Page 93 of Ripped Lace (Ripped Bratva)

“Be sorry all you want. There’s no changing the fact that you’re mine now, Elyssa. Like it or not, I am your husband. I will do what it takes to keep you safe. You and Theo alike.”

“Except Theo’s not safe. The enemy has him.”

“And I’ll get him back.”

She shakes her head. “Not this way, you won’t.”

“And what’s your fucking plan?” I grit. “Stand in front of their gates and beg for a conversation? They’ll shoot us before you can get the first pathetic ‘Please’ out.”

She shakes her head like that’ll undermine the truth of what I’ve just said. She desperately needs to believe in another way, an alternative that won’t result in Theo’s death.

“You need to find out more… about where they are. How much security they have. What their plans are,” she mumbles.

“What the fuck do you think I’ve been trying to do?” I ask through gritted teeth.

When I shift position, my hard cock digs into her thigh. A tiny little gasp escapes her lips and that only serves to make me harder. In a moment of insanity, I imagine those plump lips wrapped around my cock. I struggle to push away the inappropriate thought.

But it lingers. It always fucking lingers.

“I’ve had dozens of my men scouting around for more information. All of them have come up blank.”

“Because you haven’t given them enough time,” she argues. “You can’t just go in there guns blazing.”

She pushes back against my body—which doesn’t help me tame my erection in the slightest.

And that’s when I realize…

She knows exactly what she’s doing.

“You’re playing a dangerous game here, Elyssa.”

She doesn’t even bother denying it. “I’ll play any game I need to in order to get my son back.”

I rip her hands off mine and pin both wrists against the wall on either side of her face. Her breasts are pressed up against me, and I can feel her nipples through the thin fabric of her blouse.

“Is that right?”

She doesn’t falter. The fire in her eyes glows hot. “That’s right.”

“What happened to the innocent little girl I found in that nightclub?”

“She’s gone,” Elyssa says.

“She grew up, huh?”

“No. She woke up,” Elyssa snaps back. “You married me, Phoenix. Maybe you plan on casting me aside when I’ve served my purpose, but for right now, I am your wife. And if you expect me to play the part, then you’ll have to try and compromise. This is my son. I deserve a say in how to save him.”

I clench my jaw, sick of being questioned and second-guessed at every turn. I lean in. I’m so close that my nose grazes the side of her neck.

She cranes her face away from me. Her breath is coming in fast and I know she’s affected by my proximity.

She can deny it all she wants—but the flame between us is burning as hot as ever.

“Okay, little lamb,” I say softly. “You want to play at war? Then tell me what you would do now in my place.”

I’m so close to her that I can’t see her eyes, but I can feel every inch of her. The steadiness of her breaths, the hard nubs of her nipples. The way her fingers tremble just a little against my hands.

“I…”

---