There’s nothing safe about this woman and how she wormed her way past my defenses, forcing me to do the most dangerous thing I can do and care.
“Together.” I press my forehead to hers. “No more lies between us.”
She presents me with a genuine smile that reaches her eyes. “No more lies.” Then she plants a sweet, gentle kiss on my lips. A promise sealed in the dark.
I’ve betrayed Roman. Broken my code. Compromised my mission.
And holding this woman in my arms, I can’t bring myself to regret any of it.
For the first time in twenty years, I’m choosing my own path. Wherever it leads—to redemption or ruin—at least I’m walking by her side.
Chapter 28
Chloe
I sigh beneath the shower spray and run a soapy cloth over my skin.
I desperately needed this. The shower, yes, but also a few minutes away from Kolya.
His intensity distracts me, and I wanted a moment alone to think about him.
Kolya. Nikolai Ilyin.
Monster. Protector. Jailer.
What do I call him now? “Enforcer” echoes in my mind, but that sounds too cold and clinical to suit the man who shared my bed. His confession hangs in the air, not dividing but connecting, each terrible truth a thread binding us together.
Now it’s my turn to be honest.
I climb out of the shower, yank Kolya’s shirt over my head, and slip back into the bedroom.
He waits with two coffee mugs on the nightstand, and butterflies flutter through my stomach. He’s so sweet, in his quiet way.
He offers his hand, and I place my palm in his, allowing him to tug me back beneath the blankets to down my caffeine.
We sip quietly. He reclines against the headboard and drapes one arm around my shoulders.
After one last fortifying swallow, I set down my empty mug. “I want to tell you about the island. About what I remember.”
As he waits for me to continue, the hand stroking my hair pauses.
“It was supposed to be special.” I inhale his scent—sweat and sex and distinctly Kolya—and gather my courage. “A once-in-a-lifetime trip. My parents weren’t rich. Dad was a high school math teacher, and Mom worked admin at an insurance company. But they’d saved up for years.”
I shift my weight without breaking contact. His dark eyes stay intent and focused.
“They wanted to give me something extraordinary. We’d never stayed anywhere fancier than a Holiday Inn before.” The bittersweet memory surfaces. “When we arrived at the beautiful resort, all white stone and blue water, I thought we were in the wrong place. The kind of place you see in magazines.”
Kolya’s fingers resume their gentle stroking, encouraging me without words. Warmth spreads all the way to my heart.
“The day it happened, they bought me a new dress. White with little yellow flowers. I felt like a princess.” I close my eyes, the image clear and painful. “My hair was in these perfect little ringlets. Mom spent an hour with the curling iron. She kept saying I looked like a doll.”
I swallow hard, my throat suddenly tight. The good memories—precious things soured by what followed—are almost harder to bear than the bad ones. “That night, we went to dinner at the fancy restaurant in the resort. White tablecloths, crystal glasses. I’d never seen so many forks before. I kept asking my dad which one to use, and he kept whispering that he had no idea either.”
Kolya’s lips brush my forehead, and I draw strength from the featherlight touch, from him.
“It was so nice. I had chocolate mousse for dessert. And then…” My mouth dries, the phantom taste of chocolate bitter on my tongue. “And then everything just…exploded. At first, I thought it was fireworks. Until people started screaming. Running. Dad grabbed my hand, dragged me from my chair, and we started running too. I didn’t know why. There was this…crush. So many bodies pushing toward the doors. I was holding my dad’s hand, and then I wasn’t.”
Kolya’s arm squeezes me, providing an anchor amid the memory’s storm.
