AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I furrow my brow, not understanding her. “Audition?”
“I’m not explaining this well at all,” she says under her breath to herself. I don’t like seeing her frustrated and doubting herself. Katya clears her throat and starts again. “The last favor I’ll ever ask of you is if you could point me in the direction of a Di Salvo business and give me a good reference?” Before I can even say anything, she raises her hands in defense. “Don’t worry, no one will know it’s me. I’ll bleach my hair and wear contacts. Change my name. I’m guessing a lot of your bars and restaurants pay in cash under the table? That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
“Katya–”
“Just until I make enough money to pay you back and save some for a bus ticket somewhere else. I can sleep in one of the warehouses, as you know. I won’t mess with anything or disturb anyone. I’ll be gone before you know it.”
She blinks at me, tears welling up in her eyes, though she doesn’t let them fall. This woman is ruining me.
“Katya–”
“Please,” she whispers, her voice cracking.
I can’t take it anymore.
Standing from my chair, I close the distance between us, my eyes never leaving Katya’s as I kneel in front of her.
“You can’t leave,” I tell her softly, gathering her hands in mine. “Somehow, you’ve become essential to my being, and I can’t let you go.” Brushing my lips over her knuckles, I kiss each one before guiding her to place her hands on my shoulders.
“But I thought…” Katya trails off, confusion filling her eyes. “I thought it was a mistake. Everything. The kiss, bringing me into your home, caring for my wound. I thought you were done with me.”
“Fuck, princess, I’m so sorry. I know I’m difficult and confusing, but honestly, I’ve never met anyone like you. Never had these intense feelings, never needed someone’s safety and happiness more than my own. I didn’t know what to do with you, with myself, really. You make me feel… raw and vulnerable, and that scares me.”
“I scare you?” she murmurs, lifting one eyebrow in question.
“With you in my life, I have someone to lose. Someone to let down. Someone to hurt, even if by accident.”
“You would also have someone who cares about you. Someone to share in the joys and the sorrows of life. Someone to encourage and support, someone who wants the best for you. If you only look at the darkness, you’ll never see the light.”
“What if I don’t deserve your light?” I rasp, gliding my hands up her legs until my fingers wrap around her hips. “What if the darkness is all I’ve ever known?”
“Then trust me enough to show you what you’ve been missing.”
Hope sparks in her ethereal eyes and soothes something in my chest. Slowly, I pull Katya to the edge of her seat, then wrap my arms around her and settle her down into my lap. She giggles, and the sound warms me like a ray of sunshine.
“I do trust you, Katya,” I tell her, resting my forehead on hers. “But can you trust me? I’ve already let you down.”
She cups the side of my cheek, her thumb lightly brushing over my stubble. “We’re both broken,” she whispers. “But I think together, we could heal.”
“I would like that very much. Can you forgive me for being an asshole the last few days?”
A wicked grin curls up the corners of her lips, making me want to kiss it right off of her face.
“With enough hot chocolate, forgiveness is definitely in your future.” Katya’s eyes sparkle as she smiles at me, and I can’t hold back any longer.
Leaning forward, I pull Katya’s bottom lip through my teeth, then whisper, “Can I start making it up to you?”
“What did you have in mind?” Her voice is low and breathy, and she has no idea how sexy she is right now.
“First,” I murmur, “I’d like to kiss you until we can’t breathe.”
“Mmhm,” she says with a nod, rubbing her nose against mine. “I like that plan.”
“Then,” I continue, pressing a kiss to that sensitive spot below her ear, “I’d like to kiss you everywhere if you’ll let me.”
“Everywhere?” she practically whimpers.
“Yes, princess. You need it, don’t you? Need me to make the ache go away?”
