Page 15 of The Pakhan’s Forced Bride (West Coast Bratva Pakhans #3)

I walk into my office and find Emmanuil already set up at my desk, the meeting having started without me.

He pushes a key on his laptop, muting his microphone. “Hey man, it just started, I got you a coffee.” He tilts his head towards the mug of coffee on my desk.

“Thanks. What’s going on? Did I miss anything?”

“Not yet, so far they’re just settling in.”

I open my laptop and set it next to his, navigating to the program so that I can join the call.

Once I’m logged in, the screen fills with several blocks, each showing the live feed of one of the bratva leaders.

“Where’s Benedikt?” I ask.

Emmanuil shrugs. “He’s been quiet lately.”

“Hi guys,” Nestor says, tilting his head at the camera.

“Hey, man,” I greet him with a tight smile. “What’s this about?”

“If everyone can just mute themselves for now so we don’t have you all speaking at the same time," Nestor says, holding up his hand, “then Arthur will explain what’s going on, and we'll open the discussion afterwards.”

I press mute. Em does as well. He grumbles, with his hand over his mouth, “Arthur is the worst person to explain anything. He speaks so slowly, I’m going to fall asleep.”

I let out an agitated huff and pick up my coffee. It’s lukewarm. He obviously got it on the way here, and I took longer than I said I would.

The more Arthur explains why this urgent meeting was called, the more agitated I get.

This could definitely have waited until the morning.

There was nothing urgent about this in the least. Usually, these meetings get called when there is an imminent attack or something terrible has just happened.

But Arthur is droning on and on about a long series of attacks that have been happening over the last two months.

Not today. Not even yesterday, just over time.

We wait, Em continuously throwing me knowing glances as I tap my foot against the side of the desk, trying to maintain my cool.

Finally, Arthur finishes up by saying, “Alright, I want to hear from everyone how we can stop these attacks. We need to find out who is behind them. All ideas are welcome.” He leans back in his chair, and slowly the microphones turn back on, one by one, everyone talking at the same time.

“Why was this an emergency meeting? Could this not have waiting till morning?”

“Do you have any idea or suspects?”

“I don’t understand. Was there an attack this evening? Why are we meeting now?”

The noise that filters through my speakers grates on my nerves.

But then another video window opens up as someone else joins the chat.

Benedikt.

He sits staring into the camera, his eyes tired, dark shadows beneath them. “Sorry I’m late,” he mutters, not offering an apology. He looks exhausted, drained, as though he hasn’t slept in weeks.

“You okay, man?” Nestor asks.

Benedikt nods, not saying anything about what he’s been going through. He doesn’t have to. I already know he’s worried about his sister. My spies have been keeping me up to date on his constant, incessant search for her. He hasn’t stopped, not for a single day.

“Jeez, he looks bad,” Emmanuil says, leaning away from the camera.

Guilt sits like a stone in my chest.

It’s my fault he looks like that.

It was my intention to tell him by now, to rub it in that I’m the one who has his sister.

It was my intention to hold it as a power play over him, a negotiation tool, or a show of control.

But I haven’t told him yet.

The idea of his pain brings me some kind of satisfaction despite the guilt. I know Belle is safe and that no harm has come to her. He doesn’t need to know yet. He can struggle for a while longer.

I lean back, listening to everyone speak. Benedikt is short and abrupt when people ask him questions. I don’t speak directly to him. And I don’t mention his sister.

As I sit there in silence, waiting for the meeting to end, I realize there is another reason why I haven’t told him that I have her.

The moment he knows, everyone else will know, too.

Once that information is out, there is no telling what the playing field will be and who will be on whose side. And more importantly, there’s no telling how much longer I will be able to hold onto her for.

I am far from ready to let Belle leave.

At this point, I don’t ever want her to leave. She’s the reason I look forward to going back home after work each day.

I don’t know when it became that, but it has.

She belongs to me. She brings something to my life that I’m not willing to give up.

I can’t tell him, or anyone else, that I have her.

I’ll hold on to her until I have no other choice.

The meeting slowly drags to an end, and both Emmanuil and I close our laptops and breathe heavy sighs of relief.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he snarls, as frustrated as I am. “I can’t believe those fucking arrogant assholes dragged us here for that. Do you think they have no lives, and they need to do this shit to create some excitement for themselves?” he snorts with laughter.

“That’s not a bad theory. Especially the older guys. They see their power slipping, they pull moves like this to try and show everyone they still have it.”

“What was your problem tonight?” he asks, narrowing his eyes towards me.

“What do you mean?” I say defensively.

“You weren’t saying anything, I don’t think you were even paying attention half the time.”

I clear my throat, waving my hand to dismiss his question. “It was a pointless meeting, man. A total waste of time.”

Emmanuil rolls his eyes, reminding me of Belle.

“Why the fuck are you smiling at me like that?” he says, pulling his face taut.

I chuckle, knowing my smile has nothing to do with him and everything to do with Belle. And I’m eager to get back to her.

“I’ve got to get home. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow. How long are you in town?”

“Not sure. Have you got a girl waiting for you at home?” he teases me.

I shoot him a sly smile. “Something like that.”

“A friend of mine mentioned he saw you at a recent event with a hot little fox.” He raises his brows.

“Tell your friend to mind his own business,” I grin.

“Fine. Don’t share your secrets. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he laughs.

The meeting went on far too long. It’s past two in the morning when I walk into the mansion, knowing Belle will be fast asleep by now.

It’s disappointing that our moment got interrupted for something to pointless. Fuck's sake.

I climb the stairs, walking past Belle’s closed door. She probably went to sleep ages ago.

