Page 62 of Bratva's Intern

My gaze strayed to Wren’s bedroom door, and I blocked out Nik asking Jess if she was going out. I had no interest in the answer or the fact that my bodyguard clearly wanted to explore what was beneath her skirt.

Wren’s door opened, and he walked out. My breath caught in my throat. He looked?—

Stunning.

The outfit was sharp, tailored to his athletic frame in a way that was both casual and elegant. It looked new, yet I didn’t recall selecting it for him when I took him shopping. Had he bought new clothes for our night? I said nothing, simply adjusting my cuffs as I forced my gaze away.

“Apologies for being late,” I said. “Some business came up last minute that I had to take care of. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Wren held up a notepad. “I brought this to take notes.”

I frowned. “A notepad?”

He gave me a flat look. “Yes. People still use them.”

No, they didn’t. Everyone I knew used a tablet.

I signaled to Nik that we were ready. As we walked toward the door, Nik murmured to Jess, “Enjoy your date.”

How he managed to tell her that when he obviously wanted her was beyond me. I would be stalking her date so I could dispose of her lover later that night. Luckily, I’d never cared enough about anyone to go that far.

No piece of ass was worth going to jail for.

In the car, silence stretched between us. Not the comfortable kind. Wren clutched his notepad on his lap, staring out the window, his mind clearly elsewhere.

I left him alone, too bothered by the man I’d killed earlier. I still had no idea which of my enemies had made a move. Hard to decide when I had several. From the Italians to the cartels. Not to mention Arkady, who I didn’t trust an inch.

Which one had the balls to make the first move?

Nik pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot, and Wren muttered something under his breath.

I glanced at him. “What’s that?”

He turned his head, eyes sharp. “For someone who bought me so many clothes because he was ashamed of how I dressed, you could have at least told me how I looked tonight.”

For a second, I was stunned. Was that why he’d been sulking? He wanted me to compliment him? Of course he did. Wren thrived under praise.

A slow smile curled on my lips. “Wren, you look absolutely ravishing tonight.”

Wren rolled his eyes instead of basking under my compliment. “Now I know you’re making fun of me. You’re a cruel man, Mr. Morozov.”

I reached for his arm, but Nik had opened the door, and before I could say another word, Wren stepped out.

“Wren!”

Dammit. He didn’t stop but kept walking toward the entrance of the restaurant. Frowning, I followed, catching up with him in a few strides. I grabbed his wrist and jerked him to a stop.

“What?” He tugged at his hand, but I tightened my grip on him. “I’m sorry I tried to make myself look good for you.”

“You… got all dressed up for me?”

“Of course I did. I even got Jess to do my hair. All because I didn’t want to embarrass you anymore with how I look.”

“You don’t embarrass me.”

“Yeah, right.” He snorted.

“You don’t. I bought you new clothes because I thought it’d make you feel more confident in your new role. Poverty isn’t something to be ashamed of. Did you make yourself poor?”

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