Page 9 of Pregnant Bratva Hostage (Dubrov Bratva #17)

Tania sits quietly in the car next to me. She’s badly shaken, her skin pale with shock. Her eyes look bewildered and fearful.

She’s more vulnerable now than the day I took her.

Is this from seeing her uncle?

Did something happen while she was in the building? I don’t understand her reaction. What did he do to her to make her break down like this?

It breaks my heart to see her this way. She looks like a little bird, brittle, vulnerable to everything.

When I chased her into the alleyway, I thought I was going to be in for a fight, but instead I found her crying. Every ounce of anger disappeared in a matter of seconds, and all I wanted to do was hold her. I wanted to let her know she’s okay, she’s safe with me.

It goes against everything I’m supposed to be doing with my prisoner, but seeing her like that—it did something to me.

I only want to protect her.

My hand is resting on her leg as we get closer to home. The heat from her skin soaks into my fingers. I want to brush them up and down her body.

She’s quiet, staring forward, not speaking.

I clench my jaw, angry with her uncle for whatever he did to her.

I can’t ask, though. She’s obviously in a bad headspace.

By the time I park the car outside the mansion. Tania has gone into a state of numb silence. It’s like she’s not even here.

I pull the passenger door open and say her name softly.

“Tania?”

She looks up at me, but her eyes are haunted.

Leaning into the car, I lift her into my arms again.

She doesn’t hesitate to snuggle closer to me as I hold her against my chest. “We’re home now,” I whisper against her hair. “You can rest.” The way she holds onto me makes me want to protect her even more.

I carry her into the house and upstairs to her bedroom.

I really want to take her to my room, but there is no valid reason for doing that, and with the way my body is responding to her vulnerability, it’s a bad idea. That’s all. A bad idea.

I carefully lower her to her feet, letting her stand steady before I take a small step away from her, but my hand is still wrapped around her side.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She shakes her head. No.

“I’m going to help you put something more comfortable on,” I tell her, wanting to reassure her that this isn’t anything more than that.

She bites her lower lip and stares at the floor, so I walk to the closet and select an oversized T-shirt.

“Is this okay?” I ask, holding it up. She nods but makes no move to undress herself.

My heart races. Unbuttoning her blouse sends a wicked thrill through me. I scold myself and clench my jaw, pushing the thoughts aside as I slip the soft fabric off her shoulders.

She wraps her arms over her chest.

My cock stirs as my eyes drift over her. Her narrow waist, the line that runs down the center of her stomach, disappears beneath her high-waisted skirt.

Focus, Ark.

“Lift your arms, darling,” I say.

She lifts her arms, and I slip the oversized T-shirt over her head, relieved that her body is hidden beneath it. Not that it helps stop the wild thoughts racing through me.

Standing behind her, I run my hands over her hips until I find the zip of her skirt. I pull it open and push her skirt down her body, over the curve of her hips, down her legs, letting her rest her hand on my shoulder to steady herself as she steps out of it.

Tania hasn’t said anything this entire time. I don’t know what she’s thinking or feeling, but I’m thinking that I want to climb into that bed with her and pull her body against mine and kiss her.

I want to tug the clothes off that I just helped her put on.

I stand, clearing my throat.

“Come on, let’s get you beneath the covers.” I gently guide her towards the bed and lift the blankets for her to slip under. She lies on her side, her hand beneath her cheek against the pillow.

“Rest, darling,” I say quietly.

She closes her eyes and I back away from her.

I walk quickly out of her bedroom, closing the door behind me. I can smell her scent on my clothes. She smells incredible. Feminine and sweet.

I brush my fingertips against each other, the residue of her softness still on them.

What the hell just happened?

I need a fucking drink.

Not wanting to let her have this effect on me, I rush downstairs and grab my car keys again. I really do need a drink. And not in this house. Not when she’s lying in bed upstairs and I can’t get the image of her out of my mind. I need to get out of here and clear my head.

My engine growls to life, and I glance through the open car window, up at the mansion, at her bedroom window.

Just leave, Arkady. Stop thinking about her.

Shaking my head, I drive down the driveway towards the gate.

At security, I roll my window down and inform the guards that she is in the house alone, and they need to make sure she doesn’t leave.

Then I turn left onto the road outside my mansion and head back towards town.

I don’t even care where I end up. There are so many good clubs and bars in town.

After driving around for a while, I park and climb out, eventually choosing Blue Galaxy, a popular cocktail bar that I often come to on weekends to unwind.

They have good music, good drinks, and beautiful women.

Even though it’s a weeknight, the place is still busy.

The bouncer smiles and shakes my hand. “Ark, the man—good to see you, brother.”

“Alfredo. You been working out? These muscles are going to tear through your shirt.” I grin, slapping his massive bicep.

“You know I have to keep ‘em strong because you keep causing shit in here and I gotta bail you out of it,” he smirks.

“I will be on my best behavior tonight.”

He shakes his head. I say that every time. But I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t walk away from a fight, and he knows it.

“Have a good one, Ark.” He gestures for me to go inside.

The music is pulsing, and immediately, I breathe a sigh of relief. This is just what I needed. Let off some steam. Stop thinking about her.

I make my way to the bar, pushing through the crowds already forming even though it’s still relatively early.

“Ark,” the barman shouts to be heard. “The usual?”

I nod and throw him a thumbs-up.

He’s quick and brings me a shot of gold tequila and a short glass of vodka and soda water.

I down the tequila.

Yeah, that’s not going to be enough.

I lift my hand to signal the barman again, but he’s already standing there, ready to pour me another. “How did you know?” I ask over the music.

“I think I know you well enough. You’ve got that look on your face.” The half-smile on his face tells me he’s proud of himself.

I down the second shot and tell him not to go too far with the bottle.

