Rege remained trapped exactly where Maya wanted him.
One arm circled her waist.
Her arms remained loosely wrapped around his neck.
Her cheek rested against his chest.
Moonlight spilled softly across the enormous bedroom while silence settled comfortably around them.
He should have moved.
He knew he should have.
Every logical part of his brain understood that remaining this close to her was a terrible idea.
But logic had never been particularly useful where Maya was concerned.
Especially not when she looked this peaceful.
Especially not when she trusted him enough to sleep in his arms.
Eventually exhaustion won.
Rege felt something that was always associated with Maya.
Peace.
And against his better judgment, he fell asleep.
Around two-thirty in the morning, Maya's eyes slowly fluttered open.
For several seconds she remained completely still.
Disoriented.
Comfortably warm.
Then reality returned.
And unfortunately so did her bladder.
Maya squeezed her eyes shut.
Oh no.
The urge to pee was immediate.
Urgent.
Unavoidable.
A groan almost escaped her.
Instead she shifted slightly.
Only then did she fully realize where she was.
Or rather—
Who she was sleeping on.
A smile instantly spread across her face.
Rege.
His arm remained securely around her waist.
His chest rose and fell steadily beneath her cheek.
One of her arms was still wrapped around his neck.
The realization made her smile grow wider.
She looked up.
His face appeared softer in sleep.
Less guarded.
Less intimidating.
Almost peaceful.
Dangerously handsome.
Maya simply stared.
Because she genuinely didn't think she would ever get used to how beautiful this man was.
Then she shifted again.
Immediately Rege woke.
His eyes opened almost instantly.
Alert.
Focused.
Like a man who had trained himself to wake at the slightest disturbance.
The moment he saw her, however, some of that tension disappeared.
Maya found herself caught by the way his aquamarine eyes looked at her in the darkness.
There was something there.
Something she couldn't quite name.
Something that always made her chest feel strange.
She smiled anyway.
A bright sleepy smile.
"I need to pee."
The words came embarrassingly fast.
Rege blinked once.
Maya laughed.
"I'll be right back."
She carefully untangled herself from him before climbing off the bed.
The loss of her warmth felt immediate.
Noticeable.
Annoying.
Rege sat upright almost automatically as she disappeared through the interior doorway connecting the bedroom to the private sitting area.
The enormous room fell silent again.
A few seconds later another door opened and closed.
The bathroom.
Rege rubbed a hand across his face.
Trying very hard not to think about the fact that Maya was currently in his bathroom.
Unfortunately his imagination was proving entirely unhelpful.
Meanwhile Maya stared around the bathroom in disbelief.
Again.
Because apparently every room in this mansion existed solely to remind ordinary people they were poor.
White marble stretched across nearly every surface.
Soft lighting glowed from hidden fixtures.
The bathtub looked large enough to fit an entire family reunion.
The shower area looked bigger than some apartments she'd seen in New York.
Yet despite the luxury, everything somehow felt comfortable.
Not cold.
Not overly formal.
Just... beautiful.
After handling the urgent reason she had woken up, Maya washed her hands and glanced at herself in the mirror.
Her hair was a complete mess.
The sweatshirt she had slept in sat awkwardly around her body.
Then she lifted an arm and cautiously sniffed.
Immediately she recoiled.
"Oh my God."
She squinted.
"I need a shower."
The realization felt devastating.
She'd spent almost an entire day traveling.
And then fallen asleep unexpectedly.
No wonder she felt gross.
Determined, she left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom.
The moment she stepped through the doorway, Rege's eyes found her.
Immediately.
Like he had been waiting.
Maya tried not to notice how that affected her.
Failed completely.
"Rege?"
His attention sharpened.
"I need to shower."
A pause.
Then she wrinkled her nose dramatically.
"I stink."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Maya continued.
"But I couldn't take any clothes from Nadia."
She hesitated.
Then asked softly,
"Can I wear your clothes?"
The question felt strangely intimate.
Far more intimate than borrowing clothes should have felt.
Yet she waited patiently.
Rege looked at her for several seconds.
Then his expression softened.
"You don't have to ask, Krasota."
The nickname immediately warmed her chest.
His voice lowered.
"What's mine is yours."
The words landed heavily between them.
Simple.
Casual.
Yet somehow they didn't feel casual at all.
Maya felt heat immediately flood her face.
She smiled despite herself.
"Thank you."
She wasn't entirely sure what she was thanking him for.
The clothes.
The permission.
The statement.
Maybe all three.
She turned toward the bathroom.
Then his voice stopped her.
"You don't stink."
Maya froze.
Slowly turned around.
Rege's expression remained completely serious.
"You smell amazing."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Maya stared.
Then blushed so hard she thought she might actually combust.
Crimson spread across her cheeks.
Her ears.
Possibly her entire body.
Rege watched the reaction calmly.
Far too calmly.
Maya pointed toward him accusingly.
"You're impossible."
The faintest smile touched his lips.
And somehow that made everything worse.
Still blushing furiously, she escaped into the bathroom before he could say anything else.
Behind her, Rege's quiet chuckle followed her all the way through the door.
The bedroom fell quiet after Maya disappeared into the bathroom.
Only the distant hum of the mansion's climate system remained.
