Forced Mafia Bride (Yezhov Bratva #2)

Chapter 23 – Rosalyn

I finally met Nadia.

I’d walked in to see her seated at our table with the most elegance. She was decent, at least toward me. Nice, friendly, and warm. Basically everything her brothers weren’t. I hadn’t gotten a chance to meet the oldest Yezhov sibling yet, Egor, but judging from Nikolai’s mannerisms and disciplined work ethic, I suspected there might have been a rub-off from the Pahkan of the Bratva. Talking to Nadia had been like conversing with an older version of myself, a more resilient, focused, and successful version. In the short time we spent dining with her, she inspired me, and I was happy when Niko said we’d be seeing her more often.

Now, we were back in the hotel room.

Quietly, he went into the closet to do whatever he wanted to do there, and I walked over to the glass windows, brushing my fingers through the light curtains. I wanted to stop caring, but my heart refused to comply. Fuming, I let my hand drop from the curtains and folded my fingers into fists, digging into the skin of my palm until it hurt.

He didn’t mention he had a sister, but why would he? We were only a married couple on paper, right? Nothing else connected us except the growing baby in my womb. We shared no attachments except the crazy attraction neither of us could get rid of.

A vibration in my purse snapped my attention, and I plucked the phone out. The bold caller ID displayed on the screen momentarily knocked the breath out of my lungs. I put the phone to my ear, his name leaving my lips in a breathless roll.

“ Aiden?”

Between us, there had always been that breathless effect. When our eyes accidentally met across the room. When our fingers accidentally touched. When one time, he’d almost kissed me.

It had been one of those nights during my brothers’ rampage. They threw me out and prohibited me from sleeping on the steps at the entrance. I’d roamed the estate, humming to distract myself from the bone-chilling cold. It didn’t work. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but my eyes had opened to meet Aiden’s. He found me passed out on the floor. In his arms, there was a blanket, but after putting the back of his hand on my cheek, he’d changed his mind. If he left me outside that night, I would have probably died from hypothermia.

He snuck me to his room, smuggled a bowl of chicken soup so I wouldn’t die from starvation either, and took off his shirt. That was the first time I touched a man’s pecs. He’d let me, touched my cheeks, and told me it was okay if I wanted to snuggle. Body heat would do a lot of good, he said. Without hesitating, I jumped at the opportunity, hugging him tightly until our lips nearly touched.

“Rosalyn.”

His voice was exactly as I remembered. Hard, but still had that warmth he always reserved for me. He didn’t attend the wedding. Niko had promoted his rank above my father’s men, putting him in charge of conducting business there.

“Aiden, it’s…it’s so good to hear your voice again. How are you?”

It might have been crazy, but I thought I heard the smile in his voice when he answered. “How am I? Let’s see, it’s been hectic here. Didn’t know how much it takes to be at the helm of affairs. But other than that, I’m good. There’s really nothing I don’t think I can’t handle.”

I laughed, running my fingers through my hair. “You’ve always been capable.”

He was quiet for a while. Then, a heavy exhale came through the phone. “And you? How are you ?”

When I was younger, I used to think that no one cared. Aiden, however, always found a way to prove me wrong. When I needed someone to be there, he showed up. And the times he couldn’t…after Hannah’s employment, he made sure she was attached to me. His way of looking out for me. These things, he never said, but I saw the signs. And this phone call was one of them.

“Like you, I’m good.”

Deep down, the solid suspicion that Aiden loved me never left.

“ Are you happy?”

And the soberness in his voice confirmed it.

He loved me. He always had.

Tears worked its way up my throat, squeezing my lungs, snatching my breath.

The answer had always been there.

I wiped a tear underneath my eyelashes, chuckling. “I’m not unhappy, but I’m not going to choose, Aiden.”

I will not choose between you or Nikolai.

If he knew what was coming, not even his quiet breathing gave anything away.

“You were part of the best things that could have ever happened to me after Father died. There was almost nothing to laugh or smile about, but you managed to bring smiles to my face. When they pushed me around, you were always there to catch me. When I was freezing cold, you always had a blanket on standby. When I was sick, you made sure I was taken care of. Silent but observant. Cold yet warm, just enough to heat me up. I might never have believed in guardian angels if it weren’t for you. Aiden, I’m forever grateful for those times. I am thankful that, even if you’ve never expressly admitted it, you loved me.”

“I still do.”

His outright, sudden confession dealt a sharp blow to my chest. I sucked in a deep breath, the weight of what I was about to do almost crushing me.

