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Aithan

Three months later

The waves crash against the shoreline as I guide the boat toward the dock. The salty air is thick, humid, and charged with something I can’t quite name. Maybe it’s the weight of what I’m about to do. Maybe it’s just her. Yelena sits beside me, her raven-black hair flowing in the breeze, her electric blue eyes staring out at the vast, endless stretch of ocean.

She doesn’t know yet. Doesn’t realize that this isn’t just a getaway. That this island—this piece of untouched paradise—is ours now. That I bought it with her in mind. For us.

She glances at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “You’ve been acting strange.”

I smirk. “Strange how?”

“Like you’re hiding something.”

Smart girl.

I kill the engine, anchoring the boat. “You’ll see soon enough.”

She narrows her eyes, but I see the intrigue flicker in them. Good. I want her curious. I want her mind racing, anticipating—just like mine has been since I started planning this.

The second her bare feet touch the wooden dock, I watch the way her body shifts, how she takes in the pristine island, the untouched sand, the lush green trees. She tilts her head back, inhaling deeply.

“This place…” she breathes, eyes shining. “It’s beautiful.”

I step behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “It’s ours.”

She stills. “What?”

“This island. I bought it.” I pause, letting the words settle between us before adding, “For you.”

Her sharp intake of breath is all the confirmation I need that I made the right decision. Yelena turns in my arms, searching my face, but she doesn’t speak right away. Her lips part slightly, her fingers grip my shirt.

“You… bought a whole island?”

I shrug. “Why not?”

She exhales a shaky laugh, her fingers brushing my jaw. “You’re insane.”

“And you’re the owner of this insane man,” I murmur, tightening my hold on her. “Now, do you want a tour, or are you planning to argue about my real estate decisions?”

She huffs but lets me lead her down the dock, through a stone pathway lined with palm trees, until we reach the villa. It’s modern, sleek—floor-to-ceiling windows, open spaces, the kind of place where the outside and inside melt together. I designed it with her in mind.

Yelena walks through the entrance, trailing her fingers along the walls, across the countertop in the open kitchen. When she steps onto the back terrace, she stops in her tracks. The infinity pool spills into the ocean, the sun melting into the horizon, staining the sky in hues of gold and crimson.

A moment passes. Then another.

And then she whispers, “It’s perfect.”

I slip a hand into my pocket, fingers grazing the velvet box inside.

Now or never, Aithan.

Yelena

The air is thick with the scent of salt and sun-warmed sand. My heart is still racing from Aithan’s revelation—an entire island? A whole stretch of land and sky, just for us?

And yet, something in his demeanor tells me he’s not done. There’s something else. Something heavier.

He stands before me, his pewter-gold eyes sharp, unreadable, as the wind tousles his hair. The setting sun paints him in firelight, and for a moment, I don’t recognize him—not the ruthless mafia boss, not the cold-blooded man who terrifies his enemies. This is someone else. This is just… Aithan.

Then he drops to one knee.

My breath catches. My fingers instinctively fly to my mouth as his hand moves to his pocket, pulling out a small black velvet box.

“Yelena Makarov.” His voice is low, steady, but I hear the edge of something raw in it. Something real. “I didn’t think I’d ever love again. Didn’t think I’d let myself. But you—” He exhales, shaking his head slightly. “You ruined that plan. You ripped through me like wildfire, set my whole world ablaze. And now I can’t imagine life without you.”

My pulse is erratic, my knees weak. I was not expecting this.

Aithan flips open the box, revealing a ring—a diamond so large, it could probably be seen from space. It glints in the golden light, catching every facet, every shimmer of the setting sun.

“I know we started all this for power, for an alliance, for reasons that had nothing to do with love. But that’s not what this is anymore.” His gaze locks onto mine, and it’s so fierce, so completely open, that it shatters something inside me. “Marry me. Not because of duty, not because of an arrangement. Marry me because you’re mine. Because I’m yours. And because I love you”

I try to speak, but my throat closes. The weight of it—the finality of it—makes my chest ache. I’ve always told myself that I don’t need love, that I don’t want the vulnerability that comes with it. But standing here, with this man, on this island that he bought for us, I realize something devastatingly simple.

I love him. More than life itself.

A tear slips down my cheek. I try to blink it away, try to find words, but my mouth is useless.

Aithan’s jaw ticks. “Yelena?”

I manage to croak, “Yes.”

His eyes flash. “Yes?”

A breathless laugh escapes me as I nod rapidly. “Yes, you idiot. Yes!”

He moves so fast, I barely register it before I’m in his arms, my feet leaving the ground, my hands tangling in his hair. His lips crash into mine, fierce, desperate, claiming. And I let him. I let him take me apart, let him own me in the way he always has.

Aithan carries me inside to a luxurious bedroom. He sets me down in the middle of the room and just stands there looking at me, as if I am the only precious object on the whole planet.

With deliberate slowness, Aithan begins to undress me, his fingers deft and gentle. He starts with the delicate straps of my gown, sliding them off my shoulders, baring my skin inch by inch. The cool air raises goosebumps on my arms, but his touch is like fire, warming me from within. He takes his time, savoring each moment, his eyes never leaving my face, as if seeking permission, ensuring my comfort.

