I’m not going to waste the progress we made last night. I feel energized and optimistic andalive.
I’ve got no idea how Maksim coming on to her led to us finally reconciling, but it feels like nothing short of a miracle. Having her in my arms again felt like the homecoming I’ve been waiting for my whole life, and I think she felt it too.
But as soon as Maksim called, her mood shifted to something darker. I can’t blame her. A part of me was relieved when we thought it was all over and we could retire the act we’ve been putting on with Maksim. It’s just that we’re so damn close now… It would be a shame if all the work we’ve already done goes to waste.
I’ve got him exactly where I want him. All I have to do now is wait.
But I’m not going to sit around while Blake spins more stories in her head about how she has to change to fit into this world.
She doesn’t have to do anything.
She just needs to take a breath, relax, and allow herself to be happy.
And I’m going to help her do exactly that.
CHAPTER 28
NERO
The next morning, I’ve got our bags packed before Blake wakes up. Last night, I called Alessio and asked for a few days off work, which the bastard gave me after some grumbling. If Maksim contacts me, we’ll have to drive back, but I have a feeling it’s going to take him some time to work up the courage to talk to the pakhan.
Around ten, I walk into Blake’s room and take a seat on the edge of her bed.
She looks peaceful. Free from worry. The way she should look when she’s awake. I smooth her hair away from her forehead and tuck it behind her ear.
“Hey, baby. Time to get out of bed.”
A few moments go by before she stirs and blinks sleepily at me.
“Wake up, Sunshine.”
She scrunches her nose, looking so fucking adorable I want to take a bite out of her. “Why?”
“We’re going out of town. We talked about it, remember?”
She slides up against the headboard and yawns. “That was before Maksim called.”
“Well, we’re not gonna just sit around twiddling our thumbs while we wait for him to grow a pair and talk to the pakhan. Who knows how long that’ll take.”
Blake stretches her arms above her head, and the sheet puddles around her waist, giving me a view of her silky tank top. I distinctly remember peeling it off her at one point last night. She must have woken up and put it back on.
“Where do you want to go?”
“I have a place on the coast in Westhampton. I haven’t been there in two years, but hopefully, it’s still standing. I want to show it to you.” It’ll be cold, but being near water always makes me feel better. I hope it’ll make her feel better too. I hope it will make her see how our days don’t have to be filled with political drama and carefully constructed lies.
We can simply be us.
I press a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Just for two days. There’s a beach there. Long and sandy. We can light a fire, make mulled wine, and read. You’ll love it.”
I should have known that “read” is the magic word. Her eyes light up. “That sounds nice.”
I cup her face with my palms. “Then get your fine ass out of bed and get dressed.”
For once, there’s only light traffic leaving the city, so it takes us just under two hours to get to the seafront property on Dune Road.
“Rafe and I would come here in the summer for a few weekends each year,” I tell her as we get out of the car. “He liked to get away when he had something on his mind that he couldn’t figure out. It’s a good place to think.”
The air swirls with the distinct scent of salt and sand as we walk toward the weathered wooden porch.
