Page 20 of Secret Bratva Baby (Dubrov Bratva #16)

After the big operation that Luka and his brothers planned against their rivals, Luka decided to take a few days off, and he is going to spend them with Lily.

With me, too, I hope.

But I think his real goal is to get to know his daughter.

Me being there is just a bonus of sorts.

Luka and I have incredible sexual chemistry between us, but I am still very careful not to assume it’s any more than that.

I’m trying, and failing , not to be in love with him.

It’s an odd feeling to fight against your emotions, especially one as beautiful as love. But I have no choice.

If Luka doesn’t want the same things I want, then it’s just a dark path to walk down.

The night he came home late, I treated him to a massage. It made my heart so happy to do that for him, but it made me realize a few things as I sat on his back with my legs wrapped over him in such an intimate position, thinking about what’s happened between us.

The bottom line is that Luka is doing everything he can to keep us safe.

That’s all.

He is doing his duty because he feels guilty about putting us in danger. I appreciate it, of course, because he could just as easily have left us to fend for ourselves.

He is physically attracted to me and often flirts, but he hasn’t once spoken about a future or hinted at any genuine feelings for me.

He hasn’t expressed a single thing to suggest that he is interested in any more than some fun on the side while we wait this situation out.

That’s the truth.

It hurts.

It really hurts me.

But it is what it is.

I spent a long time trying to decide how I wanted to handle things, for myself, and the conclusion that I came to is that I should just enjoy the moments I have with him.

It is a temporary thing, but most things in life are.

When it’s all over, Lily and I will move on with our lives, and I will be fine. I was fine on my own before. I’ve already proven I can do it alone. And I will do it alone again.

Until then, I will make the most of these moments.

“Where in the world would the housekeeper have packed the picnic blanket?” Luka grumbles, opening another one of the kitchen cupboards.

I laugh, shaking my head.

“I highly doubt the picnic blanket would be packed in the cabinet with pots and pans,” I tease him.

He shrugs, pulling a face that suggests he’s clueless. “Where do people keep picnic blankets?”

“Are you sure you even have one?” I ask, sliding the juice into the cooler box in between the little containers of assorted snacks.

“It should be a default in every home,” he announces with a mock serious tone.

“Let’s just find another blanket. Any blanket. We’ll just wash it after.”

“Good idea. I’m tired of hunting.”

Lily is tucked safely into her baby seat in the back of the car, and I am strapped in at the front. She’s singing a song from one of her favorite cartoons.

Outside, Luka has just finished loading the goodies into the trunk. The car shakes when he closes it and I glance at the rearview mirror to see him dusting his hands together in triumph. “We’re ready,” he says, climbing in.

He turns to look at Lily. “Are you excited for an adventure?”

“Yes,” she squeals, holding up her dragon teddy.

She rests the toy against the edge of the closed window so that he can look out at the scenery as well.

“To the beach,” Luka grins.

In the car behind us, following us through the city, are three security men. They have been told to be discreet and keep a distance. We want to at least pretend for a moment that this is a normal day and we’re just a family out for a picnic.

But we also want to be safe.

“It’s the perfect day to laze about in the sunshine. Soon we’ll run out of these hot days, and it’s going to be cold, fireplace weather,” he chats, his eyes on the road ahead.

“I know of fun ways to stay warm in winter,” I say suggestively.

“I bet you do.” He chuckles. “We can put that extra fluffy blanket in front of the fireplace.” He raises his brows.

I grin, wondering if I’ll still be with him by the time winter is in full swing. No, I shouldn’t think about that now. But still, the thought taints my smile, chipping away at the happiness in my heart.

Stop that, Rose. Enjoy the moment.

We pull into a parking lot near the beach. Lily starts panicking and wiggling against the straps securing her to her seat.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Luka says, turning around to try and help her.

“Need out,” she says, kicking again.

He laughs. “She’s excited.”

“She’s only been to the beach once, and she was too small to remember,” I muse.

“What? But you live in a city right by the beach,” he says in disbelief.

