Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LYLA
Ihummed to myself as I set the table, placing down a plate quickly followed by cutlery.
Music played lightly in the air, the room illuminated only by candles, casting a romantic light through the space.
Everything had to be perfect. There couldn’t be a single thing out of place.
I’d been planning this for so long. I’d done numerous test runs to ensure everything went off without a hitch. I couldn’t possibly fuck anything up.
Everything. Had. To. Be. Perfect.
I moved over to the long table against the wall, staring down at the array of food I’d prepared.
There was a little bit of everything. Huge, perfectly cooked turkey.
A full rack of lamb. Roasted potatoes. Bowls of pasta.
Salad, crudités, and dip. Homemade bread.
An array of different sweets; cupcakes, pies, fudge slices, chocolate mud cakes—my Lukyan’s favorite.
Everything he could possibly desire, right at his fingertips.
The scents swirled into the air, making my stomach rumble in anticipation.
Hands on my hips, I stared at the abundance of food, trying to figure out the best way to display them. The best order to make it all look as appetizing as possible. First impressions were important.
I glanced over my shoulder, looking at Lukyan for the umpteenth time. I couldn’t believe I finally had him. That we were finally together. Though it had been a long time coming, I could still remember the first time I laid eyes on him.
Nineteen months earlier
I was in the corner booth of some stylish, up-and-coming café, staring at my target. My brother’s words flitted through my head as I slowly sipped my coffee.
“Watch him. Gather as much intel as you can. We need to know everything before we even think about making a move.”
So I sat. I watched. I noted down everything he did. What he ordered. What he was wearing. Whether he was rude or polite to the waitstaff. Everything.
He traveled with a team of bodyguards. Four of them, each as big as the last. They kept a close eye on him and the surrounding environment, looking for even the slightest hint of danger.
Several times, I was forced to cast my gaze down to the table, taking my eyes off him so they wouldn’t get suspicious.
I couldn’t risk drawing attention to myself.
Lev would kill me if my cover was blown so early in the game. And it was a long game.
For the past few weeks, I’d been tasked with following Dimitri Volkov, and follow him I did.
I was very good at it. Small and sneaky, like a cat, I watched him from afar, darting behind cars or buildings so his security team wouldn’t see me.
I wore different disguises every day to ensure my identity wasn’t compromised.
It had been a long and grueling few weeks, but I enjoyed the work.
Stalking was kinda fun. Watching someone who had no idea they were being watched? It made me feel powerful. Untouchable. And based on what my brother had said, I would be doing it for a while.
It was a good thing I enjoyed it.
Across the café, Dimitri received his styrofoam cup from the barista and nodded in thanks.
He deposited a $100 bill into the tip jar, and the barista’s eyes widened in shock.
Couldn’t blame her, really. That was one hell of a tip.
But after watching Dimitri for the past few weeks, I’d come to know that about him.
He was a big-ass fucking tipper, and any time he stopped into an establishment, the waitstaff would vie for him to be seated in their section.
Dimitri turned and made his way toward the exit, his guards in tow. I threw back the rest of my coffee quickly, the liquid long having gone cold, and got up, pulling my cap lower over my face. I rushed forward, weaving my way in and around the other tables and patrons, hustling to follow him.
It annoyed me how busy it was. It just made my job all the more difficult, trying to get out without drawing attention to myself. Urgency filled me. Move, move, move—
“Ooof.” I ran smack into a hard body. I’d been so preoccupied with trying to follow after Dimitri I hadn’t been watching where I was going. My body tipped back. Strong hands gripped me tightly, stopping me from falling flat on my ass. My eyes shot up, and my heart stopped.
Standing over me, holding me around the waist, was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life.
Tall, broad-shouldered, with long, shoulder-length dark hair and strong features.
Stunning blue eyes with the tiniest specks of brown hidden within them.
Lips, curved and full. Devilish. I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe. Ensnared. I was ensnared by him, unable to do anything else but stare in awe.
My heart kicked back into gear, hammering so hard I almost couldn’t catch my breath. Heat burst inside my chest, hot and completely and utterly searing. I didn’t know what was going on. I’d never felt anything like it before.
Who is this man?