As the gown pools around my waist, he pauses, his fingers tracing the curve of my collarbone, then dipping lower to follow the swell of my breasts.

“You’re so beautiful, Yelena.” he whispers, his thumb brushing my nipple, already pebbled with anticipation.

“Aithan, please…” I beg, my voice thick with need.

He chuckles, a dark, sexy sound, and continues his slow exploration. The gown falls to the floor, leaving me clad only in my lace panties and the ring he gave me. He traces the edges of the lace, his fingers teasing, but not yet touching the skin beneath.

“This ring is the only thing I want to see on you.”

His words send a rush of heat through me, and I nod, understanding his desire to see me bare, yet marked as his.

Aithan’s hands move to my hips, pulling me closer to the edge of the bed. With a soft tug, he pulls me down to the luxuriously made bed and kneels between my thighs. His breath is warm on my sensitive skin. His fingers trace the elastic of my panties, teasing, torturing me with his slow movements. He kisses my dripping pussy, and the sensation of his lips through the wet lace fabric of my panties has me moaning his name.

I lie on the vast expanse of silk sheets, the soft fabric caressing my bare skin, as Aithan’s eyes devour me. The sun has just dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow through the open balcony doors of our private villa. The gentle breeze carries the scent of the ocean, mingling with the sweet fragrance of the flowers he had scattered across the bed earlier. My heart races with anticipation, my body is already humming with desire. The engagement ring on my finger sparkles in the fading light, a constant reminder of the promise we’ve made to each other.

Aithan kneels beside the bed, his dark hair falling across his forehead, his intense eyes never leaving mine. He takes my hand, the one adorned with the ring he placed there just moments ago, and presses a soft kiss to my knuckles.

“You’re so responsive, so beautiful,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my inner thigh, sending sparks of pleasure through me.

“Aithan, please…now…” I plead, my voice now desperate.

“Patience, my love. I want to savor every moment.”

He finally pulls off my panties, and his mouth finally finds the spot I crave. His tongue teasing, licking, and sucking, driving me wild with pleasure. I cry out, my body arching, my fingers clutching at the sheets as he explores, his beard scraping my sensitive skin, adding a delicious friction.

“Aithan, I can’t… I need…” I pant, my words incoherent.

Aithan chuckles, a dark, satisfied sound, and finally, he rises, shedding his own clothes with swift efficiency. His body is a work of art, sculpted and powerful, and I drink in the sight of him, my husband, my friend, my lover, my fiancé. His tattoos tell stories of his past, and his eyes burn with an unbridled desire for me.

Aithan joins me on the bed, his body pressing against mine, his erection hard and insistent against my thigh. He captures my lips in a fierce kiss, his tongue dueling with mine, tasting me, claiming me. His hands roam, exploring, touching, branding me with his possession. I open my legs, but he does not position himself where I want him.

“Not yet, my love. I want to feel you, taste you, all of you.”

His mouth trails down my neck, sucking, biting gently, marking me as his. His hands roam, caressing, squeezing, his touch both gentle and demanding. He nips at my earlobe, his teeth scraping, sending shivers of pleasure through me.

“You’re mine, Yelena. Only mine.”

“Yes. Yours, always.”

His fingers slip between us, stroking, preparing me; his touch is expert, knowing where to apply pressure and where to be gentle. I moan, my body arching, my breath coming in short pants.

“Aithan, I’m…”

He silences me with a kiss, his tongue plunging deep inside my mouth, as he enters me in one smooth thrust, filling me completely. I cry out, my nails digging into his shoulders, my body adjusting to his size, his hardness.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice rough with pleasure and concern.

“Yes, don’t stop.” I whisper, my eyes fluttering open to meet his intense gaze.

He smiles, a wicked, sexy grin, and begins to move, slow and deliberate, each thrust sending pleasure spiraling through me. He watches me, his eyes dark with desire, as if memorizing my every reaction, my every expression.

I meet his rhythm, my body moving with his, our breaths synchronizing. The bed creaks with our passion, the silk sheets twisting and tangling around us. The ring on my finger glints in the fading light, a constant reminder of our bond, our promise.

Aithan’s pace quickens, his thrusts becoming more urgent, more demanding. I match him, my body responding, my pleasure building to an unbearable height.

“I’m close…” I pant, my voice a mere whisper.

“Come for me, my love. Let go.”

His words are the catalyst I need. My body explodes, pleasure rippling through me, my cries filling the room. Aithan follows, his release powerful, his name on my lips as we climax together, our bodies entwined, our hearts beating as one.

As our breaths slow, and our hearts calm, Aithan collapses beside me, pulling me into his arms. He presses a soft kiss on my forehead, his fingers tracing the ring on my finger.

“You are my forever.”

“Forever.” I echo, snuggling into his embrace, content and complete.

The ocean breeze continues to whisper through the balcony, the world outside fading into insignificance. Here, in this moment, there is only us—bound by love, desire, and a promise that will last a lifetime.

There is no going back.

He is mine. And I am his.

Forever.