Page 15 of The Enforcer's Vow
"You can't just show up at my apartment and say things like that."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not fair."
"What's not fair about it?"
"You make me want to believe you."
Her admission opens the door for more, but I'm hesitant to snatch it up. I lean closer, close enough that our foreheads almost touch. This is thin ice I'm skating on and I know it. I like her more than I should, and that's dangerous in this game.
"Then believe me," I whisper.
She searches my eyes, looking for truth in a face that's been trained to lie. I let her look. I let her see warmth, desire, the promise of safety. It's not entirely false. There's something about her that calls to parts of me I usually keep buried. But it's not entirely true, either.
"This feels too fast," she says.
"Does it?" I stroke her hair, soft and thick between my fingers. "Because it feels right to me. It feels like something I've been waiting for without knowing it."
"Maksim..."
"I know it sounds crazy. Love at first sight, all of that. But I can't explain what happened when I saw you that first day. It was like everything clicked into place."
She leans into my touch despite herself. "You don't love me. You don't even know me."
"Then let me know you." I tilt her chin up so she has to meet my eyes. "Let me understand what's behind all that careful control."
"Some things are better left alone."
"Not this. Not you."
I kiss her forehead, gentle and reverent. She makes a small sound, almost a sigh. I can feel her resistance weakening, feel the walls she's built starting to crack.
"I want you," I say against her skin. "I want to know everything about you. Your favorite book, the songs you sing when you think no one can hear, what you dream about when you're alone in this apartment."
"Why?"
"Because I think I'm falling in love with you."
The words come out honest, believable. They're meant to be a tool, a way to break down her defenses. But as I say them, I realize there might be more truth in them than I intend, and that realization feels nauseating. I'm playing her… and maybe myself, too.
She pulls back to look at me, and I can see the war happening behind her eyes. Logic against emotion, caution against desire.
"This is insane," she whispers.
"Maybe. But some of the best things are."
I lean in slowly, giving her time to stop me. She doesn't. When our lips meet, it's soft at first, tentative. Then she kisses me back with an urgency that surprises us both.
Her hands fist in my shirt, pulling me closer. I cup the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. She tastes like coffee and something sweeter, something that makes me want to forget why I'm really here.
When we break apart, she looks stunned, like she can't believe what just happened.
"I should go," I say, though every instinct tells me to stay, to push this further while her defenses are down.
"Should you?"
The question is loaded with invitation and uncertainty. I stand and pull her up with me, then frame her face with both hands.