“Sorry about that, gorgeous. Didn’t see you.”
A shiver ran through me, right down to my soul. His voice. God, I’d never heard anything like it. His hand burned into my back, his touch holding me captive, my mission all but forgotten.
“Uh—I-I—” Why can’t I talk? Why can’t I do anything but stare at him? Say something! Say something cute or funny or charming. Just fucking say something! It was as if my brain had just short-circuited. It was completely fucking useless to me.
Adonis Reincarnate smirked, and my fucking heart stopped again. No man should be that fucking beautiful. He could get anything he wanted with that look…including me.
He pushed me up until I was back on my two feet again, but if I was being honest, it didn’t make a difference. I still felt as though the ground were moving beneath me. Like my legs were jello, and I was going to fall back over any minute.
He grabbed my hand, and a shock ran through my body at the skin-on-skin contact. Yeah, that definitely wasn’t normal. I’d touched a lot of men in my life, and not one had invoked that kind of response before. All he was doing was holding my damn hand, not kissing me.
He bent at the waist and pressed his lips softly to the top of my hand.
I almost fainted.
“You have yourself a good day, gorgeous.” He winked, then dropped my hand and walked away without looking back.
My heart kickstarted, returning to normal tempo. I sucked in a harsh breath. What the fuck was that?
Licking my dry lips, I looked down at my hand and ran my fingers lightly over the spot where his lips had touched.
I was an avid believer in soulmates. That there was one person in the world who was your absolute perfect match.
Someone who would be there for you, love you, and protect you from anything.
Someone so perfect for you, the universe orchestrated your lives, putting you in exactly the right place at exactly the right time so you could meet.
I had no idea who that man was, but I knew he was mine.
The memory faded quickly, but the feelings from that day still blazed just as strong.
Lukyan Volkov—the son of the man I’d been tasked to watch.
Never in a million years would I have ever envisioned he would be the one for me. My soulmate. My meant-to-be. But he was. There was no doubt in my mind.
The first few weeks I’d been following Dimitri, I never saw him out with his children.
They were always off doing their own thing, and any time there was anything even remotely business-related, it had been too hard to follow him without blowing my cover.
That day had been the first time I’d ever laid eyes on Lukyan, and it changed my life forever.
In front of me, Lukyan was strapped down at the head of the table, both arms tied to the arms of the chair, same as his legs. His head hung forward, still knocked out from the drug I had given him.
For months, I agonized over every single detail, dozens of contingencies in place in case something didn’t go according to plan. It was the most stressed I’d ever been in my life. Everything rode on this, and if one thing failed, it would all have been for nothing.
I went through my plan one more time in my head.
Step one: Stalk and find out everything I can about Lukyan Volkov.
Step two: Trick him into marrying me.
Step three: Cut out his tracker.
Step Four: Make him fall in love with me.
That last step would prove to be the hardest. I wasn’t the easiest person to love. I was crazy, neurotic, jealous, and had a slight anger problem. It would be difficult, but I was determined to win him over, no matter what.
With one last glance at Lukyan, I turned back around. Okay. Food, check. Drinks, check. Cutlery, check. Candles, check—
“Miss?” To my left, Cedric walked in from the kitchen. A phone was in his hands. “It’s your brother. Again.”
My lips pursed in distaste. Damn it. I was really hoping to avoid talking to him, at least while I had Lukyan to deal with.
He was sure to be a little shocked and disoriented at his circumstances.
I needed to give him my full, undivided attention to help with the transition.
But Lev had already called three times in the past twenty-four hours.
If I didn’t take his call, shit would well and truly hit the fan.
“Argh, fine.” I wiped my hands down the front of my apron and approached, grabbing the phone. “Yes?”
“I’m going to ask you this one time, and one time only, Lyla. Where the fuck are you?”
Always so quick to freak the fuck out. “I’m doing what you asked me to do.”
“Are you? Because the last time you said that, you were spying on that good-for-nothing Volkov kid again.”
My eyes swept to the man in question. He was still knocked out. “You know it pisses me off when you talk about him like that.”
“And you know it worries me when you defend him,” he snapped back. “Do I need to remind you again of our goal?”