Page 16 of The Pakhan’s Arranged Bride (West Coast Bratva Pakhans #2)

“Seattle is a beautiful place for a vacation,” he says, his brows raised at me over the waffles he made for breakfast.

I poke at my plate with the fork. “I don’t think it’s a good time to take a vacation, though. I’m only just settling into Vegas, finding my feet, and now you want to take me somewhere else.”

He chuckles, his deep voice rumbling over me. “Ulyana, it’s just for a few days. It’ll be good for both of us. Besides, the hotel is already booked, and I’ve got the pilot on standby to take us. We are leaving this afternoon. It’s decided.”

I open my mouth to protest again, but the look on his face has me quickly closing it.

I can see this is set in stone. And honestly, a vacation always sounds amazing, but right now it’s just going to interfere with my plans to look for Miron.

I don’t want to delay things. I want to find him now.

I want him out of my life, my thoughts, my constant dread.

I can’t wait for Miron to be dead so that I can stop thinking about him.

Benedikt’s eyes are still locked onto me as he eats. He’s watching closely, and I realize he’s waiting for me to say something.

“I’ll pack after breakfast,” I say, accepting my fate and the vacation he’s planned. My stomach knots tightly though, thinking about the waste of time. I wish I could get out of it.

It’s late afternoon when Benedikt pulls onto the runway at the airport. His has a private jet waiting for us. We climb out of the car and men hurry to take our luggage from the trunk to the jet.

I stand in the bright sun, staring up at the jet. It’s massive.

The white summer dress I’m wearing catches in the warm breeze and lifts around my legs. I push it down and lift my sunglasses off my eyes and onto the top of my head.

Benedikt arrives behind me, slipping his arm around my waist.

“It’s going to be great to get away. We never even had a honeymoon,” he teases.

Of course, we didn’t have a honeymoon. It wasn’t a real marriage.

I’ve been annoyed all afternoon at being forced to go away. But at some point on the drive here, I decided that I should just let go of all of the worry and try to enjoy myself.

It’s been ages since I went on vacation and just relaxed. Since Miron came into my life—I can’t even remember the last time I relaxed.

I’m going to Seattle whether I want to or not, so I might as well make the most of it.

During the short two-and-a-half-hour flight, Benedikt keeps the champagne flowing and spoils me with caviar and a chocolate tasting.

By the time we get to Seattle, I am tipsy and smiling and fully invested in allowing myself to have fun.

The plane lands and Benedikt has our luggage sent to the hotel, but instead of going straight there, he pushes me into a limo, climbing in the back with me, and we head towards a luxurious dinner at the top of Sky View Observatory.

“But—it’s an observatory, not a restaurant,” I protest as we drive there, looking out the window and taking in the beautiful city sights.

“It depends on who you know and how many strings you can pull,” Benedikt muses, slipping his arm around me and pulling me closer.

My first instinct is to protest, but I push it aside. I’m on holiday. Relax. Enjoy yourself.

So I give in and lean into him instead.

This causes a wide smile to break out over his face, and in turn, that makes me smile, too. “It’s beautiful here, very different from Las Vegas.”

“Seattle is one of the most populated cities in America, but somehow Vegas still seems noisier and wilder,” he agrees.

I giggle. “True.”

I’ve been to Seattle a few times in my life, and I’ve even been to the Sky View Observatory. But when I came here, it was full of tourists and noisy and crowded.

This evening it’s empty.

As we walk towards the entrance, a man smiles at us, bowing to Benedikt. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Karamazov,” he says warmly, pushing the door open for us.

“Do they know you here?” I ask, confused.

“Only since I called to book the entire place this morning,” he winks at me.

“You did what?” I ask, shocked.

He takes my hand and leads me into the elevator that will take us to the top of the tower.

On the ride up, he refuses to answer any of my curious questions, his eyes glittering with mischief, excited for the surprise.

On the viewing deck of Sky View Tower, high above the city, with the most magnificent views of Seattle, Benedikt has arranged a private dinner for us.

As we step out of the elevator, he leads me towards a single white table, candles flickering in a soft breeze, champagne waiting on ice, waiters standing nearby wearing black and white tuxedos.

My heart clenches tight in my chest and butterflies dance in my stomach.

