Chapter 69

Hannah

Nikolai carried me up the steps but put me down when we got to the landing at the top of the stairs.
He frowned. “Okay, which room are we in? I’ve been here a bunch of times, but this is one night I definitely don’t want to wander into the wrong room.”
I pulled him to the last door on the right and into a spacious guest room. If I didn’t know we were in Katya’s house, I’d think we were in a hotel. It was a beautiful room done in cream with burgundy accents that had a king size bed, a fireplace, a balcony, and its own bathroom.
I shot a glance at Nikolai, who already had his shirt over his head and was walking towards the bed. “Would you mind if we built a fire? I don’t come across fireplaces very often. They’re kind of romantic.” The fireplace looked functioning, with tools and a little stack of wood next to it.
Nikolai stopped short and gave me a half smile. He walked over and cradled my face in his hands, shaking his head. “This is one of the things I love about you, Hannah. Here we are in this fucked up situation. My dad is still on the loose, your sister has developed an unfortunate attachment to one of the scariest guys I know *after being kidnapped*, and you want to light a fire because it’s romantic.”
I was speechless. One of the things he *loved* about me? I wasn’t sure how to interpret that. I opened my mouth but didn’t know what to say. “Thank you?”
Nikolai chuckled. “It was a compliment.” He leaned in and gave me a soft, sweet, deep kiss. When he pulled back, he was wearing a strange expression. His eyes wandered all over my face, as if memorizing my features. “You don’t know how hard I’ve tried to resist you, Hannah. I tried to pull away, I tried to rationalize why being with you would be dangerous.” He stopped and shook his head. “I mean, look what happened today,” he said, his voice full of regret.
But, you know what? None of that matters. It doesn’t fucking matter because I can’t give you up.” Nikolai’s expression had become intense, almost grim, during his impassioned statement.
“You don’t have to. I’m not going anywhere,” I reassured him, but was flabbergasted at his admission. I was afraid if I said anything more, the moment would slip through my fingers.
“You probably should run from me, Hannah, I’m not kidding,” he murmured, pulling me close to him as his fingers came up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “But I don’t think I’d let you leave. I don’t know how you’ve become so important to me in such a short period of time, but it happened, so now you’re stuck with me,” he finished with a line that would have been humorous had he not looked so intense.
Stuck with Nikolai? Not exactly a hardship. “I can live with that,” I whispered.
Nikolai gripped the back of my neck and leaned his forehead against mine and grinned slightly. “You say that now, but I have a feeling I’m going to drive you crazy, Hannah. I’m going to want to know where you are, who you’re with, what you’re doing all the time. Especially with my dad still out there.” He paused. “Not that things will change all that much when he’s dead. I’ll still be a possessive bastard.” He grinned self-deprecatingly, then looked serious. “I *need* to know your safe.”
I grinned back but felt dizzy and euphoric from the impact of his words. I pulled him in for a kiss, but he quickly took over, reaching down and clutching my ass with his left hand as his right tangled in the hair at the nape of my neck, holding me in place. God, his strength and control turned me on.
I pulled back. “So, this means no more unanswered texts, phone calls, or whatever?” I asked, still feeling the lingering pain of this morning.
Nikolai’s face grimaced with chagrin. “Today’s lack of communication was a total fluke. Obviously,” he said as he gestured around us, referencing the situation with his father. “Under normal circumstances, I swear, you won’t have to worry about me not communicating with you, pulling away, or disappearing.” He kissed me softly, then pressed me tightly against him. “Like I said, until my father’s handled, I’m probably going to be a little unbearable.”
I laughed lightly, but Nikolai looked dead serious. “I don’t think you—”
“No, Hannah, my crazy as fuck father is out there, so until he’s dealt with, I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you. Honestly, I don’t think he’ll last longer than a week, considering the whole organization is gunning for him, but until he’s taken care of, I won’t relax.”
I nodded my head and rubbed his back consolingly. “I’m sorry you have to deal with all this, Nikolai, all of this drama with your dad.” I kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly, offering him my support and compassion.
He responded by tightening the hug to nearly rib-cracking intensity. “It’s okay, I can think of worse duties than guarding your body,” he whispered hotly in my ear. I wanted to laugh at his corny line, but he was starting kiss the side of my neck, biting lightly in that way that had my breath catching in my throat and my nails digging into his back.
He pulled back, breathing heavily, the blue flame of his eyes boring into me. “Do you still want me to make the fire?” he rasped out.
Jesus, what a metaphor.
“Forget the fire,” I said, pulling him in for another hot kiss. He lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist while he gripped my bottom.
“Thank fuck,” he gritted out.