For one suspended moment, neither of them moved.
The room had gone completely silent.
Not the ordinary kind of silence.
The kind that existed only between two people whose lives had just changed forever.
Moonlight spilled softly across the enormous bedroom, silver light stretching across the hardwood floors and the cream-colored walls. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Hastings estate slept peacefully beneath the night sky. The fountains below continued their endless song while distant lanterns illuminated winding garden paths.
Inside the room, however, neither Maya nor Rege seemed aware of any of it, the world had narrowed into something much smaller.
Just him.
Just her.
Just this moment.
Maya's shy smile lingered as she searched Rege's face.
He was still frozen.
Not because he regretted anything.
Not because he doubted her.
But because for the first time in a very long time, he was terrified.
Terrified of wanting something this much.
Terrified because she had become important enough to break him.
Maya gazed into his aquamarine eyes.
Those impossible eyes.
The same eyes she had spent months trying not to stare at.
The same eyes that had watched over her when she was sad, comforted her when she was afraid, and somehow learned to smile because of her.
And now those eyes were looking at her differently.
Not as a friend.
Not as someone he cared about.
But as the woman he loved.
His aquamarine eyes searched hers carefully.
Almost cautiously.
As if he needed to make certain this was real.
Maya felt her heart tighten.
The look on his face wasn't uncertainty.
It was vulnerability.
Raw.
Unprotected.
For perhaps the first time in his life, he felt genuinely uncertain.
Not about business.
Not about strategy.
Not about decisions.
About her.
Because despite everything that had happened between them, despite every moment that had brought them here, a small part of him still feared this wasn't real.
That he had somehow imagined all of it.
That the universe would eventually correct itself and take her away.
His hand tightened slightly around hers.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to anchor himself.
"Krasota..."
The nickname sounded different tonight.
Softer.
More vulnerable.
Almost fragile.
Almost reverent.
For a moment it looked as though he was fighting with himself.
His voice dropped lower.
Barely above a whisper.
"Would you be together with me..."
His gaze searched hers.
Carefully.
Hopefully.
"...forever?"
The final word nearly disappeared into the silence.
For someone who could negotiate billion-dollar deals without blinking, the question felt impossibly difficult.
Because this mattered.
Because her answer mattered.
Because she mattered.
And Maya's heart shattered.
Because she had never heard fear in Rege's voice before.
Never.
Not even once.
Yet she heard it now.
Not fear of rejection.
Fear of losing something precious.
Fear of wanting too much.
Fear of hoping.
And suddenly she understood something she hadn't fully realized before.
Rege loved her with his entire soul.
He was giving her the truth.
The deepest truth he possessed.
And trusting her with it.
The realization stole her breath.
Her gaze never left his.
Her eyes softened.
She reached up instinctively and brushed her fingertips against his jaw.
The tension there felt almost painful.
As if he had been carrying this question inside him for far too long.
Maya smiled.
A small smile.
A truthful smile.
The kind that belonged only to him.
"Yes."
The answer came immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without doubt.
Without fear.
Just certainty.
Pure certainty.
The effect on Rege was immediate.
The breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding finally escaped him.
Relief crashed through him so powerfully that for a brief second he could barely think.
She said yes.
She said yes.
God.
She said yes.
A smile broke across his face.
Not the small rare smiles Maya had learned to treasure.
A real one.
Warm.
Bright.
Unrestrained.
Beautiful.
Rege practically beamed.
The expression was so rare, so completely unguarded, that Maya almost forgot to breathe.
And before either of them could say another word, he pulled her into his arms.
Tightly.
Like he had spent years starving and had finally been given something worth living for.
Maya laughed softly against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back immediately.
His arms locked around her waist.
Holding her.
Keeping her.
As though he feared she might disappear if he loosened his grip.
The force of his embrace almost startled her.
Not because it was rough.
Because it wasn't.
It was desperate.
As though he needed to reassure himself she was actually there.
Like a man finally holding something he thought he might never have.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Neither needed to.
Everything that mattered had already been said.
Rege closed his eyes.
Holding her.
Breathing her in.
Feeling her heartbeat against his chest.
His forehead rested briefly against her shoulder.
And for the first time in years, the constant pressure inside him seemed to disappear.
No board meetings.
No investors.
No family expectations.
No ghosts from his past.
Only her.
Only Maya.
His Maya.
The thought sent a strange warmth through him.
Something fierce.
Something possessive.
Something he had never experienced before.
Not because he wanted to own her.
Because he finally understood what it felt like to belong somewhere.
To someone.
Slowly, his face settled against the crook of her neck.
His lips brushed her skin.
Softly.
Almost absentmindedly.
As though he couldn't quite stop himself.
Maya's breath caught instantly.
A shiver raced down her spine.
Rege felt it.
Every tiny reaction.
Every small shift.
Every unsteady breath.
And somehow that only made his heart beat harder.
Because after all this time—
She wanted him too.
Not the version of him the world knew.
Not Rege Hastings.
Not the billionaire.
Not the man everyone feared.
Just him.
The realization left him feeling almost intoxicated.
His eyes closed.
He breathed her in deeply.
Her shampoo.
Her soap.
Something warm and uniquely Maya beneath it all.
God.
He was addicted already.
Everything about her soothed him.
Everything about her undid him.
And he wasn't even trying to fight it anymore.
Maybe he never truly had.
Rege held her a little closer.
