Page 131 of The Forgotten Pakhan
Aleksandr wraps his arms around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder.
"What are you thinking about?" he asks.
I lean back against his chest, solid and warm. "The journey that brought us here. The blizzard. The cabin. How terrified I was."
His gold eyes gleam in the moonlight. "Better now?"
"Complete," I correct.
He cups my face in his hands, thumbs stroking my cheekbones. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life making you happy."
"You already do."
I kiss him, pouring everything into it. Gratitude and love and desire and hope. When we break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"Come inside with me," he murmurs, his voice rough with want.
I take his hand, and together we step through the doorway. Behind us, the past fades into shadow. Ahead, our future waits, bright and uncertain and ours.
The door closes softly behind us, and I think about how sometimes the best beginnings come from the most unexpected places.
Like a cabin in the woods during a blizzard.
Like a man with no memory and a woman with too much heart.
Like love that shouldn't work but does anyway.
Aleksandr lifts me into his arms, and I laugh against his neck as he carries me toward the bed. Outside, the estate sleeps. Inside, we're just beginning.
