Epilogue – Sofia
The late afternoon sun dips low over the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant strokes of bruised gold and deep amber. The gentle, warm tide of the Mediterranean laps at our ankles, washing over our feet and leaving a fine dusting of wet sand between our toes as we walk.
My fingers are tightly laced with Lukyan’s, our palms warm against each other. Two years have passed since the smoke cleared from that Moscow shipping terminal, and looking out at the endless blue expanse of the sea, the blood and shadows of our past feel like a lifetime away.
We’re on vacation—completely disconnected from the relentless pull of the Bratva, deep-cover operations, and global accounts. We walk slowly along the shoreline, heading toward the secluded beach house nestled against the cliffs just ahead of us.
“I was just thinking about our old master bedroom in Moscow,” I say softly, leaning my head against his massive shoulder for a brief second as we walk.
“And how terrified I used to be just walking down the hallway. Now look at us. It’s hard to believe life could actually be this peaceful. This good.”
Lukyan slows his pace, his gray eyes turning to look down at me. The harsh, rigid lines of his face have softened beautifully over the last two years, a deep and unyielding contentment taking their place whenever we are alone.
“It is good,” he agrees, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over the back of my hand. “You deserve the peace, zaychik. You earned it for both of us.”
“We earned it,” I correct gently, smiling up at him.
He stops walking entirely, tugging lightly on my hand to pull me around so I’m facing him.
The ocean breeze catches the hem of my sundress, swirling it around my legs.
Lukyan looks down at me, his gaze dark, heavy, and suddenly shifting into something thick with an entirely different kind of intent.
“The peace is nice,” he murmurs, his voice dropping into a low, rough rumble that vibrates straight to my core.
“But my favorite part of this vacation is knowing that the walls of that beach house are soundproof. Because the moment we get inside, I’m going to bend you over the edge of that mahogany dining table, strip this dress off you, and remind you exactly how loud you can scream my name when I’m buried deep inside you. ”
My breath hitches, a sudden wave of heat rushing straight to my face. I roll my eyes dramatically, though my heart takes a violent, fluttering leap against my ribs.
“Lukyan!” I hiss, snapping my head around to frantically scan the empty shoreline and the distant cliffs, making absolute sure none of our perimeter guards or random beachgoers are within earshot.
“What?” he asks, a rare, wicked smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he takes a predatory step closer, completely unbothered by my embarrassment. “There’s no one around for miles, Sofia. And even if they were, I don’t care. I’ve been patient all afternoon.”
“You are absolutely filthy,” I mutter, a flushed grin breaking through my mock irritation as I hook my arm through his and pull him along, quickening our pace toward the house. “Come on, let’s just get back to the villa before you say something else to give me a stroke.”
“I’m just getting started.” He laughs, a deep, rumbling sound of pure affection as he walks beside me, his grip tightening possessively around mine.
We walk the rest of the way with the sand shifting beneath our feet, completely leaving the ghosts of our past in the tide. We’re no longer defined by the conflict that brought us together, but by the beautiful, chaotic, and fiercely passionate life we have built entirely on our own terms.
He slows his steps slightly, looking out at the water before tracking his gaze back down to me, a sudden, playful glint in his gray eyes. “Should we have a third wedding?”
I slap his arm with my free hand, letting out an incredulous breath. “Lukyan! What is actually wrong with you?”
He breaks into another deep laugh, completely unfazed, and pulls me closer against his side. “What? Every single time I look at you, I just want to marry you all over again. I want an anniversary ceremony every six months.”
I scoff, turning my face away to hide the massive, blooming laughter stretching across my lips. “Anytime I look at you, I just remember the terrifying, arrogant man who almost slammed his car right into me in front of my favorite bookstore two years ago. So incredibly rude.”
He lets out a booming laugh, shaking his head. “Baby, you stepped directly in front of my car. I had the right of way.”
I snort loudly at his defense, instantly kicking his shin with a sandy foot before ripping my hand from his grip. “Liar!”
I take off sprinting down the beach toward the wooden steps of our villa, my sundress fluttering wildly around my thighs.
“Sofia!” he calls out, his deep voice laced with pure amusement.
I hear his heavy, explosive strides eating up the distance behind me. I scramble up the wooden stairs of the veranda, gasping for breath and laughing hysterically, but he’s entirely too fast.
