Page 44 of Bought to Bear Bratva Heir

Ilya rolled his eyes like he had never heard anything so ridiculous. And maybe he was right. Everyone knew who and what he was. Yet, as far as I was aware, no charges had ever stuck, so I doubted a bar brawl would be the thing to ruin him.

"I won’t ask you again, Daisy."

I didn’t back down. He could look at me like that all he wanted. I wasn’t his to boss around. "You didn’t ask me to begin with," I pointed out, my hands on my hips as I glared at him.

"I will count to five, and if you haven’t moved towards that fucking door, then so help me, I’ll put you over my shoulder and carry you home myself."

"You wouldn’t dare."

It was the wrong thing to say. He didn’t even bother to count to five. Ilya simply stepped forward, dipped his shoulder into my stomach, and lifted me like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.

"Sort this out," he ordered the men that surrounded us. "She was never here. Is that understood?"

A murmur of agreement went through them. Not that Ilya bothered to wait for them. He already knew they would clean up his mess. Just like everyone always did.

"Put me down." I beat at his muscled back. "I can walk, Ilya. Put me down right this second."

"No."

Fucking typical Ilya. He always expected to be obeyed. It was a major character flaw. I lashed out, my hands beating at his back and my feet flying. "Put me down."

"No." His hand came down once, hard, against my ass in a stinging slap.

"Ow, Ilya, don’t do that." The slap had lifted my skirt even higher, and I could feel a cold breeze against my ass cheeks. Desperately, I reached up to cover my ass.

"If you didn’t act like a brat, I wouldn’t have to punish you like one." He slapped my ass again, and again I howled in pain. "Why do you find it impossible to behave?" he asked in a low growl after several minutes of silence. It sounded almost like he was talking to himself. "Why do you have to push me, Daisy?" he growled out as he walked into his building without even pausing. If anyone thought it was strange that the high and mighty Ilya had a woman over his shoulder, they didn’t say anything. They were all probably too afraid to. They would have good reason to be scared of him.

He was a blue-eyed monster with the face of an angel.

"I am not yours to boss around, Ilya," I growled out as he stepped into the elevator. And it was only when the doors had slid shut and there was no escape that he let me drop to my feet.

Glaring at him, I yanked my dress back into place, and he followed the movement almost hungrily. "And stop looking at me like that."

Crossing his arms across his chest, he leant against the wall. The epitome of calmness.

I fucking hated him.

"I will look at what is mine any way I like. You put yourself in danger tonight, Daisy." His voice was oddly calm, but his eyes weren’t. They were angry. Angry at me. That was fine. I was angry as well.

"I was talking. That’s all." Hands on my hips, I rounded on him. "I was having a nice, civilized conversation with a man who made me laugh, and you got jealous. I am not yours."

The elevator doors whooshed open, and I stepped out first, giving him my back. Which was probably a bad idea.

He launched himself out after me. Grabbing me by the elbow and spinning me around, and if looks could kill, I would have dropped down dead on the spot.

"Don’t you dare—"

"Papa?"

We both turned at the sound of the tiny voice. Ilya's hand dropped to his side like a lead balloon as he stepped around me to face our child.

"Hey, little buddy." Crouching down onto the balls of his feet, he opened his arms wide. "What are you doing up? Did you have a nightmare?"

Even as I watched, he wiped his bloody knuckles clean and then passed the handkerchief to me for me to do the same. It was only then that I remembered all the blood that had splattered on my face. I knew he had rules that no violence got brought home. It was one of the rules I actually agreed with.

"Let’s get you back to bed." Ilya said.

Alec didn’t move.