They gazed into each other's eyes.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Neither of them seemed capable of speaking.
The room had fallen into a strange kind of silence again.
Not empty.
Not awkward.
A silence filled with anticipation.
Filled with months of longing.
Filled with every glance that had lingered too long, every touch that had meant more than either of them dared admit, every feeling they had both tried and failed to bury.
Moonlight streamed through the towering windows, bathing the room in silver light.
The estate beyond slept peacefully beneath the night sky.
Inside the bedroom, however, neither of them felt remotely calm.
Maya's heartbeat thundered inside her chest.
Rege's wasn't much better.
Her eyes were bright.
Brighter than the moonlight itself.
Brighter than anything he had ever seen.
And God help him—
She was looking at him like he was her entire world.
The look shattered whatever remained of his restraint.
Slowly, his hand rose.
His fingers settled against the nape of her neck.
Warm.
Protective.
Possessive in a way that startled even him.
His thumb brushed lightly against her skin.
Maya leaned into the touch unconsciously.
The movement was small.
Instinctive.
But it undid him.
Because she trusted him.
Because she wanted him.
Because she was choosing him.
Rege's gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
Then returned to her eyes.
Giving her every opportunity to stop him.
She didn't.
Instead, her breath caught.
And she moved closer.
Barely.
Yet it was enough.
Enough to completely destroy what remained of his control.
He couldn't help himself anymore.
Couldn't pretend he hadn't imagined this moment a thousand times.
Couldn't pretend he hadn't wanted this from the very first day.
From the moment she crashed into his life outside that deli and looked at him with those impossible bright eyes.
The moment she gasped.
The moment she smiled.
The moment everything changed.
His hand tightened gently at her neck.
Then he kissed her.
The world disappeared.
There was no mansion.
No New York.
No past.
No future.
Only Maya.
Only this.
The kiss stole the air from her lungs instantly.
Deep.
Passionate.
Unrestrained.
Months of restraint breaking apart all at once.
Maya's fingers immediately buried themselves in his hair.
The other hand fisted against the fabric stretched across his chest.
Holding on.
Pulling him closer.
As though she was afraid he might disappear.
As though she had wanted this just as desperately.
The realization nearly drove him mad.
Because no fantasy he had ever allowed himself compared to reality.
Nothing came close.
Not even remotely.
She felt softer.
Warmer.
More intoxicating.
Every part of him seemed to come alive beneath her touch.
And when her quiet gasp escaped against his mouth—
The last fragile thread of his composure snapped.
His arm tightened around her waist.
Pulling her closer.
Needing her closer.
Maya's entire body felt electric.
Every place he touched seemed to spark.
Every breath felt impossible.
Every kiss made her want another.
And another.
And another.
She had imagined kissing him before.
More than once.
More than she would ever admit.
But this—
This wasn't imagination.
This was Rege.
This was real.
And it was infinitely better.
A soft sound escaped her before she could stop it.
The reaction alone nearly undid him.
Not just because of the sound itself.
Because she was responding to him.
Because she wasn't pulling away.
Because she was kissing him back with the same desperation he felt.
The same hunger.
The same overwhelming need.
Maya shifted closer.
Then closer still.
Until there wasn't enough distance between them.
And somehow that still wasn't enough.
Without thinking, she moved.
One moment she was sitting beside him.
The next she was straddling his lap.
The movement surprised both of them.
But neither stopped.
Her fingers tightened in his shirt.
Pulling him impossibly closer.
Rege felt his entire body tense.
God.
He liked that far more than he should have.
His hand slid instinctively against her lower back.
The oversized shirt shifted upward slightly.
His palm brushed warm skin.
The contact felt like fire.
Immediate.
Dangerous.
The sensation shot through him so sharply that he nearly lost the last fragments of control he possessed.
Maya shivered.
Not from cold.
Never from cold.
And Rege knew then that if he continued—
If he kept kissing her the way he wanted to—
He wasn't going to stop.
The realization crashed into him with startling force.
Because the truth was simple.
He wanted her.
Far too much.
Far more than was safe.
Far more than he knew how to handle.
And she deserved better than his lack of self-control.
She deserved patience.
She deserved care.
She deserved the best of him.
Not the version currently losing a war against his own desires.
Reluctantly.
Painfully.
He pulled away.
The separation felt almost cruel.
Maya released a shaky breath immediately.
One she clearly hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Her cheeks were flushed.
Her lips swollen.
Her eyes soft and unfocused.
And the sight nearly destroyed him all over again.
Rege simply stared.
Mesmerized.
Because she was beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
And right now she looked entirely his.
The thought sent another wave of heat through him.
His hand remained against the side of her neck.
Unable to move.
Unable to stop touching her.
Maya's breathing gradually slowed.
Though not by much.
Neither of them seemed remotely capable of normal functioning anymore.
The room remained wrapped in moonlight.
The world beyond remained asleep.
Yet inside that bedroom everything had changed.
Everything.
Rege's gaze lingered on her face.
And for one terrifying moment he almost kissed her again.
Almost.
Because if he did—
He knew exactly what would happen.
He wouldn't stop.
And judging by the way Maya was looking at him—
She wouldn't stop him.
The realization tightened something painfully inside his chest.
"Krasota."
Her nickname emerged rough.
Low.
Almost strained.
