Security is tight, but I helped design the system.
I know its blind spots better than anyone.
I scale the old beech tree outside her room, grateful for the clouds that keep the night dark.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
If Alessandro catches me here, I'm dead.
If Maksim finds out, we're both dead.
And still, I climb.
I vault over the balcony railing, landing with barely a sound.
Through the curtains, I can see a dim light telling me she's still awake.
I hesitate, suddenly uncertain.
What if she doesn't want to see me?
What if she blames me for not protecting her better from this nightmare?
Before I can talk myself out of it, I tap lightly on the glass door.
The curtain twitches, then flies back. Valentina appears, eyes wide, a book clutched to her chest.
She's wearing silk pajamas, her hair loose around her shoulders.
She’s so fucking beautiful, the sight of her makes my breath stall.
She fumbles with the lock, then pulls the door open just enough to whisper, "Are you insane? Someone could see you!"
"Probably," I admit, unable to keep the smile from my face now that I'm looking at her. "But they didn't."
Valentina glances nervously over her shoulder, then back at me.
The initial shock in her expression has softened to something warmer, a welcoming glint returning to her eyes.
"So this is what it takes to get my dutiful bodyguard to break protocol? A little house arrest?" She raises an eyebrow but steps back to let me in.
“If I’m still your bodyguard, then I’m not breaking protocol.”
“So you’re just doing your job by sneaking up to my room?” Her voice is playful and yet I hear the question too.
Is this duty or desire?
Am I here as her bodyguard or as a man who can't forget the feel of her skin against mine?
"I needed to see you.”
"That's funny," she says. "I've spent the last days wishing I could see you."
The air between us charges with electricity as Valentina sets her book down on the nightstand, her eyes never leaving mine.
I should be scanning the room, checking for vulnerabilities, planning escape routes.
Instead, I'm transfixed by the way her silk pajamas outline her perfect body.
