“Hey,” he whispers, and I realize my head is resting on his lap. “How are you feeling?”I want to answer, but my throat feels like it’s full of cotton.“Don’t,” he says when I open my mouth to speak, shaking his head. “It’s fine. Just sleep for a little while longer, okay? We’re almost there.”I wan
[DIMITRI]The rest of the drive back home is a blur.My sole focus is getting Nadia to a bed where I know she’ll be much more comfortable. She drifts in and out of sleep on the way to Moscow, her body burning up with fever.When Igor finally pulls the car over, I haul Nadia into the apartment. She’s
[NADIA]When I wake up the next time, I know it’s terribly late at night. I sit up, feeling much better, though with a gaping hole in my stomach that’s grumbling and growing due to the lack of food.Shit. How long has it been since I ate anything? I feel like I could eat a horse right now—and I woul
I catch snippets of his conversation: “…need those figures by tomorrow… this can’t wait…”I pull back, feeling like an intruder. I’m not sure what to do. Part of me wants to go back to my room and let him handle whatever business he’s dealing with, but another part of me feels like I should at least
[NADIA]His words hit me like a wave, washing away the guilt and fear I’ve been carrying. I never thought he would see it that way—that he would understand. The knot in my chest loosens, and for a moment, I feel like I can breathe again.Suddenly, I’m not sure if there’s anything more left to say. A
[DIMITRI]By the time I’m done with my work, it’s already morning. I look at the time and groan, stretching my arms over my head. Last night, after Nadia visited me in my office, I had every intention of finishing my work as soon as possible and heading back to the bedroom so I could join her in bed
[NADIA]I’m still reeling from the intensity of his touch, his words echoing in my head like a relentless drumbeat. Dmitri’s kisses had been a revelation, each one more consuming than the last. My body still tingles from where he’d touched me, and the heat between us is almost unbearable. He’s so da
[NADIA]He undoes his belt.Slowly. Teasingly.Taking his time with the buckle, knowing that each moment of anticipation is driving me crazy with need.The fabric parts, revealing his cock, already rock-hard and straining at the front of his boxer briefs. I reach up, tugging at his waistband, desper
After our fourth round of pure, wild sex, I have nothing left in me. Every ounce of energy drained, I barely manage to pull the sheets over myself before sleep claims me.When I wake hours later, the room is dim, the soft glow of my bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. My body feels heavy
[NADIA]“You’re here?” I say into the phone, clutching my books tightly to my chest as I glance around. “Where?”“Outside. Meet me when you’re done with your classes.”A wide grin spreads across my face, excitement bubbling inside me. “Oh, I’m done. And even if I wasn’t, I’d still run to you.”Dimit
The Ivan I know is strong. Unshakable. Even in the worst situations, he carries himself with a quiet, effortless confidence that makes you believe nothing could ever touch him.But the man lying in this hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and the sterile scent of antiseptic, looks nothing l
[ANASTASIA]Ever since I woke up after the incident, I have been dying to see Ivan.But now that I’m standing outside his room—where supposedly he had been admitted—, I can’t muster up the courage to push open the damn door.I’m nervous. Terrified. And most of all, unsure.I don’t know if I’m ready
Lena presses her lips together tightly, the color draining from her face until it looks almost lifeless.For a long moment, she doesn’t speak. The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. I can feel my heartbeat in my ears, pounding relentlessly, echoing my fear.Why the hell is she taki
[ANASTASIA]The next time I open my eyes, I’m not alone.Lena sits next to my bed, her hand in mine, her eyes closed, as if she fell asleep while watching over me.For the first time since waking up from my so-called long slumber, I look at her carefully. She looks more tired than I’ve ever seen her
[NIKOLAI]Once we finally get to his office, Konstantin takes his seat behind the desk and raises an eyebrow. He looks kind of pissed, but not enough to end me right here and now.He might have the power to do that and carry on with his day as if nothing happened, but I know in my gut he won’t. He m
[NIKOLAI]I hang up the phone and stare hard at the ground.“Fuck you, Dimitri!” I growl, clenching the phone tighter and huffing out a heavy breath.The bastard has the audacity to make me responsible for everything that happened to Ana and Ivan. But is it? Am I really the one to blame?I look away
[DIMITRI]I storm out of the building and light a cigarette, unable to think of anything else.I breathe in the smoke and then blow it out, hoping it will take away the stress pressing on my chest, making my lungs incapable of doing their job.I don’t know what to do anymore. Ana is finally awake, w