Bratva Bride (Bratva, #1)

by T.J. Maguire

Vladimir was an attractive man with deep brown eyes, short black hair, and a sculpted face. I’d only met him once since he took over for Maxim. From what I could tell, he deeply respected my father and was ecstatic about his rise in the ranks of the Bratva.

I had known Andrei since I was a kid. He was in his early sixties, but still kept himself in incredible shape. He was around 6’2, with an athletic build and strong, sharp features.

I perched myself on the edge of my father’s desk, legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded across my chest, my mind a jumbled mess. Before we had all crowded in there, I had spent what felt like forever searching for Tatiana. Fear gripped me hard when I couldn’t find her. That was, until Nikolai told me he had gotten her to safety after the first round of explosions. I was so fucking thankful she hadn’t been hurt, but the thought that she might have been was enough to fuck with my emotions.

“At 9:18 a.m., two black SUVs rammed through our gates, both exploding simultaneously just feet out from the house. Two teams of twenty then infiltrated the grounds, killing the guards posted at the gates, Sam and Donat. One team moved inside while the other stayed outside, confronting our men.”

“Secondary explosives were placed around the patio—three or four, I’d guess—which suggests an inside job. I’ve got Koyla searching through the footage to try to find who laid the charges.”

Nadia Petrova, Andrei’s daughter. We were close growing up. Our mothers were best friends, so in a way, we were too. Until that dreadful day ten years ago. It wasn’t only my mother who was killed, but Nadia’s too.

Nadia blamed me, blamed my family for the death of her mother. And in a way, she had a right to. It was we who the Voznesenskys wanted dead, and unfortunately, Nadia’s mother was collateral damage to them. After their deaths, we fell apart, only speaking when the occasion called for it. Like then. I was surprised she was even at my wedding. Her father must have dragged her there.

Nadia’s chocolate-brown eyes found her father’s, and she smiled reassuringly. “I was on my way out when the explosion happened.” She flicked her auburn hair over her shoulder as she bent down to the trapdoor again. “I found this little one being dragged outside by a few of those fuckers. I had no clue who she was, who her parents were, so I hid her in here until it all blew over.”

Nadia blushed, her olive skin turning beet red. I couldn’t blame her. Despite his age, Alessandro was in great shape, and he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever met. Clearly, good genes ran in their family.

My father stared at him, pure rage rolling off him in waves. Anger flooded his veins, making him clench his fists and grit his teeth. He cracked his neck left, then right, then rolled his shoulders back. Oh, no.

“Arturo,” I breathed, moving to him. His eyes scanned my body, relief flashing on his face at seeing me unharmed. “Ciao, moglie.” Hello, wife.

Before I even had a chance to respond, his lips were on mine. He kissed me like he hadn’t seen me in days, with a fervor and passion I had never seen before, never experienced. I felt my body heat up as he pulled me closer to him, my blood boiling with desire. His tongue dipped into my mouth, his taste overwhelming all my thoughts, all my senses.

I groaned and had to refrain from rolling my eyes. Even I knew that rolling your eyes at a woman was just asking for trouble.

I arched an eyebrow, secretly enjoying that sassy attitude more than I cared to admit. “Looks like someone put their cranky pants on this morning,” I mumbled, wrapping a new round of bandages around my torso. She scoffed, stretching her long legs out in front of her. “If you think this is me cranky, you’re in for a fucking surprise.”

“As I’m sure you’ve figured out, my father is a twin. An identical twin. Usually, the role of the next Pakhan went to the firstborn son. And even though Dominik was born two minutes before my father, my grandfather decided he wanted them to compete for the position. So, while they were growing up, he pitted them against each other, made them compete over anything and everything. My grandfather only wanted the best to walk in his footsteps. Over the years, it became clear who the superior twin was.”

“He was better at everything. Planning, strategizing, fighting. You name it. The better my father was, the more Dominik hated him. He held years of resentment toward him. He felt that the role of Pakhan was his birthright since he was born first, even if it was only by a few minutes. He hated the fact that he had to compete for what he viewed was rightfully his. One day, my grandfather decided he wanted to expand into the States, but he also didn’t want to leave the safe confines of Russia. So, he decided to send my father to establish territory and begin the Volkov reign in America. My uncle didn’t have a good reaction to that.”

I smirked. She hadn’t seen my tricks.

I groaned, my eyes almost rolling into the back of my head. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been dying to touch you like this?” I whispered seductively, pulling her body closer. She moaned, her head falling back as I cocooned her in a tight embrace.

She raised her chin defiantly and narrowed her eyes. “Prove it then. Spar with me.” I raised my brows in surprise, not at all prepared for that statement. “Spar…with you?” I asked incredulously. She glared at me, her usually soft, delicate features turning hard and stoic. “Yes. With me.”

“If you think she’s going to come crawling back to you, you’re going to be waiting there a long time,” a deep voice spoke from the shadows. I turned to see one of Dimitri’s men move into the light and stand right beside me.

What pissed me off the most was that I kinda liked it. I liked that I couldn’t control her. I liked that I had no clue what she was going to do next. It was…refreshing.

Illayana’s gaze found mine over the crowd, and the smile on her face vanished, her eyes narrowing into slits. Fuck.

