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She took a breath and leaned back away from me. I instantly regretted asking her the question as it put distance between us. She wiped tears from her face, but kept her eyes closed like she was fighting back more tears. I reached up and wiped a few stray tears from under her eyes. She finally opened her eyes. I felt like I was drowning in her beautiful eyes, and I didn’t care. The dim light of her bedroom made her teary eyes sparkle, each color catching the light in its own way, making the three colors appear to dance in her eyes. My heart skipped a beat. I reached up and brushed her curls back from her face. “You’re beautiful even when you cry.”
She blushed and looked down at her hands. No! I needed her to look at me again. I gently raised her chin up, seeking her mesmerizing gaze once again and said, “Don’t hide your beautiful eyes from me, solnishko. I could stare into your unique eyes all day and all night and never get tired of the view.”
She struggled to accept my words. I noticed her shyness before at any mention of her beauty. She would usually change the subject quickly or use her quick wit to make light of the situation. Viktor and Andrei were smitten with her because of her sense of humor. They thought of her like a little sister already. I knew they would die trying to protect her, if needed.
“Wait, how did you get here?”
Subject change, as expected. I smiled at her. She was something worth protecting.
“Fine. But I don’t have to like it,” she said as she crossed her arms underneath her breasts. Her pouty lips making me use every ounce of self-control to not lean in and kiss them. Instead, I laughed and kissed her forehead. She leaned into me, and I heard her breath catch ever so slightly. She took my hand into both of hers. Her cool hands made me feel a warmth in my body that I hadn’t experienced before.
“Thank you,” she said. She looked into my eyes, and I could tell that she was still very scared but trying to be strong in the moment. Ugh, I would rip this city apart to find that piece of shit that dared to hurt her.
“Of course, solnishko. You should get some rest again.”
“Yeah, so about that, I’m gonna forego the whole nightmare thing for a while. I won’t be able to sleep again for a while.”
“Then, come. We will put some arnica on your purple neck,” I said as I grabbed her hand, pulling her out of bed to follow me to the kitchen. I was secretly very happy that I would have a few more minutes alone with her.
“Oh…wait…” she said as she gently resisted against me. I turned back to her and noticed that she was wearing an oversized t-shirt. And only an oversized t-shirt. My eyes trailed down her body, drinking in her porcelain skin. I caught myself starting to think about her long legs wrapped around me when I saw her pulling at the bottom of the t-shirt, trying to cover herself more. Seeing the embarrassment on her face, I kissed her forehead once more and said, “Apologies. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
I didn’t have to wait long until she appeared in the kitchen, this time wearing a pair of leggings under her oversize shirt. As she walked in, she was pulling her long, curly hair into a ponytail. It just didn’t matter what she did, I found her absolutely stunning. The fact that she was so comfortable with me in her home while she just woke up and had zero makeup on, and seemingly didn’t care that she was in her pajamas was a new phenomenon for me. The women I had been with in the past were the type to look like they were about to go to a dinner party at any moment. A few of them even slept in full makeup. When I was younger, I thought it was attractive, but as I had gotten older, I found it more repulsive than anything. Beauty comes from within. When you spend so much time trying to make the outside look pretty, it’s usually because the inside is ugly. This woman standing in front of me with zero makeup on, in her pajamas, with barely contained hair, a purple neck, and bruises on her arms was more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen.
She caught me staring at her and grinned slightly. “Hi.”
Just her little smile made my whole world brighter. I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the counter in front of me. I adored the way she squealed and grabbed onto my arms to steady herself. Her laughter was infectious, and I found myself drunk on the sound. I stepped to the side to grab the arnica cream I picked up on the way over. She crisscrossed her legs so I could stand directly in front of her. I struggled to get the box open. She grabbed it from my hands and stabbed it with one of her thumb nails, opening it easily. She handed it back to me, with a very proud look on her face. I couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“See? What would I do without you?”
Her grin widened and a small chuckle escaped her lips. I opened the tube of cream, squeezing out a small amount on my index finger. I reached up with my other hand and titled her head back to give me full access to the now very colorful bruise on her neck. I touched the cream to her neck and noticed her flinch.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it’s okay. It was cold. It surprised me.”
