Alex Pov
Last night, Nikolai kissed me.
It wasn’t just a kiss; it was something else entirely, something that left me reeling long after it was over.
And yet, this morning, when I woke up, he was gone. Not a word, not even a note.
Millie told me he left early with Lucas and Liam, but she didn’t have to. I wasn’t going to look for him.
The day dragged on, my thoughts an endless loop of everything I didn’t want to think about.
I tried to distract myself with sewing, but it didn’t work.
That kiss—his lips on mine, the way he held me—kept creeping into my mind no matter how hard I pushed it away.
Now, I’m sitting across from him in this ridiculously Nikolaitic restaurant, trying not to squirm under the weight of his presence.
This wasn’t just dinner. My father insisted I come, wh
