Page 87 of Stalk Me

I lead Nikolai away from the tension-filled hallway, my heart pounding. We slip into an empty sitting room, sunlight streaming through tall windows. The door clicks shut behind us.

“What you said back there...” His voice is rough as he turns to face me. “About someone you love.”

My breath catches. I hadn’t planned to say those words, hadn’t meant to reveal so much in the heat of the moment. But now that they’re out there...

“I meant it.” I meet his gaze. “I love you, Nikolai. Even when I shouldn’t. Even when you drive me crazy. Even knowing everything about who you are and what you do.”

He stands perfectly still, the muscle in his jaw twitching. For a moment, I think I’ve made a terrible mistake. Then his hands frame my face, so gentle it makes my heart ache.

“I never thought...” He swallows hard. “Love wasn’t meant for men like me. I accepted that long ago. Then I walked into your gallery that night, and everything changed.”

I press my palm against his chest, feeling his heart race beneath expensive wool.

“I love you,malishka.” The words fall from his lips like a confession. “Lord help me. I love you more than I thought possible.”

His thumbs brush my cheeks, and I realize I’m crying. He kisses away each tear, his touch reverent.

“I tried not to,” he murmurs against my skin. “Told myself it was just desire, just possession. But you broke through every wall I built.”

“Good.” I curl my fingers into his lapels. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

I melt into Nikolai’s kiss, feeling the last of my walls crumble. His hands slide into my hair, cradling my head like I’m something precious. Something cherished. The gentleness in his touch makes my heart ache.

When we break apart, I rest my forehead against his chest and breathe him in—that custom-blended cologne mingling with something essentially Nikolai.

“I don’t know how this works,” I whisper. “Being a Castellano, being with you, balancing all of it...”

His chest rumbles with a soft laugh. “Neither do I,malishka. For the first time, I’m not three steps ahead with a carefully crafted plan.”

I lean back to look up at him, surprised by this admission. Nikolai Ivanov, the man who controls everything, admitting uncertainty?

“We’ll figure it out together,” he says, brushing his thumb across my bottom lip. “Day by day. No protocols, no expectations. Just us finding our way.”

“That’s very un-Nikolai of you.” I can’t help but tease him, even as my heart swells with love.

He captures my lips again, this kiss deeper, hungrier. “You make me want to break all my rules.”

“Good.” I wind my arms around his neck. “Because I’m pretty sure we’ll have to write our own rulebook for this.”

His hands settle on my hips, pulling me closer. “As long as the first rule is that you’re mine, we can write whatever rules you want.”

I smile against his lips. “I think we can work with that.”

Wrapped in Nikolai’s arms, I breathe deeply for the first time in days. The world outside this room is chaos—family revelations, murder plots, revenge schemes—but in this moment, everything makes sense.

My fingers trace the lapel of his suit, smoothing invisible wrinkles. It’s strange how natural this feels now. Being with a man who orders executions as easily as he orders coffee. A man who watched me through cameras before he truly knew me. A man who kidnapped me “for my own protection.” I should be running far and fast.

Instead, I’m home.

The thought should frighten me, but it doesn’t. Maybe I’ve always had this darkness inside me. The careful, controlled gallery owner was just a mask I wore, like the masks my birth family wears in their world of art and crime.

33

SOFIA

Islip into Father’s office, drawn by the nagging questions that have plagued me since arriving here. The leather chair creaks as I settle behind his mahogany desk. My fingers trace the ornate handles of each drawer until I find one unlocked.

Inside, medical files catch my eye. I pull them out, my heart racing as I scan the documents. Blood work, physicals, cardiac stress tests—all from the past month. Everything appears normal? Perfect health markers across the board.

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