“And I worked seven days a week,” I sigh.

He pulls his mouth tight, his eyes show guilt, but he says nothing.

I didn’t say it to hurt him; that wasn’t my intention. It’s just the truth. And I shouldn’t feel bad for saying things that are true.

I sigh and push the door open, then tug Lily’s door open to help her free herself of her prison seat. Luka gets busy gathering the blanket, umbrella and our snacks.

As soon as Lily is out of the car, she bolts straight towards the water.

“This child!” I huff, running after her.

She’s at that age where she has to test my patience on everything. It’s funny but exhausting. And I’m doing my best to teach her manners and morals while also letting her experience things freely and safely.

I catch up with her and pull her to a stop, turning her to face me. She jumps up and down impatiently.

“Remember what Mommy told you?” I ask her.

She looks blank.

“The water is not safe to go in alone. You must wait for Mommy or Daddy.” My heart skips a beat. It’s the first time I’ve called him Daddy to her.

She frowns, but clearly this information isn’t important to her—not when the ocean is right there. I breathe a sigh of relief. That was close.

I meant to have that conversation with her in a calm and controlled environment.

I let her go and stand up. “Are you going to wait?”

“Come swim, Mommy,” she huffs, stomping her feet in the sand.

“When did you become such a little monster?” I ask, scooping her into my arms.

Luka arrives next to us. “I’ll set up, go take her for a swim.”

“Thank you,” I smile. It’s amazing having a second parent to help.

Don ’ t get used to it.

I strip out of my dress, leaving it on the sand next to the spot Luka chose, then I run with Lily into the water.

I’ve already smothered her in sunblock, and she’s wearing her long-sleeve swimsuit.

She leaps without any hesitation at all into a big wave.

The wave knocks her off her feet, and I lift her out of the water in panic.

The child is laughing. She’s ecstatic.

“Oh my goodness, you really are Luka’s kid,” I mutter to myself, setting her down again and watching her do the exact same thing.

I sit in the shallow waves, nearby, watching her take on the ocean as though she were fighting dragons and winning.

Luka sits down next to me. The water lapped around him.

He lets out a deep breath and gazes out over the ocean.

“This is what life is about, isn’t it?”

“Nature? The ocean making you feel small to put your life into perspective?”

“No,” he chuckles. “I meant family. Spending time with your kid, watching them enjoy the magic of life.”

A smile spreads over my face. No matter what happens, Lily will always have an amazing father.

Lily comes running up to us with something red in her hands. The moment I realize it’s a really big crab, his long legs flailing about as he tries to escape her, I scream and leap up, terrified she’s going to throw it on me.

Luka is laughing so hard he can’t get up, and Lily veers to change direction, running straight towards him.

She drops the crab into his lap, and he falls backwards into the water, yelping, making me laugh.

“Daddy,” Lily shouts. “He my pet.”

Luka goes dead still, his jaw dropped open. The crab scoots off his lap and into the water, bolting away as fast as he can.

“Daddy, no, get him,” Lily squeals in horror, running after it, tripping in the water, and falling. She’s up again in a flash, fully focused on her goal.

Luka turns to look at me with wide eyes.

“Did you hear that?” he asks, stunned.

Glancing around in the water to make sure it’s safe and free of little ocean creatures, I sit next to him again. “I sort of told her,” I smile, looking down and brushing my fingers through the water.

“She called me ‘ Daddy.’” His grin spreads wider than I’ve ever seen before.

It makes me laugh. “She did,” I agree, watching his face, enjoying his reaction.

Lily comes running back to Luka, the crab back in her hands.

“Don’t lost him,” she says sternly, putting the crab back in his lap.

He picks it up to examine it with appropriate awe and pride.

“He’s a good one. Nice and red, long legs, big eyes—you did a good job,” he praises Lily. She tucks her hands behind her back and sways back and forth, basking in her father’s admiration.

“My bucket,” she suddenly shouts and bolts off.

