He studies me with those ocean-blue, searching eyes. “You’re not drinking either,” he notes.
I laugh softly. “Trying to stay clear-headed enough to remember all of this.”
He leans in, his lips brushing my temple. “Come with me.”
Before I can ask where, he takes my hand and leads me outside. The night air bites at my skin, cool and sharp after the warmth inside. He shrugs off his jacket and wraps it around me beforeI can protest. It smells like him…cedar, smoke, and something darker. I melt into it.
We stand on the patio, just the two of us, the city lights glittering like distant stars. “Do you remember this spot?” I ask quietly.
He smiles, slow and knowing. “It's where we shared our first kiss.”
I nod. “And you rejected me right after.”
He leans forward to place a soft kiss on my forehead. “I have forever to apologize for that.”
“You don't have to,” I say, smiling into his eyes. “I forgave you long ago.”
He turns me in his arms until I’m facing him. “Do you ever think about how far we’ve come?”
“All the time.” My throat tightens a little. “And now I can't imagine life without you in it.”
He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, that same tender gesture he’s done a hundred times, yet it still undoes me. “Me too,milaya,” he murmurs. “Life without you would be meaningless.”
His words wrap around me like a warm vow.
“So, tell me,moya zvezda,” he says, searching my face. “Now that you've had your big moment on stage, what comes next?”
I hesitate, suddenly shy. “I think…I want to start a family.”
Something flickers in his eyes—warmth, surprise, maybe something deeper. “You’re sure?”
I nod. “I think it’s time.”
A slow, excited smile spreads across his handsome face, making him look almost boyish. “I’ve been ready since the moment I brought you back to New York.”
“Really?”
“Yes,milaya…” His smile turns mischievous. “You know what? I think we should start now.”
“Wh—”
Before I can complete the word, his mouth captures mine, deep and demanding. My protest dies in my throat, my body already melting into his. The world around us instantly disappears into the background, replaced by the rush of my heartbeat and the taste of him. He guides me gently, his hands firm on my hips, steering me toward the darker corner of the patio, away from the door and the party lights.
He presses my back against the cool stone wall without taking his mouth off mine. I gasp into his mouth as my back hits the wall, my fingers fisting his shirt. His jacket slips from my shoulders, forgotten.
“I need to be inside of you,milaya” he whispers urgently against my lips, dragging his mouth to my neck. “Now.”
“Yes, please,” I say breathlessly.
He turns me around not so gently, and I brace my hands on the wall, pressing back against him. Alexei lets out a low growl, his hands sliding up my thighs, bunching my dress at my waist.
I hear the sound of him undoing his zipper, and before I know it, he pushes my panties aside and slides into me in one long, surprisingly slow stroke.
I let out a throaty moan, my walls contracting around him as an electric thrill races through my entire body and soul.
“Fuck,” he mutters as he sinks all the way into me until he’s completely sheathed in my warmth.
“Oh, Alexei...” I moan, dropping my forehead against the cool wall.
