Page 14 of Forced & Knocked-Up Bratva Bride
At this point, he’d left me with no choice but to do what was best for me, even if it meant taking extreme measures. No hard feelings. It was a necessary evil. He hadn’t felt bad when he took me against my will, when he kidnapped me and locked me up in his mansion. Why should I feel bad about manipulating the situation to my own advantage?
He’d started this game, and now, I was simply cultivating the thoughts of how to play along, how to make a few tweaks here and there so the odds would be in my favor. In my family, manipulation was the order of the day; it was an art that every Romano had to learn at a tender age. Father made it clear that once an opportunity presented itself, it was wise to always jump on it before someone else did.
There was no room for weak links in the Romano household, and I refused to be one. I refused to be the daughter who was too reckless, too weak to do the right thing to save herself. I got myself into this mess, and it was my responsibility to get myself out by any means necessary.
Today, I’d been in bed all morning, thinking, strategizing, and cooking up ways to execute my plans against him. However, there was only one problem: I’d never seduced anyone before. Ever. The art of seduction was uncharted territory, one that I was unfamiliar with. But as the saying goes, there’s a first time for everything.
However, that appeared to be a problem for another day. Today’s challenge was this burning fever that had me under theweather. At first, I didn’t take it seriously until the room began to get colder and colder by the minute, forcing me to wrap the blanket over my shuddering body.
My teeth were subtly gnashing as a cold shiver literally ran down my spine. I threw my hand to my forehead, wincing at the heat beneath my skin. I was burning up.
“No, no, no,” I mumbled under my warm breath. “I can’t fall sick. Not now.”
This wasn’t a good time to be ill, considering the amount of work that needed to be done. I was supposed to be on high alert—to be in the right state of mind in order to figure out how to best twist this attraction into the perfect weapon. My escape plan depended on my health. I couldn’t fall sick. No.
With a slight groan, I tossed the sheets aside and attempted to sit upright. My head and eyes were heavy, and I could feel my whole body shuddering, betraying me and dragging me down into exhaustion. I managed to sit on the edge of the mattress, the marble floor cold beneath my feet.
I lowered my heavy head, fingers rubbing my burning eyes as I attempted to stand. Wrong move. A cloud of mist blurred my vision, dizziness swallowing me whole while the world seemed to swirl around me. My head was spinning, and my warm breath ceased for a moment. I felt weak in my legs, and before I could take one more step, my knees quaked, failing to carry my weight.
My eyes shut, my body collapsing as the marble floor rushed up to meet me. I crashed to the ground, the sound of my own heartbeat fading into the background. A sigh escaped my lips as my eyes rolled back into their sockets, and the world went dark.
I drifted into the abyss of nothingness, unconscious, completely out like a light.
Chapter 12 – Nik
I was told that she hadn’t had anything to eat all day and that although her room wasn’t locked, she hadn’t stepped out since morning. It was a bit unlike her, considering how she jumped on every opportunity to leave the four walls of her prison.
Something was off; I just wasn’t sure what it was yet. Deep down, the thought did cross my mind that perhaps she’d attempted to escape through the window. But that was mission impossible, and besides, my warning had penetrated her soul. She wouldn’t dare.
However, I had this gnawing feeling in my chest that I should check on her. I was reluctant at first, given the newfound attraction growing inside of me. Being around her very often wasn’t such a good idea, as I didn’t trust myself when I was with her. One wrong move, and things could escalate; things could end up getting out of hand and beyond my control. This was the last thing I wanted at this point.
I paced back and forth in my room, bathed in the chandelier’s soft, golden lights, contemplating my next move. I’d just come in about an hour ago and was still exhausted from the day’s work. I could choose to relax and check on her tomorrow, but she’d been on my mind all day, occupying my thoughts.
This was an opportunity to set my eyes on her, to behold her beauty and inhale the aroma of her feminine perfume, her signature scent. The more I tried to stay put—to stop myself from going to her—the more I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. A part of me wanted to avoid her for at least the next two days, but how could I do that when she was all that I could think of?
She hadn’t been seen all day, and that somehow piqued my curiosity. I needed to know why and be sure that she was fine. Was I worried about her well-being? I shouldn’t be. It was too early to let down my guard; she was the enemy’s daughter. But no matter what excuse I gave myself, something still pulled me to her like steel to a magnet.
I heaved a sigh, fingers combing through my hair as I decided to damn the consequences and check on her. I’d just breeze in and breeze out after I’d made sure that she was alright. I slipped into a pair of joggers and headed out, stripped from the waist upward.
Outside her room, I halted, my hand hovering over the door handle for a second before I grabbed it and pushed the door open. It was unnaturally quiet in here, still—silent as a graveyard. And when my eyes fell on her body lying motionless on the floor, my heart stopped for a second.
“Shit!” I cursed under my breath, rushing to her without a moment’s hesitation. I dropped to my knees beside her, feeling for a pulse while my own heart quickened.
She’d passed out—unconscious, her eyes shut.
A wave of concern washed over me, a sharp, unfamiliar pang cutting through my heart as my eyes roamed her fragile body. Her chest, her gentle swells, rose and fell with slow, quiet breaths. I felt her forehead with the back of my hand, skin burning beneath mine. She was down with a fever.
I scooped her into my arms, her limp body weightless as I strolled out of the room. She looked so innocent, delicate, so small yet beautiful in every way. I headed to my bedroom where I laid her on my bed, her fragile form settling quietly on the mattress. My fingers clenched the hem of my thick blanket, and I draped it over her, watching how she subtly adjusted to the warmth it provided.
Her movement tugged at the hem of the blanket, revealing a glimpse of her delicate skin. The top three buttons of her shirt lay undone, exposing an enticing view of her voluptuous curves. The tantalizing sight held my gaze for a moment, as illicit thoughts crept into my mind. Her smooth skin and alluring breasts entranced me, leaving me unable to look away.
This was wrong. I shouldn’t be looking, and I definitely shouldn’t be thinking of the crazy things I could do to her in bed. I heaved a sigh, tightened my jaw, and looked away despite the heat curling low in my stomach. Without facing her, I adjusted the hem of the blanket, pulling it over her bosom.
Out of sight, out of mind.
I rose to my feet, controlling the gentle rise of my dick within my pants. I strolled over to my table, picked up a pack of cigarettes, and quietly stepped out onto the balcony. The cold air brushing against my skin did nothing to quench the hunger within me—the flame and burning desire that were threatening to consume me.
My fingers wrapped around the polished steel railing as I tried to distract myself from this unforeseen temptation. How did I not plan for this? I should have seen this coming, but for some inexplicable reason, I did not.
