Chapter 19 - Yulian
It’s never easy, bearing your soul in such a vulnerable way and then having to stand back and wait.
Wait for her answer. Wait for her to turn me down.
And the worst part is that I have no idea how long I’ll need to wait.
There is no deadline on this. I’ve given her all the time she needs to make the best choice for herself.
It’s the right way to do it, but dammit, I’m going insane here.
Day after day, I retreat to my workshop and try to bury myself in the renovations. I can’t stop thinking about it, though. Her answer. The problem is that the more I think, the more likely it becomes that she won’t choose me.
It’s her family.
She’s choosing between her own happiness with me and the needs and wants of her family. The type of person she is—she will sacrifice everything for those she loves. And that means she won’t choose me.
So, inevitably, I am waiting for her rejection. And the longer it takes, the more difficult it becomes to stay patient.
But I refuse to treat her with the same disrespect her brother has given her. I already made that mistake once before when I took her and held her against her will. At the time, I thought I was doing it to keep her safe, but deep down, I knew I was just being selfish.
I won’t force her into anything.
I won’t manipulate her with guilt.
She will come to her own decision, and whatever she chooses, I’ll know in my heart I did the right thing by her.
Artur has hurt her with his bullying and complete disregard for her happiness.
I am not him. I never will be.
So, I wait. Almost a week now.
It’s three in the afternoon when the guards call me to inform me that Katerina has left the studio early. She’s locked up and sent them home for the day.
“When did this happen?” I ask sternly.
“Fifteen minutes ago, sir,” he replies.
My first thought is that she’s going back to her brother’s place. My stomach knots and my heart sinks.
I flick on the security footage in her studio because some part of me wants to see it for myself. And it’s true. The place is quiet, closed down. The lights are off.
Katerina has made up her mind.
I guess her actions might speak louder than her words in this case, but still, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, right? Even if she has gone to see her brother…
My shoulders are tense as I start packing up the workshop, unplugging power tools and putting them on their designated shelves.
To my surprise, Katerina bursts through the open door. “Yulian,” she snaps, bold and aggressive.
I stop what I’m doing and turn towards her, my brow furrowed.
“Katerina,” I say in return, bracing myself to hear the worst. She lifts her head high.
The white dress she’s wearing steals my attention for a moment as my eyes trace over her perfect curves.
Fuck. She’s gorgeous. And I might never have her again.
“Thank you for giving me time. For being so patient,” she smiles and looks down at her feet. All of the boldness seems to have evaporated.
“It’s no problem. Have you decided?” I ask, terrified, but trying to hide it.
“This past week, you’ve kept your distance from me.” She tilts her head to the side as though it were a question.
“Yes, so that I didn’t interfere with your choice. I told you what I wanted to say, and from there it was up to you,” I sigh, pushing my hand nervously through my hair.
“Well,” she says, walking towards me, her smile growing wider. “I’ve really missed you.”
“You have?” I blurt out.
“I have,” she nods, slipping her hands around my waist, pressing her body against mine. My hands automatically brush down her spine, over the clinging fabric of her dress. “I choose you, Yulian,” she whispers.
My heart begins to hammer wildly, like a thousand horses stampeding on open ground. Katerina raises herself onto her tiptoes and lifts her face towards mine. She presses her lips against mine. Soft, beautiful warmth spills through me.
The moment she kisses me, my body gives in to her.
My fingers brush over her dress, over the curve of her breasts. Cupping them in my hands, I play my thumbs across her skin until her nipples press hard against the fabric.
My breath catches, and my body begins to burn.
I slip my hands down her side, over her hips and beneath her ass and lift her into my arms to hold her as close as possible.
Taking two steps, I push her back against the wall and wrap her thighs around my waist as she fumbles her fingers over my shirt buttons, tugging at my clothes.
My mouth presses harder against hers as my cock throbs with need.
Her dress slips up over her hips, and my fingers brush over sheer lace panties.
Her hands find my naked skin, and she rakes her nails over my chest, making me groan with desire.
Katerina moans sweetly against my mouth. Slipping her tongue between my lips, she licks me, then grazes her teeth over my lip.
One of her high heels falls off, and neither of us cares. I lift her thigh higher over my waist and run my hand down the inside of her leg as my kiss becomes urgent, fierce in my need to claim her. I press my cock between her legs, showing her what she does to me, then pull away so I can touch her.
My fingers reach the most beautiful, delicate part of her.
Her wetness and warmth drive me wild. I softly brush my hand over the lace that’s covering her pussy.
She shudders as I rub slow circles against her swollen clit.
Arching her hips towards me, she moves against my cock, making it even harder, throbbing, almost aching.
This beautiful creature has chosen me. She wants me. I gave her freedom, and she came back.
My cock throbs harder, aching even more.
“I need you,” I growl against her ear.
“Take me,” she gasps, tilting her head back as I slip my fingers beneath her panties and push them inside her.
Her pussy pulses over my fingers, teasing, pleasing me, making me desperate to thrust my cock into her body.
I’ve waited so long for her to come to me that this moment suddenly becomes overwhelming. I want her, and I want her now.
I tug my pants open, ripping the zipper down to free my cock.
Katerina gasps when I push against her. I hook my fingers through her panties and tug them to the side, then push her legs wider apart before I slowly push my cock into her tight little pussy.
At the same time, I lock my mouth over hers and claim every part of her as I slowly begin to fuck her, holding her against the wall.
Each time I thrust forward, she cries out softly. A delicate, beautiful sound that is music to my soul, filling me in ways I can’t imagine. Each time I push deeper inside her, I claim more of her, stealing her for myself. Katerina is mine. She chose me. She belongs to me.
My heart beats faster as the realization becomes more vivid. She chose me.
