Page 118 of Imperfect Desires

Worshipful.

“You’re glowing,” he says, setting something down beside me on the bed.

“It’s the ring,” I tease, holding up my hand. “She’s heavy.”

“Not too heavy for you.”

I laugh as he sits beside me, his hand going to my knee, thumb brushing gently over the thin fabric.

“What’s this?” I ask, glancing at the small leather folder he placed down.

“Your wedding gift,” he says casually. But his eyes—his eyes are intense.

I pick it up, open it.

Inside is a deed.

I blink, reading the words twice.

“It’s the lakeside retreat,” I whisper, stunned. “The one where you proposed.”

He nods. “It’s yours. The land. The house. The lake. All of it.”

“Lev…” I shake my head. “That place must’ve cost a fortune.”

He leans in, voice low and unwavering. “And what’s a fortune worth if I don’t spend it on you?”

Emotion rises in my throat, hot and sudden.

“You didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to,” he interrupts. “You said you loved that place. And whatever you love,kotyonok…will always be yours.”

I laugh, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. “You’re going to spoil me.”

“I intend to.”

I lift my chin, playful. “So what—if I say I like something, you’re just going to buy it?”

Lev doesn’t blink. “Yes.”

I laugh again. “You’re serious?”

His gaze never wavers. “Absolutely. In fact, if you look at it too long, it’s yours.”

I set the deed down and lean into him, brushing my lips across his jaw.

“Alright, then,” I murmur. “I like you.”

He exhales a laugh—low and dangerous.

Then he stands.

And starts unbuttoning his shirt.

One. Button. At. A. Time.

His voice is gravel, deep and possessive. “Then come have me.”

The robe slips from my shoulders.

And as he walks toward me with hunger in his eyes and devotion in his every step, I realize something…

I will never spend another night of my life feeling unloved.

The End