Page 124 of The Bratva Enforcer and His Virgin Bride

“I’m just getting started.” He laughs, a deep, rumbling sound of pure affection as he walks beside me, his grip tightening possessively around mine.

We walk the rest of the way with the sand shifting beneath our feet, completely leaving the ghosts of our past in the tide. We’re no longer defined by the conflict that brought ustogether, but by the beautiful, chaotic, and fiercely passionate life we have built entirely on our own terms.

He slows his steps slightly, looking out at the water before tracking his gaze back down to me, a sudden, playful glint in his gray eyes. “Should we have a third wedding?”

I slap his arm with my free hand, letting out an incredulous breath. “Lukyan! What is actually wrong with you?”

He breaks into another deep laugh, completely unfazed, and pulls me closer against his side. “What? Every single time I look at you, I just want to marry you all over again. I want an anniversary ceremony every six months.”

I scoff, turning my face away to hide the massive, blooming laughter stretching across my lips. “Anytime I look at you, I just remember the terrifying, arrogant man who almost slammed his car right into me in front of my favorite bookstore two years ago. So incredibly rude.”

He lets out a booming laugh, shaking his head. “Baby, you stepped directly in front of my car. I had the right of way.”

I snort loudly at his defense, instantly kicking his shin with a sandy foot before ripping my hand from his grip. “Liar!”

I take off sprinting down the beach toward the wooden steps of our villa, my sundress fluttering wildly around my thighs.

“Sofia!” he calls out, his deep voice laced with pure amusement.

I hear his heavy, explosive strides eating up the distance behind me. I scramble up the wooden stairs of the veranda, gasping for breath and laughing hysterically, but he’s entirely too fast.

Just as I burst through the front threshold of our beach house, his massive arms wrap securely around my waist from behind, lifting me slightly off my feet and slamming the front door shut with his heel in one fluid, powerful motion.

I’m laughing breathlessly against his chest as he spins me around in the entryway, pinning my back gently against the closed door and immediately claiming my lips in a deep, hungry, and desperate kiss.

We are finally inside, the privacy of the house enveloping us, and he is already sliding his large, warm hand underneath the hem of my dress, tracing a scorching line up my thigh.

Everything is perfect, the heat between us rising to a fever pitch, when a sharp, pointed noise cuts through the quiet air.

Someone clears their throat.

We spring apart instantly. In a fraction of a second, the playful husband vanishes, and the ruthless Bratva boss returns. Lukyan slings out a compact weapon from the waistband of his linen shorts—a gun I didn’t even know he was carrying—and aims it dead ahead, his posture lethal and rigid.

But when we turn, the tension snaps. Standing at the edge of our open-concept living room is Samuel, Lukyan’s brother. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, holding a green apple, completely unfazed by the barrel of a gun pointed at his chest. He’s grinning like a lunatic.

“Damn,” Samuel says, taking a crisp bite of the apple. “You guys make me want to get into a relationship, and I totally don’t do relationships.”

Lukyan lets out a low, menacing growl, but he doesn’t lower the weapon just yet. “Stupid. I almost shot you. And maybe I should have, because you almost saw my wife inappropriately.”

Samuel rolls his eyes dramatically and waves a hand in the air. “Relax, big brother. We’re family. I’ve seen worse.” He winks.

I can’t help but let out a breathless laugh, smoothing down the front of my dress as my heart rate finally begins to slow down from the scare. “What are you doing here, Samuel?”

He shrugs, his grin widening as he tosses the apple in the air and catches it. “I came to say hello to my brother and his beautiful wife.”

Lukyan narrows his eyes into dangerous slits, his voice dropping an octave. “Try again, Samuel. Before I actually put a bullet in your leg.”

Samuel laughs loudly, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine! I saw the picture Sofia sent to the family group chat of you both walking on the beach. I couldn’t help but notice the crowd of extremely beautiful women tanning on the shore behind you. That said… do you mind me crashing your vacation? Look, I don’t mind if you two fuck like rabbits. Hopefully, I’ll find my own rabbit out there.”

He gives us another wicked wink, spinning on his heel toward the glass sliding doors that lead back out to the sun-drenched beach. He waves over his shoulder. “You two have fun. I’m going to go browse the shoreline. Bye!”

We watch the doors slide shut behind him as he strolls down the wooden steps. Lukyan stares after him for a long moment, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he tucks the hidden weapon back into his waistband. “Sometimes… I want to kill him. I really do.”

I giggle, stepping into his space to draw his attention back to me. “Ignore him.”

With a slow, deliberate movement, I reach for the straps of my sundress. I pull the fabric over my head and let it drop to the floor in a soft pool at my feet, revealing my naked body to him in the warm evening light.

Lukyan freezes. The irritation vanishes from his face as his gray eyes instantly glaze over, tracking the lines of my body with a sudden, heavy hunger. He blinks, his breath hitching in his throat.