Bratva Prince (Bratva Series Book 2)

“On your feet, malyshka,” Aleksandr rumbled, standing in the doorway to my prison.

I sighed, pausing my workout to glare at him. “Hello to you too, Big Guy. I’m great, thank you so much for asking. And how are you this morning?”

His lips tilted up in the slightest hint of a smile. “Better now.”

I tried not to read too much into that, but flutters bloomed in my stomach anyway.

“Come on, I have something to show you.”

Colour me intrigued.

I only had three sit ups left, so I quickly finished my set and jumped to my feet, stretching out my body. Aleksandr’s eyes trailed over me, flaring with heat. I loved the way he looked at me, like I was the hottest thing in the world. It was definitely a confidence booster.

“Lead the way,” I said, sweeping a hand through the air. I followed him out of the room, my eyes gliding over my surroundings out of pure habit. I noticed the lack of security instantly. The guard that was usually posted at my door was no longer there.

Interesting.

Did that mean he trusted me not to try to escape?

No. If that was the case, I wouldn’t be locked in every night.

“How did things go with that woman? The one you kidnapped?” I asked as we walked down the stairs. Curiosity zinged through me. Where was he taking me?

Aleksandr grumbled. “Good.”

“Doesn’t sound good. What happened? Did you kill her? Tell me how you did it. Did she cry?”

He chuckled softly, his eyes lighting up with amusement. “I didn’t kill her. My sister did. She was the one Rayna handed over to be raped, so the kill was rightfully hers. She eviscerated her.”

“Reaaaally?” I drawled out, my interest peaking. Evisceration was brutal. It required someone with a very strong stomach. “I think I like your sister.”

Aleksandr laughed. It was a full body, boisterous laugh that instantly brought a smile to my face. I had no clue what he found so funny, but I’d say it again and again if it meant I got to hear that sound again.

The two guards at the front door looked at Aleksandr in shock, like they’d never heard him laugh before.

“Fuck, I think she’d like you too,” he said, his body still shaking. “I don’t even want to know the kind of shit you two would get up too if you ever met.” He opened the front door, holding it open for me.

I walked out into the brutal Las Vegas heat. The sun bored down on me, the air hot and sticky. Aleksandr placed a hand on the small of my back and led me around the house. He wasn’t taking me back to that torture dungeon, was he?

God, I hoped not.

When we turned the corner I froze, stopping dead in my tracks. In front of me was a bike course of some kind. Laid over the grass was a large foam track the size of a tennis court. It had little roads going off in dozens of different directions, with safety cones placed throughout as obstacles. It was done up like a miniature town with traffic lights, bench seats, free standing lamps and fake bushes.

A beautiful, black bike sat smack dab in the middle of the track, a helmet hanging off the handlebars.

I turned to face Aleksandr, my eyes wide. “What’s this?” I breathed out in shock.

“You said you’ve always wanted to learn how to ride a bike.” He shrugged a shoulder idly, like it wasn’t a big deal. But fuck, it was.

This would have taken him ages to set up. He’d gone to all this trouble for me? Oh man, my heart swooned. I was lost for words. No one had ever done anything like this for me before. Ever. I was stunned into silence (which didn’t happen very often).

“You’re going to teach me?”

He nodded, leading me towards the bike. It was perfect. Exactly how I envisioned my first bike to be. There was no basket or ugly tassels hanging off the handles. It had a gorgeous fire-breathing dragon sticker on it, reminding me of the tattoo on my chest. Was that why he got it?

“I don’t know what to say.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was not going to cry.

Hold it in, Drea. “Thank you,” I croaked.

“It’s nothing,” he grunted.

I jumped up on my tiptoes to try to kiss him, but he was too damn tall. I settled for grabbing his shirt instead and yanking him down towards me. He chuckled as his mouth met mine. I could feel him smile against my lips. It made my heart soar.

“Come on. Let’s go, let’s go,” I said excitedly, jumping up and down. I climbed onto the bike and used my feet to push forward, eager to get started. The bike started rolling, gaining momentum. I tried to put my feet on the pedals, but I couldn’t get them on.

When the bike slowed down and began to shake, panic set in. I didn’t know where to look. My head darted down to my feet and then back up to my hands. Down and up, down and up.

“How do I stop?!” I shrieked. I was going to fall off.

Aleksandr’s big hands gripped me by the waist, steadying me. His rumbling laugh hit the air. “You need to steer and pedal.”

“At the same time?”

“Yes,” he chuckled. Glad he was enjoying himself. This was terrifying. He brought me to a stop. In his hands was the helmet that had fallen off the handles. “Safety first.” He put it on my head and clipped it together under my chin. “Now, feet on the pedals.” I did as he said, looking down to make sure I’d placed them on properly. “Good. Hold the handles tight, but not too tight.”

Not too tight? What was ‘not too tight’?

“That’s it. Okay, start pedalling.”

“I’m going to fall.”

“No you won’t. I’ve got you.”

I hesitated for a second, but the feel of his strong hands on my waist gave me confidence and I began to pedal. I went slowly and he stayed with me every second of the way, keeping me balanced.

“Good. Focus on steering the bike. Keep it in the middle of the road on the track.” His voice was soft. Comforting, patient.

I focused on keeping the bike straight, trying not to let it shake while my legs pedalled. When the road curved, I steered it to follow and Aleksandr praised me.

“Very good. Now pedal a little harder.”

I did and I started to go faster. Hey, this wasn’t so bad.

A smile bloomed across my face. I was doing it. I was riding a bike!

We went around the track over and over again. Aleksandr kept up with me, his hands firmly on my waist as he gave me more instructions. I was so lost in concentration, focusing on steering and pedalling, steering and pedalling, that I didn’t even notice Aleksandr had let me go until I’d biked past him.

“Oh my god!” I jerked in fear and the bike shook.

“You’re alright! Keep going.” Aleksandr called out, his voice soothing. “You can do it.”

I righted the bike, determination filling my bones. I put all my focus into the task before me, remembering everything Aleksandr had said, and kept going. Around and around I went, never losing momentum. Confidence burst in my chest. I picked up a little more speed.

This was so much fun! I started going faster and faster, the wind whipping in my face, and I hollered out in excitement.

“Woohoo!”

I zoomed past Aleksandr as he stood on the outside of the track. He just watched me loop the course over and over again, not an ounce of boredom on his face. There was a warmth in his eyes I’d never seen before, a softness that made my heart skip a beat.

As I made my way back to him, I recounted everything he’d said about braking and came to a stop in front of him. I placed my feet back on solid ground and a huge, beaming smile broke out across my lips. I softly lowered the bike to the ground (because I didn’t want to scratch it) and ran to him.

He caught me as I leapt into his arms. I kissed him all over, on his lips, cheek, forehead, nose. I peppered him with kisses and he scrunched up his face, laughing. I’d never seen him like this before. I liked it. He was so carefree. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

“Thank you,” I breathed out, slightly overwhelmed. I still couldn’t believe he’d done this for me.

Aleksandr stared deeply into my eyes. “Anything for you.”