Anton's expression shifts, the deadly seriousness giving way to something warmer as his hands find my waist.
"Solnishko," he says, voice deep and deliberate, "there's something you should know about me." His face remains grave. "I'm like the roaches of New York."
I blink, thrown by this unexpected turn. "What?"
"Unkillable." A hint of humor flickers in his eyes. "People step on us, try to crush us, but we don't die. We just..." he makes a crunching sound with his mouth, "...and keep going."
The absurdity of this deadly hitman comparing himself to a cockroach, complete with sound effects, breaks through the tension. A laugh bubbles up from my chest, genuine and surprised.
"You're funny," I say, my eyes widening slightly as I realize I mean it. "Dangerous, lethal, terrifying..." I tap his chest with my finger, "...and funny." My smile widens. "Who would have thought? Oh, and you're also really tall. Even with me up here, I'm still looking up at you."
His mouth quirks into that half-smile. "Is that a problem, Solnishko?"
"Oh no, not at all." I reach up, my fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw. "I like having to look up at you."
The steel in his eyes settles momentarily as he steps between my legs, hands resting on either side of my hips. This close, I can smell his bergamot cologne, feel the heat radiating from his body.
"This might sound ridiculous given the situation, but there's never going to be a moment for us, is there?" I ask.
Anton's eyes search mine. "Our relationship started in chaos, but it's very real to me." His hands tighten slightly on the edge of the counter. "Fee, I swear to you, I will make this right." His voice drops lower. "Would you give me the chance to make this right by you?"
I cup his face between my palms. "I've been here through the bullets and the blood and the not-great parts that were definitely not horrible either." I smile. "Yes, I'll stay for the best parts too. Not like I have much choice anyway."
His storm-gray eyes darken with an emotion caught between worry and dread.
"You always have a choice, Fee. Always." His voice turns gravelly, almost desperate. "It would kill me if you decided not to be with me, but I will never force you. I force enough people in my life. I kill people when they don't do what needs to be done." He shakes his head. "I don't want that with you." His fingers brush my cheek with devastating gentleness. "I will never force you to do anything."
Anton's lips brush against mine in a soft kiss that feels more intimate than anything we've shared so far. When he pulls back slightly, his eyes transform completely, the hardened assassin gone.
"You've gotten so deep into my heart, Solnishko," he murmurs, voice barely above a whisper. "Into my mind. My soul."
Oh fuck.Those eyes. The way they're looking at me right now, so goddamn sexy.
The penthouse door clicks open, and we both turn to look. Yuri walks in, stopping abruptly when he sees us, me perched on the counter, Anton standing between my legs, our faces inches apart.
"You said to come up," Yuri says, his expression perfectly neutral despite the intimate scene he's walked into. "I can come back later."
Anton doesn't move away from me.
"It's fine," Anton tells him, his hand finding mine and squeezing gently. "We need to work on our Volgograd problem anyway."
I grip Anton's shoulders as he easily lifts me from the counter. The strength in his arms makes me feel weightless as he gently deposits me onto the stool. His hands linger at my waist, reluctant to break contact.
"Hello, Ms. Quinn," Yuri says with a slight nod.
"Hi, Yuri." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly aware of how intimate Anton and I must have looked when he walked in. "And please, it's Fee."
Yuri's expression doesn't change, but something in his eyes shifts, a subtle acknowledgment.
Anton's thumb traces small circles against my hip. "We should move to the office. The setup there is better. It has monitors, a larger desk space where you two can work side by side."
I glance down at Anton's oversized T-shirt I'm wearing. Thank God I'm wearing jeans under it.
"I should change into a top that's not your T-shirt."
Anton looks at me, and without warning, he slides one arm behind my back, the other under my knees. "Allow me to fulfill your wish to be carried everywhere."
Yuri watches us, and I catch the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