“Aiden…I’m letting go.”

“Rosalyn, wait—”

“And it is a bit ironic that I am letting go when, really, neither of us were hanging on. But it is for the best. I will always cherish the friendship we had. But knowing that you….”

I swallowed, shaking my head though he couldn’t see.

“You have to move on. That way you’ll get to see that there’s a woman out there specially made for you. You might disagree, but you have such a good heart, Aiden, and you deserve only the best. So, I wish you well. Thank you for everything.”

A blanket of pregnant silence hung over us until he spoke again, and when he did, a resigned sigh followed. “Understood.”

With a smile of relief, knowing that the chapter had been closed with no grudges between us, I dropped the phone.

“Who was that?”

I gasped, my hand flying to my chest. “ Jesus, you scared me.”

His hard chest pressed into my back, and his lips found solace behind my ear. “ Who was that ?”

I didn’t turn around, scared of what I’d see in his eyes. “No one.”

Nervously, I tugged the hem of my clothes, suddenly conscious of the length of the dress.

“ No one made you smile?”

When I remembered that I was the one holding the angry card, I kicked my shoes off and turned around, face-first into his chest. My eyes met his with a defiance that excited me, and I poked his chest.

“What’s it to you who makes me smile, huh? Last time I checked, we don’t have that kind of relationship.”

He snatched my finger in the air and tugged me until I was flushed against him. “Really? Then tell me what kind of relationship we have because the last time I checked, I was your fucking husband.”

I pushed him back, walking away. “Doesn’t mean a fucking thing when it’s just on paper. Don’t tell me you’re jealous now?”

In a flash, strong arms effortlessly lifted me off the ground, bridal style, taking me into the bathroom. He dropped me on the cold tiles in the shower, cuffed my wrists with his big hands, and pinned them on the wall above my head.

My eyes bulged, my heart racing a marathon. “What are you doing?”

Niko’s eyes glinted dangerously under the dim lighting, and he unbuckled the belt linked around the waist of his pants. “Are you scared? I thought you were spitting fire a few seconds ago.”

“Niko….” I struggled against his hand, but he wouldn’t budge. Perks of being stronger than me. “Let me go.”

“No.”

“ No ?”

“Quit struggling and stay put.” He tossed the belt aside and worked the zip and button on his pants. A dangerous yet delicious shiver ran to my toes, secretly anticipating seeing him naked. But rationality came knocking on the door, and I blinked away my infatuation.

“Why are we here in this bathroom?”

“I am hot and need to cool down.”

“Well, that’s your business, not mine, Nikolai, so let me go.” I wriggled like a salted earthworm, and when his angry gaze snapped back to mine, I knew he’d had enough.

He jerked me backward and slammed my back into the wall. Not hard enough to hurt me, but enough to temporarily knock the oxygen out of my lungs, leaving me limp in his hand. A finger hooked under my chin and lifted my face until our lips touched.

“You’re not fucking leaving here, you understand? You’re not leaving here, and you’re not leaving me , Rosalyn.”

My heart stopped.

Raw emotion—a turbulent wave of anger, frustration, and fear —mingled in that short sentence. He let his guard down. He let me see what he’d been hiding all along.

“This heat…this insane rush and craziness I feel whenever I’m near you… you fucking caused it. It’s your fault I’m a fucking mess when I think that there’s even the slightest chance you can find happiness somewhere else in someone’s arms. It's your fault, so you have to fucking deal with it. Bear the consequences.”

When I finally found my voice, though small and nothing compared to the strength I’d used before, the only thing I could ask was, “And what are the consequences?”

His hand breezed past my face to the wall, and he turned on the shower.

Water from all four corners hit us in a rush, wetting our clothes and seeping into our bodies. But instead of cooling down, our temperatures spiked.

Slowly, his lips hovered close to mine, his hands on my throat. “Rosa….”

I melted, gripped the loose band of his boxer briefs for support to steady myself, and tried to calm the harsh thumping of my heart in my chest. “ Niko .”

“There’s no Katherine. There’s no lover.” His lips brushed mine so lightly, I thought I’d almost imagined it. “There’s no other fucking woman.”

A swelling bubble of joy sucked me in, messing with logic and every other thing that raised doubts.

He applied pressure to my throat and flicked his tongue on my upper lip. “I am yours, and you are mine.”

One of his hands skimmed down my hip, dragging the pantyhose along with it. Then, he let go of my neck, lowering himself to the wet floor to tug the sheer fabric off my feet.

