

“I didn’t sneak out.” I smiled and shrugged. “Our deal says you’d give me freedom, and I promised not to run again.”

I brushed past him, letting my fingers trail along the spines of the books on the shelf beside him. Jaroslav turned to face me, arms folded, but I kept my gaze on the shelves. I wasn’t about to let him drag me back to that house. I’d leave the library when I was good and ready.

“Yes, freedom,” he whispered, “but common courtesy says a wife tells her husband where she’s going.”

I let out a soft laugh and looked at him briefly. His jaw ticked.

“Husband? That’s a very loose term based on our situation, don’t you think?”

He caught my arm firmly, forcing me to face him. I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

His voice was strained when he spoke. “You are my wife. And I’m the underboss of a Bratva faction with enemies growing by the day. I’d appreciate it if my wife let me know where she was, so I can protect her.”

I narrowed my eyes. “And I’d appreciate it if you let go of my arm.”

I glanced at his hand, for a moment, then glared at him. He dropped his arm and exhaled. He closed his eyes for a brief second before reopening them.

“Is it so wrong for me to want to keep you safe?”

I arched a brow. “You think I can’t protect myself?”

“Should I remind you of the fresh scar added to my collection the night you ran off?”

I winced. “I was more careful this time. I checked the rearview mirror constantly…and everything.”

He rolled his eyes.

“And besides,” I continued, “I’m a Bratva heiress. Give me some credit. I know how our world works. And now that I know your cars are tracked, I figured you’d know exactly where I was. Not to mention the phone you’ve probably bugged. So really, how much trouble could I get into at a library?”

His brow lifted, clearly amused.

I shook my head and gave him a teasing look. “The real question is, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be out there putting out fires from all those enemies you keep talking about? The ones that keep multiplying by the day?”

The corners of his lips lifted slightly. “Do I look like a firefighter to you? Talking about putting out fires…”

“I remember the fires you used to put out,” I said, a sly smile playing on my lips. “Back when we were in Delaware.”

I walked to the next shelf, fingers grazing the books, hoping he'd follow. He did.

He leaned in close behind me, his breath warm against my ear. “As far as I remember,” his voice dropped low and sensual, “you were the one who started most of those fires…”

If I shifted my weight just a little, I’d lean right back into him…and God, was I tempted. But I was enjoying the back-and-forth between us too much. It felt like old times.

I stepped away and turned to face him. “Did you blame me, though? You might not have been a firefighter, but you did have the body of one.”

“ Did ?” he asked, lifting a brow.

I grinned. “Yup. Did .”

I pulled another book from the shelf and added it to the stack in my arms. Jaroslav extended his hand, and for a second, I hesitated, confused.

“The books,” he said.

“Oh.”

I handed them over.

“You know you could just buy these online and keep them forever, right?”

“And where would I put them? In my room?” I chuckled. “I love reading, and trust me, my room wouldn’t be big enough to hold all the books I’d end up buying.”

“I can renovate one of the rooms at the house into a library for you.”

Wait…was he serious? That would be amazing, but then…

I shook my head. “There’s nothing better than flipping through a used book, knowing someone else enjoyed it before you. The more worn out, the better.”

Jaroslav held up one of the books. “Is that why you’re borrowing the most beat-up ones in here?”

“Yup.”

He scrunched up his nose. “Some of these look like things crawled inside and died.”

I laughed softly. “One time, I was reading this amazing mystery novel and found the skeleton of a lizard tucked between the pages. It was so cool.”

“Of course it was.” He smiled.

“And I hope you don’t think that once I leave here, I’m heading straight home. I’ve got some shopping to do.”

“Which you could just do online,” Jaroslav said, the playful ease between us dimming.

I smiled, trying to keep things light. “It’s not nearly as fun clicking a button as it is walking through a store, talking to actual people.”

Jaroslav gave me a strange look. So I turned back to the shelves and grabbed two more books, pretending to be absorbed in the titles.

“Vera,” he said quietly, “why did you sneak out?”

“For the second time, I didn’t sneak out.”

He didn’t argue. Instead, he added the books from my hands to the ones in his and set them on the nearby table. Then he reached out and tilted my chin up with a gentle touch.