My cock becomes impossibly hard, turned on by the fact that she truly is mine now.
Katerina squeals as I plunge into her, harder and faster, my body pinning her down, and I fuck her as though I’m declaring my love through movement.
She digs her nails into my skin, and glowing beads of sweat form on her brow. And still, I fuck her harder, until she can barely breathe. Until her legs are shaking and she’s clawing at me.
Her orgasm makes her pussy lock over my cock. Her body spasms and pulses, and she comes all over me, and it’s the thing that is my undoing. I explode inside her at the same time, losing myself to her.
This started out as an obsession. And for a long time, maybe that’s all it was. But now it’s so much more. It’s more than I can fathom. My heart knows better than my mind as I gently pull out of her and kiss her one last time before letting her slide to the floor and straighten her dress.
My heart is beating fast while I try to find the words I want to say.
“Katerina?” I start.
She lifts her beautiful turquoise eyes to me. “Yes?” she replies quietly.
“You know how I feel about you. But I never said this….” I pause, my heart somersaulting. “I love you. More than anything. I love you more than life itself.”
Katerina’s eyes grow wide and shine with happiness. She throws her hands around my neck and pulls me down to kiss her again. “I love you too,” she says, her mouth over mine.
When she lets me go, I drop down to one knee in front of her.
“Marry me?” I ask, grinning. “I don’t even want to wait.
We can leave now. We can fly to Hawaii and get married on the beach, just you and me.
We can disappear for a few days, and when we get back, nothing else will matter.
We’ll be married. We’ll be together. We can have another wedding later.
Something lavish and over the top for our family and friends.
But for now—let’s not wait. Just you and me?
Marry me, Katerina. Today, tomorrow. As soon as we can. ”
I clench my jaw, watching her face.
She nods. “Yes,” she grins. “I’ll marry you.”
I stand up, and as I do so, I grab her and spin her around.
I’ve never been happier in my life. I can’t believe this is happening.
I can’t believe I’ve found love. Real love. Patient, kind, beautiful love.
***
As promised, the next morning we woke up in Hawaii. The flight was easy to arrange on my private jet, and we barely had to pack anything at all because we aren’t planning to stay very long. Sun spills through the wide window of our beach villa.
Katerina snuggles against me in our massive bed on the top floor, overlooking a perfectly crystal blue ocean. “The waves are the same color as your eyes today,” I smile as I pull her onto my chest and kiss her.
“Are we really getting married on the beach at sunset?” she asks, smiling, her eyes glimmering with excitement.
“We are. It’s all arranged. The dress you chose is arriving this morning, the villa staff are busy setting up our archway. All we have to do is show up and make promises to each other.”
“Barefoot in the sunshine,” she kisses me, brushing her fingers through my hair.
“Barefoot, in the sunshine.” I agree.
We spend the morning having a lazy breakfast in a cozy beach restaurant nearby. We explore the little town, and Katerina gets her nails painted baby blue to match the color theme we chose for this afternoon.
We swim in the ocean and laugh freely, savoring each moment of our time together, away from everything and everyone.
After the swim, we end up back in bed, exploring each other all over again.
A knock at the villa door forces me to wiggle out of bed, reluctantly leaving her, naked and looking as beautiful as ever. I throw on a robe, hurry downstairs, and open the door to find the team of girls I arranged to help Katerina get ready for our wedding.
“I guess that’s my cue to get out of the way,” I smile, welcoming them in.
“Kat, it’s time to get ready, my princess,” I call upstairs to her. She comes down in a white silk robe.
“Is all of this for me?” she asks.
“It is, enjoy it. I will meet you on the beach later.” I pull her into my arms and steal one more kiss before I disappear to the other side of the villa so that I can get ready, too.
My outfit is simple: white pants and a white shirt, a blue flower in my front pocket to match the beautiful blue-green of her eyes. In my pocket, the blue diamond ring I had made for her months ago, when I knew I wanted her, but also knew I had no right to ask.
When I’m dressed, I head out onto the beach to see how the setup is coming along. Just because it’s a last-minute wedding doesn’t mean I don’t want it to be perfect for her.
I’ve ordered so many flowers for the archway where we will stand to take our vows, and to create a pathway leading to it.
She will be walking barefoot in sand and petals as she makes her way towards me.
Fairy lights are already glimmering everywhere, and things are looking exactly as I imagined.
I take my place beneath the archway to wait for her.
My stomach is filled with butterflies and excitement.
Katerina doesn’t take long to arrive. As soon as she steps onto the beach, my eyes are on her.
My heart clenches, overwhelmed with happiness.
She looks incredible, beyond beautiful as she walks slowly towards me in a soft, lace, white dress.
The fabric is light and flows around her like water.
It has thin straps and a low-cut neckline.
It’s feminine and beautiful, and she looks like a goddess with her wavy blonde hair loose around her shoulders and the small bouquet of blue flowers in her hands.
Her smile is radiant. Her cheeks are rose pink and glowing.
She steps beneath the archway next to me, and I hold out my hand to take hers.
She sets the flowers aside and giggles with excitement. Wiggling her perfect little toes in the soft sand and scrunching her nose, she whispers, “You look so damn sexy.”
“And you look like my princess, come to steal my heart away,” I grin.
The officiator begins his tale of love and commitment, and Katerina and I can’t stop smiling at each other. We exchange promises. We share our vows, and we become husband and wife beneath the orange and purple sky of Hawaii as the sun sets into the ocean. The moment is perfect.
“You may kiss your bride,” the officiate says.
I wrap my arm around her waist and dip her backwards, pressing my lips against hers. I kiss her with all my love, all my heart.
“My wife,” I whisper against her lips.
“My husband,” she whispers back.