Page 105 of Konstantin

I glance down where his touch brushes the delicate lace. It fits like perfection, hugging my body in all the right places.

“I hope so. It cost you thirty grand.”

He chuckles, the sound low and rough. “I’d give it all up to have you.”

His fingers tug at my chin, gripping tight, and a jolt of heat runs through me.

“Every penny I have,” he says, slower this time. “Just to keep you.”

A tight knot forms in my stomach, twisting painfully.

“Then you’d be poor,” I try to joke, but my voice is too thin. “And trust me, that’s no fun either.”

He leans in, his forehead brushing mine, hand still wrapped around my jaw like he’s anchoring me to him. “I’d be the richest man alive with you beside me, moya lyubimoya.”

The words don’t just knock the air from my lungs. They crack something open inside me. Because beneath all the fear and the lies, beneath the badge and betrayal, a part of me aches to believe him.

And that part—that foolish, reckless part—might be my undoing.

His eyes search mine as he pulls back, devouring every flicker of hesitation.

“What does that mean, lyubimoya?”

“My love,” he answers softly.

My heart stammers like it doesn’t know what to do with that.

“Does that word scare you, Tessa?” His thumb brushes over my lips, sending a current through me that makes my skin burn in its wake.

“No,” I whisper.

Yes.

He may not have said he loves me, but this? This is as close as he’s ever come. And the prospect of him ever loving me… I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t even know what love means, let alone from someone like him.

“Just so you know, I don’t need expensive things to make me happy.”

A flash of a smirk pulls at his lips, but his eyes burn with something more. “I still intend to give you the world, Mrs. Marinova. Whether you want it or not.”

I want it. With you.

But I don’t say that. Instead, I let the hunger in his eyes swallow me whole as he leans in and crushes his mouth to mine.

The world falls away. The party, the people, the music…it all disappears when his lips devour me, greedy and full of promise.

It’s not just a kiss. It’s a declaration. A brand. And I let it consume me.

When we finally break apart, I’m breathless. Drunk on him.

“I thought you two were going to start undressing right here.” Iseult cuts through the fog like a knife.

I turn to find her and Gio beside us, two glasses of wine in her hands.

“You have impeccable timing,” Konstantin mutters, his tone clipped as he keeps his arm tightly wrapped around me, like he’s daring anyone to try to take me.

“Don’t I always?” She grins, handing me a glass. “Here. Hydration is key. You’ll need it to survive tonight.”

A laugh escapes me. “I actually don’t drink.”