“She’s a never-ending ball of energy.” He watches her go, awkwardly holding a wiggling crab. “What do I do with this?” He moves the crab towards me, and I quickly lean away.

“Do not bring that thing near me,” I shout in panic.

He smirks, a dangerous smile.

“Luka—don’t you dare,” I say, as serious as life itself.

He leans closer, and I scoot back in horror. “Luka,” I scream, rolling onto my knees to get up and run. He runs after me as I dive deeper into the water. The panic is real as I imagine the wiggly little crab touching me.

He’s laughing so hard he can barely stand. He grabs me around the waist and lifts me into the air, throwing me over his shoulder while I scream in terror.

But somewhere along the way, he’s already dropped the crab, and now he’s just tickling me and I’m crying and laughing at the same time, punching my fists into his side to get him to put me down. And he does. He throws me into the waves.

Lily boldly runs into the water and grabs his leg.

“Run, Mommy,” she shouts, holding him down.

Luka scoops her up and pretends to throw her, and she squeals in delight.

“Hold him down, Lily—I’ll help you tickle him.”

Luka pretends to fall into the shallower water, and we both pile onto him.

It’s the perfect day.

I can’t remember ever being happier in my life.

Perhaps the day she was born. But even that was tainted with fear.

Today was perfect.

***

Lily falls asleep in the car on the way home. She’s tired from the sun, the running, the laughter and the gorgeous lunch Luka arranged for our picnic.

I lean across my seat, resting my head against Luka’s shoulder.

He wraps his arm around me and holds me, his other hand on the steering wheel.

Everything is beautiful and perfect, and I’m so happy.

“You look a little sun-kissed.” He says, his eyes glancing at me.

“I forgot to put more sunblock on myself after we swam,” I say quietly.

“I’ll rub some aloe vera on your skin after a shower. I feel like I have sand in every part of my body where there shouldn’t be sand.”

I giggle and lift my head off him, giving him the space to drive comfortably.

“Hey, I didn’t say you could move away,” he scolds me, wrapping his hand around my thigh and slowly rubbing up and down my leg.

I thread my fingers through his.

“Thank you for today,” I mutter, looking at the size of his hand in comparison to mine.

With him, I’m the safest I’ve ever felt.

I wish he would speak to me about how he feels.

I could ask him. But then it won’t be a natural choice he’s making. It might be forced. It’s not my job to push him to want me in that way. If he has feelings for me, he will tell me. So, I won’t bring it up. I won’t say anything at all. If it’s meant to be, it will be.

After I’ve tucked Lily into bed, I tiptoe through to Luka’s room.

Lily and I took a shower together so that I could help her wash the sand away. Now she’s sleeping and Luka is waiting for me.

“Hey, beautiful,” he smiles as I walk into his room.

“Hi,” I say, suddenly shy. Stupid heart.

“Come lie down here, I’ve got the cream for that sunburn.”

“It’s not too bad. I’m just glowing a little extra.”

He grabs my arm and tugs me onto the bed. “Stop arguing and let me take care of you,” he growls. “Get these clothes out of the way.”

He’s gentle as he rubs the cream into my skin. His legs are straddling my ass the same way I sat over him when I gave him a massage. This is amazing. So relaxing. No wonder he fell asleep.

“Turn around,” he says, his voice low and husky. I wiggle beneath him, rolling onto my back. My eyes immediately dart to the massive bulge pressing against his sweatpants. My already pulsing heart races even faster.

I reach out and brush my fingers over his cock.

He groans, rocking his hips forward against my touch.

His eyes trace over my breasts, and his gaze is dark with hunger.

I slip my fingers beneath the elastic waistband of his pants, tugging it down. His cock jumps free. It’s massive, with thick veins running over the shaft.

I lick my lips.

“I’ve forgotten how you taste,” I whisper, my eyes sparkling at him.

“No, princess. Tonight I’m the one taking care of you. Spread your legs for me,” he says, his deep voice teasing me as he shifts down, wrapping his hands around my thighs to push them open and lowering his face between my legs.