We still had both kinds of sex. Slow, romantic, candlelit sessions in the bedroom, teasing each other for hours, and incredible, intense sessions down in the dungeon where he’d bind me and take me, again and again. But the BDSM was even better now we could cuddle afterwards and the romantic sex was even more fun with the occasional bit of kink thrown in.
The mansion had changed a little, too. My father’s paintings were now framed and hanging on the walls and we’d cleaned up the mess the storm had made of the garden, and restored the glasshouse. I’d insisted on keeping the garden wild, though, as it should be.
We turned towards the view ahead of us and just stood there, leaning against the hood for a moment. Without looking, we reached for each other’s hands and squeezed.
He wouldn’t have been capable of this, a few months ago. He wouldn’t have understood just standing and looking at something beautiful, wouldn’t have tolerated the distraction from building his empire. But he’d changed. He walked in the garden, sometimes, not just with me, but by himself, as if he actually enjoyed it, and that was huge. One day, maybe he’d even make friends with the cat.
He pulled me closer and slipped an arm around my waist. We didn’t have to say anything. We could just sit there and enjoy, in silence, something I’d never been able to do with any man.
An hour later, we pulled up at the bottom of a path that led up the steep side of the valley. That was as far as the SUV could go: from here on out, we’d be on foot. Two people were waiting for us, one a giant who stood even taller than Konstantin, the other—
Kate whumped into my chest and threw her arms around me. I’m not tall, but even I was looking over the top of her head. “I’m so glad you made it! We have everything ready. I mean, the cabin’s not big and you’re on the floor, but there are furs and a comforter and I’m sure you’ll be fine, and Mason went hunting, there are venison steaks for dinner, I hope you’re hungry, was your flight okay, sometimes it gets choppy—”
I was starting to realize that, other than Mason, Kate had been a little short on people to talk to, up here. Over the next week, we were going to get all the hospitality she’d been saving up for two years. I squeezed her tight.
We loaded up with a backpack each and started up the path. As well as our own supplies, we’d brought a few gifts. A bottle of red wine for tonight and—
Kate fell in beside me and whispered in my ear. “Did you—”
I grinned and opened the top of my backpack. The entire top third was stuffed with bags of gourmet coffee, straight from the city.
Kate squeezed me. “Bless you!”
Konstantin
The next day, I woke up to the sound of nothing. Even at the mansion, there was the distant sound of traffic and the faint hum of the air conditioning. Here, there was just silence and it was strangely relaxing. I wouldn’t have believed, a few months ago, that it was possible to just slow down and switch off from my empire, but then Hailey had changed me in all sorts of ways. I felt better. I slept better. And my dreams were only good.
Hailey didn’t know it, but sometimes, in the garden, when I was sure that no one was looking, I let the cat sit on my lap.
I was... happy.
She stirred next to me and cuddled sleepily into my chest. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. I’d deliberately made this vacation all about her: seeing her friends, doing something she’d always wanted to do. Being Hailey, she’d worried that that was unfair. “Isn’t there anywhere you want to go?” she’d asked.
But there honestly wasn’t. I’d spent so long being completely focused on my work, I didn’t have a bucket list. Or, to be truthful, friends. But that would come with time. We had our whole futures ahead of us. For now, I was happy to be anywhere she was.
In the hospital, I’d made it clear to Hailey that if she wanted to reverse Christina’s decision and rejoin the FBI, I’d understand. But she’d immediately shaken her head. “I’m not like Calahan or Kate,” she told me. “They were born to be agents. I fell into it. There’s something I’ve always wanted to do more.” And she’d told me her dream.
Today would be the first step towards realizing it.
After an enormous, country-style breakfast, we hiked out into the forest, Hailey laden down with her camera gear. Mason led us through the trees without GPS, without even a map. I knew he did this for a living, guiding tourists, and before Kate he’d spent years up here, surviving on his own. But I was still amazed at how well he could navigate.