“A gift? I love gifts,” I sighed.
“I know you do, my spoiled little princess,” he teased me.
“Hey, if I’m spoiled, it’s your fault,” I said indignantly as I got into the car, and he held the umbrella over me until I was safely out of the rain.
“You mean, it’s my honor,” he murmured, getting in beside me. There was a box on the roomy back seat. “There it is, open it.”
Nerves squirmed in the pit of my belly as I looked at the brown box.“Is it what I think it is?”
“It is indeed.”
I opened the lid and reached inside. The hardback book was weighty in my hands. I pulled it out and smoothed my hand over its glossy cover.
“Ronan assures me he’s on top of the contract for this, and the next three books—”
“I don’t care about that. I just care that this is my book!” I hugged it to me.
The sharkish, dangerous looking lawyer who had helped to shut me in the police precinct on the night of Viktor’s death had turned out to be good friends with Kirill and a frequent guest at dinner. I was slowly getting used to him.
“I wrote a book,” I said to him, holding it up and turning it this way and that, still marveling that this was real and not a dream.
“You wrote a book, Princess,” Kirill confirmed.
“I wrote a book about us,” I continued, still dazed.
Kirill nodded. “I know. I’ve read it. And you’ll note from the cover that it’s a love story.”
“I know. I wrote it, remember?”
“I’m making sure you know I was right after all,” he murmured, pulling me close.
“You’re the absolute worst,” I muttered, grinning from cheek to cheek.
“Tell me something I don’t know. Tell me you love me,” he pressed.
“You already know that,” I said, my cheeks warm as his dark gaze moved over my face like it was the most precious thing in the world to him.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll never tire of hearing it.”
“Hmm, I’ll consider saying it more often, then. However, I do have a question—how did you know I was here? Are you stalking me?”
“Maybe. What are you going to do about it, Princess? Run away?” He leaned in, tucking my hair back and exposing my ear. His lips brushed across my skin, making me shiver. “There’s nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t find you.”
Those dark words warmed me instead of scaring me. If we were ever parted, Kirill would find me. I believed that with all my heart.
“I’ll report you if you’re not careful, weird boy,” I murmured, a challenge in my eyes.
“Do it and see what happens. You will never leave me, and I’ll never let you.” His hand cupped my jaw, tilting my head back, and holding me supplicant.
I let out a sigh and surrendered to his touch. “Promise?”
“I absolutely fucking guarantee it, Princess.”
The End