A magical silence filled the car. Amidst the bone-chilling cold outside, the heater and their proximity created a warm atmosphere. As Alia was lost in thoughts of the future, Viktor suddenly interrupted her.
Without a word, Viktor swept Alia up and placed her on his lap. Holding her slender waist, he drew her close. His blue eyes were filled with deep intoxication and possessiveness. Without giving her a moment, he kissed her lips deeply. That kiss held all the worry of the last three days, the love, and the intense longing of having her back.
After the kiss, Viktor leaned toward Alia's ear and whispered in an extremely deep and husky voice:
Viktor: "You are mine... My mommy..."
Alia shivered at this side of Viktor. Her cheeks flushed crimson. She touched the buttons of Viktor's shirt with her slender fingers and slowly traced them. Looking into Viktor's eyes, she replied in a breathless voice:
Alia: "And you are my world... My daddy's..."
The whole world seemed to stand still. Snow was falling outside, but inside the car, between these two powerful people, there was only the sound of intense love and surrender to one another. Viktor held Alia even closer, as if at this moment, no one else in the world existed only the two of them and their royal romance. The atmosphere inside the car crackled with a magnetic intensity. Viktor pulled Alia even closer, his large, powerful hands sliding over the smooth fabric of her white tennis dress. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine as his grip tightened with raw possessiveness.
Just as the moment threatened to spiral into a complete loss of control, Alia pressed her slender fingers against his lips, her eyes locking onto his piercing blue gaze.
Alia: "Shhhhh... not right now, Viktor."
Viktor paused, his muscles tense, his breathing heavy as he looked at her with a mix of frustration and smoldering desire.
Alia: (In a soft, teasing whisper) "We are in the middle of the road, and the guards are just ahead. Have some patience, my love. Besides, I've only just recovered. Do you want me to fall ill again?"
Viktor let out a long, ragged sigh, resting his forehead against hers. He fought to regain his composure, though the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest. He gave her chin a lingering kiss before finally loosening his grip, though he kept his arm firmly around her waist.
Viktor: (In a deep, gravelly voice) "Your 'no' tests my patience more than anything else, Alia. Fine. I will wait until we reach the Palace. But once that bedroom door closes... I won't be listening to any excuses."Alia let out a soft, melodic laugh, her eyes sparkling with a daring playfulness. She looked up at Viktor, tracing the sharp line of his jaw with her fingertip, completely unfazed by his intense warning.
Alia: (Teasingly) "Oh? And what exactly are you going to do, I wonder? Tell me... I want to hear what you have planned."
Viktor's gaze darkened, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face. He leaned in until his lips were brushing against her ear, his voice dropping to a dangerous, velvety vibration that made her breath hitch.
Viktor: "What will I do? First, I'm going to make sure you forget there's a world outside those four walls. I'll start by making you regret every second you made me wait in this car. There will be no talking, no more 'shhhhh,' and definitely no running away."
He nipped lightly at her earlobe, his hand tightening slightly on her waist.
Viktor: "I'll start with the things you love—and then move to the things that make you lose your mind. I'm going to remind you exactly who you belong to, until you're the one begging me not to stop. By the time I'm done with you, you won't even remember the word 'excuse'."
Alia felt a thrill run through her, her heart racing against his chest. She bit her lip, her playful defiance turning into a quiet, burning anticipation.
Alia: "Is that a promise, Viktor? Because you know I don't like people who break their word."
Viktor: "In the Petrov family, we always deliver on our promises, Alia. Always." Then Alia says I will start with the things you love and then I will do something that will drive you crazy. What do you mean by saying this?Alia's eyes widened slightly as she processed his words, her heart hammering against her ribs. The playful smirk on her face softened into something deeper, more intense. She looked at him, her voice barely a whisper, yet filled with a daring curiosity.
Alia: "The things I love... and things that will make me lose my mind. What exactly do you mean by that, Viktor? Tell me... specifically. What is the very first thing you're going to do?"
Viktor's gaze darkened to the color of a stormy sea. He shifted her weight on his lap, bringing her face inches from his, so close that their breaths mingled in the chilled air of the car.
Viktor: "You want to know the beginning? Fine. First, I am going to carry you straight to the bath. I'll strip away that tennis dress and sink you into water filled with rose petals and oils, washing away every ounce of pain and exhaustion from these last few days with my own hands."
