Page 24 of Trapped by the Bratva (The Valkov Bratva #5)

HANNAH

D mitri surprised me. When I woke up to his dick sliding deep inside me, I struggled for a moment.

At first, I couldn’t tell whether I was having a strangely semi-lucid dream or I was hallucinating.

I’d been dreaming about him, stuck in the familiar fantasies about the infuriating man I wanted more than I felt I had any right to.

Waking up with the realization that he was fucking me while I slept—not seeking consent first—was a new experience. But it wasn’t bad. Even when I was unconscious, I was aroused under his touch. Although my mind was “off”, my body reacted to his.

Just like I feared it always would.

“Come with me,” he said after we caught our breath.

It wasn’t a question or an order. I wasn’t sure how to catalog his words, but I accepted the invitation to his room. It was bigger and roomier, with all the space we needed in the shower stall to clean up together.

He wasn’t through with me, though. As he told me to keep my hands on the tiles and spread my legs apart like a good girl, I shivered with the anticipation of what he had in mind as he knelt down to the floor.

Like the expert he was, he ate me out with precision. With two orgasms close together, I felt weak and frazzled. My nerves were frayed. My mind was a jumbled mess of too many half-formed thoughts.

His gritty, satisfied chuckle proved that he knew it, too. Holding my hand, he led me out of the stall and dried me off before toweling himself. Then we fell into his bed together.

“You okay, Darling?” He always sounded teasing when he used that endearment, and I wondered if he used it to mock me.

“Why do you call me that?”

“Darling?” He smiled down at me as he gathered me closer in his arms. “Because you are one.”

“Yours?” It was so risky to ask that directly.

“Fuck, yeah, Hannah. You’re my Darling good girl.”

I smiled at his teasing words, but the expression didn’t fit right on my face for a change. I was too damn overwhelmed by so many emotions to let my typical happiness be front and center.

“You okay?” he asked, frowning once more. It was like he could detect that something was bothering me.

“Yeah. Just, um… tired. Sore.”

His slow smile was so sexy I swore he was going to make me rabid for him all over again. But it didn’t last. He sighed, as though he wasn’t convinced that all was well. “I should be glad that you’re a terrible liar.”

I pouted.

“Although it annoys the fuck out of me when you try to hide something, at least I can read you well enough to know when you are.”

I snuggled against him, breathing in his masculine scent and calming down with the steady thump of his heart beating beneath my cheek. “I’m getting a little overwhelmed by all these emotions. I’ve never been with a man before.”

He hugged me tighter, as though those words filled him with pride. “All mine.”

I smiled. I liked the sound of that, but I was still too guarded to just trust him and the way he could feel about me. “And it’s been a whirlwind of a month being here with you.”

He grunted, surprised. “It’s been that long?”

I nodded. “Mmm-hmm.” Maybe he wouldn’t have noticed, but I sure had. Women were more used to watching calendars for another reason—our cycles. And that was the bigger, scarier reason I felt out of sorts.

Mine was late. My periods were never late.

I’d never bothered with birth control or anything because I was a virgin and hadn’t had the time or energy to change that status about myself.

But I had now. Since meeting the former “mystery man” I couldn’t stop thinking about, I’d lost my virginity and failed to think about protection.

Dmitri was older. He should’ve known better with his many more years of experience and knowledge in this department.

I was an amateur and he was the master. I wasn’t dismissing it or passing the responsibility to him by default, but I was surprised he hadn’t thought of a condom or asked about whether I was on the pill.

“Hannah? Talk to me.” He rubbed my upper arm. “I know I’m not the easier man to deal with. After my torture, I’ve been a changed person, but I’m trying to be more like the guy I used to be.”

I considered that. “I don’t remember much of that guy. I only saw you for a couple of hours that night when Emily was kidnapped.”

“ Almost kidnapped,” he corrected. “I stopped that Rossini fucker before he could get far and called Ivan to handle him.”

I tipped my face up and smiled at him. “I was just thinking earlier that you guys are your own brand of heroes. The others were talking about Nik saving Amy from being trafficked to some old man.”

He nodded. “Maxim saved Nadia from something similar. Ivan and Alek, too.”

I grinned. “And now it’s your turn?”

He smirked. “I’m not saving you from anything.”

“But you are. The opportunity to work with you on your recovery was the escape I needed to leave Melissa once and for all.”

His sigh was a sad one. “I hate that she was a shitty sister. You deserve better.”

I gazed at him for a long moment, amazed at how much of a softie he was under the grumpy exterior. “You know, you are a walking contradiction. Some days, you can be so damn stubborn and make me so mad, but then it’s times like this when I feel so cherished and treasured.”

“Same, Hannah. Same.” He adopted a serious expression, something like gratitude. “But I appreciate that you’re stronger than you look. Strong and brave enough to take my crap and not give up on me.”

“Has anyone else given up on you?” I asked.

“You mean other women?”

I scrunched my face. “I don’t like thinking about your being with other women.”

He grabbed my ass and squeezed it. “You are so fucking sexy when you’re jealous.”

“What, you don’t mind thinking about me with another man?”

His grin turned feral and smug. “You haven’t been with another man.”

My heart thudded heavily at his words. The underlying meaning of what he didn’t say sounded like a promise I wanted to hold him to. “Does that imply I won’t be?”

