Page 20 of The Pakhan’s Forced Bride (West Coast Bratva Pakhans #3)

It takes me ages to get ready.

Ardalion let me know it is a summer pool party at his cousin’s mansion. He told me to bring my swimsuit and wear something comfortable and cool because it is going to be a hot day.

After pulling several dresses from my closet, I eventually settled on a blue one with a soft, flowing skirt that flares out over my hips. I chose this one because the last time I wore it, Ardalion told me I looked too beautiful for words.

I wish I could go back to the moment at our picnic near the beach. That day was almost perfect. That moment, when we were sitting together, enjoying the air and laughing together—

Sighing, I slip my feet into a pair of pretty sandals, accented with tiny gemstones that adorn the straps.

There. I’m done.

My stomach twists with anxiety. I can’t believe I’m meeting his whole family. It’s a big deal, even though our marriage is sort of fake—it’s a big deal to meet someone’s family. Thank goodness I already had a chance to meet his sisters, so I won’t be completely overwhelmed.

Ardalion calls me from downstairs, and I head out of my bedroom to find him.

“Ready?” he asks, then looks up at me and notices which dress I’ve chosen. “One of my favorites on you.” He smiles broadly, causing me to smile as well.

I really miss him.

I’m so confused about what is going on between us.

“I’m ready,” I nod.

He’s wearing dark jeans and a black T-shirt. More casual than I’m used to seeing him, but still just as sexy as ever. I think this man would look sexy in everything.

His cousin doesn’t live far away from us, also along the shoreline of Los Angeles, just at a different stretch of beach.

The entire drive there, I want to ask Ardalion a million questions, but there is still a wedge between us. So many unspoken words after what happened in the office the other day. I don’t know what to say to him. How to fix it.

I get the sense that he also wants to talk to me, but we’re both stuck in a sort of limbo, unsure of what the future holds.

“We’re here,” he says, turning into the security gate of the beachside property.

I’m nervous as we drive up the gravel road that leads to the home of one of his cousins. It’s a massive mansion, but not as big as Ardalion’s.

Parking out front, we can hear the music from inside, and other people are arriving at the same time as us.

Ardalion pulls my door open for me and holds out his hand to guide me from the car. I place my hand in his, and he smiles at me as I stand next to him.

A man climbs out of a car parked next to us, drawing his attention.

“Ard, hey man, good to see you—is everything okay?” the guy asks. I turn to see who it is, his voice familiar to me.

“Hey Emmanuil. Yes, it’s good. Considering,” Ardalion chuckles.

Emmanuil shakes his head at Ardalion. “That was intense, man. I thought for sure someone was going to pull the trigger.”

I step close to Ardalion’s side, recognizing Emmanuil from the other night at the office. “Hello.” I smile nervously.

“Hi, Belle, good to see you again, under better circumstances.” He winks. “I hope they started that spit roast hours ago. I’m starving and those things take all day to cook,” Emmanuil says, walking ahead of us towards the open front door.

We walk into the mansion. There is no one standing at the door to welcome us. It seems everyone is comfortable enough to come and go as they please.

Ardalion keeps me close, which I’m grateful for because it’s a bit overwhelming to be surrounded by so many people I don’t know, all of them being his family.

He leads me through the house towards the garden, through wide glass doors that lead out onto a wooden deck. The place is gorgeous. The design is completely different from Ardalion’s home. It has a more cluttered feel, with lots of art and ornaments, and weird pieces everywhere.

Ardalion introduces me to a few people, and I smile, saying hello politely.

It’s only when Kira and Alya come rushing to say hi that I finally relax a bit.

“You’re finally here. It’s time for cocktails,” Aly shouts, grabbing my hand, pulling me away from Ard’s side. She scrunches her face at her brother. “Don’t worry, we’ll bring her back in one piece.”

“You better.” He laughs. “Hi, Kira,” he calls to his other sister, who waves her hand through the air as she walks away, pulling me, with Aly, towards the bar.

They order something exotic-sounding, a drink I’ve never heard of.

“What’s in it?” I ask, when Alya hands me a large glass layered with pink and blue and topped with strawberries.

“It’s something Kira and I made up a few years ago. You’ll love it.”

She dips her straw into her drink and pushes the crushed ice around a bit before taking a long sip. I do the same, waiting for the flavors to spread over my tongue.

“Can you guess what it is?” Kira asks, grinning.

“Strawberry, obviously. Um. Vanilla. There’s rum in there. Is that bubblegum?” I ask, scrunching my nose.

“It is!” Aly says excitedly. “And what else?”

I take another sip.

“I can’t get the last thing. Something fruity.” I shrug.

“You’re right, though. It’s peach syrup.”

“Oh my word. It’s delicious.”

“Just be careful. Two or three of these will have you dancing on a table,” Kira laughs.

They pull me around to the pool and we sit on the sun loungers, people watching while they explain who is who.

“That’s Dmitri, Emmanuel’s brother. And that’s Alexei, she’s a second cousin—to be honest, I don’t even know how she fits in,” Kira laughs, pointing out everyone and telling me their names.

“I won’t remember all of this,” I say, sipping my cocktail. “I’m terrible with names.”

“It’s okay, ours are the only names that matter,” Aly giggles, gesturing between herself and Kira.

The back garden is packed with people. There is a massive spit roast turning over hot coals, and men are standing around it, holding drinks and laughing loudly.

Music is playing from inside the mansion somewhere, and there are kids swimming in the pool. It’s the perfect summer vibe. Hot sun, warm breeze, and salty ocean air drifting through the garden.

I love LA.

