Page 37 of Cruel Russian Monster
Jaroslav cleared his throat, pulling me from my thoughts. He grabbed the stack of books from the table.
“Let’s get these checked out. I’ll take you home.”
No matter what my brain tried to tell me, my heart whispered that Jaroslav still felt something for me.
Too disappointed to argue and too mentally drained to process any of it, I sighed and let him guide me toward the front desk in silence.
Chapter 11 - Jaroslav
“This is not how it was supposed to go,” I muttered, knocking back the last of the whiskey in my glass.
The fact that I was on medication didn't faze me. I needed that damn drink. The burn did nothing to dull the growing affection I was starting to feel for Vera.
Vera and I just had dinner together. We laughed and talked, and fuck if I didn't actually enjoy myself. After dinner, we watched a movie. And as much as I wanted to take her to bed, I also didn't want to until we announced our marriage. Once the movie was over, she retired to her room, and I to the lounge for a much-needed drink.
I set the glass down on the coffee table beside my armchair, then ran a hand through my hair, frustratedly. With one arm propped on the arm of the chair, I rubbed at my temple.
This wasn’t the plan.
The plan was revenge. Retribution. She was supposed to suffer for what she did to me and to my family. Hell, what her actions were still doing to my family. Marrying her was meant to force a ceasefire with Artyom so we could focus on the other bastards tearing into our territory.
But Vera…was still Vera.
Yes, she’d changed, but not for the worse. And now I was stuck trying to figure out how the hell to silence these feelings of affection before they buried the anger, the hurt, the betrayal I had clung to all these years. Before they made me forget why I brought her here in the first place.
Should I ignore her?
Treat her coldly, break her down, remind her why she should fear me?
Keep her locked away like a damn prisoner?
Before I could settle on a strategy, I heard voices echoing down the hallway. My eyes widened.
Shit.
What the hell were they doing here?
I shot to my feet and left the lounge, heart pounding as I stepped into the hallway, just in time to come face-to-face with my brothers.
I needed to get them out of here.
Now.
I stood straighter as a blank expression fell over my face, the complete opposite of my nerves unravelling under my skin.
“What are you doing here? Unannounced?” I arched a brow.
I’d never cared before when they dropped by. Hell, I welcomed it. I didn't bring random women home, nor did I have a wife who needed the respect of knowing when company would be dropping by.
Until now.
“We came to check up on you,” Avit said with a shrug. “Or is there some new rule that little brothers aren’t allowed to check in on their older brother?”
“And besides,” Pyotr added, breezing past me into the lounge like I didn’t just confront them in the damn hallway.
Marten clapped me on the shoulder on his way by, and Avit followed behind them, smirking.
I rolled my eyes and trailed after them.
