“I know,” he sighs.
I flick my thumb toward my new car. “Let’s go for a drive.”
He glances at his black Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch. He has an empire to run, but in the last few days he has spent so much time with me that I have forgotten about his other responsibilities.
I shift on my feet, my head slightly dipping down. “I’m sure you have work to do.”
He tips my chin up, his eyes boring into mine. “You’re my number one priority,” he says with such determination that it revives my hope, making me feel like I am the center of his world.
“Sure?” I ask, not wanting to get my hopes up.
He arches a brow, pinning me with a serious stare. “Did I stutter?”
Swaying my hips, I walk toward the car. A low groan rumbles in his throat as he follows me.
Smiling under my breath, I get in the driver’s seat, spotting the keys sitting in the center console.
He climbs inside, taking up most of the space. Even in elegant tailor-made suits, he emanates something raw, his rugged edges adding to the dangerous aura. Clothes don’t make him; he makes the clothes. Just like everything around him, he uses them to his advantage. Yet, all I’ve ever felt in his presence is safety. His decadent scent mixes with the leather, dizzying my senses. I forget what to do next as my finger hovers over the start button.
“Whenever you’re ready, baby girl,” he says, softness lacing his voice.
Excitement courses through my veins, making me giddy when the engine purrs under me. I haven’t driven a car since my kidnapping. This is just further proof that I am ready to shed that scared, insecure girl and become the woman I was always supposed to be—fearless, strong.
The asshole makes the sign of the cross, and I jab my elbow in his side.
He bursts out in deep, rich laughter. It’s been years since I heard him laughing. We’re so in tune with each other that it’s as if our souls are in a symbiotic relationship. How can one be okay when the other isn’t?
We can’t change the past, but we can shape our future. Maybe along the way, he will stop seeing me as the girl he had to break to become the woman who can be by his side. I’ve never feared what that would mean. Being the Pakhan’s wife. Being the partner of one of the most dangerous men who has graced this world.
Gripping the wheel, I floor the pedal, the force thrusting us back in the seats. The tires squeal.
“DAHLIA,” he groans, dragging a hand down his face in exasperation.
I stick my tongue out at him. “Stop being a buzzkill.”
“Stop trying to kill us. I swear to God if you hurt yourself?—”
“You’ll kill me?” I ask, batting my lashes at him.
He grumbles under his breath as I speed away, the guards’ eyes taking us in with wide eyes and a gobsmacked expression.
I don’t know how long I’ve been driving. And I don’t care as the sun sets and the deserted road spreads infinitely in front of me. Sucked into a vortex of fantasy, I wish we could just keep driving, forget who we are, and start a life far away from here. I’d drive to the end of the world if it meant I could be with him.
Keeping this powerful beast under control for so long tires me, and a yawn parts my lips. Sensing my increasing tiredness, his hand palms my thigh, and he gives me a gentle squeeze.
I nod, already knowing what he requests.
As I round the car, our hands brush, and our pinkies latch onto the other. It feels like he doesn’t want to let go of me either.
There’s no one else here. The forbidden demands to be gratified, but as I steal a glance at him, he stares at me with a pain so great it butchers my desire.
“If only I were someone else,” I say, deflated.
Suddenly, he turns around and cups my face. My breath hitches, heart pounding a crescendo that threatens to unsteady me.
He rests his forehead on mine, breathing harshly, and I clutch the lapels of his jacket.
“Nothing hurts more than loving you. The only thing that will kill me is this unrequited love,” I whisper against his lips.