“Oh my word, is that Fyodor?” Kira gasps. “I haven’t seen him in months. I have to go say hello.”

“Me too,” Aly says.

“Go ahead. I’m going to sit here for a while.” I smile, gesturing for them to go.

The girls rush off, and I stay on the pool lounger, pulling my phone from the pocket of my sundress.

Ulyana has been messaging me since I got my phone back from Ardalion. For now, she’s my closest contact with my brother, and she’s been helping ease my worry a little bit, even though she can’t fix the issue between Ben and me. It’s nice to be able to check in and make sure he’s okay.

Me: How are you today? I’m at an LA pool party.

Ulyana: We’re heading out for lunch soon. It’s a lovely day here.

Me: Here too. Lots of sun. How is Ben doing? He still hasn’t replied to me yet.

Ulyana: He’s okay. He’s still confused, though. He doesn’t understand what happened. Maybe if you tried to explain it all to him.

Me: I didn’t want to do that over a message. That’s why I tried to call him, but I think it’s better if I wait a bit longer for him to calm down. He was so angry when I saw him.

Ulyana: He was worried sick, Belle. We both were.

Me: I know you were. I’m sorry about all this. Hopefully, I can talk to Ben soon. But in the meantime, you guys must have a lovely day. I’ll chat again soon. Love you.

Guilt washes over me. I still haven’t told Yana that I was kidnapped.

It’s also the reason I’m not pushing to talk to Benedikt yet.

I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t want to tell him I was kidnapped, either, because it might make him so angry that he comes after Ardalion with the intention of killing him.

That’s what happens in the bratva world. You can’t just go around stealing someone’s family members. It will cost you your life.

And Benedikt is already furious.

If he found out the truth, he would be a hundred times worse.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I scan the people standing around in the garden.

Ardalion is with his sisters, talking to the guy named Fyodor.

Kira is leaning against her brother, and he's got his arm affectionally wrapped around her.

The love he has for his sisters is visible from a mile away. You can see how close they are, all three of them. It’s really sweet.

He’s protective and gentle with them, but at the same time, I get the feeling that they all give each other a lot of shit.

A wide smile spreads over my face.

I miss Benedikt.

But I don’t want to leave LA.

Something about Ardalion has tied me to him.

My heart clenches in my chest, an overwhelming surge of emotions rushing through me.

Do I have real feelings for him?

The emotions turn to panic as I become overwhelmed with this realization.

My head starts spinning, and I search left and right for somewhere to have some privacy for a moment. There are people everywhere, so I hurry into the mansion, where it's quiet.

Everyone is outside in the sun, by the pool.

I walk deeper into the mansion, not sure where I’m going, but just needing to move, to get away from things.

I get a fright, sensing someone behind me, but when I spin to look, there isn’t anyone there.

“Jeepers, I need to calm down,” I huff, annoyed at myself as I press my hand over my heart.

I wander into their music room.

There is a grand piano near a high-arching window. I walk towards it, letting my fingers slide softly over the top. The glossed surface doesn’t have a speck of dust on it.

On the wall, there are alcoves, each with a string instrument set into it. A cello, a bass guitar, a violin. I wonder if someone plays all of these instruments or if they’re just for show.

I lift the lid of the piano, touching the ornate keys. Pressing one down, the piano lets off a rich, deep tone.

“What are you doing in here, little bunny?” The smooth, deep warmth of his voice rushes over me as I turn towards him in fright.

“I’m—I’m just looking around,” I answer defensively, quickly closing the piano again.

“Do you know how to play?” he asks.

“No, do you?”

“Almost everyone in my family does. It was a tradition of sorts.”

“Play something,” I insist, unable to picture Ardalion behind a piano.

He sits down, throwing me a wicked smile as he lifts the lid again, brushing his fingers over the pristine keys.

As his fingers move over the white keys, I watch and listen in disbelief.

I don’t know the music, but the melody is beautiful. In an instant, I am transported somewhere magical.

Ardalion seems lost in it, his eyes half-closed as his hands move expertly over the keys.

Emotions well up inside me.

Touched by the music and the sight of him.

His long fingers move swiftly, easily, making me wonder if this is why he’s so good with his hands—if all those years of learning to play the piano taught him other things, too.

Suddenly, there is heat between my legs, my heart racing, and my lips tingling, wanting to feel his kiss.

I bite at my lower lip, trying to fight the urgency of my desire as it floods over me.

Ardalion finishes the piece, and my cheeks are flushed by the time he looks at me. At first, he’s smiling, but then his eyes go wide.

“What’s wrong?” he asks me, concerned as he stands up and steps away from the piano. I realize my eyes are glittering, my body tense.

“Nothing.” I stammer, taking a step away from him.

“Don’t lie to me, little bunny. I saw you when you came in here. I followed you from outside. Something is bothering you—it’s why you escaped the party. And now, look at you—you look upset.”

I smile tightly. I was upset when I escaped the party. I was looking for a moment alone. But that feeling is long gone. Ardalion steps even closer to me, and my back is up against the high-arching window. He leans the palm of his hand against the glass, locking me in place.

My heart beats faster. My breath catches in my throat.

“Tell me what’s bothering you, little bunny,” he whispers, his face so close to mine that his breath is hot against my lips. I could kiss him.

He is inches away. I could stand on my tiptoes and close the gap between us. I could feel his mouth pressed into mine and his hands exploring my body.

“Belle, this is ridiculous. Talk to me,” he demands, his voice a low growl. My lips part as he reaches up to touch my face.

Then his eyes change. They flare with need. His pupils dilate with desire. He finally notices it, too. The closeness between us. The way our bodies are pressed together.