Page 14 of Secret Bratva Baby (Dubrov Bratva #16)

“Where are we training?” I ask, standing in the kitchen, dressed in my tight workout pants and a crop top. I’m excited and taking this very seriously. This is one of the keys to me feeling safe in this world, and I’m grateful he offered.

“There is a shooting range behind the house, near the back of the property. And a gym,” Luka says, sipping his coffee.

He’s wearing black sweatpants and a tight black T-shirt.

He looks incredible. I’m already reacting to him in ways I shouldn’t be, my mind taunting me with the memory of what he did to my body a few days ago.

“There’s a gym here?” I ask in shock.

He chuckles, and the muscles on his stomach ripple beneath the thin fabric of his shirt.

I look away, reprimanding myself. Today is about learning to defend myself— not about being distracted by his hotness.

“Lily is settled with Mila. We can start whenever you’re ready,” I say, raising my brows at him.

He grins. “You look cute in that matching pink gym gear.”

“Cute.” I huff in disbelief. “By the end of today, you’ll be regretting you said that. I’m not cute . I’m strong. I’m soon to be dangerous. You should watch your back, assuming I’m cute .”

He shrugs, clearly amused. “You can be cute and dangerous, Rose. It doesn’t have to be one of the other.”

***

When he said there was a gym and a shooting range behind the mansion, I did not expect this.

This is like a state-of-the-art training facility. I can’t believe my eyes.

“Are you paying attention?” Luka huffs, standing behind me with his chest pressed against my back and his arms wrapped around me. I’m holding a Glock 19. The same type of gun I aimed at him, apparently. My arms are stretched out in front of me, and he’s trying to get my stance right.

He runs his hands over my arms, then pulls one further back. “Cup your hand under the grip, like you’re making a bowl. Yes.”

My heart is racing. He feels incredible against me. How am I supposed to focus like this?

His breath is warm against my neck when he speaks.

“Okay, now spread your legs a little.” He slips his foot between my legs and pushes my feet apart. Heat races through me. I clear my throat. Focus. Focus on the lesson.

“You want a solid foundation. The gun is going to give some kickback. It’s called recoil. It happens as soon as you pull the trigger, so you need to be ready for it.”

“Okay,” I mutter, closing one eye to stare down the sight just like he told me to, leveling the one inside the other.

“No, open both eyes. It’s better to shoot with both open. And pull your earmuffs down.” He does this for me.

He drops his arms, but doesn’t step back from me. His hands are resting on my hips.

“Now squeeze the trigger slowly as you breathe out,” he says, almost shouting to be heard.

I take a deep breath, focused, ignoring how he makes me feel.

I stare at the target in front of me.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Squeeze the trigger gentle.

Snap.

The sound makes me wince, and I squeeze both eyes shut and yelp as the force of the bullet causes my arm to jump upward.

Luka chuckles behind me. I feel it vibrating against my back. He pulls my ear muffs off one side.

“How did that feel?” he asks.

“Oh my goodness, it’s loud,” I gasp.

“Imagine how loud it is without these things on.”

“I’m ready to try again,” I nod, excited by the thrill of it.

He repositions my earmuffs, and his hands return to my hips.

I have no idea where the first bullet went in range of the target, because I had my damn eyes closed—but this time I’m more prepared.

I squeeze the trigger. A loud explosion pulses through the air. The gun arches against my grip, but I don’t allow it to throw my arm so far backwards this time.

I stare at the target. It all happened so fast, I still have no idea where the bullet went, even though I kept my eyes open.

I set the gun down on the little table, barrel pointing away from us, just like he told me in the safety briefing.

Lifting the earmuffs off, I turn to face Luka, who is grinning like a madman. “Are you sure you’ve never shot before?” he asks, his face so close to mine I could kiss him easily.

He turns me to face the target again, leaning over me to point. My eyes follow the path of his outstretched arm. “Right there, just below the red area.”

“ I shot him in the balls? ” I blurt out, then crack up laughing.

“Hey, that’s definitely going to take him down—I guarantee it.”

We’re laughing so hard I have to wipe tears from my eyes.

“Alright, let’s focus,” he says, wiping his hands over his face to try and pull himself together. His smile is so sexy. Those dimples nestle against his cheek, the dark layer of stubble across his face, neatly shaped at the edges. He’s gorgeous, and he’s driving me crazy.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I smile, turning away from him to pick the gun up again.

After an hour of shooting, I smell of gun powder and faintly of him, after having him so close to me. We are walking towards the gym after splashing some cold water on my face and taking a five-minute break for cool drinks and a stretch.

I have no idea what to expect.

“We’ll do about an hour and a half of training. Then we can go find something to eat. Are you okay with that?” he asks, pressing his hand into my lower back as he ushers me into the gym.

“Sounds good,” I nod.

“You aren’t hungry already, are you?” he asks, his brows furrowed.

I am hungry, but not for food.

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“Okay, stand in the center of that mat. We’ll start with practicing some basic movements, which I’ll show you how to incorporate into a defense when I try to grab you.”

Maybe I don’t want to defend myself if he grabs me.

I hide my smile and push the thought from my mind.

Luka is patient, even when I can’t get the moves right. He’s calm and gentle and goes over each one with me, again and again.

For the fiftieth time, he grabs me from behind, and again, I can’t get away.

Frustration is distracting me.

He’s distracting me.

My own failure is starting to get to me more than I want to admit.

“Hey, what’s wrong? You’re doing great,” he says, noticing my loud huffs.