“Anything I say makes that woman mad.” Dimitri chuckled. “True. She is quite temperamental, just like her mother. Word of advice?” I grunted. “She’s getting up there to prove a point to you, and only you. Pay attention.”

She struck quickly. Left, right, high, low, alternating between both hands. But Lukyan blocked each strike, matching her stride. He swiped his staff at her head, and she ducked underneath it. In a move almost too fast to track, she jumped, pressed her foot into his thigh, and pushed off, spinning in the air and kicking him straight in the face. Lukyan’s head snapped back, the crowd cheered, and Illayana landed on her feet with a cheeky smirk. Damn, that was sexy.

My eyes were glued on the fight, on her. She was unlike any woman I’d ever met in my life. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her even if I wanted to.

“Don’t be a fucking idiot, Lukyan,” Illayana grunted. “Tap. I’ve got you.” Even from where I stood, I could see the smirk on Lukyan’s face. “Never,” he growled. Just one word, yet it was laced with pain.

He went down hard, his body crashing to the ground with a solid thud like a stack of dominoes. Illayana let him rise halfway off the floor before she pounced on his back, wrapping her legs around his torso and arms around his neck, locking him into a chokehold. The crowd went wild. Everybody screamed over one another, cheering them both on. The whole atmosphere was insane. Electric. Addictive.

Illayana jumped, and I caught her mid-air, holding her tightly as she wrapped her long legs around my body. She stared deep into my eyes, a serious expression taking over her face. “If Gabriella touches you again, I’ll kill her.”

“You were so fucking hot,” Arturo breathed, trailing kisses down my neck. His teeth latched onto my pulse, and I gasped, loving the sting of the bite. “I could have fucking killed him for laying a hand on you. Slit his throat for making you bleed.”

“Sometimes, talking can be half the fun.” He transferred both my hands to one of his and used the other one to collar my throat. “Don’t you wanna hear how badly I want to fuck you right now? How, ever since I met you, I’ve wanted you like this? At my mercy?”

“I’ve been dying to find out how you taste, how your body feels writhing beneath mine, what sounds you make when you come.” He nipped my collarbone, and I shivered. “It’s about time I found out.” He kissed me hard, consumed my mouth like it was his to own, his to use. He gripped my ass tightly and carried me to the bed as his tongue ravished me. Licking, biting, dragging moan after moan from me.

He dropped me onto the bed and stared down at me, eyes blazing with lust. “Strip.”

“Well? What are you waiting for? Taste me,” I breathed, anticipation filling my bones. He arched an eyebrow. “And what makes you think you’re in charge here?”

My breath hitched. My pulse skyrocketed. He was just. So. Fucking. Hot! All that muscle, all those tattoos. He was like every woman’s sexual fantasy. Over six-and-a-half feet of pure, masculine strength and energy. And it was all mine.

“Hands above your head. Interlock your fingers. Don’t move them until I say.”

“You’re shaking,” he rumbled, dropping to his knees.

“I wonder why? I’ve got a sexy-as-fuck dude in between my legs, staring at my pussy like he’s about to ravish me.” Arturo smirked. “Oh, I’m definitely going to ravish you. But I’m going to take my time doing it.”

He wedged himself between my legs, placing them on his shoulders as he spread my folds with his thumbs. The flat of his tongue traveled from the opening of my clit in one long, giant lick, and he groaned, his eyes rolling back. “So fucking good. I could lick you all day.”

He sucked them into his mouth and closed his eyes. “Best thing I’ve ever tasted. I just want to feast on you all over again.”

He got to his feet, the bulge in his pants snagging my attention straight away. He stared down at me. “Up,” he barked, breathing hard. “On your knees.”

“Take my pants off,” he ordered, voice gruff and thick with desire. My hands flew to his waist, and I unbuttoned his pants, tugging them down his thick, muscular thighs.

I knew he was big. I had felt it against my leg. But seeing it up close and personal, bopping in front of me, made me realize exactly how big he was. And he was fucking huge.

“Fuck…yeah…take it all, kotenok. Every fucking inch.”

“Make no mistake, Illayana. This pussy is mine. Mine to use. Mine to fuck. Mine to mark.”

“I planned to take you for the first time, staring into your eyes, showing you how much I wanted you. How much I craved you.” He pounded hard, his thick, glorious cock hitting me so deep I swore I could feel it in my womb. “But since you decided to get smart with me, I’m going to punish you, fuck you like a whore instead.”

Ooop sir

He gripped my hair and yanked my head back, pulling me up until my back smacked into his chest. He ran his tongue up my neck. “Oh, you like that.” He chuckled. “You want me to fuck you like a whore, don’t you, my beautiful wife?”

He swiveled his hips, keeping one hand in my hair as the other came up to collar my throat. Driving forward, he powered into me, our bodies slick with sweat, our groans echoing all around us, accompanied by the slap of his hips hitting my skin.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he panted in my ear. “I’ll be taking you again.”

She flaunted that delectable body around me as I got ready, bending down with her ass in the air and pushing her chest out so her tits caught my attention. I nearly stabbed myself with my own damn knife. She was so distracting.

Thanks to Mikhail—Illayana’s twisted godfather—we were armed to the teeth. We each had a P-90 strapped to our backs and two handguns at our waists. Dimitri had to call in a favor with the dude after his supply was cleaned out. I thought P-90s were a bit extravagant, but the Russians never did shit in halves.