“Stay with me tonight,” I whisper against his lips. “Just hold me.”
He lifts me with ease, laying me carefully back on the bed before stretching out beside me. I curl into him, finding that perfect space against his chest where I fit just right.
“I was afraid,” he admits into the darkness. “That night, when I found you... I've never been so terrified. The thought of losing you—” His arms tighten fractionally around me.
“You didn't lose me,” I assure him, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “I’m right here. And I plan to stay here for a long, long time.”
Chapter 26 - Agafon
I’m speaking to Abram as I enter home after yet another long day of hunting down the Sokolovs who escaped during our rescue mission to bring back Lilibeth. We killed Viktor, sure, but that’s nearly not enough. Tikhon and his brothers must have known what their cousin Viktor was up to, and I can’t wait to exact my revenge.
“I want them all to pay,” I tell Abram. “So they can’t touch another member of our family. But we’ve been hunting high and low, and no one can seem to find those cockroaches.”
“Ivan’s involved now,” Abram says.
“Since when?” I ask with hope in my voice. Ivan Zolotov has more power than anyone in this city, and considering how the Orlovs are now family through marriage, of course he’d avenge Lilibeth. Why didn’t we think of him before?
“Spoke to him just this morning. He’s furious someone laid a hand on Lilibeth.”
“This is good news. Let them run,” I say. “Let them understand there's nowhere to hide, not now when Ivan’s involved. Tikhon and the rest don’t know what’s coming their way.”
“Exactly. Shit’s about to get exciting. And the brothers?” Abram asks. “Any word from them?”
“Landing tomorrow,” I tell him. “All three of them.”
“Christ.” Abram chuckles. “I almost feel sorry for what's coming the Sokolov’s way. Almost.”
“The Orlov brothers aren't known for their forgiveness.”
“Neither are you.”
We end the call with a goodbye, and I walk through the house looking for Lilibeth. After she came home, I doubled the security around the house. Lilibeth called it excessive, while I called it necessary.
I ask one of the guards where she might be, and they tell me she is in the kitchen. Excited to see her, I jog over.
Music drifts from the kitchen, and I know Lilibeth’s beside it. None of the staff would dare play Abba this loud. When I enter, I’m immediately hit by the smell of butter and garlic.
This is why I love coming home. Lilibeth has turned this house into something warm, something cozy, something exciting to look forward to at the end of the day.
The kitchen is absolute chaos, and in the center of it all is Lilibeth, holding a clipboard, her blonde hair piled messily on top of her head.
“No, no—the lamb needs to marinate overnight. Samuil is particular about his meat.” She taps the clipboard with a pen. “And Benedikt is allergic to shellfish, so make sure there's no cross-contamination with the—”
She's wearing a sundress, light yellow with tiny white flowers. It hugs her curves in all the right places, flaring out just above her knees. But it's the heels that catch my attention—four inches of gleaming red that make her legs look endless.
My mouth goes dry, and my body tightens.
I lean against the doorframe, content to watch her for a moment. She's in her element here, her dimples flashing as she smiles at something one of the cooks says.
“The bread should be fresh, not—” She spots me and her words cut off, her blue-green eyes lighting up. “You're home early.”
“Couldn't stay away.” My voice comes out rougher than intended.
One of the maids glances between us and smirks.
“We were just finalizing the menu for tomorrow,” Lilibeth explains, but her cheeks flush with color. She knows exactly what I'm thinking. She always does.
“Is that so?” I cross the kitchen in four strides, ignoring the way the staff suddenly find reasons to look elsewhere. “Sounds important.”