Page 45 of Brutal Monster
The conviction in his voice settles something restless inside me. I take another sip of vodka, letting it warm me from within.
"I have something to show you," Vanya says, pulling his phone from his pocket. His fingers move across the screen before he hands it to me. "After the ceremony."
I look down at images of a stunning villa, with all its clean lines and open spaces, surrounded by turquoise water that is so clear it seems unreal.
"Cayo Espanto," he explains. "Private island off Belize. The villa has its own dock and helicopter pad. Complete security system I've personally upgraded."
My throat tightens unexpectedly. "It's beautiful."
"It's ours. For a week. Or longer, if you wish." His hand finds the small of my back, warm through the silk. "Private enough to breathe. Close enough to return within hours if necessary."
I look up at him, searching his face. "You've thought of everything."
"I’m trying to be a good husband." There's no arrogance in his tone, just a simple fact.
I swipe through more photos, each more breathtaking than the last. A honeymoon. Something so normal, so human, amid the chaos and blood of our lives.
"My father—" I start, thinking of his deteriorating condition.
"Will have the best care. We can return immediately if needed." Vanya's hand moves in small circles on my back, grounding me. "But you need this, Inez. We both do."
The consideration behind the gesture overwhelms me. Not just the luxury—Vanya has always moved through a world of wealth—but the thoughtfulness. Understanding exactly what Ineed: an escape that doesn't feel like I'm abandoning my responsibilities.
I set down the phone and, turn fully toward him. "Thank you."
His eyes darken as I step closer, eliminating the space between us. When I reach up to touch his face, tracing the scar along his jaw, his breath catches audibly.
"For what?" His voice is rough.
"For seeing me." I rise on my toes, bringing my lips to his. "All of me."
The kiss starts gently but quickly ignites into something hungry and desperate. Vanya's hands span my waist, lifting me effortlessly onto the balcony railing. I should feel fear, suspended above a thirty-foot drop to the rocks below, but all I feel is the solid strength of him between my thighs, anchoring me.
I taste vodka on his tongue, feel the controlled power in his body as he holds me safely at the edge of danger. It's a perfect metaphor for what we are together—lethal, passionate, walking the knife's edge between destruction and salvation.
When we break apart, both breathing hard, the stars have emerged above the darkening ocean. Behind us, the suite waits, the massive bed still rumpled from this morning's lovemaking.
"I have calls to make," I whisper against his mouth, even as my body protests the very idea of leaving his arms.
"They can wait." His teeth graze my lower lip, sending electricity down my spine. "Tonight is ours."
For once, I don't argue. Tonight, I'll take what's offered—this moment of peace before the storm that's surely coming. Tomorrow will bring blood and business and the weight of empires on our shoulders.
But tonight, I'll be just a woman in the arms of her dangerous fiancé, watching the stars reflect on Tulum's endless sea.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
VANYA
Ice melts in my glass, diluting the whiskey I haven't touched in twenty minutes. I stare at the water instead, at the way late afternoon sun fractures across its surface. Tomorrow, I marry a woman as ruthless as I am. It should scare me, but that’s one of the many things I love about her.
"You're doing that thing again," Mikhail says, sprawled in the lounge chair beside me. His shirt is unbuttoned halfway, his posture relaxed in a way mine never is.
"What thing?"
"That brooding, calculating look. Like you're planning a hostile takeover instead of a wedding." He takes a long swallow of his drink. "It's just us here, Vanya. No one to impress."
I grunt, letting my gaze drift across the infinity pool that edges into the sky. The Bravo estate sits high above the city, removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Just how I've always preferred it.
