In fact. I felt more alive than I had in months. It was strange how I had never done this before, and today, out of nowhere, I had suddenly decided to take such a bold step. I had already told Zhenya and Mila, so at least someone knew where I was, and if something went amiss, I could manage to get out of it. I had that much faith in myself.
He didn’t speak during the drive, and neither did I. The silence wasn’t awkward. It was charged. As if either of us speaking would somehow break the spell that had been cast around us. The city blurred past in streaks of neon and glass. Miami at night always felt like it was performing for someone, too bright, too polished. But inside the car, it felt private and contained. As if the night belonged to us.
I was acutely aware of him beside me.
The line of his jaw. The way his fingers rested loosely on his thigh. The faint scent of something dark and expensive, wood and spice, and something warmer beneath it.
“You’re thinking,” he said quietly, breaking the silence that was thick around us.
“I always am.”
“About leaving? I can turn around right now. You just need to say the word.”
I turned my head toward him. Even in the dim interior light, his eyes were impossible to read behind the mask.
“No,” I admitted.
His thumb brushed lightly against my bare shoulder where my gown dipped low. It wasn’t a claim. It was a question. I didn’t pull away. The car slowed, then curved into a privateunderground entrance beneath a glass tower that scraped the night sky. Security was subtle but unmistakable. The gates were lined with cameras, and I had already found discreetly positioned guards everywhere. My eyes were trained to do this.
This wasn’t just a house. This was territory. It made Nikolai all the more interesting. I was usually rather good at figuring people out, but I still couldn't decipher this man. I wasn’t even sure whether he was bratva-related or just another businessman. The car stopped right, and he stepped out, coming around the side to open my door. Another man appeared out of nowhere, and Nikolai casually threw the car keys at him, ushering me towards a panel in the wall. We stepped into a private elevator directly from the garage, and the doors slid shut with a soft hiss.
Everything was efficient and effortless. And suddenly there was nowhere else to look.
The space was enclosed. Mirrored walls reflecting distorted versions of us. Me in my gold silk, dark suit, porcelain mask, and controlled breathing.
The air shifted, and Nikolai stepped closer. The movement wasn’t abrupt but deliberate.
“Last chance,” he murmured.
“For what?”
“To walk away.”
My pulse jumped.
“You’d still let me?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in his answer, and that made it worse. I reached up slowly and removed my mask, setting it onthe narrow console by the wall. Cool air kissed my cheeks. My reflection looked almost unfamiliar, with blue eyes brighter than they usually were and lips slightly swollen from earlier.
As if following my lead, he removed his mask next. His dark eyes matched his dark hair, and strong lines marked his face. There was something almost severe about his face up close. Every single expression was controlled.
But not unkind.
The elevator hummed as it ascended. Without waiting, I slowly stepped into his space first because I wanted to. I had no desire to leave. His breath shifted when my fingers slid into the front of his suit jacket, gripping the fabric lightly.
“Still patient?” I asked softly.
“No.”
That single word unraveled something in me. His hand came to my waist, pulling me closer, not roughly, but with purpose. My back hit the mirrored wall gently, cool glass against bare skin. His mouth found mine again, and suddenly this kiss was no longer measured.
It wasn’t testing. It was heat and pressure and the deliberate loss of restraint. My fingers tangled into his hair, ruining its careful disarray. His hand slid up the curve of my side, tracing the structured lines of my gown like he was mapping them. The elevator felt smaller and warmer. My breath broke against his mouth when his lips moved down the line of my jaw, grazing the sensitive skin beneath my ear.
“You’re not afraid,” he murmured against my neck.
“No.”
