Forced Mafia Bride (Yezhov Bratva #2)

Chapter 22 – Nikolai

I never thought I’d enjoy an evening dinner at a fancy restaurant so much that I didn’t want it to end. This moment with Rosa was beyond the physical attraction, that magnetic pull that just made me want to drag her back to the hotel room to fuck her as hard and as greedily as I wanted to.

Something else was there. Something tangible that sparked a deeper interest as she revealed more sides of herself. The simmer started from the moment I saw her walk down that aisle. And after last night, I deluded myself into thinking I’d gotten that insane drive out of my system. Then, during our flight, it hit again, more forceful than before.

Those darn leggings. The skin-tight fabric clung to her, every dip, curve, and soft angle pronounced. Watching her without being able to touch on that fucking jet was torture. So, I chose work over admiring.

And again, the more we talked, the more I realized that a pantyhose and smart mind combination made it even more difficult to keep my shit together.

So, I asked her, “What about you? What if you didn’t have to marry me? What if you had all the privileges you needed, various options laid at your feet? What if you had a choice to go out there and explore this fucked up world the way you want?”

Because God forbid that she would prefer to explore the world and live an untainted life rather than be stuck with me. The thought left a harsh sting, and I secretly dreaded hearing the words she was about to speak when she opened her mouth.

“Nik!”

I spun around, shocked at the cheery, familiar voice.

Nadia.

Moved by that familial tug, I rose to my feet, covering the distance to wrap her in a warm embrace. It’d been years since I got to hold the rascal in my arms. She smelled a lot like I remembered—rebellion and sweetness.

“Oh, Nik,” Nadia whimpered, face buried in my neck. I heard the relief, the comfort, and a hint of regret. “It’s so good to see you again. It’s been, what? How many years?”

I pulled back, searching her face through her thick, dark lashes. They shimmered with silver tears, and she stared back at me with glassy eyes. “The last time I saw you was two weeks after you turned twenty-two.”

She laughed, gently wiping the tears off her eyes. “I turned thirty-two yesterday. That makes it exactly ten years, right? Such a coincidence, but I am glad life brought you back to me.”

“I am, too. I got married yesterday.”

Her hand paused mid-air, and the most comical expression sat on her face. Gobsmacked, her jaw dropped. “ Nikolai got married? Did Egor give you his blessings?”

I slipped my hands into “Yeah. He did, but couldn’t make it. Freya’s organizing a huge family dinner to make up for their absence.”

The smile fell off her face, and she fiddled with the strap of her sling purse.

Nadia hadn’t been very lucky with getting Egor’s blessings for her marriage. Two weeks after her twenty-second birthday, she abruptly announced her engagement to some guy Egor considered a weasel. Needless to say, no one approved. Not Grandpa, not Aunt Nadia, and certainly not Egor. They kicked against it—Egor fought against it. And when she vehemently refused to listen, he promised to kick her out and disassociate her from the family name and inheritance if she went ahead with the wedding.

The Yezhov bloodline flowed hardheads and sadly, the trait didn’t escape our youngest.

So, she went ahead to marry the bastard anyway, and Egor did exactly as he promised. And he didn’t look back.

I was powerless. There was nothing I could do to bring her back. For a few months, we kept in touch, and I learned that she had come to Paris to live with the one person who supported her—our mother. We never talked about her much, but though estranged, Egor and I had a more cordial, f ormal relationship with her than we did with Nadia in the last ten years.

She attempted another smile. “That’s good. It’s good that he did. I bet he was shocked, though, when you announced that you were getting married. I just can’t believe it. What happened to your mission of fucking all the women in Los Angeles?”

I smirked. “I grew up; that’s what happened. Got real responsibilities more serious than tasting pussies.” Even if there was one I wasn’t sure I’d get tired of tasting.

Nadia laughed again, getting livelier than she was seconds ago. “I missed you, Nikolai. It used to be us against the world, or at least us against Egor, you remember? A formidable team. Sad how my life turned out. Gosh, I’d like to see Timur now.”

It bothered me, the way she’d talked about her life. “Timur’s a man now,” I said, glancing at the short cut of her hair brushing the collar of her shirt dress. That was the only sign I needed. I narrowed my eyes at her. The Nadia I knew would have never cut her hair unless her life depended on it.

“What the fuck happened?”

Her lips wobbled. She knew she couldn’t deny it. We’d always been like that, able to read each other’s minds to know when something was wrong. “He left me, Nik.”

“That fucking bastard,” I hissed, fingers clenched.

The tears in her voice quickly formed a river, but as strong as she was, she held it in. “He was a fucking fraud. The second he found out Egor cut me off, he left the house one day for a morning run, and I never heard from him again.”

“He could be dead.”

She raised her eyes to mine, not even bothering to hide the glaring pain in them. “He left a note.”

“What did it say?”

Her chest heaved. “ I’m sorry I had to leave like this, babe, but we both deserve a better life. I know you’ve put a target on my back, so I’m going to tell you I’m in Sweden, but I’m not there. Be happy. ”

Anger flooded my veins. “If he thought he was being a criminal mastermind, that was the definition of being a complete idiot.”

