Chapter 10 The Kiss That Breaks Everything

Vera stood frozen, her breath shallow, as Michael's presence overwhelmed her. His proximity, his words, his power everything about him was magnetic. Her pulse hammered in her throat as she felt the intensity of his gaze.

She wanted to step back. She needed to.

But her body refused.

"I'm scared," she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

Michael's lips quirked, as though he already knew that. His hand reached for hers, and the moment their skin touched, the heat between them flared to life. His thumb brushed across her palm, and she closed her eyes, breath hitching at the sensation.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly, the raw sincerity in his voice making her heartache.

She was shaking whether from fear or something else, she wasn't sure. But she was certain of one thing: this man, at this moment, was too powerful to escape. And no matter how hard she tried to push him away, she kept getting pulled closer.

"You don't have to," she whispered, barely able to meet his eyes.

She didn't want to need him. She didn't want to feel so attached, so helpless. But it was like he had unraveled something deep inside her, and now she wasn't sure she could put it all back together again.

His hand slid up her arm, and she gasped, the touch sending a wave of heat rushing through her. Slowly, he cupped her cheek, tilting her head so that their eyes locked.

"Vera," he murmured, his voice hushed, intense. "You've been avoiding me, but it's clear we can't ignore this. What we have, it's not just a fling. Not just about sex or power or control."

She sucked in a breath, heart pounding. "What are you saying?"

He took another step closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke. "I'm saying I want you. All of you. Not just your body... but your heart, your mind, your strength."

His words, so raw and unfiltered, sent a jolt through her chest. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe.

She only knew one thing: she needed him.

Needed him more than she cared to admit.

More than she had any right to.

Before she could stop herself, she reached up, cupping his face with both hands, pulling him toward her. The second their lips met, everything inside her exploded. She could feel the raw intensity of his kiss, how it consumed her, devoured her, and made everything else fade into nothing.

There was no finesse, no slow build just the overwhelming need to be closer, to feel each other, to know the truth without words.

His hands slid down her back, pulling her tighter against him, pressing her against the solid warmth of his body. She moaned into the kiss, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him even closer.

For a moment, there was only the pulse of their hearts, the slide of skin against skin, the heat building between them until it was all-consuming.

But then, just as quickly as it started, Michael pulled back. His lips were swollen from kissing her, his breath ragged.

"Vera..." he whispered his forehead against hers, both of them still breathing heavily. "I can't lose you again. You've haunted me since the moment you left that night."

Her chest tightened at his words. "I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't," he breathed, his hand cupping her cheek again, his thumb gently wiping away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen. "I want you here. I want to be there for you. For us."

She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the raw sincerity in his voice. "But what about everything else? The company? The mafia? What about me? What if I'm just... a complication?"

He leaned in again, brushing his lips against hers with an agonizing slowness that left her breathless. "You're not a complication, Vera. You're my choice."

Her heart skipped.

She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to. But she also feared what it meant.

What would they become? Could she trust him? Could she trust herself?

But in that moment, all the questions, all the doubts, faded away.

She kissed him again, harder this time, a desperate plea for him to prove everything. To prove that the night they shared, the connection they couldn't deny, meant something real.

And when he kissed her back, she knew it was just the beginning.