Page 179 of The Bratva King

I smile before he slides across the bundle of nerves and leaves me gasping.

“Nikolai,” I moan.

His rhythm stays slow, but the force behind it grows, like he’s pouring every unspoken promise into the way he fucks me. I feel my orgasm building. A wave gaining strength with every stroke.

“Come for me,” he whispers. “Let me feel you. I’ve got you.”

I shatter with a strangled cry, pulsing around him, nails digging into his back. He works me through it, kissing my tears away when they slip free, telling me I’m safe. I’m his. I’m home. Only when my tremors ease does he chase his release, hips pounding faster and harder.

He groans low and long next to my ear as he spills deep inside me.

Afterward, he stays buried in me, softening but not pulling away. I stroke his hair and feel the tension leave his shoulders.

“I love you,” I say again, because he needs to hear it. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

He kisses the corner of my mouth, the bridge of my nose, and the damp skin beneath my eyes.

“Neither am I,” he answers. “I love you, Gabriella.”

46

Nikolai

I stand in the backyard watching the decorations go up. Inflatable dinosaurs flop in the breeze. A massive T. rex towers over the pool area. There are banners, balloons, and a bounce house shaped like a triceratops.

I know it’s excessive.

I don’t care.

Luke turns five today, and he’s going to have the best birthday party any kid has ever had. The party neither I nor my brothers had. We are celebrating life. Celebrating Gabby for raising the boy I love more than I knew was possible.

Galina appears beside me with a clipboard. “The cake arrives in an hour. The caterer is setting up in the kitchen. The entertainment gets here at two.”

“Entertainment?”

“The dinosaur performer. You approved it last week.”

Right. Someone in a velociraptor costume. Luke’s going to lose his mind.

“Good. Thank you.”

She walks away, and I go back to surveying the space. I’ve invited six kids from Luke’s new school. Small group. Controlled environment. Nothing overwhelming. Mila will be here with Pasha and Olga. Kylie is helping to coordinate. Gabby has been managing the guest list and dietary restrictions.

I check my watch. Three hours until the party starts.

“Nik!” Luke’s voice cuts through my thoughts.

I turn. He’s running toward me in his new dinosaur shirt, with Steggy clutched in one hand. Gabby follows at a more reasonable pace, smiling.

My family.

“Look!” Luke holds up the stegosaurus. “He’s wearing a party hat!”

I squat down to examine it. Someone fashioned a tiny paper cone and secured it to the dinosaur’s head with tape.

“Very festive,” I say seriously.

“It’s my birthday.”