Turning my back to the bar, holding my vodka, swirling the drink in my hand, I let my eyes wander over the room.

It looks the same as it always does. Packed with tipsy people, dancing, laughing, letting off steam from their lives.

We’re all the same at the end of the day—just looking to have a bit of fun.

The night goes on.

I have a few more shots of tequila and a couple of vodka sodas, but I still feel tense.

Even as my eyes trace over the beautiful women dancing near me, I feel the frustration of her. It’s ridiculous.

I turn my back on the room and face the bar again.

Dammit, Arkady. Get it together.

Just relax. Let go.

The alcohol should have relaxed me. I can feel it pulsing in my blood, softening the edges of my vision.

“Hi, gorgeous, do you want to buy me a drink?” A petite blonde slides up next to me at the bar. She’s gorgeous. The tight red dress she’s wearing is much too short, and it hints that she’s up for a night of fun.

And usually this is exactly what I’m here for.

“What are you drinking?” I ask, smiling wickedly at her.

“Pink gin.”

My eyes search her face. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but something is missing from this interaction.

She’s my type.

This should already be a done deal before we’ve even exchanged names. In fact, we might never exchange names, but it would still be a done deal.

But something is annoying me.

The barman arrives and I order her drink.

She shifts closer to me and brushes her hand over my arm.

Nothing.

I feel nothing.

No excitement, no thrill…

The barman slides her drink across the counter, and she picks it up. Her beautiful lips touch the edge of the glass and I watch with no reaction.

I don’t want this. The realization shocks me.

I came here to let off steam, but none of this is what I want.

Huffing loudly, I turn away from her, pressing my fingers against my eyes.

“Is something wrong?” she asks, tensely.

“No, uh—I hope you have a good night, sweetheart, but I have to go.”

“No,” she whines, grabbing my shirt and pulling her body up against mine. “I was hoping we could play.” She stands on her tiptoes and tries to kiss me, but instinctively, I turn my head away. All I can think about is Tania.

Why?

Why is Tania in my thoughts when I could be enjoying my time with this little fox? Dammit.

Her face floods with the sting of rejection when I gently push her away from me.

“Not tonight,” I say sternly.

“Asshole,” she mutters, picking up her drink and turning away from me.

I roll my eyes. “Drama queen,” I mutter, chuckling.

With a strange sense of failure, I make my way through the crowd towards the doors. I want to head home. This place isn’t helping.

The bouncer scrunches his nose when he sees me.

“Bit early for you to be leaving—alone?” he teases.

“I’m not feeling it,” I shrug. I dip my hand into my pocket. I tug out my car key.

“You okay, or you need me to call an Uber?”

“I’m good.” I wave my hand through the air to dismiss his concern.

“Ark, dude, let me call you a cab,” he says, grabbing my keys from me.

“For fuck’s sake, Alfredo,” I huff in annoyance.

He grins. “I’ll have your car delivered to your place later tonight. Stop being a little bitch about it.” He waves down a cab for me and tugs the door open.

“Thanks, man,” I mutter, annoyed. But he’s right. My head is spinning. I drank quite a bit in a short amount of time.

In the back seat of the cab, I close my eyes and sigh heavily. That was a complete failure. I had a beautiful girl, ready to go—and I turned her down because I can’t stop thinking about Tania.

What the fuck?

The thought makes me angry. Annoyed at Tania for doing that to me. Who the hell does she think she is? I want to confront her. I want to tell her to stop playing with me.

By the time the cab drops me at home, I’m so agitated I decide the safest thing is for me to go straight to bed—to leave Tania alone.

But the universe has other plans for me.

Before I head upstairs, I stop in the kitchen to scratch around for something to eat.

Except that Tania is in there with the same idea.

I walk in to find her standing at the open fridge, the light spilling from it onto her face. She startles when she sees me walk in.

“Arkady—you’re home,” she stammers.

My eyes drift over her in that oversized T-shirt. It’s long, but not long enough to hide her gorgeous legs, and when she moves, it creeps up and hints at that perfect ass of hers.

She self-consciously pulls at the edges of the shirt, tugging it down.

“Um, do you want something?” she asks, eyeing me with her brows knitted.

“Actually, I do,” I snap, suddenly angry again.

She frowns deeper. “What?”

“I want to know what the hell game you’re playing with me. You’re messing with my mind.”

The confusion on her face is clear, but I ignore it, fueled by the tequila. I step close to her, and she closes the fridge door, trying to move away from me.

Her confusion turns to anger as I reach out and touch her face.

She slaps my hand away. “What the hell are you doing?” she snaps.

“You’re the one teasing me, Tania. Feigning distress, pleading for my help with that sweet innocence of yours. You’re asking for trouble, and you know it. You know exactly what you’re doing to me,” I growl, pinning her back against the counter as I stand over her.

My heart is racing.

Her cheeks are flushed pink as she glares up at me.

“I didn’t ask you to take care of me today. You should have just left me there. I didn’t ask for you to hold me—or anything,” she says, heated and defensive.

“But you wanted it. I see straight through you.” I lean closer, my lips inches from hers.

Her mouth drops open in surprise.

“I don’t want anything from you. I want to be let free,” she says.

I wrap my hand around her jaw and hold her face still. She’s not fighting me, and she knows exactly what I’m about to do. Her eyes are glittering with flakes of gold, her lips parted and her heart beating hard against my chest.

My lips crash into hers. My mouth locks over hers, and I kiss her fiercely.

She lets out a sharp breath of surprise, but then slips her hands around my waist, her fingers knotting in my shirt as she pulls me closer.

I thread my hand up the back of her neck, into her hair, deepening the kiss, wanting to devour her, to taste every inch of her body.

She moans against my lips, and my cock goes rock-hard. I rock my hips against her, letting her feel what she does to me.