Knocked Up by the Russian (Nikolai Bratva Brides #3)

Chapter 13 - Amy

Her arms were curled around a pillow that smelled like Ivan when she woke. In a blink, the memory of last night flickered through her mind. A breath wooshed out of her as she sat up in an empty bed. Amy wasn't sure which was worse: the fact that she'd slept with Ivan fucking Nikolai or that he wasn't there when she looked for him.

It was still dark outside, and when she reached for her cell phone, the time showed it was just after 04:00 in the morning. She stumbled off the bed to see if he was in the living room below, but the cavernous apartment sounded—and felt—empty. She didn't know what to do with that knowledge. Biting her lip, she thought about messaging Zia, but then she'd have to explain her curiosity, and that wasn't about to happen any time soon.

Except... now that she was thinking about it, Amy kind of wanted to talk to Zia. Setting her phone back on the nightstand, she decided to get ready for work instead.

Wherever Ivan was, hopefully, he'd turn up soon. In the meantime, she figured that she might be able to make some sense of the thoughts running through her mind. Confused was an understatement. Her whole body ached in the best possible way as she made her way across the room to her suitcases.

"I can't believe I slept with him," she whispered to herself, hearing the incredulity in her tone. Without a condom. She shivered, heading back to her phone. She'd gotten the shot a little while ago, and her calendar showed it was still another month or two before she'd need a new one. Still... not even birth control was infallible.

What if?... No , she shook her head. It had to take more than that to get pregnant.

Heading back to her suitcase, she pulled out a dress she hadn't worn in a while and then went to shower. The evidence of their night together had dried on her thighs, and Amy blushed, her heart racing as she washed it off. That was the first time she'd ever let a man... in her... Oh god, her cheeks heated even further.

Half an hour later, she finished getting dressed and was padding around the kitchen in a pair of socks when the front door opened. Ivan strode in, spotting her in seconds. Before she could even say hello, he prowled toward her, a cocky grin on his face as he pulled her into a kiss that left her breathless.

"I was hoping you were still asleep," he admitted when he pulled back. His fingers stroked her cheek tenderly, and she blinked up at him, speechless.

"Where were you?" fell from her lips a moment later, and he grinned, his tongue swiping to lick his lips.

"Why? Did you miss me, Mishka?" he said with a lazy grin.

"No," she scoffed, turning back to the coffee machine. He pressed against her, one palm resting on her stomach possessively.

"Pity," he whispered against her neck. "I missed you."

Sure you did, she thought to herself. But the sentiment left her heart fluttering and she kept quiet. He settled his chin on her head, inhaling deeply only to let out a contented sigh a moment later. So weird , she mused even if she had to admit she liked it.

"Adrian asked me for some help this morning," he spoke softly as she waited for her coffee to be poured. Another cup was procured from the cup above, and Ivan left it nearby. She placed it under the tap the moment her own was done, feeling oddly domestic about it all.

"Was there trouble at the clubs?" she asked, fighting to keep herself from melting into him. That easiness in his movements left her body wanting the same, but it felt too comfortable and she wasn't ready for that yet. They'd have to talk at some point and figure out what this was. Six months were ahead of her, it wouldn't help to get her own heart broken.

"Not quite," he mused before pulling away. She had to brace herself against following him, and wasn't that a dangerous realization? "But I'll need to go to the club again later to sort out a few things. I'll drop you off at Zia."

"Why?" she questioned, turning to face him. Her hands wrapped around her mug while he added a spoon of sugar to his cappuccino.

"I need to oversee a few things for the Bratva," he mentioned, tattooed fingers stirring his mug as he leaned against the counter next to her. Her eyes caught on his platinum wedding band, remembering the feel of his fingers the night before as she studied the square amethysts circling the full length of the ring. Her face heated, and she looked away.

"I'm not going to be able to make sure you're safe. If you're with Zia, then you'll have her security detailing you both."

"Oh," she muttered quietly, seeing the smile forming on his lips in her periphery.

"Your mom hasn't moved into the house next door yet, but I can give you the keys if you want to go look at it?" Ivan asked, tugging her close to him as she sipped her coffee.

"Okay," she said, her tone soft. She hated to admit that she was curious about what it looked like inside. Maybe a visit to Zia wasn't such a bad idea.

"I'm going to shower." Ivan set his empty mug in the basin, shooting her a cocky grin. "Want to join me, Mishka?"

She shook her head, feeling shy. "I—I've already showered."

"Pity," he lamented, his hand curling around her waist as he pulled her into him. "Any regrets, little bear?"

She shook her head, unable to meet his eyes. How the hell was she supposed to answer that? She didn't even know what she was supposed to think. What about their year-long feud? The jokes and pranks? Where the hell did they go from here?

Ivan's fingers pulled her chin up until he could kiss her lips again. His tongue pressed into her mouth in one smooth motion that made her mind go fuzzy, and she moaned softly, setting her coffee cup down to run her fingers through his hair. When he pulled away, his ocean-blue eyes searched hers—for what? She wasn't sure.

"I'll be down soon," he promised, kissing her softly again.

***

"You what?" Zia hissed on the other side of her kitchen island two hours later. They'd gone to look at Amy's mom's new place, Amy fully dressed and Zia in a silk robe and pajamas. It was gorgeous... Too much, her mind supplied helpfully as she shoved the thoughts away and concentrated on the here and now. Here, in Zia's kitchen while she interrogated her about last night.

