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“Yes, you are, Mr. Vadim.”
“No, I’m not. Going there to do what? Sit down and shut my eyes? And it’s not like we want to buy the chair. That’s silly and just a waste of time.”
“That’s the definition of cooling off, Nikolai. It’s not silly or a waste of time,” I tugged on his hand and led him to a chair. “Come on, big guy. On it, we go.”
He narrowed his eyes and tucked both hands in his pockets, his broad shoulders stiff with resolution. “I’m not doing it, Giselle. End of discussion.”
Our gazes locked in a fierce staring contest—me, with my hands folded across my chest as I refused to back down, and him just standing there looking uncomfortable. After a few seconds, he lifted his hands halfway, accepting defeat. I grinned and he painstakingly sat down on the chair with a clenched jaw. He shot me a glare, but I waved him off with a smirk and quickly got the attention of the operator.
A few buttons pressed, here and there, and chair parts adjusted, and soon, a gentle hum disrupted the silence.
Nikolai looked awkward at first. He refused to lay down and let the chair do its magic, and I understood why. I occupied the chair beside his, covered his hand with mine, and offered him a warm smile, hoping it reassured him.
It seemed to do the trick. His shoulders relaxed, and he shut his eyes.
A war of emotions waged inside me as I watched him appear so peaceful. My fingers itched to play with his hair as he lay there or do something else that could offer him extra comfort. I didn’t enjoy seeing him so worked up all the time. And Nikolai sure knew how to get worked up. The slightest things alerted him, and he was always ready to spring into action.
Before I could trace the curve of his chiseled jaw with my finger, he jolted awake.
We left the chair section, and I sought other fun, relaxing things we could do.
“How was the experience?”
He pulled me closer to his side as we strolled, and his shoulders made a movement. “It was good.”
I looked up at him. “Just good?”
“Fine,” he rolled his eyes and maintained his gaze ahead. “It might have been exactly what I needed to take some of the tension off.”
“Told you so,” I lifted my chin proudly. “I’m thinking we could do virtual reality next.”
He stopped abruptly. “Uh, no, Giselle. I am not doing that.”
I bit down on my lip and stared up with puppy eyes, knowing that had a slight effect on him. My eyelashes fluttered. “Please?”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to work,” he smirked.
Frustrated, I groaned. “Come on, Nikolai. You said the same thing about the massage chair and look how that turned out.”
“That was...That was different, Giselle.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Look, I’m not used to these types of things, and I know you’ll fight against it, but it’s my life, Giselle. Growing up, my brothers and I... we didn’t get to do any of these. From all you know about me, you can tell that we didn’t have a normal childhood to begin with. And while that is a sharp contrast from what you’re used to, you can’t blame me for being the way I am. I’m wired this way, Giselle. And a few hours spent on a massage chair or in a virtual reality is not about to undo what has already been done.”
I parted my lips to say something—anything that could make him know how much I understood. I wanted to tell him it hurt me watching him get so tensed most of the time and let him know that he deserved to be genuinely happy without watching his back all the time. But none of my words made it out.
A sharp sound erupted from his pocket. He took out his phone, and the look on his face said it was important. He excused himself to a corner to answer it and left me standing there alone.
I moved away to check out a baby shop in a shop a few feet away when I bumped into a woman. She yelped and thudded to the floor. Some of the bodyguards rushed up to us, and I raised a hand to stop them. “It’s fine. I can handle it.”
I stretched out my hand, and she took it and I pulled her to her feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
She smiles, her honey-brown eyes crinkling. “It’s fine. Thank you.”
My brows knitted together at her Italian accent. I almost asked if she was Italian, but I stopped myself. I didn’t want to sound paranoid or strange.
Dusting her leather pants, she waved at me and walked away.
I sighed and began to look around the mall with my arms crossed over my chest as I waited for Nikolai to finish his call. Then, something caught my eye. Standing only a few feet away was a man dressed in an all-black outfit. He had black-inked tattoos on his arms and possessed the same hard features like some of Nikolai’s men. I wasn’t scared and didn’t think much about the man. But it made me uneasy that he stared at me eerily.
I frowned, turned around, and headed to the corner where Nikolai stood with his phone pressed to his ear. By the time I got there, the effects of the massage chair had worn off. “Niko?’ I called softly, and he turned around.
