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Flight

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Chapter 41: Flight (Evie's POV)

"We," Rowan sighed, strolling into the kitchen, "are going to Russia." 

I blinked in confusion and turned the heat down on the stove, pausing the dinner preparations for the night. I spun around to face him. "I'm sorry, what?" 

He walked over, stood beside me, and took over the cooking. "It's an emergency, more or less. I have to go, I just spoke to Nate and for a couple of days, I need to be there. I've got some work to take care of and some... personal stuff as well. You are, this one time, allowed to take a leave from work and come with me." He faced me. "It's an exception, Lyubov. Don't get used to it." 

I leaned against the countertop, folding my arms across my chest. "Is this the kind of exception that occurred earlier today in your study?" I lifted a brow. 

His lip twitched to smile but he suppressed it. "No. That will happen rather often. This one, maybe not." 

"When do we have to leave?" I questioned. 

"Tomorrow evening." 

"And why exactly are we going to Russia all of a sudden?" 

His eyes met mine. 

"I'm asking for work. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I know better than to push for secrets. You shall remain the biggest mystery of my life, Mr. Volkov." 

He watched me in amusement as he answered, "We are going to look at some new properties and some existing hotels in St. Petersburg. Russia is special to both Nate and I, we're thinking of taking over some hotels. We've some business partners who would like to negotiate and are offering a takeover for Volkov Enterprises." 

"That's rare. No company usually offers to be taken over unless there's something wrong with it," I frowned in confusion. 

"That is exactly why we're going. To do our research," he said. 

"How long are we going for?" 

"Five days." 

"And this is my paid leave?" 

He sighed and turned the stove off, moving over to stand directly in front of me. "Yes. You will be paid to go on a business trip with your boss," he explained, placing his hands on the counter behind me. 

I held his gaze, my lips tugging up into a smile. "Is that what we're calling this?" 

"It's work," he replied. 

"I know." 

"It's not a honeymoon," he shook his head slowly. 

I nodded slowly in response, "I know. It's work. So you say. You're burning my tomatoes," I said, pushing myself off the counter. 

"We'll make more," he mumbled, his eyes dropping to my lips. 

I had absolutely no idea what we were doing and it was blatantly obvious that neither did he. I wasn't planning on kissing him today, I wasn't planning to act on my emotions at all. But then he was so close and I wanted him so bad that the truth poured out so easily. 

I wanted Rowan badly, more than anything else in this world right now. But even I wasn't quite sure in how many ways. He's my husband but on paper only. I shouldn't want him, it would undoubtedly lead to many complications if things went south. 

I did like Rowan, I'd always liked him more than I should have, always wanted him. But neither one of us knew or understood anything about our own feelings at the moment. I wanted him desperately, that I knew, but in what ways, that I had no clue about. I didn't love him. Not the kind of true love I had painted in my mind since the beginning of time. Whatever this was, it wasn't love. 

Not yet, anyway. 

It sat somewhere between the faint line of attraction, desire, and yearning. Being near him did things to me, to my body, my mind, that had never happened before. All thoughts escaped my mind when he touched me and kissed me in that room. I didn't want to rush into anything, especially if it came with the risk of losing Rowan in every way. So whatever this was, it was ours, whether that be purely physical or something deeper than that. 

For now, we both settled for purely physical, because neither one of us was ready for it to be more. 

"We don't have more tomatoes left," I smiled, pushing him away and moving over to the stove, continuing to cook. I heard him sigh softly which caused me to stifle a laugh as I looked at him. 

"I couldn't care less about tomatoes." He turned the stove off and grabbed my hand, pulling me into him and kissing me silent. 

Hesitantly, I slid my arms up and rested them on his shoulders, resting my hand on the nape of his neck, my fingers wandering in his hair. I drew back before the kiss went on for so long that we both would lose whatever little self-control we still had. He chased the distance I was creating between us, causing a smile to tug at my lips. "I should... probably go pack," I whispered, sliding my hands down. 