Her friend's eyes were sparkling as she cackled loudly. "Oh my god, really?"

"Yes," Amy admitted, face flushed. Ivan had dropped her off before leaving for the club, and Zia had known immediately that something had happened between them. Then again, the kiss he pressed to her lips was pretty damn obvious.

"Mama," Alex banged his hands irritably, and Zia stopped her interrogation to finish stirring his bowl of porridge. He'd already had to wait for them to finish going through the massive six-bedroom house her mom was going to move into later that week.

"Wow, I don't know what to say," Zia muttered, an eyebrow raised. "You and Ivan? I mean... I knew something was up when he said he was going to marry you, but I always assumed the two of you couldn't stand each other."

Alex made a few more irritable noises as she shook her head, and Amy pressed her fingers to her temple. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, the Christmas party for one," Zia deadpanned, tucking a brown curl behind her ear as she went to give Alex his breakfast.

"You saw that?" Amy whispered, suddenly horrified. Of course, all the Nikolais had been in attendance last year, but she'd really thought she'd been quiet when she told Ivan off.

"Heard it," Zia corrected her. "You weren't quiet, you know."

Seriously? Amy squeezed her eyes shut as she thought back on it. "Please don't tell me that's what Kostya and Adrian were laughing about."

"Mira, too." Zia grinned, and Amy let out a whimper, trying to remember exactly what she'd said. "It was pretty impressive, you know... What was it you called him?" Zia asked before cackling. "A spoiled playboy who?" she trailed off, an eyebrow raised.

The words came to her unbidden, deepening her embarrassment, and Amy muttered sullenly. "Wouldn't know what to do with a woman if he didn't have the money to afford them."

Zia laughed so hard she snorted. "Epic. I'm pretty sure he got teased about that for a month afterward. Adrian even hired him an escort the next time he went out with them."

Amy let out a groan, laying her head on the cold marble of the kitchen counter. "Shit."

"Well, were you right?" Zia asked as she placed a jug of orange juice in front of them. Amy poured herself a glass, her nose wrinkling.

"Not in the fucking slightest."

That only set her best friend off again, and this time Zia started wheezing. "So what now?" Zia asked when she finally settled down.

"I don't know," Amy admitted. "I really don't know. We had a deal to end this in six months, but..." she trailed off, letting out a sigh.

"It's all complicated," Zia said softly.

Exactly. Amy nodded. They both turned silent, watching Alex as he finished his porridge. He'd messed a little on his face and the tray attached to his chair, and Zia wiped it away when he finished, then picked him up and turned to her with a shrug.

"Well, you've got all day to stew on it. Want to watch the new season of Grey's Anatomy while you do?"

"Sure," Amy muttered, following her to the living room.

***

That afternoon, Ivan picked her up from Zia's, a smirk on his lips that he pressed against her mouth in a kiss.

"Hi," he whispered after stealing her breath again—and if that was going to become normal, she was really screwed.

"Hey," she murmured, looking up at him. His hair was still styled from this morning, and she felt a little disappointed to see he hadn't been running his fingers through it. Clearly, his mind wasn't as troubled as her own.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, steering the car away from Zia's house. Amy blinked at the question, then shrugged.

"We didn't do much. Watched TV, and played with Alex mainly. He's starting to walk." It surprised her that she volunteered this information, and Amy quieted afterward. A frown settled on her face as she looked outside her window.

"I booked us a table at Giovanni's," Ivan said, breaking the silence a moment later. Amy flicked her gaze toward him, wondering if he knew it was her favorite restaurant. He grinned. "You like the tiramisu there, right?"

"Yes. Did Zia tell you?" she asked, turning to face him properly. Giovanni's was a little Italian bistro she'd been going to since she'd found it at eighteen. It was one of the only places within her budget back then that still served pretty good food—and she didn't just like their dessert menu. She adored it. Not many people knew that though.

"We've been working together for over a year now, Mishka. I'm bound to notice a few things," he answered.

"Really?" she cocked her head to the side, feeling a strange bubble of amusement at the obvious pride he took in that. "What else do you know then?"

"Your favorite flower is a dahlia, and your sister used to stay with you on the weekends before you moved in with me. We don't have the space now, but I can change that if you ever want me to," he added as she blinked, then before she could say anything, he continued. Listing the things he knew like he was ticking them off a checklist in his head.

"Your little brother has allergies that give him asthma, so you keep an asthma pump with you in your car and your handbag for the days he comes to visit. I made sure you have one in the new car, too. You can double-check when you start to drive it. You bought the twins their first laptops last year for their birthday, and you always phone your mom on a Monday to find out what her week is like. On the busy weeks, you always change your schedule to make sure someone's there to pick up your siblings if they need you too."

"How do you know that?" Amy muttered afterward, wondering if he knew anything more and wasn't telling her.

"We share an office, Mishka." He was quick to remind her, but she shook her head. She'd shared offices with people before and never picked up the little nuances of their lives like that.

Strangely nervous, she changed the subject, her voice soft. "Do you think I'll be able to go back to the office soon?"

Ivan tensed, fingers tapping on the steering wheel. "When it's safer."

She frowned at the non-answer, irritation bubbling under her skin. "What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

He didn't meet her eyes as he answered. "Visit Zia or stay in the apartment."

You've got to be joking. She let out a bitter laugh—she should've realized this was coming.