Page 20 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

His arm curls around my waist, keeping me pressed to him while his free hand catches my chin, his thumb digging hard into the dip below my lower lip as he tilts my head up.

“You don’t seem comfortable,” he says.

“Why should I be?” I bite my lip and knit my brows. “You usually have the whole world fighting for your attention. I hate cameras. Let me go.”

His grip on me tightens, his ring biting into the skin around my waist through the fabric of my gown. “You’ll get used to it.”

I narrow my eyes, ignoring the hammering of my heart against my ribcage. “Why?”

He doesn’t answer right away.

Instead, he leans closer and angles his head, brushing his lips against the sensitive shell of my ear.

A sharp electric shiver shoots down my spine, my chest tightening so hard it hurts as the heat of his breath fans across my skin, sending an ache through my nipples that hardens them against the silk of my dress.

“Because this is your life now, wife,” he whispers, his tone so softly lethal that it feels like a blade sliding through my ribs. “And your life belongs to me, Audrey.”

“I don’t belong to you, Igor. I never will,” I snap, pushing back from him. But he’s too strong for my shoving to make any difference. He doesn’t even budge.

A wicked smile plays on his lips, his eyes darkening with amusement. The man manages to be both terrifying and mesmerizing all at once. It’s insanity.

“It’s a little too late for that now, moya malenkaya,” he murmurs, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register that vibrates against my collarbone. His fingers trail a slow, scorching path up the center of my back. “You’re mine now in every way that matters. And you’re never escaping me.”

I open my mouth to fire back, to scream curses at him, but the words get violently stolen from my throat as Igor crashes his mouth onto mine.

It’s sudden—a sharp, ruthless claim that only lasts a heartbeat, but it’s long enough to steal the air from my lungs.

Before I can even process the kiss, he pulls away, leaving my body trembling with hate and rage and something fierier than both.

I knew from the start that the ring on my finger wouldn’t be jewelry. It’s a brand, a reminder that I belong to a monster.

And I have that monster right where I want him.

Chapter Six

Igor

“What are you wearing?”

Audrey ignores my question as she walks to the other end of the table and sits down.

It’s the morning after our wedding, and after spending the entire evening introducing her to my allies and business partners, we’d both been too exhausted for dinner, let alone an argument.

. I’d left her in the master bedroom and taken one of the guest rooms, deciding we’d discuss the rules of this marriage after we’d both had some sleep.

My gaze drags over her before I can stop it.

A thin white shirt hangs loosely over her body, the material so sheer that the outline of her nipples is impossible to ignore beneath the morning sunlight pouring through the windows.

The pair of black sleep shorts she wears is somehow even worse. They cling to every curve before ending scandalously high on her thighs, revealing far too much smooth skin for my peace of mind.

A groan rumbles from my chest, and I loosen my tie. It’s either that or I’ll suffocate.

God.

She’s fucking beautiful.

Despite the year I spent without her, I never forgot her face. But now it somehow seems like my memories didn’t do any justice to her beauty. Either that or she’s grown even more beautiful over time.