Chapter 7 - Dawn Over the HudsonThe moonlight streamed through the towering glass windows of the library, casting silver light across Adrian’s face as he leaned in closer. The distance between us evaporated completely.
When his lips met mine, it wasn't a sudden, aggressive collision of mafia drama. It was soft, hesitant, and filled with a desperate, pent-up longing that had been building for two long years. His arms wrapped securely around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest, lifting the cold weight of the dangerous world outside and melting it away into nothingness.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling in his dark hair, kissing him back with all the unspoken feelings I had buried beneath professional boundaries since the day I took the job.
When we finally pulled apart, breathless and smiling against each other’s foreheads, the room felt entirely different. The shadows had retreated.
“Does this mean you’re going to give me a raise?” I murmured against his collarbone, a teasing smile playing on my lips.
Adrian chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll double your salary, make you partner, and give you veto power over every dangerous decision I make.”
“That sounds like a fair corporate negotiation,” I laughed softly.
Just then, the heavy oak door of the library creaked open a few inches.
A small pair of dinosaur pajama bottoms stepped cautiously over the threshold, followed by a sleepy pair of brown eyes and a very messy head of dark hair. Noah rubbed his eyes, clutching Gerald the elephant under one arm, and stared up at us standing close together near the reading table.
“Dad?” Noah mumbled sleepily. “Elena?”
Adrian knelt down instantly, scooping the little boy up into his arms. “Hey, buddy. What are you doing out of bed?”भाग
“I had a bad dream,” Noah whispered, burying his face in Adrian’s shoulder. Then he peeked out, looking between the two of us, his sleepy expression shifting into a triumphant, knowing grin. “Did you guys talk about my plan?”
Adrian looked at me, a warm, genuine smile breaking across his face—the kind of smile that no criminal, capo, or rival boss had ever been privileged to see.
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“We talked about it, pal,” Adrian said, pulling me closer with his free arm until we were standing together as a family against the dark, dangerous world outside. “And as it turns out... your plan was a complete success.”
Outside the massive glass windows, the first pale streaks of golden dawn began to break over the rolling hills of the Hudson River, washing away the darkness of the past and promising a brand-new, unbreakable future.
