Page 117 of Auctioned to My Bratva Boss

Peace.

Our second stop was Iceland.I rented a glass cabin in the middle of a vast snowfield.

If the Maldives belonged to sunlight, then Iceland belonged to night and cold.

In the freezing night, I pulled her under the same thick wool blanket with me while we watched the aurora stream and dance across the black sky.

"Oh my God, this is incredible." She leaned back against me, head tilted up in open wonder.

My eyes never left her face. I swear, no spectacular sight in this world could compare to even a fraction of the light in her eyes.

"You're not watching the aurora. Why do you keep staring at me?" She caught my gaze and turned to face me.

Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, but her eyes were full of laughter.

"Because," I pulled her tighter into my arms and pressed a long kiss to her cold lips, "my aurora is right here."

She froze. Then her ears and entire face turned scarlet. She swatted me lightly in mock annoyance, but eventually settled back against me.

"Your hands are freezing." I frowned, catching her hands hidden under the blanket—they felt like ice.

I unbuttoned my coat and tucked them inside against my chest, feeling them gradually warm against my skin.

"Mmm... that's so nice." She sighed contentedly and burrowed deeper into my embrace.

Her cold nose nuzzled against my neck, and I tensed all over.

"Don't move, Riley." I had to hold her head still, voice rough.

She obviously understood the implication. She went rigid first, then burst out laughing. Her eyes, filled with aurora light, curved mischievously.

"Mr. Bykov," she deliberately leaned close to my ear, voice teasing, "I never knew you could be so... affected."

I bit the inside of my cheek. This wicked girl.

Later, we huddled by the fireplace drinking the sickeningly sweet hot chocolate she insisted on trying. Her feet stayed cold, so I pulled them into my hands and carefully massaged them.

"Matvey, I'd never seen the aurora before." She stared into the dancing flames, her smile tinged with bitterness. "The aurora—that's something only rich people get to see. When I was little in Cold Spring, Evelyn and I huddled in a drafty bed. We couldn't even afford to turn on the heat."

My hands paused in rubbing her feet.

"My childhood didn't have auroras either." My voice came out calmer than I expected, like I was telling someone else's story. "Just endless training and criticism. I never had time that was my own."

She pulled one newly warmed hand from under the blanket and gently cupped my face.

"But now you have time that's yours. You have love. You have real family." She said.

I turned my head and kissed her palm.

Then her belly moved gently. I pressed my hand against her abdomen. When I felt that healthy, strong kick against my palm, I panicked, completely at a loss.

"They're saying hello." She smiled and pressed my hand down firmer.

I just bent down and kissed her warm belly.

"Riley, I want to show you so much more than just the aurora."

She looked at me, eyes bright as if they'd captured the entire aurora inside them.