Tears gather in her eyes.
"But it's not just my life on the line." I brush a thumb across her cheek. "That's why I'm asking what you want. Not what's safe. Not what's smart. What do you want, Valentina?"
She leans into my touch, eyes closing briefly. "I'm already dead, Cristian. The moment I walk down that aisle, the woman I am ceases to exist." Her eyes open, determined and fierce. "So yes, I want everything with you. Every moment. Every touch. All the comfort and passion you're willing to give."
Her hands find my face, pulling me closer. "I want to feel alive while I still can."
I crush her to me, my lips finding hers with desperate need.
The world narrows to just us.
Nothing else matters.
Not Alessandro, not Maksim, not the inevitable fallout.
For now, in this stolen moment, she's mine.
And I'll make sure she remembers what it feels like to be loved completely, even if the memory has to last her a lifetime.
I pull back, breathless, studying Valentina's flushed face.
My body screams to continue, but my training kicks in. We're exposed here, vulnerable.
"We need somewhere private."
Her eyes darken with desire. "Alessandro expects me back for dinner."
I check my watch. We have less than an hour.
"Call Alessandro," I say, already starting the car. "Tell him you need to shop or get your hair done?—”
“Sexist?”
I growl with frustration. “You come up with the excuse, then.”
Valentina nods, pulling out her phone.
I listen as she delivers a story about needing a complete spa treatment after dealing with Maksim.
"He bought it," she says, ending the call.
“Spas aren’t sexist?”
She laughs. “Clothes and hair suggest I’m vain, only worried about beauty. Spa is about relaxation. It’s different.”
“Got it.” I turn back, going east.
"Where are we going?"
"I have a place." As I navigate the roads, I constantly check my mirrors. "It's not much, but it's secure."
My apartment is a small sanctuary I've maintained off the books.
A place to go on my few days off.
I drive an intentionally complex route, making sure we aren't followed.
When I'm certain we're clear, I park behind an unassuming brick apartment complex and lead Valentina through the back entrance, up three flights of stairs.