“No. I don’t want to think of you with anyone else.”

Swallowing hard, I worried that he’d feel how my pulse raced. Excitement coursed through me, making me feel so alive and frenzied. “What does that mean, Dmitri?”

“It means I want us to be together.”

My soul was complete. I would burst from happiness, finally achieving what I worried I’d never find—someone who’d want me, someone I could belong with.

“And what does that mean?” I cleared my throat, tamping down this energy charging me close to giddiness. I didn’t want to look overly eager. “What would it be like to start a real future for us?”

“Are you asking what it means if you’re officially my woman?”

I nodded.

“A lot more of this,” he said, teasing me with another squeeze on my ass as he pushed me closer toward his dick.

I rolled my eyes. “I was hoping…” I teased right back. I wasn’t ready to joke about this serious topic, though. “But what else does it mean? Would I ever… be in danger?”

He let out a long exhale. “Yes and no. Yes, you could be perceived as a target because of your association with me. That is simply part of what comes with being with me. Mila, Amy, Becca, and Nadia have all faced the same situations upon entering our Bratva. They can help you understand.”

I nodded. “We were sort of talking about it earlier.” My cheeks flared with a furious blush. “Not that I was presuming anything or whatever. They were teasing me about getting closer with you, and I asked general questions about how they adapted to the Bratva lifestyle.”

“And what did they say?”

“That it was worth it.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about a thing, Hannah. You’d be under our protection.”

“Yeah. Like when I went to see Melissa. Ivan grabbed a guard to go with me.”

“That’s correct. You’ll always have protection, but you won’t be stopped from doing anything you want. I’ve already asked Alek about covering the rest of your education so you can graduate and be a nurse—officially—if you want, but working in a hospital would be challenging.”

I snuggled closer and kissed him softly. “I’m starting to think you’re the only patient I want to nurse back to health.”

“Good. But I mean it. Whatever goals or dreams you have, I will do what I can to help you reach them. Being in the Bratva comes with security risks, but we’re not going to confine you or imprison you.”

I frowned. “What about your goals?”

“Huh?”

“I overheard you earlier when you talked with Ivan after your meeting. I know you’re angry at the world, but especially this Avilov man who tortured you.”

He nodded and rubbed his lower lip. “Yes. I am.”

Smoothing my hand over his chest, I lay back down and caressed him in what I hoped was a soothing manner. “I’m worried that you’ll be so obsessed with seeking revenge that nothing else matters.”

“I worried about that too,” he admitted freely. “But I have you to thank for keeping me in check. You’re a distraction in the best of ways. Getting closer to you has helped me see that I can look forward to the future and still plan to deal with my past.”

“I worry that you’ll get impatient and hurry, then risk getting hurt again.”

He sighed. “I can’t blame you for thinking like that. But they haven’t even located that fucking weasel yet. And I’m not so stupid as to think I could beat anyone right now. It’s hard enough to keep up with fucking you.”

I laughed, amused despite the serious topic. “You can teach me how you want me to ride you again.”

“Oh, I will. I can’t wait to teach you everything.”

And I looked forward to the same. I loved how he would guide me and steer me right. Pleasuring him was a reward for me, too.

“I don’t want to lose you,” I confessed, laying my heart on the line.

“Listen, Hannah. I’m impatient. I won’t try to lie and say I’m not. But I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t take undue risks. Because if it’s the last thing I do, I’m finding that motherfucker and killing him. Revenge will even the score.”

Are you sure about that?

Through the open windows, the sounds of crying babies filtered in the room.

A thud sounded, then Alek’s curse. Then Mila’s worried voice.

“I fucking stubbed my fucking toe on the fucking… whatever that was,” Alek groused.

“Language, Alek.”

“They’re babies. They’ll grow up with it,” he told her.

I laughed lightly and looked up to see Dmitri smirking, equally amused. “There’s too many crying babies in this mansion,” he joked dryly.

What if we add to the count?

I was five days late now, but I hadn’t felt any changes in my body. I was probably just projecting my wishes on reality.

“I need to move out.” He hugged me close. “ We need to move out.”

I grinned, swirling my fingers in the faint hair on his pecs. “Me too?”

“You go where I go, Darling.”

I love the sound of that. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be telling myself that I loved him .

“How about we go look at some places? Just to get an idea.”

I glanced at him. “Are you inviting me to go house-hunting with you?”

“Yes, I am.” He kissed me before settling back down and closing his eyes, content and happy.

“I’d enjoy that,” I replied, closing my eyes as well.

I never could have imagined my life changing like this—and so quickly. Just a month ago, I felt doomed to always be stuck in the rut of living with my greedy, manipulative sister.

Now I had a man who mostly wanted to commit. A potential to share a home with him.

And a baby on the way?

I frowned, not opening my eyes. Worry filled me again, but I refused to panic until I had a better reason to.

I bet I’ll start tomorrow. As soon as I wake up, I’ll see blood. Spotting, even.

But if I didn’t?

I’ll handle that one step at a time, then.

I told him that I wanted a family, but I hadn’t forgotten how he’d expressed not being in a rush.

We’d reached a compromise of being together, but there was no telling if a pregnancy could spoil the promising start we wanted to share.