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She’d been through so much, and while I knew very little about the circumstances of her growing up—only what little she’d implied by saying I had no idea how not belonging really felt like. It was clear to me her parents and this family had never given her what she really needed. Not even taking into account what had happened these last few days.
“I promise you, it’ll be the last time,” I assured her, laying all of my confidence into my voice. “And we will leave together.”
Her skepticism was apparent in the wrinkle above her nose, but I meant every word. I would do whatever it took to keep her safe and by my side.
She seemed to sense my determination, and her expression softened ever so slightly, but the worry in her eyes still made my chest squeeze tight. My heart hurt for her. There was so much pain, so many unspoken truths, and emotional scars. Was it too much of an ask for her to trust me?
Fee’s eyes bored into mine. “And then what?” she asked, her voice a mix of challenge and vulnerability.
I hesitated for a moment and glanced over at Zotov, who stood waiting with an unreadable expression on his face.
The situation wasn’t ideal; if I had the choice, I would’ve brought her to safety first before laying my heart at her feet, but I couldn’t wait any longer.
And she couldn’t either.
Swallowing my uncertainty, I looked back at my beautiful princess, determination burning in my chest. “And then I’ll get on my knees, tell you how much I love you, beg you to stay by my side for the rest of our lives, and to come home with me.”
I could sense Zotov straightening, but I kept my eyes locked with Fee’s.
“Where’s home?” She cocked her head, her stubborn streak shining through as she refused to make things easy for me—or put me at ease to acknowledge my confession of love.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing I should’ve expected nothing less from my fierce princess.
“At this point? Anywhere you want, princess,” I replied, watching as the features of her face softened ever so slightly.
She reached out and caressed my cheek.
When I felt the cold of her fingertips against my skin, I realized I needed to get her inside to warm her up.
I leaned in, pressed my forehead against hers, my voice barely above a whisper as I confessed, “I love you, princess. Wherever you are, I want to be.”
Her face transformed into a smile like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. “That’s really good news because I love you, too,” she said, her words wrapping around me like the tightest embrace and, at the same time, loosening every last bit of tightness in my body.
Unable to resist any longer, I captured her lips in a passionate kiss, tasting the desire, relief, and love that swirled between us. We lost ourselves in each other until a tap on my back broke the moment.
Reluctantly, I leaned back, severing our contact. I turned to face Zotov and Cristo, hovering too close for comfort. Cristo grinned from one ear to the other. But Zotov’s expression, which was a mixture of satisfaction and impatience, had me wondering again what was going on in that head of his.
I’d expected anger. Not satisfaction.
“Let’s talk inside,” Zotov said, his dark eyes flicking between Fee and me.
I nodded in agreement, my hand finding hers as we prepared to walk back into the lion’s den.
The people in there might threaten to tear us apart, but now that we had each other, we were ready to face whatever came our way.
Together, we walked towards the house, whatever awaited us. I was ready.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
We stepped into my father’s office, and looking around, I could see this was clearly a recipe for disaster.
Zotov, who was leaning against the window behind my father’s desk, not unlike he did when he visited me in my room, grinned widely.
He appeared completely relaxed while clearly enjoying the show.
What was it with this man? And suddenly, I realized there’d been another instance when he’d been leaning back and watching.
At the beach club. Across the dancefloor.
