Chapter Forty-Four Maksim
Six Months Later
After Oleg put the SUV in park, I exited the car and started up the sidewalk into the building.
The moment I stepped inside the boutique my skin felt like it was shriveling over my bones.
It wasn’t just the pastel colors or mood music piping in through the overhead speakers that made me anxious.
It was the manikins outfitted in bridal gowns.
Peering around, I searched desperately for Sarah. I don’t know why I didn’t tell her just to come outside. I mean, I’d be seeing her in her bridesmaid dress soon enough at Mila and Kellan’s wedding.
Since it was her last fitting, she wanted my opinion on the dress. At the sound of the voice behind me, I jumped and went for the gun in my jacket.
“Can I help you, sir?”
When I whirled around, the saleslady eyed me curiously. “Sorry. I’m a little jumpy.”
The woman grinned. “Yes, bridal shops can do that to men.”
“I’m not commitment p-phobic,” I argued.
At that moment, I could hear Sarah in my head. “Relax your jaw, take a breath, focus on your triggers.” She might’ve even expected me to CBT out by finding three things I could see, hear, and feel in the bridal shop.
Just like she’d told me when we first began our treatments, there truly hadn’t been been a cure for my stuttering. Although it had vastly improved, it always flared its head in scenarios where I found myself stressed.
Although I’d resigned myself to living with my stutter, Sarah remained stubbornly focused on finding the right treatment to almost eliminate it completely.
She’d been attending conferences and devouring research journals on the new wearable devices to improve speech.
We had an appointment to try one out next week.
While she was hopeful that the hearing-aid type device would finally eliminate my stuttering, I wasn’t getting my hopes up.
In the end, I really didn’t give a shit.
Shockingly enough, I’d come to embrace my alleged defect.
My men truly didn’t give a fuck that I might stumble with my g, t, or b letters.
They only cared that I paid them well, wasn’t a complete dick, and continued to elevate the Korolov name not only in Philly but along the East Coast.
The woman smiled at me. “I’m sure you’re not. It’s just a lot of feminine energy.”
Maybe she was right. I spent my days surrounded by big dick energy. No wonder I felt off.
“That’s probably it.”
“You must be Mr. Korolov.”
“I am,” I replied suspiciously.
“Your girlfriend is waiting for you in the back.” After my gaze bounced warily around the shop, she chuckled. “Here I’ll take you to her.”
“Thanks.”
After weaving through racks of dresses, I finally spotted Sarah. For a moment, I could only stare at her. Even after all this time, she still took my breath away.
When she caught my gaze in the trifold mirror, she smiled shyly. “How does it look?”
“You look absolutely stunning.”
She laughed. “I’m talking about the dress.”
“It looks fine.”
Cocking her brows at me, Sarah countered, “Just fine?”
“It’s g-gorgeous with you in it.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Mila that,” she mused.
After stepping onto the platform where she stood, I drew her against me. “What’s up with t-the self-doubt?”
She shrugged. “I just want to make sure I look perfect for Mila.”
“And you will.” I cupped her cheek in my hand.”You’d look perfect in a burlap sack.”
“Next time you ask me to put on lingerie, I’ll do that instead.”
Reaching around her, I smacked her ass. “Come on. Let’s get going.”
“All right.”
As she gave her reflection another look, I whispered in her ear. “You take my breath away just looking at you. The fact I get to love you and call you mine is the g-great gift of my life.”
Tears pooled her eyes. “Thank you, Maksim.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
***
As we pulled up at the family compound, Sarah eyed me curiously. “I still don’t understand why you wanted to spend the night here.”
“I thought it might be nice to g-get out of the city for the night.”
She stared at me wide-eyed. “It’s our anniversary, isn’t?”
“What?”
“Our six month anniversary.”
“I have no idea.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do you t-think I’d lie about not knowing and fear your wrath?”
She laughed. “I don’t know either. I just thought you might be bringing me out here as an anniversary surprise.”
“Sadly, I’m not t-that romantic.”
“It’s okay.”
When she started to open the door, I said, “Since I forget our potential anniversary, let me get the door for you.”
“Okay.”
As she started to get out, I leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Run, prey.”
Her head jerked back to stare wide-eyed at me. “What did you say?”
“I told you to run.”
She gasped. “Like a hunt.”
“You’re asking t-too many questions,” I snarled like the Beast would.
Heat and anticipation flashed in her eyes. “Yes, sir.”
After sprinting past me, she ran across the yard to the woods. I didn’t have to worry about finding her since I’d cordoned off the area just like they did at the hunts. I walked slowly, letting her get ahead of me. I wanted to give her time to get to the true surprise.
When I caught up to her, Sarah stood stock-still in the clearing. Rose petals adorned the path and formed a circular heart. Candles burned in votives around the heart.
At the sound of my feet crunching along the path, she whirled around. “What is this?”
“Stand in the heart,” I commanded.
Without an argument, Sarah stepped over the flickering votives to stand on the rose petals. When I joined her, she remained staring wide-eyed at me. But when I sank to my knees before her, she gasped as her hands flew over her mouth.
“Sarah Grace Whitfield, will you marry me?”
“Oh my God. Yes, yes, yes!”
With a grin, I took her hand in mine. After slipping the diamond on her hand, I kissed it on her finger. Then I rose off my knees to kiss her passionately.
When I pulled away, Sarah was beaming. “I can’t believe you planned this.”
“I planned more than just a proposal.”
“You did?”
A depraved smirk curved on my lips. “The woods are marked off in several different places. I’ll be hunting you all weekend.”
A shudder ran through Sarah. After biting her lip, she asked, “You don’t happen to still have that Beast mask, do you?”
A smirk curved on my lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Desire flashed in her eyes. “Is it back at your apartment?”
Slowly, I shook my head back and forth. “I have one here.”
Her whimper echoed through my ears. “Would you like me to put it on now?”
“Please, sir.”
“Then run and hide in the house,” I commanded.
As Sarah happily obeyed me, I couldn’t believe this was real life. What had first brought us together but drove us apart was now uniting us once again.
After giving her a good head start, I broke into a run to catch my prey—the love of my life and my future wife.