Page 88
Story: Obsessive Vows
I almost smile at how he wraps what he wants in practical terms—typical Viktor, hiding the man behind the operative. "Very practical," I say, my voice cooler than the heat coursing through my veins. "Maybe we should talk about the... less practical aspects when Sofia isn't watching our every move."
His pupils widen, hunger flashing across his face before he locks it down. "Agreed. Some conversations aren't meant for little ears with big brains."
Sofia twists in his arms, fixing me with those eerie silver eyes—so like her father's—and reaches one imperious hand toward me. My body responds before my mind decides, moving into their space as if pulled by invisible strings.
I cross some invisible line stepping close to them, and I know it. Viktor passes Sofia to me, our fingers brushing in a way that feels anything but accidental. The contact sends electricity through me, bringing back flashes of tangled sheets and Paris darkness.
Sofia settles against me, her familiar weight anchoring me as her tiny hand pats my cheek. She smells of baby powder and something that's uniquely her—a scent that calms me instantly.
"The engagement party's in five days," Viktor says, voice low enough that only I can hear. "Back to playing our parts."
Reality crashes in—the dangerous world waiting beyond these walls, watching our every move. The ceremony will pull in power players from all over Eastern Europe, everyone looking for weakness, for advantage.
"My father called this morning," I say, automatically turning Sofia away from the windows. "Everything's set—guest list, security, the whole show."
"We need to be on the same page," Viktor says, shifting to shield Sofia with his body. The movement is pure instinct, not calculation, and it hits me how much fatherhood has already changed him. "Everyone will be watching us closely."
"Nikolai Petrov worries me," I admit, tightening my hold on Sofia. "Those comments about my Swiss 'projects' weren't just small talk. He's fishing for something."
"The extraction was perfect," Viktor counters, though his eyes narrow. "Every checkpoint clean, no trail."
"His interest is too specific to be random." My heart speeds up despite knowing we're safe right now. "That line about my 'independent studies'—he meant something by it."
Viktor steps closer, instinctively creating another barrier between Sofia and any potential threat. I can feel his body heat, smell his clean, masculine scent—the same one that haunted me for months after Paris.
"We'll watch him at the ceremony," he promises, voice hardening. "Every move, every conversation. If he so much as hints he knows about Sofia, we pull her out immediately."
The shared need to protect our daughter creates a bridge between us, something solid amid all the complications and lies.
"We need something more permanent than just plans," I say, a solution crystallizing in my mind. "Something legal, something outside the Bratva's reach."
His eyes sharpen, mind working fast. "Legal documentation. Parental rights. A real marriage license, recognized by legitimate authorities."
"Exactly," I say, meeting his gaze directly. "Our arrangement works for now, but legal papers give Sofia protection no matter what—inheritance, custody, finances—all secure regardless of what happens in the Bratva."
"You're suggesting we make this marriage real?" His voice stays steady, but something flickers in his expression—something personal beneath the tactical mask.
"I'm suggesting we protect our daughter with everything available to us," I clarify, my heart pounding so hard I'm sure he can hear it. "Legal marriage creates a family unit that's protected no matter what."
The silence between us isn't just about strategy—it's charged with possibilities neither of us has dared mention. A future beyond security threats and Bratva games.
"From fake engagement to real marriage," he says softly, the gentleness in his voice catching me off guard. "Performance becoming reality."
"For Sofia," I insist, needing to keep some kind of boundary, even as my body betrays me with its awareness of him. "Legal protection, that's all."
"For Sofia," he agrees, but his eyes tell a different story. "And maybe something more than just paperwork."
Before I can respond, Sofia starts squirming against me—her telltale sign that nap time is approaching and she's planning to fight it. I'm almost grateful for the distraction from the dangerous territory we're entering.
"Nap time's coming," I say, relieved to focus on something simpler.
"I'll handle nap duty," Anna says, appearing beside us with suspiciously perfect timing. "You two probably have things to discuss without tiny observers."
Her knowing look makes me realize how obvious our tension must be. The electricity between us—stubborn despite everything complicated between us—is apparently visible to anyone paying attention.
Viktor hands Sofia to Anna reluctantly, his fingers lingering as if memorizing how she feels before letting go. His hand brushes mine during the exchange, a touch that shoots heat straight through me.
Once Anna takes Sofia away, the air between us changes—charged with everything we're not saying. The marriage conversation, the pull between us, the future neither of us planned for.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88 (Reading here)
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105