Page 140 of Bratva's Vow
The truth was out in the open. Was this the moment I would lose Wren for good?
I closed my eyes and let the dark settle into me, heavy and smothering. I rolled over onto my side, clutching the sheet that bore his scent. My life without Wren was nothing. If he wanted to go, I couldn’t let him, but was I prepared to feel his hate for the rest of my life?
Yes, the answer is yes. I can bear his hate, but I can’t bear his absence.
The door creaked open.
Soft footsteps padded across the room. I stiffened, my heart racing. Was this it? The moment he would tell me he no longer loved me?
The sheet rustled, and Wren slipped into bed beside me. I counted the seconds of separation that lay between us.
One.
Two.
Three.
Wren shifted closer, pressing himself into my back. He curled into me, wrapping an arm around my waist, and buried his face into the back of my neck.
“Maxim,” he whispered.
My throat was too tight. I couldn’t speak. My body was taut, afraid to make any sudden movement in case I broke the fragility of the moment between us. I simply held my breath, waiting for his next words.
His breath was unsteady against my neck when he whispered. “Maxim, I love you. I will always love you.”
The storm inside me broke.
I turned and crushed him to me, hands tangled in his hair, mouth desperate on his, needing him closer, needing to feel him. When we were out of breath, I pulled back, both of us breathing hard.
“Are you sure?”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me down on top of him and locked his legs around my waist. “It’s too late for me now. I’m in love with a beast that can’t be tamed, and I’m okay with that. As long as I am with you.”
I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead to his. He was so wrong. He had no idea the power he had over me. If there was anyone in this world who could tame me, it was him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
WREN
The soft hum of the HVAC and the tap of laptop keys filled the classroom in a rhythm that was almost soothing. Almost. Several students were already half-tuned out, their attention drifting toward the warm sunlight spilling through the tall windows and the promise of freedom on the other side of it.
I leaned back in my seat, trying to focus on the spreadsheet glowing on my laptop screen. Rows of numbers—rental income, NOI, cap rates—blurred as my brain hit its saturation point. Commercial property valuation wasn’t exactly a thrill ride.
How did Maxim enjoy this?
I slid my phone halfway out from under my notebook and typed a quick text to Nik. After much pleading Maxim had agreed to Nik waiting on campus for me instead of joining my classes like a creep. I knew the compromise stressed him out, but was grateful he was listening to me more.
Me:
I can’t wait to go to the range later. Is Jess coming with you?
We went every day now after my classes ended, and I was getting pretty good at it. I no longer startled every time the recoil hit. I’d become comfortable with the weight of the gun, and it actually felt exciting. Forbidden but exciting.
It wasn’t all shooting at targets, though. I had to learn gun safety protocols, how to load and unload, and clean a weapon. Of all Maxim’s men, I got along best with Nik because he was easy-going, but when we practiced, he had a no-nonsense approach. A gun wasn’t a toy but a weapon that required respect and responsibility. You didn’t point it at someone, not even jokingly, unless you intended to discharge it.
Jess had thought it would be fun and games, but quickly sobered up from Nik’s lectures. He was good for her. Darius too. The way they allowed her to be herself, while curbing some of her impulses, was something she needed. At least that was what she told me when she called me two nights ago to gush about how in love she was with her two men. I’d barely listened to her while sitting at the other end of the sofa, staring at Maxim and thinking the same thing as he massaged my feet, engrossed in the stock market news.
My phone lit up.
