DIMITRI
Idon't sleep.
The night stretches before me like an endless road, and I spend it in my study, surrounded by the trappings of power that suddenly feel hollow. My phone rings constantly. My laptop screen glows with encrypted messages from informants across the city. Alexei comes and goes, bringing reports, taking orders, his face growing more haggard with each passing hour.
But through it all, I can't stop thinking about her.
The taste of Alina's lips haunts me. The way she gasped when I kissed her, the way her hands fisted in my shirt instead of pushing me away, the heat of her body pressed against mine. I've kissed dozens of women in my forty-two years, but none of them have stayed with me like this. None of them have made me feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall.
I pour myself another vodka and stare at the security monitors showing her bedroom door. She's in there, alone, making a decision that will change both our lives. Part of me wants to go toher, to convince her with more than words. But I force myself to stay here, to give her the space she needs.
Even if it's killing me.
"Dimitri." Alexei's voice cuts through my thoughts. He stands in the doorway, his tablet in hand, and I can tell from his expression that the news isn't good. "We have a problem."
"Another one?" I drain my glass and set it down harder than necessary. "What now?"
He crosses to my desk and pulls up a news feed on his tablet. Three Bratva families have issued public statements in the last hour, all of them calling for my head, demanding I release Alina immediately or face consequences.
"It's coordinated," Alexi says, his voice grim.
I study the statements, reading between the lines. "They're testing me," I say, pushing the tablet back toward Alexei. "Seeing if I'll fold under pressure."
"Will you?"
I meet his eyes. Alexei has been with me for years. He's seen me at my worst, my most ruthless. He knows what I'm capable of. But right now, I see doubt in his face. He's wondering if Alina has made me weak.
"No." I stand and move to the window, looking out at the darkening sky. Dawn is still hours away. "I've been playing this game longer than any of them. They think I'm vulnerable because of Sergei's death, because of the church attack. They're wrong."
"And the girl?"
"She stays," I say firmly. "Under my protection. As my wife."
I turn away from the window. "What matters is keeping her safe and maintaining our position. The marriage accomplishes both."
The hours crawl by. I make calls, send messages, and coordinate with my network of soldiers and informants. We're piecing together the church attack, following leads, but it's slow work. Whoever orchestrated it covered their tracks well.
By the time dawn breaks over the city, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold, I'm exhausted but wired. I've consumed too much vodka and too much coffee, and my mind is racing with possibilities and contingencies.
I need to see her.
I leave Alexei in the study with orders to continue the investigation and make my way upstairs. The house is quiet, my men at their posts and everything secure. For now. But I feel exposed in a way I haven't in years, like I'm walking into enemy territory without armor.
I pause outside Alina's door, my hand raised to knock. What if she says no? What if she's decided to take her chances on her own, to refuse my protection and my proposal? The thought sends a spike of something uncomfortably close to panic through my chest.
I knock.
"Come in." Her voice is steady, giving nothing away.
I open the door and step inside. The room is bathed in early morning light, and Alina stands by the window, looking out at the gardens below. She's still wearing the borrowed clothes from yesterday, the gray sweater and black jeans that fit her too well.Her red hair is pulled back in a messy bun, exposing the elegant line of her neck.
She doesn't turn when I enter, but I see her shoulders tense.
"Did you sleep?" I ask, closing the door behind me.
"No." She finally turns to face me, and I'm struck again by how beautiful she is. Even exhausted, even terrified, she's stunning. "Did you?"
"No."
