Page 25

The air was thick with the aroma of burning cigars, the low murmur of laughter and conversation blending with the shuffle of cards and the clinking of crystal glasses.

My fingers drummed idly against the felt-covered table, my gaze sweeping across my opponents.

They were all seasoned members of the Bratva with hands that were scarred from bloodshed and dark eyes that threatened death.

Antonio Morozov and Victor Volkov.

We were all cut from the same cloak—all three of us—bred with cruelty, brutality, and bloodshed. Different in many ways yet similar in more than one.

And at this table, every card we tossed was a matter of our pride. The joy that came with victory surpassed winning a war with a rival family.

I’d always been a good player, only lost a game a couple of times. My skills were unbeatable, and everyone here knew it.

But it was different tonight. Giselle’s presence made it different.

She sat on the edge of a leather chair across the room, her back straight and hands folded neatly in her lap. Her raven hair was slicked back into a neat bun, and she looked absolutely gorgeous in the fitted red dress she wore.

All eyes had turned in her direction when she stepped into the room moments earlier, and it took a clearing of my throat and me giving the men at the table a silent warning with my eyes before they took their lusty gazes off my wife.

I was the only one allowed to look at her, the only one allowed to lust after her. I didn’t mind putting a bullet through some of their skulls so the others wouldn’t dare to cross the line with what was mine.

“You’re distracted,” Antonio Morozov said, his dark eyes narrowing on the cards I was holding.

I leaned back, shifting my gaze from Giselle to him. I could still see her watching me from the corner of my eye, her brows furrowed with concern.

It was the first time she’d ever come to watch me play. Her presence was distracting, but I’d be damned before I lost a game with her here.

Because it wasn’t about me or my pride tonight; it was about her. I wasn’t going to let her down.

I rubbed my temple with my middle finger. “Distracted?” I chuckled lightly. “More like motivated.”

Antonio’s eyes widened as I pushed my entire stack forward. “What in fuck’s name are you doing, Yezhov?”

I smirked. “I’m all in.”

The table went silent, and everyone stared at each other. It was not like me to go all in for a game, but a little change to my usual tactics wasn’t such a bad idea, especially not when I had to impress my woman.

I glanced at Giselle, noting how her lips parted and the plea in her eyes. Winking at her, I mouthed, “I’m doing this for you.”

Her lips curled with a smile, and she nodded with understanding. “Good luck,” she mouthed back.

Volkov stared back and forth between Giselle and me. His lips quirked, amusement bouncing in his eyes. “Ready to risk it all, Yezhov?”

I didn’t like the smile on his face or the challenge in his eyes. For all I knew, the sly bastard was going to do everything he could to ensure I lost, just to make a fool of me in front of Giselle.

Unfortunately, my desire to win surpassed his. “Bring it on, Volkov!”

Antonio’s eyes narrowed on me. He snarled. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Trying to push us to the edge and see who shivers first?”

“Trying to push you?” I scoffed. “No, I’m just feeling a little lucky tonight.” And my lucky charm was sitting just across the room.

Victor snorted, tossing his chip to match my bet. “Let’s see where lucky takes you.”

I met his gaze, itching with the need to make things a little more interesting. “I hope it takes me right to bed with my wife.”

He winced in disgust. “That woman can do a lot better than a cocky bastard like you, Yezhov. Take that as a compliment.”

“Gladly.”

We both turn to Antonio, waiting for him to make his bet.

He scratched his jaw in contemplation, then folded with a muttered curse. “Fuck you two arrogant sons of bitches.”

I clasped his shoulders. “Don’t get too emotional over a game, old man.”

He frowned at me, the silver in his mustache catching the light as he inhaled his cigar and puffed a ring of smoke in the air.

It was just Victor and me now.

The dealer burned a card and then flipped the river.

A flush.

Victor’s smirk wiped off his face as he put his card down. “ Kakogo blyad’ chyorta?!”

What the fuck?!

The room erupted in a mix of groans and begrudging admiration.

I leaned back with a smile, allowing the satisfaction to settle in, but my gaze went straight to her.

Giselle released a shaky breath, relief flashing across her face before a wide grin curled on her lips.

“Looks like we have a winner,” I said to the grumpy men in front of me. I tapped Victor’s shoulder in fake consolation. “Better luck next time, Volkov. And make sure to keep your eyes off my woman.”