I squeezed more cream onto my finger but warmed it between my index finger and thumb before applying it to her neck this time. Once I was done with her neck, I lifted the sleeve of her shirt and applied it to the bruises up and down her arms. I hated seeing any marks on her milky white skin, but at least I felt like I could help make them better.
I was finishing up with the smaller bruises around her wrists as she leaned back and uncrossed her legs, dangling one leg on either side of me. My breath hitched and I hoped she didn’t notice. I kept my gaze on what I was doing, but I could feel her looking at me intently. Once I was done, I took both of her hands in mine and kissed the back of each one.
In a very quiet, almost whisper, I heard her say, “Thank you.”
I looked up to see she had tears threatening to fall. The tears making the colors in her eyes dance in the brighter light of the kitchen. I reached up and held the side of her face, concerned I had hurt her in some way. “No, why the tears? Did I hurt you?”
She chuckled. “No, the opposite, really. You could say I’m not used to people taking care of me. It’s a nice change.”
I felt that tightness in my chest return. Like a tear in my heart to hear that she had been mistreated in any way. Not knowing her past or what to say to make it better, I was at a loss. I just looked at her, still mesmerized by the dancing colors in her eyes. Without really thinking, I put my hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward me. I slowly leaned closer, watching her face to make sure she was okay with it. I felt her hand grasp my shirt and timidly pull me toward her. My lips touched hers. I felt her tense up, but then immediately relax, as she returned the kiss and pressed her lips to mine. Her legs moved closer to my body. I put my hands on either side of her face, gently holding her face while I deepened the kiss. She responded by parting her lips, allowing me access. It took all the self-control I had not to just devour her right then and there. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I moved my hands down her body to her hips, scooting her closer to me. She squealed against my lips as she felt me pull her closer and instinctively wrapped her legs around my torso. I groaned as I deepened the kiss even more, tasting every inch of her mouth with my tongue. After a few moments, she pulled back slightly, looking into my eyes and over my face. She brought her hands to my face and lightly traced the features of my face. I closed my eyes, reveling in her light touch.
I felt her press her forehead to mine. I opened my eyes briefly. She was resting her forehead against mine, her eyes closed. I felt her inhale and a small sigh escaped her lips. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her against me. I could feel the faint shaking in her legs and knew she was fighting demons. I squeezed tighter, trying to make her feel as safe as I could.
Chapter Six
Sephie
I didn’t want to stop the kiss, but I knew I needed to stop the kiss. I pulled back from him and looked at him, expecting him to look angry that I had stopped. Instead, he almost looked like he was in a trance. I could feel his strong but soft grip on my hips. I just scanned his entire face. He was so handsome. His blue eyes, always so intense that I felt like he could see inside me. I lifted my hand to his face and traced my finger along the features of his face. His thick eyebrows, his long eyelashes, his cheekbones, his stubble that was as pleasant against my skin as I had originally thought, his plump lips that felt so soft against my own. I didn’t understand it, but I felt safe with this man. I shouldn’t. I knew I shouldn’t. He was the king of the criminal underground of the city. People feared him. Most people didn’t even know his name. Yet, he told me his name without hesitation. He sent his personal bodyguards to protect me from a man I thought was just a douchebag, but as it turns out probably wants to kill me now. He made a special trip to my apartment to bring me arnica. He could easily have hundreds of women that would likely throw themselves at him, but he’s standing in my kitchen after putting cream on my bruises like I was going to break. Little does he know how insignificant these bruises are compared to what I’ve endured in the past.
I leaned my forehead against his, my thoughts still racing through my head. I inhaled and sighed. I felt him wrap his arms around me even tighter and pull me as close to him as possible. It was such a small gesture, but I found myself fighting back tears once more. I just wanted to stay like this for as long as possible.
A knock on the door meant that moment didn’t last nearly as long as I was hoping. Adrik kissed my forehead before walking to the door to see who it was. He unlocked it and opened it, stepping aside for Misha to enter the apartment.
