Page 129 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

In chains?

I gulp as the world closes in on me with a new realization. I look into his eyes, overwhelmed by the affection pouring from those irises.

It’s impossible to imagine him kicking me out of his bed now.

But maybe that’s what he’s been trying to do this whole time.

And me—I’ve been trying to hate him. Trying and failing.

Failing somiserablythat I’ve lashed out at him as a result.

“I wouldn’t be touching you like this,” he continues, drawing a light circle over my shoulder. “Or trying to kiss you…”

His lips are warm when they meet my skin. It’s a strange sensation to feel when I’ve been cold all morning.

Yet it’s welcome all the same.

If I keep doing this, I’m going to get hurt.

It’s just a matter of time.

My thoughts spin as his lips rise to my earlobe. He’s not trying to push anything. He’s simply coating my body with his mouth, sampling me. My nipples harden when his hands rove over my hips.

I rest my hands on his chest and whisper, “Pavel?”

“Yes,rodnaya?”

“When this is all over—”

My phone rings.

I snap to attention and sweep the device from the bedside table. Willow’s name flashes across the screen. I sit on the edge of the bed while answering the call. “Willow! Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be in—”

A raspy Brooklyn accent cuts me off instead. “Hello, Liya. You sound all grown up now.”

I freeze.

Who the fuck is that?

I shudder while Pavel turns me by my shoulders toward him. He’s mouthing questions, trying to get me to answer him. But I can’t think. I can’t even see straight.

Where the hell is my best friend?

“Please forgive me for being rude,” he says. “My name is Felix Cardona. And I just want to ask you a question. Can Pavel come out to play?”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Pavel

Liya’s pupils are so wide that her amber irises have been swallowed entirely. Drops of sweat bead her forehead. Every muscle in her body locks up.

And that voice, that irritating goddamn rasp—recognizable even from this distance—is the reason she’s so scared right now.

I snatch the phone from her and press it to my ear. “What the fuck have you done?”

“Morning, kid. Did you get enough sleep?”

“Don’t fuck with me, Felix.”

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