Page 121 of Brutal Unionn

It’s not rushed. It’s not rough. It’s slow—intensely so—like he’s drawing it out on purpose, like he wants to savor it. His lips press against mine with a steady, controlled pressure, warm and coaxing, not demanding, but deep and knowing. Like he’s been waiting for this exact moment.

My body reacts before I can think. My lips part beneath his, and his tongue finds mine, slow and smooth and maddening. I clutch at his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his kimono, trying to anchor myself. But it doesn’t work.

The kiss deepens.

His mouth moves with precision—tasting, teasing, taking. His hand skims the curve of my lower back, drawing small circles that send sparks through my spine. My skin buzzes. My pulse spikes. Every part of me feels like it’s being dragged closer to something dangerous and inevitable.

He tilts his head and groans softly into my mouth as my fingers slip beneath the edge of his collar. I feel the bare skin there—warm, tight with muscle—and I want more. I want all of him. Here. Now.

His kiss turns hungrier, just slightly—his teeth grazing my bottom lip, his hand tightening at my hip like he’s seconds away from spinning me around and doing things we won’t be able to walk away from.

I break the kiss first. Barely.

My lips are swollen. My breath short. My heart pounding like it wants to leap into his hands.

“Tell me the truth, Hime,” he says, voice rough, lips still brushing mine.

“Hhm?”

“Are you wearing panties right now?”

I smirk, slow and cruel. “Guess you’ll find out later.”

His hands stay on me, but his eyes narrow, calculatingthe weight of that tease. I drag my thumb across his mouth, deliberately slow, watching his control fray.

“You better walk away now,” I murmur, lips brushing his jaw, “because if you mess up this dress I am edging you all week.”

Sho swears under his breath, jaw clenched tight, as he pulls me in even closer, breathing me in and definitely ruining my dress.

“Nadia you are not going to-” Nikolai’s voice snaps the perfect tenderness of the moment as he rips open the door. “There you are!”

“You snuck away from your suite?” I smirk, pushing him away just so I can have space to breathe.

“I wanted a peek,” he smiles, reaching for my hand but I take a step back and narrow my eyes.

“Go stand at the end of the aisle,” I snap.

Sho’s grin only deepens. “Promise you’ll meet me down there,” he says, and leans in to kiss the curve of my cheek, slow and smug.

“I promise.” I grin—and not a small, polite smirk. No, this is something deeper. A toothy, wild grin that stretches across my face until my cheeks ache and my eyes sting. It's unhinged, radiant, raw. An eclipsing smile that feels too big for my skin, too alive to cage.

It hurts—but for the first time, the pain is the good kind. The kind I’d endure over and over. The kind I’ve fought for, bled for. The kind that doesn’t hollow me out but fills me—like fire in the lungs, like love in a war zone.

The kind I can take.

The kind I can give.

And finally, finally, the kind Ichoose.

As I step forward, toward everything I once swore I’d never want, I realize—I can have it all. The crown. The guy. My ability to kill someone in seventeen different ways.

I can be it all.

Thankyou so much for trusting me with Nadia and Sho’s story. This book is a little different from my others, but I always follow where the characters lead—and I’m grateful you came on that journey with me.

If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review. Your support helps me grow and gives me the chance to keep creating the kinds of stories you love.

Coming soon is Alek’s and Lily’s story, this one had me in tears at times. Stay tuned, follow me on Amazon and so you’re the first to know when it’s available.