Page 67 of The Bratva's Bounty

Sighing, I set the moving box I'd been carrying down by the front door before turning my head to give her a deadpan expression. "Zhizn moya, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but all the reasons don't excuse my sloppiness and carelessness in overlooking this place." Well, at least I knew better from now on. Private bratva property or not, it needed to be checked.

Pushing the topic aside, I stood by the boxes with my arms crossed. "You have a slight hoarding problem, you know that?" I commented while running my eyes over the various boxes.

For the past two days we've been stormed in at the cabin, and we've done nothing but pack all her things up while we were stuck. All ten boxes stacked by the door were barely half her shit! All of them didn't contain any personal items and effects—they were all her office and materials.

Not gonna lie, it was a little worrisome to know nearly all those boxes contained bomb-making material. If it were a small crew or some bomb-obsessed psycho, then I wouldn't be too worried, but all this for one tiny woman was a little terrifying. Granted, my Nicole was a bomb-loving psycho… A good bomb-loving psycho, though!

Yes, I called her a psycho quite a bit sometimes, but it was mainly in jest or in an affectionate way. I mean, she was my psycho, and that was all that mattered. The little nickname was rarely used, though, and only ever behind closed doors or moments of extreme excitement that was fitting. Like when she blew those men up the other day—that was just amazing.

Honestly, just when I thought I couldn't fall in love with her more, she blew me away. And if I wasn't careful, she'd probablyliterallyblow me away… Or to bits and pieces.

A brief scoff came from Nicole before the sounds of her footsteps came to a stop behind me. "I do not have a collecting problem," she argued with narrowed eyes. "I need everything."

Rolling my eyes, I reached into a partially open box we hadn't taped up yet. From it, I pulled out a small bag of mismatched wires that varied in length and size. "Empress, you do not need a wire that's barely a centimeter long. I mean, whatthe hell are you even going to use it for?" Shaking the bag in her face, I spoke again. "This is a bag of trash wire. You literally can't use a majority of this shit unless you're gonna painstakingly connect all these wires somehow. Even if you did, whatever bomb you're gonna use them in won't be reliable."

Without anything to say in return, Nicole just clicked her tongue at me and glared with her arms crossed. Staying like so for a good while, she angrily tapped her foot against the wooden floor. Then, she nervously licked her lips and jutted her chin out at me. "W-well, I could say the same for you and your weapons. I mean, who the hell needs that many handguns?" She tried to rebut me weakly.

Unable to help it, I laughed a little at her cute attempt. "Guns and knives do not count or factor into this little tiff of ours." I flashed her a smug smirk while loosely crossing my arms. "And I dispose of my weapons once they are no longer of use."

There was no winning for her.

Letting out a frustrated growl, she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me down to her displeased face. "Listen here, you little lion, that is my shit, and I like my shit. So, I am keeping my shit. If you try to make an issue out of some habit I don't have, then don't come crawling to me if you wake up in a bed full of volatile explosives," she threatened in a low and dangerous voice.

If she was joking somewhat, then I would've laughed her off, but the determined blaze in her eyes burned her serious intent into my very soul the more she bore those stark orbs of hers into mine. I mean, she wouldn't do all of that… Right? Or at least, not to the scale that she implied… I hope.

Grinning nervously, I grabbed her hips and rubbed them lovingly with my thumbs. "Empress, you know, what's some bag of wires gonna do, hm? I mean, no harm, no foul." I tried to sweeten my way out with her, but the unamused look on her face meant I probably wasn't getting anywhere.

Pulling out my best pout, I leaned in and nuzzled her neck. "Come on, I'm sorry, I'll drop it." I wanted to cringe at how weird I sounded cooing. "Don't be mad at me, please."

Scoffing andchuckling, Nicole shoved me away playfully. "Don't do it again, and I won't," she told me with a roll of her eyes. "And please, don't ever talk like that ever again. Seriously, you sound so weird and cringey."

Well, good thing I wasn't the only one repulsed by it.

Smiling, I snatched her by her waist and brought her into a long and sensual kiss. "Can't wait to get back home with you," I groaned against her lips.

Giggling deeply, she looked up at me with curious eyes. "Oh? Why? What's so different there and here?" she questioned while pulling me toward the couch. "Or are you hinting at something?" Her voice dipped suggestively as she pulled me down on the couch. "Hm?"

Instead of answering her with words, I let my actions speak for me. My lips devoured hers in heated passion. My hands greedily grabbed at every part of her body that was a work of art on its own. God, she was so fucking perfect, something I'd never get over. It was as if she was carved out of marble from the high Heavens for me.

Only me.

"Fuck me, empress, please," I begged wantonly, nipping at her bottom lip and kissing every inch of her face. "Please, I need you."

Pushing me up, she gestured for me to switch positions with her. With a happy grin, I grabbed her hips and flipped us so that she was on top. I was more than prepared for her to strip me and burn every part of me with her luscious lips and skilled hands, so I flashed her a confused look when she got off me with a smirk.

"Be a good boy and strip," she commanded me with a powerful smile. "And stay," she said, pointing a stern finger at me before disappearing down the hallway and into the bedroom.

A part of me wanted to call out to her for answers, but the side of me that knew her held me back. She wouldn't tell me, even if I begged.

So, with a calming breath, I took off every piece of clothing from my body until I laid there bare on the couch, shivering in anticipation. I had no idea what she could be grabbing from her room; I hadn't gone through her stuff here yet, and she was a little secretive with packing her personal items. Actually, she didn't let me linger around her when she was packing up herpersonal space. So, whatever was in those drawers and the closet was beyond my knowledge.

"Close your eyes, little lion!" Her voice echoed down the hallway.

Oh God, what is she planning?

Letting out a shaky breath, I let my eyes shut. I tried to maintain a calm demeanor with controlled breaths, but every little tick and creak around me made my muscles tense and twitch with anticipation. I nearly bolted when I felt a warm presence crowd my space, even if I knew it was Nicole because of her soothing scent of gunpowder.

"Lev, breathe. It's okay." Nicole's giggle above me made my whole body shudder with nervousness. "I'm just going to blindfold you real quick, and then I'm going to get you ready to be fucked," she told me in a calm and collected voice. "And I'm going to try something a little different, but don't worry, it's nothing crazy." If it weren't for the stability and reassuring tone, then I would've called bullshit on her.