Page 19 of Bratva's Vow
He didn’t speak, just clung tighter. Like his body still didn’t believe it.
“They’re gone,” I said. “You never have to worry about them again.”
Because they were dead.
“What took you so long?” He placed a kiss on my neck. “I tried waiting up for you, but I got tired. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, nothing you have to worry about.” I stroked his hip. “I forgot about some business and had to take care of it.”
“Business? So late, Maxim?”
I kissed his forehead. Then his cheek. Then his lips, gently, carefully.
“It’s all dealt with. No reason to lose sleep over it. I’m exhausted. Just let me hold you.”
“Okay, but we’ll talk in the morning.”
“Of course. Now go back to sleep.”
His breathing slowed, inch by inch, like his body was reluctantly giving him peace again. And this time, when he fell asleep in my arms, I didn’t close my eyes. Couldn’t. I stayed awake. Watching. Guarding.
CHAPTER SIX
WREN
The water was warm against my skin, sunlight flickering on the surface like spilled diamonds. I sat on the edge of Maxim’s pool, legs submerged, arms behind me as I leaned back and let the afternoon heat seep into my shoulders. If I closed my eyes, I could almost forget the strange weight that had settled over things lately.
Almost.
Jess let out a loud laugh, the wild, unbothered kind that only she could pull off, and I cracked an eye open. She splashed water directly at Nik.
He didn’t flinch.
“C’mon,” she taunted, floating backward with a lazy grin, “just admit you’re dying to get in here with me.”
“I’m on duty,” Nik said, his voice flat but his mouth twitching at the corners.
“It’s not like we’re in public.” She flipped onto her back and spread her arms like a sea nymph. “Maxim’s mansion ispractically a fortress. There’s more security here than SuperMax.”
So I wasn’t imagining things. Jess had noticed the extra security too. I’d kept my unease to myself, figuring maybe I was being paranoid.
Maxim had enough on his plate without me piling on my anxiety over how rapidly things were changing. With less than two weeks left before I returned to college to finish my final year, I’d promised myself I’d make the most of the time.
Soak up the sunshine. Enjoy the quiet. Try to enjoy my relationship.
“Are you afraid of getting your hair wet?” Jess continued to taunt.
“It’s not the hair,” Nik muttered, scanning the yard.
I snorted. “He’s probably worried you’ll drown him with your thighs.”
Jess flicked water in my direction, but I was too far away for the droplets to make an impact. “I have been told they’re lethal.”
“Stop encouraging her,” Nik said, but there was zero heat in his words.
The sun glinted off the stone tiles around us, cream and gold, warm to the touch, like they belonged in a Grecian palace instead of Maxim’s backyard. The pool was all clean lines and quiet luxury: deep blue tiles, water so clear it could have been glass, and subtle jets that made gentle ripples across the surface. Even the chaise lounges looked expensive, draped in white towels that probably cost more than my rent.
The whole space smelled like jasmine and citrus. It was like everything Maxim touched. Perfect.