Cool air hit me, and goose pimples rose on my flesh. He spread my legs one hand and hooked a finger on the elastic of my thong.

He pressed a kiss to my thigh, and I shuddered above him.

“You’ve asked me twice if I liked it when we fucked.”

The thong followed the pantyhose, dropping to the wet tiles with water rushing toward the drain. The sound of Niko’s deep timbre bounced off the walls, mingling with the harsh patter of water from the shower.

The feeling was… intense. I couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t breathe. And like a weightless rock, the tide pulled me in.

I managed a nod, knowing I was bare before this man, standing before him in a wet dress with no bra underneath and no panties. Just me, wearing my heart on my sleeve, giving him total undenied access, knowing fully well that he could squish me in the palm of his hands without blinking.

His lips skimmed the inner part of my thighs, and his teeth grazed the skin on his path.

“You should know, I do. I love it when we fuck, Rosa.” He looked up, locking me in with his eyes. “And I love you.”

He slipped two fingers through my wetness and pushed them inside of me. I gasped, arched my back, dug my nails into his shoulders, and groaned in pleasure. My fingers found purchase in his hair, and overwhelming emotion made me rock my hips while the water hit my face.

A fuse lit up inside me, assembling all the puzzle pieces and aligning my words. “I love you, too, Niko.”

And I did love him, maybe even too much for my heart to contain.

“Fuck,” he mumbled and kissed my thighs again.

Euphoria unraveled in my veins like a dose of dopamine, skyrocketing me to the point of undiluted satisfaction as he slid his thick fingers in and out. He rubbed a spot deep inside of me, hot pressure expanded, and my head rolled back.

His fingers thrust hard, curling against a spot that made me see dotted stars, somewhat like fireflies—blinding my vision. His thumb pressed on my clit, and another finger eased inside. The extra pressure pushed me over the cliff. Delicious tingles of burning heat exploded, and I whimpered something incoherent.

“What was that?”

I could barely speak.

“ Niko…. ”

Jerking my hips, I rode his fingers, desperately seeking more. Needing more.

“I want you.”

He smiled against my thighs, sucking the water dripping down my skin. “You want me?”

“ Yes.”

“Where do you want me?”

Anywhere. “Everywhere.”

He cupped a possessive palm over my sex and then brought his lips to them. My eyes rolled back to the back of my head.

“ Oh ….”

I was a whimpering, squirming mess, but he kept me in check. His mouth was skilled, sucking on each lip before finding my clit with his tongue. I moaned, moving against him with a desperate need to come undone. “Niko, I think I’m going to come.”

“No, you’re not,” he rasped and got to his feet. “Not yet. I want to be inside you. I want to fuck you so hard, you’ll scream my name. God— you drive me so fucking crazy.”

He was losing control, and I enjoyed watching him unravel.

With a swift motion, he swept my legs from the floor, wrapping them around his waist while he took out his erection and stationed his head at my entrance.

“Ready?”

“I think—” I choked, cutting off the rest of my words when he thrust his full length into me. I moved to adjust to his size, but he kept me in the position, groaning when I kissed the side of his mouth., and he turned his face to taste my lips.

With a slow flick, his tongue slid into my mouth. Hot and warm, like a mix of the strongest wine and gin, drugging me into a passion-filled oblivion. Gradually, he jerked backward and rammed into me with his gear on acceleration.

My face fell forward.

I moaned into his neck and he spanked my ass, sending a vibration that lit a ferocious fire in its wake. He smelled so good, like cool water and expensive cologne, that it made me heady.

My hands skimmed down his back, and he groaned, “ Beautiful.”

I couldn’t stop touching him. I liked how he felt. All of him. Man and muscles. He nipped my shoulder, thrusting with a force that slid me up the wet walls. Slamming into me, he captured my next moan in his hot mouth.

“I fucking like how you taste, Rosa.”

Another slam from him stretched my insides, filling me with the hard length of him. Our kiss lacked finesse. His lips moved desperately, tasting, searching. With his thumb and index finger, he pinched my clit, and my nails left marks on the back of his neck.

I was so close that I feared I was going to break or shatter like a soulless doll.

“Niko, I’m coming.”

He smiled and kissed my lips, muttering a bit of French and Russian while he watched himself fuck me an inch at a time, the look in his eyes clouded with desire. It was hot. He was hot, and seeing the look of satisfaction on his face pushed my climax to the peak.

One deep thrust from him made me shatter in his arms, hooking my legs tighter around his waist while I fell into a cloud full of bliss.