He caught them before I retreated them, forcing my hands to stay on his chest. "Why? How long does that take you?" 

"I like to take my time with things. Don't you?" 

He watched me in amusement, his brows twitching up. 

I rolled my eyes, a laugh bubbling out of me. "You have a dirty mind, Mr. Volkov." I stepped away and walked past him, going upstairs and checking the weather before I opened the closet and started taking out clothes for the trip. 

A short while later, he walked in, bringing a suitcase with him, the one I had when I moved here. He placed it on the bed for me and then stood at the closet entrance while I picked out some more clothes. "Don't you have more work to do?" I mused, staring at him. 

"I was in that room for hours, I'd like to stay here and watch you instead now. Do you have a problem with that, Mrs. Volkov?" 

"Not at all," I answered, placing the last of my clothes on the bed. "I've never been to Russia before. Where will we stay?" 

"In my house," he replied. 

"You have a house in Russia?" 

"Where do you think I stayed when I was in college?" 

"On campus? In an apartment, maybe? Like every other college student," I chuckled. 

"I wouldn't. Not enough privacy. And the house was... my mother's," he sighed, causing me to stop. 

"It was?" I walked over, stopping in front of him. 

He nodded. "Her things are still there. Her paintings. I have to get them back. I inherited them from the will. But you already know that," he cleared his throat. 

I nodded softly. "Can I... see them?" 

"No," he answered sharply. 

I nodded again. "Okay." 

"Evie, I..." 

"No, it really is okay. They're yours, Rowan. It's perfectly okay, I understand." We both paused before I inhaled, changing the topic. "Tell me more about Russia. Where did you grow up?" 

"St. Petersburg itself. I went back there for college because I wanted to see my Mom's place. I never got to see it. I hate the city. I hate it because I grew up there and my childhood was... not the best," he cleared his throat. "But this time, it's work. We're going there just for work," he reiterated. 

"Yes, we are," I agreed. "I take it you don't need to pack, you must already have your own room there?" 

He nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow at eight o'clock. It's a long flight, a major time difference, and a lot of jet lag. Almost sixteen hours away and seven hours ahead." 

I sighed loudly. "We'll have to handle it, right? No other choice." 

He hummed as I placed the last of my clothes on the bed and then sat down. His eyes drifted to my closet, dropping to the shoes and shoeboxes on the floor. 

I straightened up, scratching my neck. "What are you looking at?" 

"I'm looking for something," he mumbled, welcoming himself to walk inside. 

"What?" I asked, shooting up and standing at the entrance. 

"A skeleton in your closet," he smirked at me over his shoulder. "I saw it last time. You moved it." He stood up, strolling to me and placing his hands on my waist, walking me toward the bed and forcing me to sit down with a push. "What's in the box?" 

"Secrets of mine to keep," I chuckled. 

"Any ways I can draw them out of you?" He lifted a brow sharply. 

I shook my head, grinning. "Really?" Slowly, he began to lean down. 

"Really," I teased before his lips met mine in a brief kiss. 

He lowered me down onto my back and hovered above me, holding himself up with one hand. "How much are you willing to bet that between our flight tomorrow and our flight back, I'll have you tell me yourself what's in that box?" His eyes traveled across my face, eyes dropping to my lips. 

"If you can draw it out of me," I paused, taking in a breath. "I won't just tell you, I'll show you exactly what I'm hiding in there." 

"Is that a promise, Lyubov?" he asked. 

"It is," I mumbled. 

"You best seal that promise with a kiss," he teased. 

I laughed as he leaned down and kissed me slowly, taking his time and drawing it out before pulling away. "You were right, the urge to kiss me does hit you quite a lot. It is slightly overwhelming." 

"Get used to it." He kissed me softly once before pulling away. "And pack. Quickly, Lyubov. I'm going back to work." 

I sighed in disappointment, watching as he left.

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Chapter 41

I disappeared for two days sorry lol I took a little break from life but I'm back!

next ch: memories