Page 40

TASH

Six months later…

I stretch lazily in the plush hotel bed, sunlight streaming through the gauzy curtains of our suite at the Ritz Paris. The sheets still hold Dmitri's scent, though he slipped out earlier with a kiss and a promise of breakfast.

The door clicks open, and Dmitri strides in, impeccably in a navy cashmere sweater and carrying a white paper bag that fills the room with the aroma of fresh-baked pastries.

"Only the best for your birthday breakfast, kulkola ." He sets down two cups of coffee from Coutume on the antique side table. "I refuse to let you have mediocre hotel croissants when we're three blocks from the finest boulangerie in Paris."

"You didn't have to go out." I sit up, pulling the silk robe around me. "But I'm not complaining."

He unpacks golden, flaky croissants still warm from the oven. "Six months together, and you think I'd settle for anything less than perfect?"

I accept the coffee he hands me, breathing in the rich aroma. "These past months have been perfect enough."

"They have." He settles beside me on the bed, careful not to spill. "Though I still wake up wondering how I got so lucky."

I take a bite of the still-warm croissant, savoring the buttery layers. "How's Erik doing? I saw Katarina at the gallery opening last week. She seemed... happy."

Dmitri's expression softens. "He's different with her. Calmer. Though he still hovers like she might vanish if he blinks."

"Can't blame him after everything." I curl into his side, and he wraps an arm around me. "They fit together, don't they? In their intense way."

"Like you and me?" His fingers trace patterns on my shoulder.

"Maybe less dramatic than us." I smile against his chest. "Though speaking of drama, how's Alexi handling that mysterious hacker? Sofia mentioned he's been more manic than usual."

Dmitri chuckles, a warm rumble I feel through his sweater. "He's met his match. Every time he thinks he's close, she slips away. I've never seen him so frustrated or intrigued."

"She?"

"Just his theory. Says the code has a feminine elegance." He shakes his head. "But watching him obsess over catching her reminds me of how I was with you."

"Except I wasn't actively trying to destroy your systems."

"No, you just destroyed my carefully constructed walls instead." His voice turns serious, tender in a way few people ever hear. "I never thought I'd have this, Tash. Someone who sees all of me and stays anyway."

I put down my coffee before turning to face him. "I love all of you. Even the parts you think I shouldn't."

I stretch again, reluctant to leave our cozy nest of Egyptian cotton sheets. "You're not going to tell me where we're going?"

"Get showered and dressed." Dmitri's eyes spark with affection. "I have the entire day planned."

"So bossy." I roll my eyes but can't hide my smile. "Some things never change."

"Would you want me any other way?" He leans down to kiss me.

"Maybe a little less controlling?" I tease.

I pad to the marble bathroom, where he's already laid out my favorite Jo Malone products. Of course he has. The hot water eases any remaining tension from last night's activities, and I emerge wrapped in a fluffy robe to find a garment bag waiting.

"You picked my clothes too?"

"A Dior that will be perfect for where we're going." Dmitri adjusts his cuffs, watching me with heated eyes as I dress.

The dress fits like it was tailor-made for me. It is made of dove gray silk, which floats when I move. I pair it with the pearl drop earrings he gave me for Christmas, noting his approving nod.

"Ready?" He holds out his hand.

"For whatever you've planned." I take it, letting him lead me to where his driver waits with a gleaming black Mercedes.

Paris sparkles in the morning light as we glide through the streets, my head resting on Dmitri's shoulder. He's relaxed in a way few people see him, one hand tracing patterns on my knee as he points out architectural details with his usual encyclopedic knowledge.

"First stop?" I ask as we pull up to a familiar courtyard.

"Patience, kulkolka ." He helps me out of the car, keeping me close as we enter the Parisian streets. "Your birthday has only just begun," he says.

I marvel at each carefully curated stop on Dmitri's tour. He's chosen all my favorite museums, but is starting with the intimate Musée Marmottan Monet, where we spend an hour admiring the largest collection of Monet's works. The way Dmitri watches me take in each painting, his hand resting possessively on my lower back, tells me he's enjoying my reactions as much as the art.

We wander through the Impressionist galleries at the Musée d'Orsay, housed in the magnificent former railway station. Dmitri surprises me with his knowledge of art history, though I shouldn't be shocked anymore by the depths of his interests.

"The security here is quite impressive," he says as we study a Degas, making me laugh and swat his arm.

"Can you look at anything without analyzing its security?"

