“I know,” I say quietly, looking at her while something twists in my chest. Seeing her fury and subtle fear breaks through my usual stubbornness. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”
“But it has, and you dragged me into it.”
She’s right…I know she is. But that doesn’t make it any easier to admit.
Katya continues to work in silence while she finishes bandaging me up, with my arm lightly wrapped in gauze to keep it in place. By then, the pain still throbs in my bicep, but with the cleaning done, it feels more bearable than it had been.
Before long, she leaves the bathroom and heads towards the kitchen, still visibly tense while she huffs out a breath.
I take a long, drawn-out one of my own while I barely flex my arm, feeling how far I can push before it aches again. Then, I get up and follow her, well aware that I have more smoothing over to do.
“I know I’ve been reckless,” I make myself say to her while I lean against the kitchen island and watch her grab water from the fridge. “…and impulsive. That’s something Roman hasbeen on my ass about for a while now. I tried to ignore it, but I can’t anymore. And I can’t keep doing things for the hell of it, especially not if it means putting you in danger.”
Kat takes a generous drink, then sets the bottle down to cross her arms over her chest. She seems almost surprised by the admittance.
Taking that as a good sign, I continue. “I need to be better. Not just for you, but for my family. For myself. Our empire will mean nothing if I bring it down with me.”
She studies me for another moment before murmuring, “So then what?”
Pulling in another breath to steady myself, I take a few steps closer to her. “So I take my own words to heart and try. If I want to be better in all aspects, then I need to start here, at home, with you. Which is why I’m hoping we can come to some kind of truce.”
She gives me a vaguely confused look. “A truce?”
I nod, watching and feeling as the space between us narrows. “Yes, a truce. After tonight, I know we’re capable of being civil. Of being around each other without needlessly bickering. I want that to continue, and I want us to act like we’re married.”
Kat lifts a brow. “And you think we can do that?”
“I do,” I murmur, reaching for her hand slowly, giving her the chance to pull back if she wants to. “I want to stop fighting with you, Kat. I want to be better for you, and I want to be with you.”
She doesn’t move. Instead, she allows me to take her hand.
“We don’t have to like each other all the time,” I continue, savoring the tender warmth of her hand in mine. “But we should be a team, especially with Yuri and his men out there.”
Kat holds my gaze, allowing a glimmer of hope to reflect back at me. Her expression is still hard, but she's also caught up in her hesitation. “And what does that mean to you?”
“It means no more dragging you into situations unprepared. No more ignoring your instincts,” I tell her, taking a leap of faith by carefully reaching forward and running my thumb along her cheek. “You’re smarter than most of the men I’ve ever worked with, and I need to start treating you like it.”
Something shifts in her expression, and her eyes soften slightly. Just enough to let me know my words are getting through to her.
“The chase didn’t scare me,” she says in a soft tone, just barely leaning her cheek into my touch. “I’m more afraid of how normal it felt, and how I’m getting used to this. To you.”
Something in me cracks at that, and I find myself smiling softly while I lightly caress her skin. “Maybe we’re both screwed then.”
The corner of her mouth twitches like she’s prepared to smile, but it doesn’t fully register.
Still, she returns lightly, “Truce?”
“Truce.”
The word leaves me far easier than I expect it to, especially with her so close to me.
Unable to hold back, I lean forward until my forehead presses against hers, drinking in the proximity. Her warmth seeps into my body, and I soak it up like this is my last chance. She smells subtly like the lingering notes of vanilla mixed withgunpowder and the night air she drove through so furiously before. It’s enough to make my head spin all over again.
“I know you assumed I made you mine just because I could, or that it was out of business obligations, but it was so much more than that. It still is,” I begin, feeling drawn to her mouth all over again while my nose brushes against hers. The quiet hitch of her breath makes me shiver. “Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else. That means something to me, and I know it will take more than a few promises to make this work between us. But I’m determined to try. You aren’t just some passing interest or a flimsy obsession…you’re everything, Kat. You’ve ruined me in the best way.”
At that, Kat nearly melts into my touch entirely, finally letting go of her usual stubborn restraint.
She angles her face close to mine and allows her words to brush against my lips. Her tone comes out so soft and velvety, I nearly lose it on the spot.