Maya blinked.
The sound of his voice seemed to pull her back to reality.
Slowly she looked up.
And immediately noticed the tension written across his face.
The tightness in his jaw.
The effort it was taking him simply to sit still.
Understanding dawned.
Her expression softened instantly.
Without thinking, she lifted her hand.
Her fingertips brushed gently across his forehead.
Smoothing the faint crease there.
The gesture was so unexpectedly tender that it stole what remained of his breath.
A faint smile appeared.
Small.
Genuine.
Beautiful.
And Maya's own smile widened immediately in response.
The sight nearly undid him more than the kiss had.
Because this was Maya.
Kind.
Warm.
Entirely herself.
Even now.
Especially now.
"You are a splendid kisser."
The words emerged unexpectedly.
Playful.
Honest.
A little breathless.
Maya's smile turned teasing.
"Far beyond my expectations."
For a second Rege simply stared.
Then he laughed.
A real laugh.
Soft.
Warm.
Unrestrained.
The sound instantly made Maya laugh too.
Because she never seemed capable of resisting it.
And neither of them realized that somehow the laughter felt every bit as intimate as the kiss itself.
Rege brushed a lingering kiss against her forehead.
Not because he wanted to stop touching her.
Quite the opposite.
Every instinct inside him wanted to pull her closer again.
To kiss her again.
To lose himself in her completely.
But for tonight—
This was enough.
More than enough.
Because she was here.
Because she had chosen him.
Because she was smiling at him like he was something precious.
And somehow that felt even more dangerous than the kiss itself.
His hand slid gently through her hair before he shifted against the pillows.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
He lowered himself onto the bed and guided Maya down with him.
Neither of them seemed willing to create even the smallest amount of distance.
The moment he settled against the mattress, Maya followed automatically.
Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Like she'd always belonged there.
Half on top of him.
Curled against his side.
Her head resting over his chest.
One arm draped loosely across his stomach.
Rege's arm immediately wrapped around her waist.
Instinctively.
Protectively.
Keeping her close.
Not because he thought she would leave.
Because he genuinely couldn't seem to stop touching her.
Maya smiled against his chest.
The steady rhythm of his heartbeat filled her ears.
Strong.
Reliable.
Comforting.
The sound somehow soothed every anxious corner of her mind.
For the first time in a long time, she felt completely safe.
Not because of the mansion.
Not because of the wealth.
Not because of the security surrounding the estate.
Because of him.
Just him.
She tilted her head upward.
Still smiling.
Still impossibly happy.
Moonlight illuminated part of Rege's face while the rest remained hidden in shadow.
His aquamarine eyes looked softer than she'd ever seen them.
Warmer.
Lighter.
Almost boyish.
The sight made her heart squeeze.
God.
She loved seeing him like this.
Loved knowing she was the reason.
Without thinking, she leaned upward and pressed a small kiss against his lips.
Nothing demanding.
Nothing urgent.
Just a gentle reminder.
I'm here.
I'm yours.
You're mine.
When she pulled back, her smile only widened.
"Goodnight, Rege."
Her voice emerged softly.
Sleep already beginning to pull at her.
Rege stared at her for a moment.
Longer than necessary.
As though committing every detail to memory.
The curve of her smile.
The softness in her eyes.
The fact she was wearing his shirt.
The fact she was lying in his arms.
The fact she was real.
A faint smile appeared despite himself.
One of those rare smiles that seemed reserved entirely for her.
"Goodnight, Krasota."
His voice dropped lower.
Gentler.
Filled with affection he no longer felt any need to hide.
Then he kissed her forehead again.
Slowly.
Lingering for just a moment.
Maya sighed happily.
The sound made something inside his chest loosen completely.
Within minutes, her breathing began to deepen.
Her body relaxing fully against him.
Sleep came easily.
Almost unfairly easily.
One minute she was tracing absent-minded patterns against his shirt.
The next she was asleep.
Completely trusting.
Completely comfortable.
Rege looked down at her.
And for several seconds simply watched.
The moonlight illuminated strands of her long dirty blonde hair across his chest.
Her cheek rested directly above his heart.
One of her hands remained curled loosely against him.
As though even in sleep she wanted to stay close.
The sight hit him harder than he expected.
Because nobody had ever trusted him this way before.
Not completely.
Not without conditions.
Not without fear.
But Maya did.
And that realization settled somewhere deep inside him.
Warm.
Permanent.
Dangerous.
His thoughts should have been racing.
He should have been overanalyzing everything.
The kiss.
The relationship.
The future.
The fact that after months of wanting her, she was finally his.
Instead, something strange happened.
Peace.
The same peace he only ever seemed to find around her.
His fingers drifted through her hair once.
Twice.
Then stilled.
The fountains outside continued their endless song.
Moonlight stretched across the room.
The mansion remained silent.
And eventually, despite the thousands of thoughts fighting for attention inside his mind, sleep found him too.
Because there was no possible way he could remain awake with Maya sleeping in his arms.
Not when she fit there so perfectly.
Not when holding her felt more natural than breathing.
Not when, for the first time in years, he wasn't lonely.
The last thing Rege felt before sleep claimed him was the gentle weight of Maya against his chest.
And the overwhelming certainty that no matter what happened tomorrow—
Tonight had changed everything.
Forever.