“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The blindfold comes off, and I blink against the golden light of the sun. We’re standing in a wide clearing at the edge of the estate, tucked behind a cluster of birch trees. There, in the center of the grass, is a laid-out picnic. Blanket, pillows, plates covered in silver domes, and a bottle of wine already chilling in a bucket.
“A picnic?” The laugh slips out of me before I can stop it, from sheer disbelief that this big, terrifying man planned something so nice for me.
Aleksei winces like I stabbed him. “Okay, this was stupid. I knew Konstantin was wrong. Never mind.” He starts reaching for my hand to pull me back toward the car. “We’ll go out to dinner instead. Something fancy. I don’t know why I thought?—”
“Wait.” I catch his arm and tug him back, hating that I could’ve hurt his feelings. “Aleksei, stop.”
He looks down at me, bracing for the worst, and something in my chest squeezes. I lift one hand to his cheek, brushing my thumb over the rough stubble there.
“Hey. I didn’t laugh because it was stupid.” I tilt his face toward mine so he has to hear every word. “I just didn’t know the extent of your soft side.”
He huffs, low and rough. “I don’t have a soft side.”
But the way he presses into my hand betrays him completely.
“Then maybe I’m hallucinating.” I rise onto my toes and kiss him. “But hallucination or not…I like it.”
His gaze moves over my face, studying me, a flicker of uncertainty there. “You sure you like this?”
“This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I just need time to get used to you being…less murderous and more romantic, that’s all.”
A sound that’s half growl slips from him. “Which do you like more?”
“Both.” I catch my bottom lip between my teeth, and the sound he makes in response sends a tremor through me.
Then he’s kissing me, mouth fierce and hungry, pulling me under until we break apart in a breathless tangle.
“Come on.” His eyes drag over me like a slow touch. “Let’s eat. Before I get hungry for something else.”
“Only if you promise to feed me.”
A low chuckle rumbles out of him, and before I can blink, the world tilts and I’m tossed over his shoulder, his arm locked around my thighs. “We can arrange that.”
He gives my ass a sharp smack, and I yelp.
“But only if you’re tied up,” he adds, far too pleased with himself.
“Maybe not,” I shoot back, heat curling through me. “I want to use my hands this time. Maybe feed you too.”
He stops mid-step, setting me down. And when he looks at me again, something inside him shifts, something possessive and warm all at once, like I’ve said the exact thing he didn’t know he needed to hear.
“I like the sound of that.” His fingers slide through mine, bringing the back of my hand to his lips, the kiss soft and lingering before he leads me toward the blanket.
We sink onto it together, our bodies entwined in a way that makes the food feel like an afterthought. My thighs straddle his lap, his hands resting possessively at my hips, and every time I reach for a piece of fruit, he leans in and steals it from my fingers, brushing his lips over them before feeding it to me himself.
I can’t stop smiling. Can’t stop laughing against his mouth when he kisses me between bites. For once, everything feels…easy. Light. Like the world outside doesn’t exist. Like we’re just two people trying to pretend we’re normal.
His fingers tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his attention fastened on me with something vulnerable flickering beneath the surface.
“I was raised to take what I wanted,” he says with a fractured sigh. “But you…you make me want to be worthy of it.”
“Aleksei…”
My eyes sting, and before I can push it away, his thumb sweeps away the tear that escapes. His vision locks with mine, and all I see is pure affection.
“Ya lyublyu tebya, moya ptichka,” he whispers. “I love you.”
