Epilogue - Sergey
The warm, late Vegas sun glints off the restaurant windows along the patio where my family has taken over half the tables. Where laughter cuts through the air like usual—the kind that always erupts when all of us are gathered in one place.
We draw a few irritated glances from nearby patrons, but we don't care, and we never have.
I lean back in my chair with an arm draped loosely over the back of Kat’s seat.
Her hand rests casually on my thigh as her fingers just brush the fabric of my jeans in a grounding touch.
She chuckles at something Mikhail says. It’s something obscene, likely, if the groan that follows from Elena is any indication.
Roman sits across from me in quiet contemplation with a glass of bourbon in front of him. Our eyes meet briefly, and he nods the smallest of acknowledgments, but it’s enough for me to feel the weight behind it. The sincerity in his features.
"You did well," he says finally, tone clipped but sincere, while the others busy themselves eating or chatting.
I don’t admit it, but those words hit me hard. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear them.
Mikhail cocks a brow. “The world must be ending…Sergey is getting praised? Who would’ve guessed?”
I shoot him a look, but I can't stop the grin that spreads across my face anyway. He’s lucky I’m in a good mood.
“I think him not dying in a hand-to-hand brawl is more of an indication of the end times,” Nikolai murmurs over the rim of his glass.
"Thank you for your complete faith in me,” I mutter sardonically.
Kat grins, giving me a vaguely teasing look. “It was impressive, even if you looked like hell after."
The warm light in her eyes makes something warm pulse in my chest. I glance sideways at her while the wind lightly tousles those light strands over her shoulders.
She looks amused and relaxed, like she belongs here, and maybe for the first time, she truly does.
Not because she was forced into this life, but because she chose to stay. With me.
The others chuckle, but after a moment, Roman clears his throat. “I was wrong to not take you seriously sooner. Your decision to meet Yuri one-on-one was risky, but it paid off. He’s contained now, at least. You held your ground and didn’t just run into the fire. You brought back a win."
Coming from him, that's the highest praise, and it makes me feel more level than I have in a long while.
"That being said," Roman adds, his expression tightening just a little while he points to me. “Don’t make a habit of solo heroics. The next time might not go so well.”
"Yes, sir," I return, lifting my beer bottle in mock salute with a grin on my face.
Ivan chuckles to himself. "I still think Kat should’ve knocked Yuri out herself. Now that would’ve been something to remember.”
Kat chuckles and shakes her head while she picks at her food. "Trust me, I wanted to. But I couldn’t usurp Sergey’s moment.”
"See?" I muse, fully draping my arm around her shoulders. “That’s a considerate wife."
The others laugh, sharing the mutual amusement.
I sit back and soak it all in, committing to memory the sounds, the faces, the rare ease around us.
These moments are rare in our world, and maybe that's what makes them feel sacred. Despite all the hell I’ve caused everyone, they’re still here, and thankfully, I’ve reestablished my place among them.
Later, when our meal wraps up, after the sun has dipped lower and everyone starts to peel away in small groups, Kat and I head toward the bikes parked at the edge of the lot.
“I’m surprised you wanted to leave so soon. To think, Roman was just leading into his best jokes,” she teases, brushing her arm against mine.
I snicker and shake my head. “He’s getting more drunk, you mean.”
“Same thing.”
Chuckling with her, I reach for her waist, pulling her closer before she can get away from me. “You handle my family surprisingly well, but maybe that’s only affirming my hypothesis.”
She lifts a brow at me. “Which is…?”
“That you were made for this,” I murmur, letting my nose gently brush against hers. “Made to be my wife and made with thick enough skin to not give a damn about what anyone else says. You’re a real risk, you know.”
Maintaining her good spirits, Kat chuckles and holds me in return, gently nudging my chin with her finger. “Are you always this easy to impress?"
I smirk, loving the way she teases me back. "Only when it comes to you."
She rolls her eyes, but her mouth tilts into a smile she doesn’t try to hide. There’s something incredibly endearing about her bashfulness.
"You know," I say, voice quieter now, “this thing between us didn’t start well, but as messy as it was, I’m glad we’re here now. And I’m not letting go…not for anything."
Her eyes soften, and for once, no guarded walls are going up between us. Now, it’s just us, able to be open and honest.
"I know," she says, her hand sliding up to cup the side of my neck. "I’m not going anywhere either."
I lean down and kiss her, slow and steady, as my hands grip her, like she might vanish at any moment. But she doesn’t.
Kat kisses me back fiercely like we might never get the chance again. It’s full of heat and undeniable attraction, and I can’t get enough. I never will.
When she finally pulls back, we’re both breathless, and I take another moment to regain my bearings thanks to how immediately my body reacts to her. She always has that effect on me, but I’m in no position to complain.
Grinning at me, Kat grabs the helmet off my Panigale and lightly presses it against my chest. “Let's head out before the morning comes and ruins our plans.”
I mirror her expression, nodding my concession as I take it. “Right you are.”
The wind has picked up in a warm stream, but Kat smoothes her hair down as she slides her helmet on, leaving the visor up. I do the same, then swing my leg over the seat of my bike.
She straddles her Ducati like the natural she is, legs long and graceful in those dark jeans, paired with her leather jacket zipped halfway up.
I can’t help but stare a moment longer, but as her engine starts and revs, I’m snapped out of my daze.
Kat chuckles at my reaction and shakes her head. A moment later, her voice comes through my helmet.
“Focus, Lukov.”
“Don’t push your luck,” I return, grin softening my words as I do the same and turn the engine on. I feel it come to life beneath me, and I glance at her once again. “I’m barely holding back as is.”
Her gorgeous laugh reaches me, making me wish I could hear it nonstop.
But Kat pulls out first, taking the lead while I follow.
We take off down the road, engines roaring in unison as we weave through the Vegas streets like we’ve done a handful of times now. There's something therapeutic in the way the world blurs past, the rush of it dragging every thought out of my head that doesn’t have to do with her.
Kat rides ahead for a time, glancing back at me before speeding up. Of course, she's challenging me.
Not willing to be outdone, I push my speed higher to catch up, and our bikes eventually move side by side as we race along the empty stretch just outside the city. I laugh under my helmet, heart pounding with the rush of it all. With the knowledge that she is mine, and I’m hers.
She’s my match in every way, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
With her.
*****
THE END