Page 171 of Sweet Obsession
And then, suddenly, the restaurant begins to empty. I glance around, startled, as waiters and patrons alike stand and leave, heading toward the door in a hurried fashion.
“Misha?” I ask, my voice a little more breathless than I intended. “What’s going on?”
He’s calm, his expression unwavering, but there’s a dark satisfaction in his eyes as he sips his wine. “I had the owner of this restaurant evacuate everyone. You deserve privacy, Luna. You deserve to be seen the way I see you—without anyone else’s gaze on you.”
I blink, taken aback. “You had them all leave?”
His smile is soft, but there’s something sharper beneath it, feral, possessive. “They weren’t just looking. Those men were staring at you like you were something they could touch. Like they had a right to feast on what’s mine.”
My breath catches.
“You’re too beautiful, Luna,” he says, voice lowering. “Too damn curvy in all the right places. You walked in here looking like sin and they stared like hungry wolves. So yes, I had everyone cleared out. Including those two bastards who are lucky I let them walk out with their teeth, let alone their lives.”
I stare at him, heart racing, the weight of his jealousy settling like a heavy cloak. His fingers wrap around the stem of his glass, but his attention is fixed solely on me.
“I’m not sorry,” he adds. “I’ll always be like this with you. Jealous. Obsessive. Overprotective. Because you’re mine, Luna. And no one else gets to look at you like that.”
I laugh a little, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable.”
His smile widens. “I do what I have to do.”
The tension between us melts, softened by the quiet intimacy of the candlelight and the silence of the emptied restaurant. We return to our meal, forks clinking gently, our conversation shifting into something lighter, easier.
We talk about the wedding. Not just in vague ideas or rushed promises, but really talk about it.
He leans forward, eyes warm. “I want it big this time. Formal. No secrets, no shadows. I want the whole world to know you’re mine, and not because I forced it, but because you chose it. I want you in white, walking toward me. I want vows, real ones, not contracts or threats or desperate promises.”
I smile, feeling the warmth bloom in my chest. “You’ve been dreaming about this, haven’t you?”
“Since the day I first saw you in that red dress,” he murmurs. “But now... I want the whole thing. A real ceremony. Music. A ring that fits right. And a dress you love. One where I can barely breathe looking at you.”
I glance at him, a slow grin tugging at my lips. “You’ll cry.”
“I’ll cry,” he agrees, without hesitation. “And I want the photos to prove it.”
I laugh, really laugh this time, and he reaches across the table to take my hand, brushing his thumb along my knuckles.
“Whatever you want, Luna,” he says. “Paris. Italy. Even here in the snow. Just tell me, and I’ll give you the wedding you deserve.”
The way he’s looking at me, it feels like a vow in itself.
“Luna, you are the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he says suddenly, his voice low, filled with admiration. “I will spend every day of my life reminding you of that. I will never let you forget it.”
I look up at him, my heart fluttering in my chest. “You really think so?”
“More than anything,” he says, his eyes soft and full of love. “You’re everything.”
We both laugh, the sound light and free. And then, with a wink, he stands and takes my hand.
“Come with me,” he says, leading me outside.
I follow him, curious, until we stop in front of a beautiful garden. It’s glowing with soft lights, flowers everywhere, their sweet scent filling the air. Photographers are already there, snapping pictures, and I realize, with a slight jolt, that we’re surrounded by cameras.
Misha had arranged this, an announcement, he called it. A quiet declaration to the Bratva, the city, the world: that I was his, publicly, irrevocably.
Misha takes my hand and turns to face me, his eyes full of love, full of intent. “Luna, this is our world now. This is my world. And I want to declare to everyone, to the entire world, that you’re mine. My wife. The woman I’ll forever be obsessed with. The woman I’ll spend my life loving.”
Tears sting my eyes as I look at him, the weight of his words sinking in. The world around us is blurred, everything fading into the background as I focus on him, on us.
And then, without another word, he leans in and kisses me.
It’s passionate, a kiss full of promises, of love, of everything we’ve been through. And in that moment, I know it’s the start of forever.
And as the cameras flash around us, I can’t help but think that this is it, the end of one story, and the beginning of another.
The beginning of our life together.
THE END.