"Force of habit." He pulls me closer. "Though I'm more interested in watching you right now."

The Louvre is our final museum stop, where we focus on the lesser-known wings I've always wanted to explore. Dmitri arranged private access to several normally restricted areas, and I try not to think about what favors he called in to make it happen.

As evening approaches, we arrive at the Eiffel Tower. The Jules Verne restaurant glitters above Paris, and Dmitri guides me to a private table with a breathtaking view of the city lights coming alive below.

"The chef has prepared a special tasting menu," Dmitri says as the waiter brings champagne to our table. "Though I made sure to include the lobster you love."

I take in the panoramic view, the intimate table setting, and the man watching me with those intense eyes. "This has been the most perfect day."

"You deserve perfect." He reaches across the table to take my hand. "Happy birthday, my love."

The waiter clears our dessert plates, and Dmitri signals for more champagne. The lights of Paris twinkle below us, a carpet of stars mirroring the real ones above. He's been getting progressively more intense throughout dinner, that familiar focused energy I've come to recognize when he's planning something.

"Walk with me?" He stands, offering his hand.

We take the private elevator to the observation deck, mysteriously empty of other tourists. Of course he's arranged that too. The wind whips my hair as we look out over the city.

"I had everything planned," Dmitri says, turning me to face him. "A speech about how you've changed my life, about how I never thought I could love someone the way I love you." His hands frame my face. "But standing here, looking at you in this light... words seem inadequate."

My breath catches as he drops to one knee, pulling out a black velvet box.

"You've seen every part of me, Tash. The darkness, the control, the obsession. And instead of running, you challenged me. You made me better." He opens the box to reveal a stunning Art Deco ring, the diamond catching the tower's lights. "You're the first person who's ever made me want to be worthy of love. Marry me?"

Tears blur my vision as I look down at this powerful, complicated man who's brought me to the most romantic city in the world to ask this question. "Yes," I whisper. "Yes, Dmitri."

His hands shake slightly as he slides the ring onto my finger, a rare show of vulnerability that makes my heart squeeze. Then he's standing, pulling me into a kiss.

When we break apart, he rests his forehead against mine. "I love you, Natasha Blackwood."

"I love you too," I breathe against his lips. "Even when you're being impossibly controlling and arranging for an entire observation deck to be cleared just for a proposal."

He laughs softly. "Would you expect anything less?"

"No," I admit against his lips. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

His kiss deepens, and I melt into him, my fingers sliding into his perfectly styled hair. The ring catches the light as I move my hand, and the weight of it feels right—like belonging.

The wind whips around us at this height, but I barely notice. Dmitri's warmth envelops me, his familiar scent of expensive cologne drowning out everything else. His hands tighten possessively at my waist, drawing me closer until there's no space between us.

The lights of Paris blur and fade, the sounds of the city below disappearing until there's nothing but his heartbeat against my chest and tremors in his hands that betray how much this moment means to him.

His kiss turns harder, more demanding, and I respond in kind. Six months ago, I would have fought this possession, this all-consuming need he has to own every part of me. Now I understand it's matched by my own need to possess him, to claim the parts of him no one else gets to see.

The world continues to spin below us, but in our bubble at the top of Paris, nothing exists except his lips on mine and the promise of forever wrapped around my finger.

Thank you so much for reading Shatter Me, the second book in the Beautiful Monsters series. I hope you enjoyed following Dmitri and Tash’s story.

The next book will be Chain Me, following Erik and Katarina. The pre-order is scheduled for the 23rd of May, but I’m hoping to bring it forward. This will be the latest date it will be published.

Chain Me: A Dark Mafia Romance

I've spent years building my tech empire, determined to escape my family's criminal legacy. But when the Ivanov brothers take me captive to control my father, all my careful plans crumble.

My jailer, Erik Ivanov, is nothing like I expected. Behind his icy control burns a darkness that calls to my own. Each time he touches me, my resistance weakens. Each time he claims me, the line between captor and lover blurs.

But falling for an Ivanov is a death sentence. Our families have been enemies for generations, and love won't erase the blood between us. The deeper I fall, the more dangerous this game becomes.

Erik awakens parts of me I've tried to deny—the need to submit, to be owned, to surrender to the beast beneath his careful mask. But when the time comes to choose between family loyalty and the man who's claimed my body and soul, I'm not sure I'll survive the fallout.

They say keep your enemies closer, but no one warned me what happens when you let them into your heart.