Not because he was afraid she would disappear.
Because some part of him still couldn't fully believe she was real.
The moonlight spilled across the room in silver ribbons, illuminating strands of Maya's long dirty blonde hair as they rested against his shoulder. Beyond the windows, the estate remained peaceful and silent, but inside the bedroom his entire world had narrowed to the woman in his arms.
Maya.
His Krasota.
His heart still hadn't recovered from her answer.
Yes.
Such a small word.
Yet it had changed everything.
For so long he had carried his feelings alone, burying them beneath responsibility, discipline, and control. He had convinced himself that simply being near her would be enough.
Now she was here.
Choosing him.
Wanting him.
The realization left him feeling strangely weightless.
He wanted Maya.
The realization struck him with almost painful clarity.
Not the fleeting kind of desire that came and went.
Not simple attraction.
Something deeper.
Far more dangerous.
He wanted her presence.
Her laughter.
Her warmth.
The way she looked at him as though he was more than the mistakes people had attached to his name.
The way she somehow made silence feel peaceful instead of lonely.
The way she occupied every corner of his thoughts without even trying.
And God—
He needed her.
Needed her in a way that frightened him.
Because Rege Hastings had spent his entire life mastering control.
Control over his emotions.
Control over his actions.
Control over every weakness anyone could ever use against him.
Yet Maya had become the one thing he could never control.
The one thing he no longer wanted to.
She had become the fire beneath his skin that refused to die.
A quiet spark at first.
Then an ember.
Then something fierce enough to burn through every defense he had ever built around himself.
And instead of extinguishing it—
He found himself feeding it.
Wanting it.
Protecting it.
Protecting her.
Rege lowered his head.
His face settling once more against the crook of her neck.
For a moment he simply remained there.
Breathing her in.
The scent of her shampoo lingered softly against her damp hair.
Clean.
Warm.
Uniquely Maya.
The kind of scent that somehow already felt like home.
His lips brushed the sensitive skin beneath her ear.
Once.
Twice.
Slow.
Unhurried.
As though he wanted to memorize every second.
Maya's breath immediately caught.
A tremor traveled through her body.
Tiny.
Barely noticeable.
Yet Rege felt it.
Every reaction.
Every shift in her breathing.
Every slight movement she made within his arms.
His eyes darkened.
Not with possession.
With wonder.
Because after all this time—
She wanted him too.
The realization still felt unreal.
His lips moved higher.
Following the graceful line of her neck.
Until they reached her ear.
"Moya Krasota."
His voice emerged low.
Roughened by emotion.
The Russian endearment wrapped itself around her heart immediately.
Then came the words that nearly stole her breath.
"We're together now."
The statement was simple.
Yet it carried the weight of months.
Months of restraint.
Months of longing.
Months of watching her walk away while pretending friendship was enough.
Months of fighting feelings that had only grown stronger.
Now there was no distance left between them.
No uncertainty.
No fear.
Just truth.
Maya's eyes closed automatically.
The happiness felt almost overwhelming.
Like her heart had become too full to contain everything she was feeling.
A small sound nearly escaped her.
She caught it at the last second.
Her teeth sinking gently into her lower lip.
The nervous habit appeared without thought.
Without awareness.
Rege noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
He always noticed.
His hand lifted instinctively.
His thumb brushing softly across her mouth.
Freeing her lip.
A faint frown appeared between his brows.
Not annoyance.
Concern.
The same concern he always showed whenever she accidentally hurt herself.
"Don't hurt yourself, Krasota."
His voice settled warmly against her ear.
Deep.
Gentle.
Affectionate.
The concern in his tone affected her more than the words themselves.
Because even now—
Even while holding her like this—
His first instinct remained taking care of her.
Maya opened her eyes slowly.
Their gazes met.
And for a moment the rest of the world disappeared.
The moonlight.
The room.
The mansion.
Everything.
There was only him.
Only those impossible aquamarine eyes.
Only the look inside them.
Rege's expression softened.
Completely.
Then he leaned forward.
Pressing a kiss against her forehead.
A lingering one.
The kind that carried affection rather than urgency.
Then another against her closed eyelid.
Then the other.
Each touch careful.
Almost reverent.
As though he was still afraid this entire moment might disappear if he moved too quickly.
Maya smiled despite herself.
The tenderness felt almost unbearable.
When his lips brushed the tip of her nose, however—
She giggled.
The sound escaped unexpectedly.
Bright.
Warm.
Unfiltered.
Rege froze briefly.
Then a quiet chuckle followed.
Low.
Rich.
The sound immediately made Maya laugh harder.
"There it is."
Her voice emerged softly between smiles.
Rege raised a questioning brow.
Maya's eyes sparkled.
"I swear it gets better every time."
The amusement in his expression deepened.
A faint shake of his head following.
Yet the smile remained.
One of those rare smiles that always felt like a reward.
Unable to stop himself, Rege brushed kisses across her cheeks.
One.
Then the other.
The corners of her smile.
Lingering there slightly longer.
Not quite kissing her lips.
Not yet.
The anticipation somehow made Maya's heartbeat accelerate.
Their laughter gradually faded.
The room growing quiet once more.
Outside, the moon hung high above the estate.
Silver light pouring through the enormous windows.
Soft shadows stretching across the room.
The world beyond remained asleep.
Yet neither of them seemed remotely aware of it.
Because the only thing either of them could see—
Was each other.