Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Lily
Song- Got You On My Mind, NF
We take the private elevator to the penthouse in complete silence, Drago holding both of our bags like they weigh nothing at all. One slung over his shoulder, the other in his hand.
I watch the numbers climb on the screen, each floor ticking by too slowly. I can feel his attention on me without looking. It presses into the side of my head, like he’s cataloging every breath I take.
The tension in the air is thick, coiled tight between us, like we’re both hanging on by a thread that could snap if either of us moves wrong.
When the doors ping open, I step forward instinctively, but his hand catches my waist. The contact is immediate and electric. He leans in, his breath warm against my cheek.
“You stay here while I make sure it’s safe for you,” he whispers.
What about him? Does he ever look out for himself? Or does he have someone who actually looks out for him?
He drops the bags beside the couch and unholsters his gun, moving with lethal efficiency as he checks the space room by room. I lose sight of him for a moment, my pulse loud in my ears, before he returns and gives a single nod.
“All clear.”
“Are you always this cautious?” I ask as I finally step out of the elevator, taking in the room.
It’s breathtaking. Floor-to-ceiling windows spill sunlight across marble floors, the sea stretching endlessly beyond them. Chandeliers glint overhead, throwing fractured light across the space like it’s alive.
“It’s why I’m still alive, Lily,” he says, gesturing for me to come to him.
My feet move before my brain catches up.
“Let me give you a tour.”
Disappointment flickers through me. A foolish part of me had hoped he might act on this thing between us, this insane, volatile chemistry that refuses to settle.
But he doesn’t.
“These windows all have bulletproof shutters,” he says as we move through the kitchen. “I’ll make sure they’re down every night.”
I nod, trailing after him as he opens the first bedroom door.
“This one is for you.”
“Where’s yours?” I ask.
“Next to yours.” A flicker of a smile touches his mouth, gone almost before I can be sure it was real.
He gestures down the corridor. “And that room is a panic room.”
My gaze fixes on the black door at the end of the hall.
“I’ve programmed it to your birthday. There’s a phone inside that connects directly to Enzo if you need it. The rule is simple: if you go in there, you don’t come out. Not even if I’m on the other side of the door telling you to.”
I frown, unease curling in my stomach. “Why wouldn’t I listen to you?”
He scrubs a hand over his stubble, jaw tight.
“Imagine someone has a gun to my head and tells me to order you out. I might do it to buy time. I would never give you up, Lily. I know the code. I’d come get you when it’s safe.
Anyone working with me would do the same.
It’s the same as the one I have in my own home.
I’ll show you that when we go home. Just no matter what, once you go in there, you don’t come out. ”
I spin the rings on my fingers, grounding myself.
This whole thing sounds like hell. “Let me get this clear… You would rather have a gun to your head, and potentially have your brains blown out, than give me to the enemy? Like seriously? Wouldn’t most men just give me up to save themselves?
You don’t know me, Drago. I’m not worth dying over. ”
My breath hitches as I try to settle my emotions. My whole life, I’ve never felt wanted, been brushed aside. But this? This feels dangerously close to someone putting me first. That actually cares about me.
He sucks in a breath and steps toward me, closing the distance until my heart is pounding so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
“Fuck.” He whispers.
His fingers sweep my cheek before he pulls them away, his eyes staring into the darkest parts of my soul. “You are worth dying for, lastochka.”
The words hit too close, too hard. I look away, my gaze dropping to the wooden floor as if it might steady me, as if grounding myself will stop the tremor running through my chest. I don’t trust my face. I don’t trust my voice.
His fingers slip beneath my chin, guiding my face back up to his. I don’t fight it. I can’t. His eyes search mine, flicking briefly to my lips and back again.
“You’re worth dying for, Lily,” he repeats, slower this time. “And you’re worth starting wars for.”
The words settle between us, pressing into my ribs until it’s hard to breathe. I know exactly what he means. This could explode everything in his world.
“Drago,” I breathe out.
Even I can hear the faint Russian accent in my voice as I say his name. I keep it hidden most of the time, except around him.
A darkness flashes across his eyes, and it’s like a switch goes off. The final shred of restraint we were holding onto is burned.
“Say my name like that one more time, and I’ll forget every single reason I’m not supposed to kiss you, Lily.” His breath beats against my lips, his stare holding me in place. And his hand travels softly from my chin, down to my neck, where his fingers gently settle.
I don’t hesitate. I want him. I need him more than I’ve ever needed anything in my damn life. “Kiss me, Drago.”
His huge hands cup my cheeks, and his lips crash over mine.
This time, he doesn’t hesitate.
There’s no pause. No flicker of restraint snapping back into place. He kisses me like he’s made a decision and accepted the cost of it. Like whatever line existed no longer matters because he’s already crossed it.
I gasp into his mouth, and he takes advantage of it instantly, deepening the kiss, claiming the space between us like it’s his by right. His body presses into mine, and my back hits the wall with a soft thud that sends a shiver through me.
His kiss is devastating.
Slow where it needs to be. Demanding where it counts. His thumb strokes my jaw, his palm firm at the back of my neck, holding me exactly where he wants me. Like letting go is no longer an option that he’s willing to entertain.
I melt into him without shame, without doubt. My fingers slide into his hair, gripping hard, anchoring myself to him as if I’ve been waiting my whole life for this exact moment.
He groans quietly into my mouth, a sound pulled straight from his chest, and it does something wicked to me.
My knees weaken, and he feels it, adjusting instantly, one arm wrapping around my waist to hold me up like he knew this would happen.
Like he planned for it. Like this man knows me better than I know myself.
Breaking the kiss just enough to breathe, his forehead rests against mine, his breath warm and uneven against my skin.
“Lily,” he murmurs, my name sounds like a confession.
I should be scared. I should be thinking about the consequences.
Instead, all I feel is relief. Something inside me has finally settled into place. A piece of the puzzle of my life has slotted in.
“Please tell me this isn’t just a one-and-done moment,” I whisper, my lips brushing his.
His eyes lock onto mine, dark and unflinching. “No. One taste was never going to be enough, Lily.”
No hesitation. No armor. Just truth.
“Are you choosing me?”
A muscle jumps in his jaw. His grip tightens at my waist. “I already have,” he says quietly.
“Then don’t stop now,” I whisper.
Something breaks in him. He kisses me again, slower this time, deeper. His hands roam my back. Every touch says the same thing.
Mine.
Not ownership in chains or cages. This isn’t him taking from me because he can. This is me giving myself to him by choice. Commitment. Irrevocable intent. Because I trust him with my life.
He finally pulls back, his thumbs brushing beneath my eyes. “This changes everything,” he says.
I nod. “I know.”
“There’s no going back.”
“I don’t want to.”
A breath leaves him. “Neither do I.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead, then my temple, then my lips again, softer now but no less charged.
And for the first time, I don’t feel like somebody weak that needs to be protected. I feel like something worth fighting for.
And he looks like a man ready to burn the world down to prove it.