“Vera, talk to me. There’s a reason you did this. What is it?”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, hesitating.

Would he even care if I told him?

“Why do you care?” I asked softly.

He sat on the edge of the table, legs parted, and gently pulled me between them.

His thumb brushed along my cheek, slowly.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Do you really want me to give you a list?” I rolled my eyes, and he chuckled.

But then his tone shifted into a serious one. “Vera, I’m asking because I genuinely want to know. I don’t like the thought of you wandering around this damn city alone. That night at the bar…I got there in time. Next time…I might not.”

He exhaled, voice softening even more. “Please…”

“I’m bored,” I sighed. “You’re never around. I’m not used to sitting around doing nothing. I’m not used to being in a big house all by myself. I'm used to always having someone around.”

I swallowed hard, then lowered my eyes.

Now I just sound like a damn baby.

“Never mind. It’s fine. I’ll be okay.”

I tried to step out of his grasp, but he didn’t let go.

“Vera.”

He cradled my face in his hands. “I agree, you will be okay. But only if you let me in. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

I dropped my gaze, my fingers curling gently around his wrists.

He didn’t push; he didn’t say another word. He just waited.

A few minutes passed before I finally looked up and met his eyes.

“I miss my life…shopping, going to the club, dancing…”

My voice wavered. “I miss my family. I miss Katya and Alexi. Hell, I even miss hanging out with your family at Lev’s.”

The tears pricked at my eyes.

“I’m more than bored, Jaro…I’m lonely.”

A flicker of guilt crossed his face before he masked it.

“I don’t want to deny you your freedom, Vera. Not after I promised you'd have it. It’s just…” He sighed, closing his eyes briefly before meeting my gaze again. “We haven’t announced our marriage yet. And if your brothers saw you in the city…”

He trailed off, but I knew what he meant.

If my brothers saw me in the city, they’d demand answers about why I hadn’t come home. And even if I brushed them off, they’d still expect me back by nightfall. If I didn’t show up, all hell would break loose.

“Would it help if we had breakfast together?” he offered. “And maybe dinner, and after dinner we could watch a movie or something?”

It wasn’t a permanent solution, but he was trying, and he was right.

I smiled up at him. “You mean like Netflix and chill?”

“Are you opposed to Netflix and chill?”

“That depends,” I whispered, voice teasing.

Jaroslav’s hand moved from my face, slipping slowly down the curve of my body. One hand settled at the small of my back, the thumb of the other just below my right breast, his fingers caressing the sensitive skin there.

My breath hitched.

He wasn't playing fair, and he knew it. A part of me wanted to turn and run, but the other part that loved this man three years ago? She wanted to stay; she wanted to feel his touch again after craving it for so long.

I pressed my hands against his chest to steady myself, but then I realized that touching him like that made it ten times worse.

“Depends on what?” he asked.

I saw the lust in his eyes, and my heart rate spiked, and under my hands, so did his.

“On the other person’s definition of Netflix and chill.”

I closed my eyes, biting back a moan as his fingers grazed the swell of my breast. He pulled me closer, and his erection pressed against me.

A moan slipped past my lips before I could stop it.

“What do you want it to mean?” he growled with such intense sensuality that my eyes flew open.

Looking at him, I knew that if Jaroslav wanted to take me right here, right now, I wouldn't protest.

“Anything you want it to be…” my voice trailed off.

Jaroslav leaned in, and I inched closer, my fingers curling into the front of his shirt.

“Are you willing to do what I want?” he murmured close to my lips.

“Yes,” I purred.

Just before our lips met, the sudden crash of books tumbling from the next aisle shattered the moment.

We both jerked apart, breath caught between what almost was and a past that we shared.

But what almost happened served as a reminder that I couldn’t let my guard down around Jaroslav. He was the enemy. What if he was just baiting me and I fell for it?

I needed to stay focused for the sake of my family.

Jaroslav cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. He grabbed the stack of books from the table.

“Let’s get these checked out. I’ll take you home.”

No matter what my brain tried to tell me, my heart whispered that Jaroslav still felt something for me.

Too disappointed to argue and too mentally drained to process any of it, I sighed and let him guide me toward the front desk in silence.