Moonlight streamed through the towering windows overlooking the estate grounds, painting silver patterns across the dark hardwood floors.
Rege remained seated on the edge of the enormous bed.
Still.
Silent.
Listening.
Somewhere beyond the bathroom walls, water began running.
The sound settled strangely inside his chest.
Comforting.
Domestic.
Dangerously comforting.
His gaze lowered toward his clasped hands.
For the first time all evening, he allowed himself to think.
Really think.
Maxim's words returned immediately.
Wrap up loose ends.
Simple words.
Yet somehow they refused to leave him alone.
Because Maxim wasn't talking about business.
Not entirely.
He was talking about Maya.
About honesty.
About trust.
About the things Rege had spent years locking away.
The things nobody talked about anymore.
The things that still followed him.
The things that had shaped him.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Maya deserved the truth.
Not fragments.
Not half-answers.
Not carefully edited versions of the past.
The whole truth.
Even the ugly parts.
Especially the ugly parts.
Because if he wanted her trust—
Truly wanted it—
Then he couldn't keep asking for pieces of her while withholding pieces of himself.
His gaze shifted toward the bathroom door.
He thought about her sleepy apology.
The quiet sadness hidden beneath it.
The way it had haunted him ever since she whispered it.
Something was hurting her.
Something old.
Something deep.
And although curiosity lingered, he refused to push.
Maya would tell him when she was ready.
She deserved that choice.
Just as he deserved the choice to finally stop carrying his own history alone.
Tonight.
He would tell her.
Everything.
No matter how uncomfortable.
No matter how much he hated revisiting it.
No matter how much it still stung.
His decision settled quietly inside him.
Final.
Certain.
The bathroom door eventually opened.
And every coherent thought immediately vanished.
Rege looked up.
Then forgot what he'd been thinking about.
Maya stood frozen near the doorway.
Wrapped in a large white towel.
Another towel twisted around her damp hair.
Tiny droplets of water still glistened against her shoulders.
Her cheeks looked slightly flushed from the hot shower.
Fresh.
Soft.
Beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
Rege immediately looked away.
Then immediately looked back.
Because apparently self-control was becoming increasingly difficult whenever Maya existed near him.
Meanwhile Maya remained completely oblivious.
She glanced around curiously before wandering toward the walk-in closet.
The closet itself was larger than most apartments.
Rows of carefully arranged clothing stretched beneath warm recessed lighting.
Everything perfectly organized.
Everything untouched.
The longer she stared, the more she noticed something.
Nothing looked worn.
Nothing looked lived in.
Most of it looked almost brand new.
A faint frown appeared.
Because she suddenly realized—
Rege rarely bought things for himself.
And when he did, he barely used them.
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
She couldn't explain why.
She moved slowly between the rows.
Running her fingers across expensive fabrics.
Tailored suits.
Cashmere sweaters.
Designer jackets.
Luxury brands.
Yet somehow none of it felt like him.
Not really.
It all felt practical.
Necessary.
Functional.
Nothing chosen simply because it made him happy.
The realization made her strangely sad.
Eventually she reached for a simple oversized black T-shirt.
The kind she would naturally choose.
The fabric felt incredibly soft.
Comfortable.
Warm.
It smelled faintly like him.
Maya immediately blushed.
Then rolled her eyes at herself.
"Get a grip."
Still smiling.
She slipped the shirt over her head.
The result was ridiculous.
The shirt practically swallowed her whole.
The hem reached several inches above her knees.
The sleeves covered most of her hands.
She laughed softly.
Then found a pair of shorts and pulled them on underneath.
Much better.
Sort of.
When she looked into the mirror, she immediately froze.
Because she looked...
Different.
Comfortable.
Safe.
Like she belonged there.
The thought startled her.
She stared at her reflection for a long moment.
At the oversized shirt.
At her damp hair falling loosely around her shoulders after she removed the towel.
At the way she couldn't stop smiling.
Then she smiled even harder.
Because she knew exactly whose shirt she was wearing.
And somehow that knowledge made her embarrassingly happy.
After drying her hair, she returned the towels to the bathroom.
Then finally left the closet.
The bedroom remained dimly lit.
Moonlight still spilled through the massive windows.
The estate below looked peaceful.
Almost dreamlike.
And sitting against the headboard of the enormous bed—
Waiting—
Was Rege.
His gaze found her instantly.
The second she stepped into the room.
And stayed there.
Maya nearly stopped walking.
Because there was something in his expression.
Something intense.
Something warm.
Something that made her heart beat just a little faster.
Rege's eyes traveled over her slowly.
The oversized shirt.
The damp hair.
The bare legs disappearing beneath the fabric.
The relaxed smile.
God.
She looked incredible.
Worse.
She looked comfortable in his clothes.
And somehow that did deeply unreasonable things to him.
Something possessive.
Something dangerous.
Something he carefully kept hidden.
Maya climbed onto the enormous bed and settled cross-legged across from him.
The mattress dipped slightly beneath her weight.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward.
Just full.
Heavy with things neither of them quite knew how to say.
Then Maya tilted her head slightly.
Watching him.
Waiting.
And Rege realized there would never be a better time.
The past had waited long enough.
Tonight, he would finally tell her.