She suppressed a chuckle. “I agree. He was an idiot, and so was I.”

I held her gaze, wanting to tell her she wasn’t, and she only acted like a woman in love. But I couldn’t relate to the word when it felt so foreign, yet familiar in the strangest way.

“You know I can find him before dawn tomorrow if you want?”

This time, she busted out in bitter laughter. “We were only married for three months, Nik. I picked up the pieces a long time ago and have been doing well for myself ever since. If he’s lying in a ditch somewhere, then....” Her mouth twisted, and she didn’t complete the sentence. The son of a bitch still had her heart.

“Let’s just not talk about the past anymore, okay?” She linked her arm through mine. “There’s a lot I’ve missed, I know. I heard Egor’s marriage announcement; it spread like wildfire, especially since he was getting married to that detective hottie.”

“Freya,” I added for clarity. “They have two children now.”

Her face grew red, and I knew she was going to cry again. Pulling her in for a side hug, I said, “You’re not going to fucking cry, Nadia.” I looked at her, letting her see through the tough exterior guarding my heart. “ Please .”

She threw her head back, blinking the tears back amidst chuckles. “Okay. For that heartfelt plea, I won’t. I know it almost cost you your liver to say it. Wouldn’t want to ruin my makeup either.”

“I’ll get you up to speed, but first, come, let me introduce you to Rosa, my wife. She’ll be waiting.”

When we walked back to the table where my wife was meant to be waiting, she was nowhere to be found.

****

I found her by the lit garden, seated on the bench with her back to mine. Ankles crossed and head bent forward. She must have sensed my presence behind her because her legs stopped swinging, and her back stiffened. Cool evening breeze ruffled her hair, blowing her scent my way. I heard her smack her red-painted lips and sniffle. I didn’t see her face before I knew she was crying.

“What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer, just threw her head back, staring up at the twinkling stars in the sky.

“Rosa….”

“Just leave me here, okay? Go back inside. I’m enjoying the view, and it’s peaceful.”

“And it’s not peaceful inside? We were having dinner, and we’re not done. Let’s go back inside. Now.”

“Your wife wants some privacy, and you boss her to get back inside and finish her meal. I shouldn’t be surprised; this is what I signed up for.” Her words stung harsher than I expected. “Finish it, Niko. We were having dinner and then got interrupted by your guest.”

“Rosa. I’m not fucking playing right—”

“How did your reunion go?

The conversation took an interesting turn. I decided to play along and slipped my hands into my pockets. “Very well, actually. I turned around to introduce you both, but you weren’t there, and then I had to come out and look for you everywhere.”

A storm of panic and worry shook me at the sight of her empty chair. I’d decided to come on this trip without any of the men, rendering none of them useful at that point to throw a search party. Calmly, I decided to search the premises myself, tracing the ground with the urgency of a man with only half an hour to save the world.

Rosa’s head snapped with neck-breaking speed, and she jumped to her feet, her eyes blazing with the heat of an inferno. Curling her fists tightly by her hips, she looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“You wanted to introduce me to your lover? God, isn’t that the height of it?

And there it is.

The real reason she was seated out here in the cold, star-grazing with tears in her eyes. It was laughable. My mouth curved in a wry smile, and I approached her, taking one of my hands out to brush the tears away from her cheeks. She flinched, stepping backward.

“Is that what this is about?” I arched a questioning brow. “You’re jealous ?”

Why did it feel so refreshing to discover that this perfect woman standing before me gave a fuck about who I shared hugs with? She was fucking jealous, and knowing that was a bigger turn-on.

Her lashes fluttered, like she was only realizing it herself. However, she played the ignorance card and squared her shoulders in defense. “I’m only concerned that—”

“That I reunited with my sister. Got it.”

She was taken aback. “That was your… sister? ”

“Nadia Yezhov.” I nodded. “Same blood. Mother and father. But you would have known that if you’d stuck around long enough to meet her. Instead, you chose to come out here and nurse your jealousy.”

That inferno returned with an even greater intensity. “So, what? I am your freaking wife, Nikolai. Yes, I get the right to be jealous when some pretty woman comes along, calls your name like she owns you, and then gets you to walk up to her and smother her with a hug.”

“Mm-hmm.” I ambled closer, tilting her chin higher. The softness of her red-painted lips drew me in, and I was ready to kiss her on the spot. But a nagging voice prodded, wanting to know the exact reason for her green-eyed envy. “It’s incontestable, Rosa. You’re my fucking wife, but that’s not reason enough to push tears to your eyes, is it? So, indulge me; tell me w hy? Why did it hurt you so much to see me with another woman?”

In a brief moment, the heat of her gaze fell to my lips, and her eyes ran back up to my face. Her mouth opened and closed, and she retraced her steps. I saw it, her resolve to not give me the satisfaction by answering.

“I’m going back inside. Congratulations, dear husband, you’ve successfully disrupted the peace.”