“I wanted you to really enjoy your time in Seattle, little fox, so I’ve arranged a number of things for us while we’re here.”

My mouth drops open. “You did this for me?” I ask, shocked.

“Of course, you are my wife.” He smiles, pulling my chair out for me.

The dinner is magical. Benedikt is charming and sweet and I find myself leaning towards him all night.

For the first time in a very, very long time, I completely forget about Miron and my anger towards him.

I can breathe freely, without worry, without looking over my shoulder.

***

Our first morning in Seattle, Benedikt wakes me up early with a tray of breakfast muffins and Seattle coffee.

“Come on, sleepyhead, it’s time to get up.”

I groan and squint at the window. “But it’s still dark outside, the sun isn’t even up.”

“Mm. Surprise number two. I promise you it will be worth it.”

I grin at him. “I’m going to choose to trust you on this one.”

He reaches out and gently touches my cheek, a simple, sweet gesture that warms my heart immediately.

He’s so excited for whatever he has planned that he makes me rush through my muffin. Luckily, the coffee is in a take away cup so I can take it with me as we hurry out of the hotel, dressed in the outfit that Benedikt chose for me.

Sneakers, gym tights, a matching gym top and a warm hoodie to keep out the fresh morning chill.

“Pease don’t tell me you woke me up before the sun so that you can take me to some fancy gym,” I joke.

He throws me an amused smile. “Oh no, the gym has nothing on the morning we’re about to have.”

We drive out of Seattle and eventually park in a lot beneath a massive sign that says, ‘Olympic National Park.’

Benedikt climbs out, grabbing a backpack from the trunk, and holds his hand out to me.

“Come on, I want to get there for sunrise. It’s something you have to see.”

The sky is already growing brighter, just enough for us to see where we’re going. He insists on taking my hand though to keep me safe on the uneven ground as we start the hike into Olympic National Park.

The place is gorgeous.

Everything is damp with morning dew and it smells fresh and green and lush. Rich soil and rock moves beneath my feet and my lungs scream in happiness as my blood pulses faster, pushing myself up rocky pathways, past tall, dark green trees.

“This is magical,” I say, breathing heavily.

Benedikt nods. “I come here every time I go to Seattle. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.”

I shoot him a sideways glance.

“Ugh. How many girlfriends have you brought here,” I say, childish, but for some reason stung with jealousy at the thought of him doing something special like this with someone else.

He bursts out laughing at my question and squeezes his hand around mine a little tighter.

“You might be shocked to find out that I’ve never brought anyone to hike with me here. I prefer to go alone—until now, that is.”

I narrow my gaze at him and scrunch my nose.

“No one?” I ask, not quite believing him.

“It’s kind of my secret adventure, my alone time. There wasn’t anyone I wanted to share it with before.”

My heart warms, realizing I’m the first person he wanted to bring here. What does that mean, though?

An hour into the hike, my thighs are burning, and my lungs are begging for a break.

Benedikt pushes me, though, telling me it’s really close and we’ll definitely make it for sunrise.

I can already see the tips of the sun’s rays pulling over the horizon ahead of us, so we must be close to wherever we’re headed.

As we round a corner, I hear water. Not a gentle stream, but a thundering flow.

“You ready?” he asks, his eyes bright.

“I’m ready,” I grin, taking in his excitement.

He pulls me past a wall of rocks, and I stare in disbelief at the waterfall in front of us.

It’s magnificent.

It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life.

I’m stuck by the magnificence of it, and Benedikt has to pull me forward, out of my daze.

“I know the perfect spot to sit.”

With his hand pressed under my ass, he pushes me up on a massive boulder, then scrambles up next to me.

We sit staring at the waterfall, sitting close to the soft rising mist caused from the water hitting the pool below, with bright, yellow and orange glowing streaks of light shooting through the mist as the sun begins to rise in front of us.

I can’t tear my eyes off it.

Every second that passes, the scene becomes more beautiful.

Benedikt slips his arm around my waist and pulls me against his side, and we sit there together in awe.

Neither of us says anything for almost half an hour, both mesmerized by the beauty of it and happy to sit here together in comfortable silence.

