Page 42 of Hunter

“How could I argue with you?” His words are thick with pain. “You’ve been through so much, and I couldn’t force myself on you when you didn’t want me around. I didn’t want to cause you more suffering.”

He takes a step back, pacing now, running his hands through his hair. “It was agonizing to watch you fade, to become a ghost of the person you were, and not be able to do anything about it because you forbade it. You told me you wanted to end your suffering, and I couldn’t do a damn thing.” His voice cracks, his fists clenching at his sides. “I felt like anything I did or said would only push you farther away, and I couldn’t afford for you to hate me even more.”

Tears well in his eyes, and seeing that cracks something inside me. The pain in his expression, the raw honesty—it’s too much.

He stops pacing, his body still, and for a moment, we both just stand there, locked in a heavy silence.

“The torment I felt watching you wither away… It was unbearable, Sophia,” he admits, voice thick with emotion, and that’s when it happens. Tears spring from my eyes, running down my cheeks in a torrent I can’t stop.

I choke on a breath, my heart aching in my chest, wanting to reach for him but knowing I can’t yet. I want to scream, to make him understand, but nothing comes out.

“Why didn’t you tell me how you were feeling, Maxim?” My voice is barely above a whisper, thick with emotion, the question hanging in the air. The pain between us is too heavy to bear.

He lets out a humorless laugh, wiping away the tears from his face with a swipe of his thumb. “I couldn’t add more towhat you’re already carrying,” he murmurs, his voice heavy with regret. “If I could, I would take all the weight from your chest and carry it myself. I’d take on your pain and more, Sophia. I’d do anything for you.”

His words should comfort me, but instead, they ignite the anger simmering beneath the surface. It flares up again, reminding me of the very reason I was upset in the first place. His words feel suffocating, like he’s trying to erase my independence, my agency.

“You’re my other half,” he says softly, “my better half.”

I shake my head sharply, my voice tight with frustration. “I don’t need you to carry my load, Maxim. I don’t need you to shelter me, to walk around trying to glue my broken pieces together or fight my battles for me. It’s not your responsibility. It’s mine. I may not seem like it right now, but I’m strong enough to handle this. You’re not the hero in my story. You’ve never been, remember? You told me long ago that you’re the villain.”

A flicker of something softer, something that reminds me of the man I fell in love with, appears in his eyes. The corner of his mouth tugs into a bittersweet smile.

“I will never stop worrying about you or protecting you, Sophia,” he says, stepping closer. “It’s second nature to me.”

His presence, commanding and fierce, surrounds me as he closes the distance, a wicked smile curling on his lips. “You cannot ask a villain like me not to burn the world for his heroine,” he murmurs, his voice dropping into a low, husky tone that sends a wave of heat surging through me. His sudden shift in mood is disorienting, leaving me breathless.

“Your request has been denied.”

His words echo in the space between us, thick with both challenge and desire. He steps closer, his hands moving to gently wrap around my throat, and my breath catches, my chest rising and falling quickly with every heartbeat. The tension in the air ispalpable, as if everything else has melted away—there’s nothing left but us.

“Tell me, love,” he murmurs, his voice dangerously smooth, “what can I do to make you feel less…infuriated?” His words are teasing yet filled with a raw intensity that leaves me trembling. His thumb slides slowly down my cheek, brushing across my lips then slipping between them, parting them slightly.

Oh God.

“Did a lion bite your tongue?” he teases with a seductive growl. I nudge his thumb with my tongue before sucking gently on it, eliciting a low, gravelly growl from him. His eyes darken with desire.

“What do you want, Sophia?” The question is both an invitation and a challenge. His words hold a promise—he’s giving me the choice to stop or continue, to set the pace.

At that moment, my mind drifts back to the night before he denied me. The nightmares had been relentless, tearing through my thoughts and leaving me shattered. He had been asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb him, so I went to the terrace, seeking solace in the cold night air. I had thought that maybe…maybe I could erase the memories of that man, replace them with Maxim’s touch, with his love.

But Maxim had seen right through me. He had known my intentions even before I did. He had denied me, not because he didn’t want me, but because he needed to be sure I wasn’t acting out of anger, out of desperation.

Do you want this, Sophia? Do you think you can handle this with him?

Yes.

The word rings out in my mind, unwavering. Maxim has proven time and time again that he would never hurt me. He has been nothing but patient, guiding me, always giving me thespace I need. He will go at my pace, no matter how slow or hesitant. It will be okay.

“You,” I whisper, my voice barely audible as I meet his gaze. “I want you.”

I swallow hard, trying to steady my breath, the rapid beating of my heart loud in my ears. “All of you. Only you.”

He exhales deeply, his breath shaky, before his eyes darken with something feral. Something intense. His desire burns brightly now, and I can feel the heat of it.

“You’re more than I deserve, krasavitsa,” he says softly, the words laced with something like reverence. “But I’m too much of a selfish villain to let you go.”

Before I can even process the depth of his words, he loses all control. In one swift motion, he lifts me, wrapping my legs around his hips as his mouth crashes down on mine. His kiss is desperate, possessive—like he’s marking me, claiming me.

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