I carry on to my bedroom, and as I walk down the passage, I notice a soft light glowing from the open door. Did I leave a light on?

When I walk into the room, my heart flips. Belle is sitting on the bed in her pink silk cami and those little shorts.

She immediately perks up when she sees me.

“Ard,” she says, her voice flooded with relief. “Is everything ok?”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” I ask, confused. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I can’t sleep if I’m worried,” she shrugs, setting her book aside.

“What are you worried about?”

I kick off my shoes and shrug my jacket off my shoulders, dumping it over the chair.

“You rushed off to an emergency meeting. I used to hate it when Benedikt did that. And then I never got news about what was going on until hours later. Are you going to tell me or just leave me to worry?”

I chuckle, pulling my shirt off and unbuttoning my pants.

“Nothing was really wrong. There was no emergency. It was some old guys trying to prove that they still have power over the new leaders by calling an emergency meeting that really could have waited until morning.”

“Are you serious?” she huffs angrily.

“What did you do while I was away?” I ask, kicking my pants off and pulling the blankets aside.

I want to ask her to stay in my bed tonight; I’m even surprised to find her waiting in my room instead of hers, but I don’t want to push her, especially not since I discovered she is a virgin.

Now that the heat of the moment has faded, she might have changed her mind about wanting to be with me.

I lift the blankets and slide in beneath them. It makes me smile when she immediately wiggles beneath them, too. I want to tease her and tell her she has her own bed to sleep in, but I don’t dare, in case she takes me seriously.

With a grin on my face, I watch her as she lifts the book she was reading and shows me the cover. “I got really into this story. It’s good. There are some amazing twists, and I’m only halfway through.”

I lie back on the pillow, and Belle snuggles against me, arm wrapped around my stomach and her cheek on my chest.

How am I expected to control myself when she’s pressed against me like this, that soft silk and her smooth skin taunting me?

I run my hand down her back, and she arches, looking up at me, her bright blue eyes filled with longing.

I can’t stop myself.

I lean close and press my mouth against hers. She shifts higher over my body, and I pull her onto my chest.

She lies over me, my cock growing hard against her.

Our lips move together, mine pushing hers apart as I slide my tongue into her mouth.

Belle moans, the sweetest, softest sound.

I want to hear her moan louder, to hear her gasping for breath like she did in the car.

I want to see her face cloud with pure pleasure like the moment she came against my fingers.

I roll, taking her with me, pinning her against the bed.

My hand runs over her cheek, brushing across her throat and between her beautiful breasts.

Fuck, she is magnificent. Every inch of her is pure beauty.

I cup my hand around her breast and play with her nipple between my fingers. She gasps and arches into my touch.

I lean over and suck her nipple into my mouth, exciting a louder moan from her heart-shaped lips.

I move my mouth lower over her body, letting my tongue taste her skin.

I trace a warm trail with my kisses, pushing her thighs apart as I move between her legs.

She cries out and covers her hands over her face as I wrap my mouth over her clit. I twirl my tongue in slow motions, writing letters on her soft skin, feeling her rock up against my face.

My hands push her thighs wider apart as I push my tongue into her pussy.

She tastes like heaven, like the creamiest dessert I could ever have. She tastes like I could eat nothing but her for the rest of my life and be satisfied.

Belle’s fingers thread over the back of my head as she pushes me harder against her, so I push my tongue in deeper, then move it faster, fucking her with my tongue while she moans, louder and louder until I can’t take it anymore.

My cock is aching.

I’ve waited so long to feel her tight little pussy wrap around my cock. I can’t wait any longer.

Moving up over her body, I push her legs apart with my hips and rock myself against her. My cock rubs over her pussy, sliding over her sweet wetness.

I push forward, the tip of my cock sliding into her.

She gasps, a sharp breath, her body going rigid.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

She bites down and shakes her head, no.

I can see it hurts.

“Do you want me to stop, Belle?” I ask.

She shakes her head again.

“Don’t you dare,” she whispers.

Slowly, I push deeper into her. Her pussy is tight around my cock as I spread her open, stretching her, pushing even deeper, and pausing to let her adjust. I never take my eyes off her face.

The sight of her, the feel of her—I’m fighting for control, not wanting to hurt her, but wanting to bury myself so deep inside her that she is impaled on my cock. I want her to scream my name as I fuck her hard enough to shake her body and watch her breasts bounce beneath me.

Belle digs her nails into my arm as I push slowly forward.

I sense it—the moment her pain turns to pleasure. The moment her body relaxes beneath me and desire overtakes the anxiety of having my cock force her open.

She sighs, a soft breath of relief, her pupils flaring, and I push the rest of the way inside her.

She shudders beneath me and tilts her head back, making the most beautiful sounds.

I start to move, back and forth, rocking in and out of her. At first, I take it slow, giving her the chance to adjust, to control the speed if she wants to.

But Belle is lost in me now. Her body belongs to me.

She’s given control to me, and now I may do with her whatever I choose.

I move faster, thrusting my hips forward with force. Beneath me, her body jolts and her fingers knot into the blankets.

“Oh,” she cries out, closing her eyes.

I thrust again, harder, and again. Her beautiful breasts bounce as I fuck her, her body soft under my touch.

She is perfect, wrapped around my cock like this.

She is the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen.

I wrap my hand around her throat and press my lips over hers as my cock grows harder inside her.

Her legs shake as I push faster, fucking her like I own every inch of her, like she is mine and I will never let her leave.

Her pussy tightens over my cock, her muscles twitching, her breathing heavy.

I push my tongue into her mouth as she comes, tightening my fingers around her throat.

She explodes, her orgasm rushing through her in waves of pleasure. At the same time, I explode inside her, in disbelief at how incredible she feels.