“I told you, it’s a surprise.” He stops at the backdoor and grabs my coat. “You’ll need this.”
I let him help me into it, zipping it up, as I can’t stand being cold. I’m sure I was born in the wrong country or something, as it’s always cold in Moscow.
Valery opens the door and the ice cold air still seems to cut me to the core.
I shiver and he notices, placing a strong arm around me and pulling me against his warm body. Instantly, I feel protected.
“We won’t be outside long.” He guides me toward a building on the grounds and stops in front of the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. “Come on.”
He grabs my hand and yanks me into the surprisingly warm building.
On my walks around the grounds, I’d assumed it was a garage or shed, but that’s clearly not the case. The floors are tiled in a cream marble and there are plush sofas and a bar furnishing the room. A mezzanine floor is built over it.
“What is this place?”
He smiles. “An observatory.” Pointing to the huge telescope and giant window in the ceiling. “I thought we could look at the stars.”
I nod in response, my throat aching too much to speak, as this feels almost too romantic. And I fear that he’s going to make me fall in love with him even more.
He takes my hand and leads me up the staircase onto the mezzanine. “It’s a clear night. Take a look.”
I walk up to the telescope and gaze into the eyepiece, gasping at how clear all the stars look. “Wow, that’s stunning.” My brow furrows. “What’s the orange dot?”
His hands fall onto my hips and he presses his body to mine. “Mars. You can see it on very clear nights.”
I shudder as he kisses my neck softly.
“Do you like it?” he asks.
I keep gazing through the eyepiece, but I’m not sure if he’s asking whether I like his observatory or the way he’s kissing me. “Yes,” I breathe. “It’s beautiful.” Pulling myself away from the view, I glance over my shoulder at him. “I can’t believe you have your very own observatory.”
He kisses me quickly. “It’s yours now, printessa. Everything I own belongs to you, too.”
I swallow hard. “You do realize my father will hunt you down and kill you if you refuse to return me?”
His jaw works. “I do.”
“Then why are you pretending like this can carry on?”
He spins me around to face him. “Because there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go.” The look in his eyes is fierce and yet there’s something soft about it, making me believe that he feels the same way I do.
I shake my head. “You won’t have a choice.”
“I will work it out, trust me.” His eyes darken. “For now, I want to enjoy our time together.”
The look in his eyes makes my entire body catch on fire, igniting that deep, all encompassing longing inside of me. I break our eye contact and gaze through the telescope again. “The night sky is so beautiful. I’ve never really taken the chance to pause and enjoy it.”
Suddenly, a star shoots across the sky, making me gasp.
“What is it, malishka?”
“Shooting star. I’ve never seen one before.”
His lips linger near my ear. “You get to make a wish.”
I close my eyes and make the only wish I want to come true. That somehow we can find a way to be together, despite all the obstacles standing in our way. Even if I haven’t told him that I love him, I know it deep down.
“Have you made it?” he asks.