Page 48 of The Bratva's Innocent Sold Bride
His free hand slid down my side, smoothing over the tight-fitting dress until he reached around to grip my backside. We moaned at the same time as I pulled myself closer. His hair was still damp from a shower as I ran my fingers through the unruly dark strands. He hadn’t bothered shaving, but I loved the rasp of his stubble against my cheek as he aimed his kisses along my jaw and down the side of my neck.
Eyes closed, I breathed in his spicy, manly cologne. Running my fingers down to his shoulders, I squeezed the hard muscles under his dress shirt, moving to start loosening his tie.
He pulled back, smiling down at me. “What about dinner?”
“What about it?” I asked, tugging on his tie. My hair tumbled around my shoulders, one lone pin clinging to the end of a few strands. “My hair’s a wreck now anyway.”
He shook his head. “Your hair is gorgeous. I like it down, it’s like a waterfall. And I’m beginning to think you only want me for one thing.”
I laughed, but left my hair down and gave up trying to get him to jump my bones. I was starving, only having some ramen noodles at lunch time, so deep in my project, I didn’t even reach for the pile of energy bars I kept close at hand on my desk. There’d be time for this later, and I was still itching to tell him the news about Terrance.
His restaurant was one I’d been to before, but since he’d taken it over, it'd undergone a complete transformation, and for the better. The menu was more focused on fine cuisine, with a fresh fish special and an amazing wine selection. Mat told me proudly that every night there was a different Russian dessert, though the main selections were mostly continental European fare.
There were still traces of his bad mood from earlier as he kept getting updates about something on his phone, so I finally asked him if he could leave it turned off for a while.
“If nobody’s life depends on it, that is,” I amended.
He smiled and made a show of turning it off, putting it away in his jacket pocket. “You’re right. My beautiful wife deserves my full attention. I’m sorry, CJ.”
I was about to ask him what for, but realized he meant for checking his phone during dinner. It was surprisingly sweet and old-fashioned in a good way. After that, I couldn’t bring up work, not when he was looking at me as if I were the most important thing in the world.
Once again, I remembered Masha’s drunken words. What if…
No, better not get carried away. Not fighting was enough. It had to be.
We caught up on local gossip, since he had been keeping me apprised of the reverend who had somehow been engaging in human trafficking while still remaining an upstanding local leader. It seemed like the cops were closing in, but Mat refused to take credit.
“Don’t mistake me for a hero, CJ,” he said, too seriously.
“Sounds like something a hero would say,” I told him, starting a game of footsie under the table.
We spent the rest of the delicious dinner talking about his family in Russia, who were busy running his empire there. I was fascinated by it all, not just the minuscule bits he shared about the Bratva, but the fact that there were so many Fokins and they all loved and cared for each other no matter what.
We didn’t talk about my family because it was basically the opposite of that, and it would have put me in a bad mood.
After dinner, we headed to the club, which was known for live music. The band playing that night was local legends, and the crowd was wild. We stood at the outskirts and danced with the other couples who didn’t want to bother with the crush around the stage, and when the band took a break, a DJ started playing slower songs.
Mat pulled me close, swaying with the music, leaning down so I could hear him. “Should I cancel the deal or go ahead and buy the place?”
“You have to buy it,” I said. “For our date nights.”
He kissed me so deeply I forgot where we were, and I wrapped my arms around his middle to pull him tight to me, grinding against his rock-hard body. Moving me further fromthe other dancers, we ended up in a hallway that led toward the backstage area.
No one was around, and Mat nudged me up against a wall, his hands roaming up my sides to brush against the bottom of my breasts. He’d been driving me crazy all evening, being charming and funny and attentive. Whatever had been bothering him, he’d pushed to the side for me.
I stood on my toes, sighing when our tongues collided, moaning when he ran his thumbs back and forth across my taut nipples. The backstage door slammed open, and the members of the band poured out, ready to go onstage again. I could have cursed them, but Mat leaned close to promise there’d be more of that at home.
“Then let’s go home,” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the exit.
He was more than fine with that, lifting me off my feet as soon as we were outside and carrying me to the car.
“Work seems to be agreeing with you,” he said, reaching for my hand over the center console. “It makes me happy to see you like this.”
“I love it,” I said. “I really do. Thank you.” All the bitterness from the last several days had vanished. Once again, we were getting along. Better than getting along, we were in perfect sync. I was so happy that I decided now was the time to tell him what I found out about Terrence.
“I didn’t send everything in today’s report to Delta,” I said as we pulled into our long drive.
“Oh?” he asked warily.
