Chapter 19 #2
She shivers as his gaze seems to devour her, heart and soul. “Don’t get me wrong, I love your nickname for me. But… Can’t you come up with something a little less fragile-sounding?”
“What, like ‘Gremlin’?” He laughs.
Confused, she frowns.
“It hasn’t escaped my notice that my team has been calling you Gremlin for weeks now. But after the stunt you pulled with Hawk this morning, it seems that the rest of my men have also taken up the moniker, too.”
“Is that bad?”
“It’s… unusual. As you know, nicknames in the Bratva are common.
They’re generally earned when someone does something of note, either good or bad.
The fact that they would assign a woman under my protection a nickname like Gremlin, and use it not as an insult, but as a sign of respect…
Well, I’m not really sure what to make of it.
My men calling you Gremlin seems to be their way of acknowledging your power and your place here. ”
A smile breaks out on her face.
Alexi tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “Is that what you wanted?”
She nods. “You keep saying I’m yours. And you mentioned marriage.” She can’t help the shy blush that flushes her cheeks at the thought.
Alexi kisses each of her cheeks, then the tip of her nose, encouraging her to continue.
“I want to be with you,” she says, staring up at him almost pleadingly.
“But I don’t want to be the little wifey who gets left behind, sheltered, and cloistered with no power or control.
I want to be at your side. And to do that, I need to prove to your men that I am worthy of a place at your side. ”
Alexi shakes his head adamantly. “No. You have nothing to prove, Ulayna.”
“Maybe not to you. But the world you live in has rules. The Bratva respect you and follow your leadership because of those rules. We can’t flaunt them.
But I’m starting to think that maybe we can bend them a little.
Show them that there are exceptions to the rules and that sometimes, a woman can earn the respect and loyalty of the brotherhood. ”
Alexi continues shaking his head. But this time it’s not in denial, it’s in disbelief. “You humble me,” he says and takes her mouth in a searing, branding kiss.
After a few seconds, he breaks the kiss.
He brushes her hair back from her face and gently kisses her forehead.
“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?
Between entering the challenges with my men, pulling stunts that most Bratva soldiers wouldn’t dare attempt, and fucking the soul right out of me, you’re going to lead me to an early grave. ”
“Well, you are old,” she teases.
He chuckles, then grimaces. “Does it bother you? I’m almost twice your age.”
Ulayna shakes her head and runs her hands through his hair. “I think you make a very sexy silver fox. Plus, I may be young, but I’ve lived enough for two lives already. Guys my age seem more like boys than men.”
Alexi smiles in relief, then stiffens. “Wait, when was your birthday? I remember you saying it was coming up. Did we miss it?”
Ulayna nods. “It was the day you first let me tie you up in your office.”
He frowns down at her. “You should have said something.”
She just shrugs. “Why? You gave me the best gift I could have asked for.”
Alexi smiles deviously at her, then claims her mouth with his in another fiery kiss.
This time, she breaks the kiss first. She settles back into his chest, loving this quiet moment of after-care and intimacy they’re sharing.
“You never answered my question,” she reminds him.
“What question?”
“Why do you call me Ptichka?”
He tucks her head under his chin, putting his thoughts in order, then says, “There’s a little bird native to both North America and Russia, called the Northern Shrike.
It’s a songbird. And if you didn’t know anything about it, you’d assume that it’s fragile because it’s so small. But actually, it’s incredibly fierce.
“When I was young, I used to watch them in the woods behind the house. They prey on insects, small lizards, and sometimes even other birds. To hunt their prey, the shrike waits in ambush, then attacks with a specialized hook on its beak. They skewer their prey on thorny bushes and barbed wire, leaving them to slowly die until they can come back to eat them later.”
“That’s disgusting!”
Alexi chuckles. “My point, Ptichka, is that you are like the Northern Shrike. You are a little bird, and you might look small and fragile if you don’t look too closely.
But I know that you are actually a fierce warrior who will do whatever it takes to survive, even if that’s impaling your enemies and leaving them to die a slow, gruesome death. ”
“Hmm… Okay. I accept.”
“Oh good, I’m so glad,” Alexi says sardonically. “Now, come on.” He scoops her into his arms and carries her toward the house. “Let’s go get cleaned up. I can’t have you late for dinner with Cara.”
“You heard about that?” Ulayna asks, surprised that he learned of her plans to meet Cara and the other ladies for dinner at the Irish penthouse.
“I know all.” He winks at her. “Actually, Liam and some of the other Irish are coming over here for a meeting with my men. It seems that Cara is kicking them out so that you ladies can have the place to yourselves.”
Alexi carries her through the house, up to his bedroom, and straight into the massive walk-in shower. Thankfully, they don’t run into any staff this time who might gossip about them.