Page 70 of The Bratva's Captive

She licked her lips.

“And don’t start obsessing over what you mean to me.” I brushed her hair back. “You saw how jealous I got over a fucking cook getting your attention.”

She almost smiled.

“I will lose my mind if any man tries to get to you.”

She leaned up to kiss me.

“And I’ll be damned if you think I don’t care about you.” I welcomed her arms around me. “But you will not earn my trust in any other way.”

“Who said I was trying to?” She was cocky and unafraid.

I realized she wasn’t. She wasn’t pushing me and challenging me for the hell of it. When she went to help that cook, it really was because her first instinct was to help someone in pain, not to play games with me or test my views on her.

As we stood under the water for another long moment, I gave in and sighed at the tentative bliss she gave me. I could stare at her forever and never tire of the thrill and pleasure that she was in my life.

“What’s that look for?” she asked once I shut the water off.

“Admiration.”

She laughed as I guided her out of the shower. “Admiration?”

I nodded, wrapping a towel around her before I got one for myself. “I admire you,” I admitted. Drying her off, I cherished how she cut out that threat of being numb for me.

“You stood up to me, sticking with your insistence that it wasn’t wrong of you to help my wounded staff.”

She shrugged. “That’s who I am.”

I kissed her gently. “I can see that. But I’m not used to women who don’t try to manipulate me.”

“And I can see that,” she said as we went back toward my bed. “You’re wealthy, strong, and very skilled.” She lowered her gaze to my dick as I got onto the mattress. “Women would kill to be in my position.”

“Lucky you.”

“Luck?” She snuggled against me. “I’m not sure it’s luck.”

“Then what?” I asked, holding her close and enjoying the calming effect she had on me.

“I don’t know. But please know that going forward, I only want you, Maxim. I hate to admit that since you kidnapped me, but… it’s true. And I trust you to know that you’re the one I want no matter what could lie between us.”

I fell asleep to her words, too tired to pick at them. When I woke, I lounged with her in bed and watched her rest.

Trust?That was the one thing I’d never be able to give her freely. But I could try to see how she handled more of mine. So far, she’d only met my brothers.

If I wanted to have another gauge of how I could begin to trust Sloane, I could see what my grandmother thought of her. She’dbeen so eager for me to marry and produce an heir that she might be in the calculating position to view Sloane in a way I might not. Grandmother could be an independent judge of what kind of a character Sloane was at heart.

Because as I cuddled in bed with her, reluctant to leave this warmth and peace, I had to consider how badly I wanted to be able to trust this woman who’d earned my admiration.

I’ll arrange for them to meet today.

29

SLOANE

Iwoke up and sighed, nestling against Maxim. The mornings when he was still in bed with me were the best. Even if he didn’t take me and start my day with an orgasm, he was there as a distraction from the boredom.

After last night, though, I was curious whether things would be different between us.

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