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Finally, we all turn our attention to the movie and settle in for the night.
Chapter two
Declan
Sixteen Years Old
Halfway through the movie, I glance over at Natalia and quietly laugh. She’s sound asleep, which isn’t a surprise because she never makes it through a movie. Not wanting to wake her, I flip the footrest up and stretch out. Looks like we are sleeping on the couch tonight.
Dmitri stands from his bean bag, looking at the two of us. “She knows, you know,” he whispers before stretching.
“Knows what?” I ask, pretending I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“She knows that you love her,” he states matter-of-factly with a shrug. “And I think she loves you too.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that Declan.” He shakes his head and starts to walk toward the bedroom. Stopping in the door frame, he turns to face me once more. “If it makes you feel any better, you are the only man I know I can trust indefinitely to keep her safe.” With that he turns and heads to his room.
Speechless, I turn to the television and flip through the movies. If he only knew how much that last statement meant to me. Natalia stirs beside me, saying something about torturing someone in her sleep. Stifling a laugh, I pull a blanket out of the basket by the door and spread it over us.
Looking down at her as she sleeps, I take in her features. Her auburn hair is pulled up into a bun on top of her head. The freckles that are scattered across her face are more prominent since she has no makeup on.
I rub my face, wincing as I touch the black eye. I screwed up a shipment today. My father decided to take it out on me and had me spar with one of his best men. I may be sixteen, but I’m not a small guy by any means. This man was twice my size. He definitely let me off easy, although he threw in a complimentary black eye to make my father happy.
I know that Natalia worries. Dmitri has expressed his dislike for the way my father handles things several times. Until I take over the family at twenty-three, I don’t have a say in anything. I just have to do as I’m told.
My eyes became heavier shortly after I chose a movie and eventually found myself drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, I wake up to a pillow hitting me in the shoulder.
“Good morning, Natalia,” I grumble. I don’t even have to open my eyes to know Natalia is the pillow perpetrator.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” She asks before I feel her shift.
I open my eyes just in time to throw a hand out and catch her wrist, stopping the second blow she has aimed at my face this time. “Because you were being all cute and shit, talking about torture in your sleep.”
She gapes at me. “I do not talk in my sleep.” She folds her arms with a frown.
“I believe your actual words were, ‘that’s too bad. I hope you’re not attached to these fingernails,’ and then you laughed. Littlediabhal.” She rolls her eyes at the nickname and I smirk.
She grimaces and turns on her heel, disappearing into the kitchen. Watching her walk away, I can’t help myself as I smile. Her hair has fallen halfway out of her bun and the shirt she wore to sleep in is slouched off her shoulder. I hear her rummaging through the cabinets before she yells into the kitchen. “We have no food in this damn house. Whose turn was it to restock?”
Dmitri walks into the living room, running his hand over his face. “What the hell is she yelling about already this morning?” He grumbles and I laugh.
“I’m yelling about the fact that someone forgot to do the grocery shopping.” Natalia appears behind him with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Yeah, Nat,” Dmitri turns to face her. “That someone was you.”
Natalia furrows her eyebrows as she counts on her fingers. “Well… in that case…” she looks between the two of us. “We should probably be getting home soon anyway. You guys know how risky it is if we aren’t back soon. Maybe we can stop to grab breakfast, then use that as an excuse as to why we were out?”
I shrug, looking up at her. “That’s fine with me.” I probably should be concerned about the black eye, but everyone in this town knows our families and what they do. So, no one is going to say anything about it.
After we are all changed into new clothes and are ready to go, we head back to our cars. Throwing her bag into the back of Dmitri’s Mercedes, Natalia looks over at me.
“Can I ride with you?” She asks, putting her hand above her eyes, shielding herself from the sun’s blaring rays.
“You don’t ever have to ask, you know that.” I tell her as I put my bag in the trunk.
