Page 17 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

I chuckle dryly. “It costs me nothing to lift you. I’ve done it countless times, remember?”

She barely hides the pink blush that surfaces on her cheeks. I know without a doubt that the memories are as fresh in her mind as they are in mine.

“You’re insane if you think I would ever agree to that.”

“Not even if your mother and twelve-year-old brother were dragged along with you?”

Audrey stiffens but doesn’t flinch, and that only fuels the dangerous attraction coursing through me. Her mix of defiance and fear is intoxicating.

“You’re a monster,” she spits, with hatred in her words.

But underneath, I hear the slight tremor in her voice, and I know I’ve got her right where I want her—completely cornered, left with no option but submission.

I push my chair back and edge closer to where she stands.

I observe her reaction—the tremble in her jaw, the way her eyes flick to my lips—and I smirk, knowing full well the tension is mutual.

For this round, I know I’ve won. I have the upper hand, leaving her trapped between fear, fury, and the undeniable attraction neither of us can deny.

Chapter Five

Audrey

My breath hitches and my heart pounds as if it could explode at any second.

It’s hard to breathe when Igor’s eyes are staring into mine with such heavy intensity, his tone possessive and leaving no room for argument.

I should argue. Tell him I’d be fucking dead before I ever agree to something as preposterous as becoming his wife.

But when my lips part, I say the opposite of what I intended.

“Fine.”

His brows lift barely an inch, but I can tell he’s surprised.

“I’ll marry you,” I say with a nod, then flash a smile I’m not quite sure is convincing.

He moves closer, his eyes narrowing on me with suspicion. The air tenses around us, causing the air in my lungs to still.

“Don’t even think of playing games with me, Audrey,” he warns, his voice deep and gruff.

My smile widens, a perfect contrast to the churning in my stomach—not fear, but something else.

This is strange.

I should be angry, afraid even. But here I am staring at the most dangerous man in the city and smiling like it’s nothing. “What games could I possibly be playing with you, of all people?”

His lips curl with a cocky grin, and then he lifts his hand to my face and caresses my cheeks with his thumb.

The touch is intimate, awakening something primal in me that I believed died years ago. My cheeks heat, flushing a bright red, and the churning in my stomach turns into fluttering.

“Good girl.” He drops his hand into the pocket of his tailored suit. “Get ready to move into my place. Our wedding is only a few days away.”

He doesn’t even wait for my response before he turns and heads straight for the door.

Rude bastard.

The moment he’s out of the office, I let out the breath I’ve been holding since he announced our marriage and greedily gulp oxygen into my lungs. Then I lower myself onto the leather couch and process what just happened.