Kai Jaxon Sokolov as the Mafia king, the flame
Nina Cleo Salvatore the ice
Eventually, nina gets to know that even the flame can turn into ice and ice can turn into flame
* This book is a mafia romance so you guys can except some steamy scene...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The night air was thick, oppressive with the heat of summer, and even in the spacious solokov estate, it felt like the walls were closing in. I could hear the distant hum of voices downstairs—guests, family, people here for one of the endless business meetings or social events that seemed to define my life now. But up here, in our room, it was quiet. Too quiet.Kai stood by the window, his back to me, the glow from the city lights casting a soft silhouette around his tall, broad figure. He hadn't said much since dinner—he never did—but there was something different in the air tonight. Something simmering beneath the surface.I watched him, unable to tear my eyes away. His presence was magnetic, even when he was silent, brooding as ever. There was always a storm beneath his calm, and tonight it felt like I was standing on the edge of it.
I swallowed, feeling the tension coil tight in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't the usual sharp coldness between us, but something else—something electric. Every inch of my skin felt hyper-aware of his presence, like the air itself was charged.
Finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, I spoke. "You're unusually quiet tonight."Kai turned, slowly, his gaze locking onto mine. His blue-gray eyes were darker than usual, shadowed by something I couldn't quite place. He didn't answer right away, just watched me, the way a predator watches its prey—calm, calculating, but intensely focused."I'm thinking," he said at last, his voice low, rough, like gravel underfoot.
"About what?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended, as if I were afraid to break the spell.
His eyes roamed over me in a way that made my breath hitch, like he was trying to read something just beneath the surface. He stepped closer, slow, deliberate, his footsteps barely making a sound on the hardwood floor. My pulse quickened with every step.
"О тебе." (*About you.*)
The words were so soft, so unexpected, that I froze. He was right in front of me now, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body, the scent of him—dark and intoxicating—filling my senses.
"Me?" I whispered, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. "Да." (*Yes.*) His voice was like velvet, smooth but edged with something dangerous.
"Ты не знаешь, что ты делаешь со мной, Нина." (*You don't know what you do to me, Nina.*)
My breath caught in my throat. The room felt smaller, the space between us shrinking with every word, every glance. The tension was thick, palpable, like it was pressing down on me, wrapping around me in an invisible grip.
I tried to speak, to say something, but no words came out. The intensity of his gaze, the way his body hovered so close to mine, made it impossible to think clearly. All I could focus on was him—the way his chest rose and fell with each slow, measured breath, the way his lips parted ever so slightly, like he was considering something dangerous.
Kai's fingers reached out, brushing against my arm in the lightest, softest touch. The sensation sent a shiver racing down my spine, my skin tingling in its wake. He was so controlled, so precise, as if he knew exactly what he was doing—how to make my heart race without even trying.
His hand slid down, barely grazing my wrist before curling around it, his grip firm but not harsh. "You think you're the only one struggling with this?" he murmured, his voice dangerously low, almost a growl. "Ты не понимаешь?" (*Don't you understand?*)
I swallowed hard, the words lodged in my throat. My pulse hammered beneath his fingers, and I was sure he could feel it, the way my entire body responded to him."I see the way you look at me," he continued, his breath warm against my cheek as he leaned in, just enough to make my knees feel weak. "Like you're trying to figure me out. Like you want to understand what this is between us."
I wanted to deny it, to push him away, to say anything that would make me feel in control again, but I couldn't. I was completely trapped in the moment, in the overwhelming heat that surrounded us.
"Kai..." I whispered, my voice barely audible. I didn't even know what I was asking for, but his name felt like the only thing I could cling to in the chaos swirling between us.
"Say it again," he commanded, his grip tightening just slightly, enough to make my heart leap.
I hesitated, feeling the weight of his gaze pressing down on me, the raw intensity of it. But I couldn't stop myself."Kai," I breathed, and in that instant, something shifted in the air.
His free hand came up to cup my jaw, his thumb brushing along my cheekbone with a gentleness that contradicted the fierce look in his eyes. His touch was soft, but the tension between us was anything but. Every inch of me buzzed with anticipation, my body reacting to his nearness, to the way he hovered so close without crossing the final line.
"Ты сводишь меня с ума," he whispered, his voice rough, ragged. (*You drive me crazy.*)
The space between us felt like a fragile thread, one pull away from snapping. His lips were so close to mine, just a breath apart, and I could feel the heat rolling off him, mixing with the rapid beat of my pulse.
But he didn't move. He stayed there, his thumb tracing slow circles along my skin, his breath warm and steady against my lips. It was torturous, the way he held himself back, like he was daring me to make the first move, to shatter the tension that had been building between us for weeks, months.
"Kai..." I whispered again, my voice shaking with the weight of the moment, with the desire swirling in my chest.
His eyes darkened, his grip on my wrist tightening just slightly, a subtle reminder of the control he still held. "Не играй с огнем, Нина," he murmured, his lips ghosting over mine without touching. (*Don't play with fire, Nina.*)
But I was already burning. And from the way his eyes flickered with heat, I knew he was too.He pulled back just an inch, just enough to leave me aching for more, his eyes still locked on mine. "This... whatever this is... we're not ready for it." His voice was low, strained, like it was taking everything in him to hold back.
And then, without another word, he let go. He stepped back, leaving me breathless and dizzy from the weight of what had just happened—or what hadn't.
I stood there, frozen, watching as he walked away, his broad shoulders tense, his hands clenched into fists at his sides