“I suck at this. I don’t stand a chance against you. You’re double my size, way, way stronger than me—what’s the point?” I pout like a child.

He grins. “It’s not about size. And the point is to use my own weight against me.

Here, let me show you again, watch how the placement of your leg is going to throw me off balance.

And because I’m moving forward, towards you, you take that momentum and give me an extra push, and I land up on the ground—" he raises his brows.

“Mm. Okay. Okay, I think I get it. Let’s try again.”

I turn my back on him. My body is damp with a light sheen of perspiration. My skin is glowing.

I’m waiting tensely for him to attack.

He grabs at me from behind, his arm slipping around my throat. I push my leg out, rotate my body around him, dropping my weight down to make it harder for him to hold me. He stumbles right over me and lands on his back. In a flash, I dive onto him and pin him down.

It takes me a moment to process that I got it right.

My loud shriek of triumph echoes through the gym as I wiggle in a happy dance of success.

But then I feel him.

I have my legs wrapped around him, I’m sitting on top of him, straddling him—and his cock is rock hard beneath me.

My breath catches in my throat.

My lips part as excitement turns to heated, intense desire.

My face flushes as I stare down at him.

I want him.

Why can’t I give in to that?

Why can’t I have what my heart is begging for?

Leaning forward, moving ever so slowly against his bulging cock, my eyes focus on his lips.

His gaze is piercing into me, and he groans with pleasure as his hands brush over my thighs.

Luka sits up, pulling me tighter against his body.

He wraps his hand around the back of my neck, intent on kissing me. But as he pulls my lips towards his, I yelp in agony, pain shooting through my leg, up to my butt, as one of my muscles pulls tight, angry at me for all the exertion after such a long time of doing no exercise at all.

I grab my ass cheek, trying to massage away the pain. My nose is scrunched, my face tight, an anxious giggle on my lips.

Luka grins and lifts me off his lap.

“Lie down. Where is it pulling?” he asks, fully understanding what’s going on.

“Right at the top of my leg—oh my word, I should have stretched more.” I groan in agony.

“Lie on your stomach.” He gently pushes me down, and my cheek presses into the gym mat, which smells of lemon and disinfectant.

I close my eyes as he straddles my legs, pressing his hands into my thighs, massaging his longer fingers over my legs.

I groan again, this time in pleasure. He’s using the weight of his body to knead right into the tense muscle. It feels incredible.

His hands are a pleasure I could experience a thousand times and never get tired of.

“Is that the right pressure?” he asks, his voice low, husky and deep.

“Mm,” I sigh, feeling his body move over mine.

The pain of the pulled muscles disappears, and suddenly all I’m left with is him—touching me, moving over me. His body has me pinned to the mat.

He pushes his hand higher, kneading his fingers into my ass. I groan louder. It’s almost too much to bear. I was already turned on and about to throw myself at him, now this—how am I expected to hold myself together when he’s touching me like this?

Without thinking, I arch my ass up into his touch.

A low growl vibrates through him.

Shit. Stop that, Rose.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying hard to focus and not fall over the edge. But my body is on fire. I want nothing more than to feel his body moving over mine, to have him slide his massive cock between my legs and fuck me.

“Do you like this, Rose?” His question has nothing to do with the massage.

I want to answer, but my throat is closed around my words. I don’t trust myself.

I take a deep breath, my chest heaving against the gym mat.

Luka brushes his hand over one of my arms, folding it behind my back. He applies gentle pressure to stretch my shoulder and my arm.

I moan softly.

Everything he’s doing is erotic. And he knows it.

He’s fully aware of the effect he’s having on me.

Luka tilts his body forward, and I feel his cock pressing against my ass. He growls with desire and need, and it sends a ripple of heat directly between my legs.

I arch up against him again.

“My entire life, I’ve never met anyone as beautiful as you, Rose,” he whispers. “Your body is perfect. Your elegance, your laugh, your smile—everything about you drives me crazy with need.”

He pushes my arm a little higher, twisted behind me.

“I could take you right now,” he says darkly.

I shudder with delight at the thought of him doing whatever he wants to with me.

In response to his teasing words, I arch my ass upward again, pressing harder against his cock.

He lets out a deep sound of satisfaction and rocks against me.

Luka lets out a sharp breath, quickly moving towards the point of no return.

He leans forward, his body pressing fully into mine. “Do you want this, Rose?” he asks, a whisper in my ear.

I nod. A brief, definite nod.

He has no idea how much I want this.

Luka doesn’t hesitate. As soon as he sees me nodding, he shifts, grabbing my gym tights with his hand, and he yanks them off me, not releasing my arm locked around my back.

I squirm, kicking them away from my legs, eager to feel him, desperate and flooded with need.

Luka lies over me, pinning my legs closed as he lifts my hips off the ground. “Be a good girl,” he growls, “Lift your ass—oh my fuck, you’re soaked,” he says in blissful disbelief as he tugs his sweatpants down to free his cock.

His fingers push into my pussy, making me shiver with pleasure, but we both know I want more than that.

He slides them out, and I feel his cock pressing against me, rubbing over my pussy.

I whimper beneath him.

His hand tightens around my arm, pushing me harder into the floor—then he thrusts forward. His cock slides into me, forcing my pussy to spread for him, filling me up as he plunges deep inside me.

For a moment, I forget how to breathe, then Luka pulls out, slowly, stopping just at the right time—and with a deep grunt of pleasure, he slams into me again.