Just as I burst through the front threshold of our beach house, his massive arms wrap securely around my waist from behind, lifting me slightly off my feet and slamming the front door shut with his heel in one fluid, powerful motion.
I’m laughing breathlessly against his chest as he spins me around in the entryway, pinning my back gently against the closed door and immediately claiming my lips in a deep, hungry, and desperate kiss.
We are finally inside, the privacy of the house enveloping us, and he is already sliding his large, warm hand underneath the hem of my dress, tracing a scorching line up my thigh.
Everything is perfect, the heat between us rising to a fever pitch, when a sharp, pointed noise cuts through the quiet air.
Someone clears their throat.
We spring apart instantly. In a fraction of a second, the playful husband vanishes, and the ruthless Bratva boss returns. Lukyan slings out a compact weapon from the waistband of his linen shorts—a gun I didn’t even know he was carrying—and aims it dead ahead, his posture lethal and rigid.
But when we turn, the tension snaps. Standing at the edge of our open-concept living room is Samuel, Lukyan’s brother. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, holding a green apple, completely unfazed by the barrel of a gun pointed at his chest. He’s grinning like a lunatic.
“Damn,” Samuel says, taking a crisp bite of the apple. “You guys make me want to get into a relationship, and I totally don’t do relationships.”
Lukyan lets out a low, menacing growl, but he doesn’t lower the weapon just yet. “Stupid. I almost shot you. And maybe I should have, because you almost saw my wife inappropriately.”
Samuel rolls his eyes dramatically and waves a hand in the air. “Relax, big brother. We’re family. I’ve seen worse.” He winks.
I can’t help but let out a breathless laugh, smoothing down the front of my dress as my heart rate finally begins to slow down from the scare. “What are you doing here, Samuel?”
He shrugs, his grin widening as he tosses the apple in the air and catches it. “I came to say hello to my brother and his beautiful wife.”
Lukyan narrows his eyes into dangerous slits, his voice dropping an octave. “Try again, Samuel. Before I actually put a bullet in your leg.”
Samuel laughs loudly, raising his hands in mock surrender.
“Fine, fine! I saw the picture Sofia sent to the family group chat of you both walking on the beach. I couldn’t help but notice the crowd of extremely beautiful women tanning on the shore behind you.
That said… do you mind me crashing your vacation?
Look, I don’t mind if you two fuck like rabbits.
Hopefully, I’ll find my own rabbit out there. ”
He gives us another wicked wink, spinning on his heel toward the glass sliding doors that lead back out to the sun-drenched beach. He waves over his shoulder. “You two have fun. I’m going to go browse the shoreline. Bye!”
We watch the doors slide shut behind him as he strolls down the wooden steps. Lukyan stares after him for a long moment, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he tucks the hidden weapon back into his waistband. “Sometimes… I want to kill him. I really do.”
I giggle, stepping into his space to draw his attention back to me. “Ignore him.”
With a slow, deliberate movement, I reach for the straps of my sundress. I pull the fabric over my head and let it drop to the floor in a soft pool at my feet, revealing my naked body to him in the warm evening light.
Lukyan freezes. The irritation vanishes from his face as his gray eyes instantly glaze over, tracking the lines of my body with a sudden, heavy hunger. He blinks, his breath hitching in his throat.
“You… you weren’t wearing panties,” he growls, his voice suddenly thick, rough, and completely starved.
I give him a teasing, triumphant smile. “No.”
“Fuck, Sofia,” he groans.
I turn on my heel, throwing a flirtatious look over my shoulder as I begin to walk toward the spiral staircase.
I don’t even make it to the third step before he chases after me.
His large hands grip my waist, and in one fluid, powerful motion, he lifts me fully into his arms, crushing his chest against mine as he walks up the stairs.
He stops on the landing, holding me tight, his gray eyes burning with an emotion so deep it leaves me breathless.
“I’m a very lucky bastard, Sofia,” he whispers against my lips, his voice trembling with a rare, fierce reverence. “I don’t know what I did in my miserable life to deserve you, but I’ll cherish this gift for the rest of my days. I love you.”
“I love you too, Lukyan,” I breathe, wrapping my arms around his neck as he carries me into the bedroom, completely closing out the world forever.
*****
THE END