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“Morning,” he whispers. “Did you sleep well?”
I nod, my cheek brushing against his chest. “Like the dead.”
“That makes me happy.”
I remember Nikolai finding me last night after I was woken by a nightmare. He brought me here and allowed me to cry my heart out without asking any questions.
Does he know?
For the first time since the rape, I consider telling Nikolai, but instantly my stomach churns, and my muscles tense.
“Get out of your head,moya lyubov',” he says before his fingers find my chin, nudging my face up so I’ll look at him. “Stay with me in the present.”
I stare into his eyes until the demons retreat to the shadows, then murmur, “Thank you for last night.”
The corners of his mouth lift. “Don’t thank me, Abigail. I’m grateful you allowed me to comfort you.”
Jesus, is this really the same man I drove insane with all my flirting? Over the past month, he hasn’t lost his temper with me. He’s become a solid rock I can depend on.
“I used to annoy the living shit out of you. Why are you so nice to me?”
I hold my breath until Nikolai lets out a chuckle. “Yeah, one minute I wanted to strangle you, and the next you held my heart in the palm of your hand.” His eyes are intense as they stare into mine. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Surprise ripples through me.
Could it be?
Really?
His fingers brush over my cheek. “I love you, Abigail.”
But why? I’ve been an absolute disaster. We haven’t been intimate since the ambush.
Nikolai must see the questions in my eyes because he answers, “I love you because you drive me insane. You have no filter.”
My mouth curves into a smile. “It sounds like you should hate me.”
He shakes his head. “I’ll never be able to hate the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Only then do the words sink in.
Nikolai Vetrov loves me.
Or the past version of me.
I push away from him and brush my fingers through my hair. “I’ve changed.”
“I know.”
“I’m not the same person you fell in love with.”
I feel his hands on my shoulders, and his chest presses against my back. Nikolai kisses my shoulder.
“I love all of you, Abigail. The whole and the damaged.” He turns me to face him, the serious expression on his face telling me he’s being honest. “I want you any way I can get you.” His fingers brush over my cheek again. “And right now, it’s as a friend.”
I stare at Nikolai, my eyes taking in his bare chest, the tattoos, and his tousled hair.
This is the kind of man I’ve always wanted. Everything about him is perfect.
