Captivated by the deadly mafia boss

Lena

It’s odd, this sensation of familiarity and calm with Micah sitting across from me at the breakfast table. His housekeeper is here today, and she filled my plate with eggs, bacon, and fresh cut fruit. Everything is delicious, but I didn’t have a chance to tell her before she danced out of the kitchen to get to work.

“How often does she come?” I ask him as he sips his coffee. He drinks it black while I shovel another spoonful of sugar and cream into mine.

“Delphia? Three times a week. She’ll leave a few prepped meals in the fridge. But I like to cook for myself most of the time.” He looks at my plate with a smile. “You have a healthy appetite.”

Only a few bites of the strawberries are left. “Are you saying I eat too much?” I try to draw irritation, but the playfulness of his eyes stops me.

“No. It’s good.” He leans back in his chair. “You slept okay?”

I tense, unsure of what to say about our sleeping arrangement. What happened last night, how easily he turned me into an aroused animal with a few straps of his belt, how can I look at him in the eye this morning?

“Yeah. Good,” I say and hide behind my coffee cup, grimacing at the taste. It’s still too bitter.

“And you’re feeling all right this morning?”

My cheeks heat with his question. He’s not even being subtle; the joviality of his voice tells me he finds the entire line of questioning amusing.

“I’m feeling perfectly perfect this morning,” I say with a raised chin. I won’t let him bait me into an argument. I do feel good this morning. Last night was the best sleep I’ve gotten in weeks.

“Good to hear,” he says with a wink. “About school.” He puts his cup down and leans forward. The playfulness is gone and he’s back to being all stern and serious.

Of course he’s going to demand that I drop it. I’m to be his wife, and the wife of the Bratva doesn’t hold a career.

“The next session starts soon, right?”

My gaze flies up to his. There’s no dark brooding glare staring back at me, just curiosity.

“Next month, yes.” I remain cautious.

“Do you have your classes picked?”

I sink in my chair. If he’s giving this to me only to pull it out from me in the next breath, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep myself from shoving my fork into his throat.

“I haven’t enrolled yet, no.” I hadn’t worked out which class to take. If I signed up for more than one, my father might have found out easily.

“Then you can do that this morning. You can do it online, yes?” His eyebrows rise, wrinkling his forehead. His hair is slicked back, and even though he’s shaved there’s a shadow along his jaw.

I blink away the moment. I can’t keep gawking at him; it will only go to his already arrogant head. “Yes. I can do it online.”

“Good.” He gets up from the table and pulls his jacket from the back of the chair. “Then do it today, sign up for as many as you need.” He fixes the collar of his shirt with the jacket on then pulls out his wallet. “Use that.” He drops a credit card on the table next to my plate.

I pick up the plastic card. It’s a black Amex. No limit. Is he crazy to give this to me?

“You’re okay with me going to school? To get a degree?” I run my finger over the edge of the card.

He walks around the table and cups my chin, pulling my attention up to him. “We are different, you and I. We’re not like our fathers.” He kisses me. Warmth runs from my lips down to my very core. I feel like I’m lifting off the chair and I curl my toes into my shoes to keep from floating away. When he pulls away and I blink my eyes open, he’s smiling down at me.

“Also, there’s a seamstress coming today with wedding gowns for you to try on and pick. I expect you to find something from what she brings or tell her what you want and she’ll have it made.”

“By Saturday?” I ask with wide eyes. “That’s only three days.”

“More than enough time,” he says and buttons the jacket of his suit. “Your brother’s wife is coming today too.”

“What?” I tense beneath his stare. It’s overpowering when he directs such fierceness toward me. I’m not sure he means to do it; power just runs through his veins.

I shake my head. “No. I don’t want to see her.”

He smiles and touches the tip of my nose. “And who asked if you did or didn’t?” He grows serious again. “She’s your brother’s wife. You’ll be gracious, and if I find out you weren’t, you’ll get another taste of my belt that you won’t enjoy so much.”

“You can’t just do that whenever you don’t like something. I’m not a little kid.”

“I think you’ll find that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want with you.” He leans over me, caging me with one hand on the back of my chair and the other on the edge of the table. “You have brothers and now you have a sister. Be grateful for them.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

A sadness touches his eyes, peeking through the dominant stare he’s settled on me. He had a brother, I remember that.

“I don’t understand you,” I say, searching him for a sign as to who the hell he is exactly. One moment he’s nothing more than a powerful man in the Bratva who can and will crush me at his will, and the next he’s insisting I continue my education and wants me to build bridges with my family.

“I’m not as complicated as you think.” He kisses my forehead. “I have meetings all day. We’ll have dinner at the restaurant tonight. Be good to Kasia. Pick a dress and sign up for your classes. If you need to go anywhere, you’ll call me first and I’ll have someone take you.” He pushes away from me, though I can still feel his warmth.

“I don’t have your number.”

“It’s programmed into your phone.”

“Along with that tracker?” I ask, giving him a side glance.

“Yes, and the tracker will stay on it.”

“You don’t need to do that. It’s not like I have anywhere I could run if I wanted to run away.”

“I’m not worried about you running away.” He takes his plate and coffee cup to the sink. “My family has enemies, Lena. As does yours. Snatching the daughter of a high-ranking member of the Staszek family is a good way to hurt your father.” The irony of his statement hangs between us. “Kidnapping the fiancee of a high-ranking member of my family is just as lucrative to my enemies. It’s for your safety that I know where you are and that one of my men goes with you.”

He’s right, but I don’t concede the point.

“I’d like to get coffee with my friends,” I say as his phone dings, taking his attention away from me.

“Let me know when, and Dimitri will be here.” He taps away on his phone. “I’ll see you at the restaurant eight o’clock.”