Second Best (Volkov Bratva 1)

I didn’t care as I returned my gaze to my woman.

“What do you know?” Ivan asked, coming to join me again.

“It was sloppy,” I said, immediately talking about my wife’s attack. We hadn’t gotten a chance to talk as Aurora’s father had been furious to learn she’d been shot. Not enough to come and visit her. He’d made his displeasure known to Ivan. There had even been talk of Aurora going home so they could protect her. The family couldn’t even stand her and treated her like shit, but the insult was there. They’d still protect family better than us we could. There was no way I’d let my wife go back to her family.

She belonged to me. No one else. I would never allow her to go.

“How sloppy?”

“Whoever hired them was not used to doing so, or they wanted it to appear so.”

“Any hunches?”

“One and you’re not going to like it.”

I turned to Ivan and gave him the name, and he instantly shook his head. “You’re wrong.”

“Look at the facts and you tell me that I’m wrong,” I said. “Do you think I haven’t tried to find an ulterior motive? Or one of our enemies? This is the only one that makes sense and you know it.”

“Before you act, find out more.”

“You know I’ve got physical evidence,” I said. My suspicions had been raised several times, but this was the first where I knew what I was talking about.

The pictures were finished even as the bride tried to get everyone to stay. Aurora held Adelaide’s hands and began to talk to her. I saw the bride begin to calm, and when Andrei approached, she went with him.

“Time for the real party to start,” Ivan said. “Tell your wife I want her to save me a dance.”

“Not happening,” I said.

“I’m the boss.”

“And she’s my wife.”

“Ah, but she wouldn’t be your wife without me. So, I get a dance.” Ivan slapped me on the back.

Not if I took all of her dances.

Aurora rushed over to me, and in front of everyone, she hugged me. “Please tell me Andrei is a good guy and won’t beat her?”

“What’s going on?”

Aurora blew out a breath. “When I arrived, Adelaide was having a panic attack. Bethany had said something to her, and with the dress, she’d snapped. The dress had been altered at the shop, but someone mysteriously brought the wrong size here. I imagine that was Bethany. She’s been spiteful since the moment I arrived, and I bet even before then too.” She blew out a breath and glanced back.

The bridesmaids were all getting into the back of the car, and I took Aurora’s arm, leading her away from the nonsense. I agreed to my wife being part of the wedding party, but not leaving my side.

After she was shot at, I vowed to do better to protect her, and not because of her family.

“I talked her out of her panic attack. Convinced her that marriage is not so bad.” She took my hands.

“How?”

“I told her that … I was petrified on my wedding night, and I got through it.” She smiled up at me. “That I survived and I live to tell the tale. I also mentioned my husband isn’t so bad either.”

I kissed her knuckles. “We’ve got to get to that party.”

“Yes. Adelaide could have a massive freak-out, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

This was just another part of my wife I fucking loved.

I stopped.

Hell, no.

I didn’t do love.

I liked my wife.

Liked.

Not loved.

“Is everything okay?” Aurora asked.

I cupped her face and kissed her hard. She touched my face, kissing me back and pressing her whole body against me.

“Not that I mind you kissing me, but do you want to tell me what the occasion is for?”

“Making up for lost time.”

She giggled. “I like it.”

I kissed her again, sliding my tongue into her mouth and reaching down to cup her ass. Let people see. I didn’t care. This was my woman.

A car horn filled the air, and I broke the kiss to glance over Aurora’s shoulder to see Ivan standing next to a car.

“Come on, I want a drink. Time to go and party,” he said.

Damn. I forgot we were sharing a car with Ivan. Taking my wife’s hand, I walked toward the car. Ivan had already climbed in, and I allowed Aurora to get in next. I closed the door and glanced at Ivan.

“This is cozy,” he said.

I didn’t want him anywhere near my wife.

The car pulled away from the curb as Aurora snuggled against me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and Ivan smiled wide.

“Good to see you two are getting along so well.”

I was tempted to give him the bird, but instead, I kissed my wife’s head. Ivan was still my boss. Best friends we may be, and we’d defied the odds of the Bratva, but I knew if he felt he needed to, he’d take me out in a heartbeat.