When Maribel, the aesthetician I’ll shadow for a week, claps her hands lightly and tells me to take a moment before my first observation session, I find myself smiling back without forcing it. The reflection I catch in a nearby mirror surprises me, not because I look different, but because I look steadier.
For the first time in weeks, I don’t feel like I’m borrowing space.
I feel like I belong.
By the time I get back to the estate, the sun is already lowering into that hazy, honey-colored part of the sky that makes everything look softer than it really is.
The house is quieter than usual. Not empty, never empty, but subdued, like it’s holding its breath. My shoes echo faintly as I cross the stone floor, body pleasantly tired. I set my bag down and pause, one hand resting on the back of a chair, aware of a strange new sensation settling in.
Contentment.
It startles me enough that I almost laugh.
I don’t go looking for Kazimir right away. I shower, letting the heat roll over me, letting myself feel my own body without flinching away from it. When I step out, skin warm and damp, I don’t rush to hide. I choose a soft dress that skims instead of clings, something easy, something that feels like me. I leave my hair loose.
When I finally make my way down the hall toward his rooms, my pulse begins to pick up.Is this crazy? Will he even want this?
I knock once, then push the door open before I can talk myself out of it.
Kazimir looks up from the desk where he’s reading, his glasses are low on his nose, and his sleeves are rolled up revealing the dark ink on his forearms. For a moment, neither of us speaks. His gaze travels over me slowly, not consuming, but attentive in a way that makes my stomach flip.
“You’re back early,” he says.
“I wanted to see you,” I reply, surprised by how steady my voice sounds.
Something shifts in his expression. It’s subtle, but unmistakable. He removes his glasses, sets them aside, and stands with measured grace.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” I say, and then, because it feels important, I add, “It was…incredible. The Lennox. I mean it.”
Relief crosses his face before he schools it away. “I’m glad.”
I step close enough that I can feel the warmth of him, the gravity he carries even when he isn’t trying. “I wanted to thank you.”
He studies me with sharp, searching eyes. “You don’t owe me?—”
“I know,” I interrupt gently. “That’s not why I’m here.”
The silence that follows is charged, but not heavy. I reach for him before I can overthink it, my fingers brush the front of his shirt, it feels solid beneath. He stills completely, breath catching just slightly.
“Aly,” he murmurs, like a warning.
I tilt my head up. “Just let me.”
I kiss him first, soft and unhurried, giving him time to pull away if he wants to. He doesn’t. His hand comes up to cradle the back of my neck, thumb brushing over my skin and sending a shiver down to my heels.
I came here to thank him, but now those words have turned into something physical. Heat pools low in my body, my confidence blooming instead of folding in on itself. When I sink to my knees in front of him, his breath leaves him in a sharp exhale. His hand tightens in my hair for just a moment before he forces himself to release it.
“Are you sure you want to do that, darling? You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
The pet name he calls me sends a rush of heat to my face and core. Licking my lips reflexively, I stare up at him.
“I want to try…if that’s okay. I’ve never…”
I bite my lip to shut myself up. Kazimir doesn’t need to know just how far I’ve gone with a man. I’ll keep that information to myself.
It’s different with him,my mind whispers.