“I’ll get you next time, Yezhov,” he said with a snarl.

I got to my feet, smirking at his promise. “You’ll be needing a lot of luck for that to happen.”

I signaled one of my bodyguards in the corner to collect my winnings and walked over to my wife.

When I reached her, she jumped to her feet and threw her arms around me, peppering me with kisses. “You won,” she said, her eyes glinting with excitement.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her temple. “No. We won, baby,” I replied.

“I think we need to celebrate.” She leaned in and whispered. “Let’s sneak away from here.”

I took her hand in mine. “Come with me.”

She squinted. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

I led her to the rooftop of the building, closing the door behind us to avoid any interruptions and burying the noise of the chaos below.

The rooftop was quiet, and the city stretched out before us, a glittering expanse of lights and movement. The night breeze was cool, carrying with it the distant sounds of cars racing down the street.

Giselle stood beside me, her hands covered in mine as she admired the full moon and the bed of stars in the sky.

Our fingers grazed, and it felt like the entire world had been set ablaze, the heat licking through my veins and the air cracking with a jolt of tension.

The weird feeling in my chest intensified, and my pulse raced. It was a reminder of what she meant to me—what I’d just discovered she meant to me.

I watched her, something in my chest fluttering as I admired how beautiful she was under the moonlight. The winder ruffled her hair, her thick lashes casting a shadow under her eyes.

While she watched the city and the sky overhead, I watched her with nothing but yearning in my heart. It wasn’t sex or anything that I needed; it was her. Her heart, her touch, her whispers—everything.

“The sky is beautiful tonight,” she said in a voice that was barely audible.

I didn’t take my eyes off her even for a moment. “It’s not as beautiful as you are.”

She craned her neck to look at me, her eyes meeting mine and holding my gaze for a moment, and in a way, that ignited something deep inside me.

“Andrei,” she said softly, her chest heaving and her eyes gleaming with a type of vulnerability I’d never seen in them before.

“I’m here, solnishko . What do you need?”

“What do you feel for me?” she asked, her eyes searching mine and her lips trembling. “I’ve been wanting to ask for a while now, and I’m tired of pretending I’m not curious, that I don’t feel anything for you. I need the truth from you. No games. No lies.”

Her words hit like a punch to the gut. I had spent so long keeping my emotions locked away, convincing myself that what I felt for her was nothing more than a possessive need for her, but all of it was a lie. She was way more than that to me, and I realized it long before I even admitted it to myself.

I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

She didn’t pull away. “You want the truth?” I murmured.

She nodded, her breathing hollow. “Yes, I want the truth because, to be honest, I think I’ve fallen in love with you. I don’t know when or how it happened, but you’re all I think about and all I care about. I honestly can’t think of anything or anyone else aside from you. I love you, Andrei. More than I ever wanted to, but so much that I can’t picture my life without you. I love you.”

I smiled, my entire existence warming at the sound of her voice—at the weight of her confession. It must’ve taken a lot for her to finally share her feelings with me. “You’re cute when you tell me how much you love me, solnishko .”

Her eyes shimmered in the dim light. “Andrei….”

“I love you, too, Giselle,” I admitted. “I tried to tell myself it was nothing, that I was incapable of an emotion like that, but that was me lying to myself. You’re everything to me, Giselle. You’re my entire world, and I don’t want to fight it anymore.”

A tear rolled down her face. “You love me?”

I took a step closer, my fingers grazing her arm and sending a shiver through her. “More than I’ve ever loved anything else.”

She hesitated for only a second before she whispered, “And you’ll love me forever?”

“Forever is the deal, baby.”

I cupped her face in my hands, tilting her chin up before claiming her lips.

She melted into me, her hands fisting my shirt as if she never wanted to let go. The kiss was deep, desperate, months of restraint crumbling in an instant.

When we finally pulled apart, she rested her forehead against mine. “I was afraid you’d never admit it.”

I ran my thumb over her lower lip. “I’ve never been afraid of anything in my entire life, solnishko . But right now, losing you is the only thing that truly terrifies me.”

She smiled, the kind of smile that made my world tilt. “Then hold on tight and don’t ever lose me. In return, I’ll be by your side until the end of the world.”

“I don’t plan on losing you, not now or ever.” I kissed her again, sealing the promise between us. And for the first time in my entire life, I knew I’d found home.

I knew without a single doubt she would be mine forever.