Page 129 of Nine Months to Love
I blink. “What?”
“We’re leaving tonight.”
“Leaving? For where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“You can’t just spring a trip on me! I have patients. Appointments.”
“Camille can handle it.” He cups my face in his hands. “When’s the last time you took a break? A real one?”
I open my mouth, then close it right back down. Honestly, I can’t remember.
“I want to take you somewhere,” he explains. “Somewhere where it’s just us, nice and quiet, and no one is trying to kill us or ruin our lives.”
“That sounds nice, but?—”
“No buts. We’re going.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
I study his face. He’s excited. I can see it in his eyes. Like that smile, this is rare, this version of him. Unguarded, almost boyish.
And despite everything—the journal under the pillow, the secrets I’m keeping, Natalia’s words still echoing in my head—I find myself smiling.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s go.”
His grin widens as he leans down to kiss me. “Go pack,” he says. “We leave in two hours.”
“Two hours?! We’re never gonna make it through security!”
“It’s the private jet life for us,lisichka. No TSA lines.”
“Right. Of course. I don’t know why I expected anything different from the prince of darkness himself.”
He laughs and swats my hip. “That’s thekingof darkness to you. Now, go.”
I take the suitcase and head for the bedroom. Behind me, I hear him moving around the study. My heart stutters.
Fuck. The journal.
But when I hear him start humming some tuneless melody under his breath, I exhale and start packing.
This is going to be good. For all of us.
39
STEFAN
The villa is perfect. I knew it would be when I booked it, but seeing Olivia’s face as we pull up the winding drive makes every euro worth it.
And believe me, it cost a lot of them.
“Stefan,” she breathes, “this is...”
“Too much?”
