Page 67 of Bratva's Mercy
Would he force himself on me?
I waited with bated breath, but he made no attempt to touch me further. He gave a contented sigh, and a few minutes later, a soft snore escaped his lips. Stunned, I remained in his embrace, uncertain what to make of Sergei’s presence in my bed. Had he come over just to sleep?
I told myself that any minute now I would wake him up and send him away, but it felt so reassuring to feel his presence behind me and his arm around my waist. I shifted to make myself more comfortable, and his arm tightened, pulling me even closer until my ass was snug against his crotch.
Somewhere in the middle of deciding how to wake him up, I must have fallen asleep. For the first time since Brad’s burial, I slept through the night without waking several times.
It was the best rest I’d had.
But by the time my phone alarm went off at five forty-five, Sergei had already left.
21
SERGEI
“Hey, man. Wait up!”
I stifled a groan as Nik ran to catch up with me. All I wanted to do was go home—to Leo’s place—and cuddle him until it was five in the morning and time for me to disappear before he woke up. I’d been doing it for the past four days straight and looked forward to it now after getting off at night.
I never expected running a nightclub would be so draining.
Tomorrow, the nightclub would remain closed, and everyone deserved the break. Under Hazel’s guidance, the staff had been working their asses off to adopt our new principles, and I was finally satisfied with the direction the club was heading. When this ended, and I returned to my position as head of security, the incoming brigadier should have things easier than I did.
I dragged my feet so Nik could catch up with me.
“Surprised you’re not already home,” I muttered. He was always checking his watch as soon as the clock struck two, often mumbling that he needed to get to his side of the bed at home.
“Can’t leave you behind.” But he didn’t sound too happy about it. “Hazel is in charge, anyway. Why do you have to be the last one to leave?”
“I’m not going to let her lock up.” I scowled at him. “Jess would be ashamed of you right now for even suggesting it.”
“Yeah, fuck. My bad. I’m exhausted.”
“Then go home.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He had a smirk on his lips. “You want me to tail you and ensure you get there okay?”
I scowled at him. We’d long since established that I didn’t need him following me to work or back. He was just an extra pair of eyes on my back while I did my job at the club.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Someone’s not been going home lately.”
“Are you following me?”
“I was concerned two nights ago when you seemed distracted, so I followed you to ensure you got home okay.” He shook his head slowly. “You’re getting sloppy, man. You didn’t even notice me.”
“I’m not—” But if he was telling the truth and I hadn’t noticed him trailing me, I was worse than sloppy. My job as the head of security required me to be vigilant and observant. Was I going to lose my edge because of babysitting the club?
“Jess said you bought a house. I thought that was where you were going. Imagine my surprise when you ended up breaking into a certain doctor’s house.”
“I didn’t break in.” I started walking faster toward my truck, hoping he got the message.
“What’s the sense of buying a house if you don’t even sleep there?”
I opened my mouth to tell him off but snapped it shut. I inhaled deeply and tried again.
“He doesn’t like us being intimate in the house where he’s lived with his husband. I don’t like it either.”