Once the sun is awake and it starts to warm the rocks around us, Benedikt reaches into the backpack and pulls out an assortment of snacks and fresh juice.

Breakfast.

Set out on top of the boulder, in the most gorgeous place.

“Thank you,” I say, finally breaking the silence. “This was pure magic.”

“I knew you’d love it.” I can see the pride in his eyes and realize just how much it means to him to share this with me.

An impulse shoots through me and I reach out and touch his face. He looks up at me, his gaze filled with curiosity and I lean forward, kissing him softly, before sitting back down again.

My cheeks are glowing red. I feel like a little girl, stealing her first kiss.

Benedikt’s grin is massive as he carries on setting up our breakfast, not saying a word.

It’s midday when we hike back down and return to the hotel. My spirits are souring, and my soul is rejuvenated.

We rest a little while at the hotel, having a hot shower and enjoying the view from the penthouse suite, then Benedikt tells me to get ready for our evening adventure at Pike Place Market.

I’m wearing comfortable walking shoes, a bright pink summer dress, and a soft blue jacket as we walk into the Pike Place Market, a farmer’s market, light with bright, colorful lights, buzzing with atmosphere.

Music is playing from a live band somewhere and there are crowds of people enjoying the fresh evening air.

Benedikt slips his hand into mine and we roam the stalls, tasting various street foods, enjoying the flavors and each other’s company.

After exploring for a while, Benedikt and I find a spot to sit with our feet hanging over the edge of a high wall as we enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and watch the people move back and forth, enjoying their night.

It’s late when we get back to the hotel, and the full day of activities and adventures has me exhausted.

We climb into bed and my heart is full and the smile on my face doesn’t want to fade.

Benedikt wraps his arm around me and pulls me close to his side. I snuggle against him, enjoying his warmth.

“Why didn’t you ever take anyone else to see the waterfall?” I ask.

“Because I knew it was special,” he shrugs.

“I don’t understand.”

His eyes drift to my face. “There are some things in your life that you know are special. Too special to waste or ruin by sharing them with just anyone. I knew that one day I would want to have a special memory with someone who was close to my heart—and that would be the person I take to see the waterfall.”

My throat tightens and I can’t find words to answer him.

That person was me.

I was that special person.

“Don’t you have a place like that?” he asks. “A place or something you’d only want to share with a specific person?”

I bite my lip, thinking, but the last few years of my life have been hell—all because of a certain monster.

“I haven’t had time to think about meeting someone special or what I’d want to share with them.”

“I guess you’re still young, thinking about adventures, not love,” he muses.

“It’s not that. I always wanted love. I wanted to know what it felt like—but there have been things stopping me from being able to let go enough to—to let my walls down. Um,” I start stammering, panicking because I’m saying way too much. I’m not the type of person to spill my heart like this.

I huff out a sharp breath and change the subject. “That lobster roll we had tonight was amazing. I wonder if the chef can make the same thing at home.”

Benedikt goes quiet for a moment and I tense, waiting for him to demand to know what I was talking about before. But instead, he lets me distract him.

“I’ll message him tomorrow and tell him to start looking for a recipe. It can be our Friday night tradition,” he laughs.

I smile in relief, grateful that he’s allowed me the space to feel safe with him.

Although he’s holding me very close and I’m sure after spoiling me the entire time since we arrived in Seattle, he’s going to want something in return. Again, I stiffen, tense, wondering if he expects that of me now.

His hand drifts up and down my back, gently brushing over my T-shirt.

“It’s been an incredible day, Ulyana. I’m really happy I got to spend it with you.”

“Me too,” I smile, waiting for the demands.

But they don’t come.

Instead, he starts chatting about how his sister used to love Pike Market when they came here together. And how we should probably invite her for dinner when the chef makes those lobster rolls.

We chat until it’s late, and then he kisses the top of my head and whispers, “Good night, little fox. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I watch him close his eyes and drift easily to sleep.

I watch his chest rise and fall.

And I think about how much I judged him when I first met him. How I thought he was just a playboy, shallow and full of himself—and how the more I get to know him, the more I see he isn’t any of those things at all.

The Benedikt that I’m on vacation with now—he’s a beautiful, deep, kind person. It’s another layer of him that I find incredibly attractive.