Silence swept the cabin, heavy and stunned.
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely unclench them.
Andrei let out a breath that sounded half like relief, half like a man discovering he was still alive. “We’re… on the ground,” he whispered. “Are we on the ground?”
“Yes. We didn’t die,” I whispered back.
“Small victory.”
We sat there breathing in the dark cockpit, the hum of cooling engines filling the space. Then he turned to me, dried bloodacross his forehead and at his temple, sweat on his brow, and a crooked, exhausted smile forming on his lips.
“You saved us,” Andrei spoke with such seriousness.
I shook my head. “No. You did.”
“No.” His voice softened. “You saved us, Katya.”
I swallowed. “I didn’t do anything you couldn’t have done.”
“That’s not true.” His gaze drifted briefly to the breaker panel I had torn apart. “You ripped control of this plane out of someone else’s hands.”
“And you flew the damn thing,” I countered.
“Because you kept me steady enough to do it.”
My chest tightened dangerously.
Before I could form a response, he reached across the narrow space between our seats. His hand cupped the back of my neck, fingers sliding into my hair, warm and shaking.
“Andrei—”
He didn’t let me finish.
He pulled me forward and kissed me hard.
There was no hesitation in it. No question. His lips crashed into mine with the same force as the plane had hit the runway, except this time I didn’t brace for impact. I melted into it. The kiss was all adrenaline and gratitude and hunger and relief.
His palm slid down to my jaw, angling my face as if he needed more of me. I gripped his shirt, feeling the tense rise and fall ofhis chest beneath my fingers. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t careful. It was two people who’d just stared death in the face and won.
He broke away only long enough to rest his forehead against mine, breath hot, lips swollen.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he whispered.
“You scared the hell out of me,” I whispered back.
His thumb brushed the corner of my mouth, a soft contrast to the wildness of the kiss.
“You did well, princess. You did so well. I’m so proud of you.”
CHAPTER 21
Dubai, one week ago…
Katya
The moment the jet door hissed open, the night air hit my face. Andrei took the first step down the stairs, still a little unsteady from the hit he’d taken, but moving with that stubborn, unbreakable confidence I knew him for. He glanced back at me, offering his hand.
I didn’t hesitate to take it.