He trailed his fingers from her temple down to her collarbone, his touch light as a feather yet heavy with intent.
Viktor: "I will massage your skin until you are completely undone, until you are nothing but soft sighs in my arms. I'll treat you like the most priceless diamond in the Petrov treasury—fragile yet unbreakable."
His voice dropped an octave, turning into a low, dangerous vibration that resonated in Alia's very soul.
Viktor: "And when I say I'll make you lose your mind... I mean I will mark every inch of you. I will kiss you until you forget your own name, until the only sound in the room is your breath hitching and your voice calling for me. I'm going to take you to a place where time doesn't exist where you aren't a Queen or a novelist, but simply mine. Completely, utterly mine."
He nipped the curve of her neck, his hand tightening possessively on her waist.
Viktor: "I'm going to make you beg for the very things you're trying to delay right now. That is the plan, Alia. Now tell me... are you still in the mood to play games, or are you ready for me?"
Alia couldn't find her voice. She simply gripped the fabric of his shirt, her eyes dark with a mixture of surrender and anticipation. As the car pulled up to the grand entrance of the Palace, she knew the time for talking was officially over. As the grand clock of the Palace struck 1 AM, the rest of the world was shrouded in deep sleep. But in the most private and luxurious suite of the palace, life had only just begun. For the Petrovs, this was their true hour—when the chaos of the mafia empire fades and their world of personal desire takes flight.
The room was bathed in the soft glow of the fireplace and the scent of expensive candles. True to his word, Viktor had bathed Alia, wrapped her in a silken towel, and brought her to the bed. Her white tennis dress was long gone, replaced only by a light, sapphire-blue silk robe that Viktor had chosen for her.
Viktor: (Loosening his tie) "It's 1 AM, Alia. The city is silent. There's no one left to disturb us now. Our day has only just begun."
Alia leaned back against the plush pillows, the exhaustion in her eyes replaced by a supernatural radiance. She reached out, beckoning Viktor closer.
Alia: "1 AM... our favorite hour. When the world sleeps, we truly start to live. Do you know, Viktor? At this hour, you look like the most powerful and beautiful man on earth."
Viktor smirked and sat beside her on the bed. He twined a silken lock of her hair around his finger and pressed a deep kiss to her forehead.
Viktor: "And you look like my forbidden Empress, for whom I would burn the entire world. Tonight, there are no phone calls, no files to sign. Tonight, it's just you and me."
Alia wrapped her arms around Viktor's neck. To them, the silence of 1 AM wasn't silence at all, but a symphony of new energy. They both knew the next few hours would be a tale of intense passion, witnessed only by these four walls.
While the freezing Russian wind and snow raged outside, inside this room, the fire of 1 AM was only getting started. Their day began a chapter of love in the kingdom of darkness, brighter than any daylight.As Viktor moved closer to Alia, the silence of the room deepened with the sound of their heartbeats. Viktor gently touched the silk tie of Alia's robe, his eyes fixed on her—as if he were rediscovering a priceless treasure.
Viktor: (In an extremely low voice) "Three days... three days I've counted every moment to have you like this. Is your body completely fine now, Alia?"
Alia didn't say a word; she just stared into the deep intoxication of Viktor's eyes. She pressed his hand against her cheek. The rough, warm touch of Viktor's palm sent a lightning bolt through her entire body.
Alia: "I am perfectly fine now, Viktor. And I want you to make every one of those plans you mentioned in the car come true tonight. Don't give me any mercy."
Alia's directness broke the last of Viktor's restraint. Without further delay, he pulled her into his embrace. Alia's loose hair spread across the soft sheets of the bed, like an exquisite dark web.
Viktor lowered his face to her neck, his warm breath sending shivers across her skin. He slowly nipped at her earlobe and whispered
Viktor: "I'm beginning, Alia. Tonight is going to be very long. I won't let you out of my sight for even a second."
Alia gripped the collar of Viktor's shirt, her eyes fluttering shut in surrender. The candles in the corner burned slowly, while their shadows on the wall merged into one.
Outside, the icy Russian wind lashed against the window panes, but inside that room, time seemed to stand still. Thus began a deep, magical night, where only the story of love and the intense longing to belong to each other was being written.