Twelve #3
Sometime later he awoke to a soft chirp of the door and opened his eyes, squinting at the unfamiliar surroundings. Budapest. Disoriented and unsure of the time, he blinked and searched for a clock.
“Where did you go?” He must have slept soundly. He hadn’t felt or heard her leave the bed.
“Did you sleep?”
“Like the dead.” He stretched under the covers, taking her in with his eyes, and scooted over, inviting her to sit. “Where were you?”
“I went shopping and stopped home to pick up some things.” Placing the last of the bags she carried on the chair, she came to the bed and sat beside him. She wore a skirt, which was quite different from her usual dance attire.
“You look nice.”
She grinned. “I found some of my old clothes. I haven’t worn this dress in years.”
“Any word on my luggage?”
“No. Sorry.”
He sighed.
“I bought you some things. I hope you don’t mind.”
He frowned. “You didn’t have to buy me anything.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
She shouldn’t be wasting her money on him. “I can pay you back—”
“Consider it my gift to you for being so kind and bringing me here. You were so upset about your luggage. I wanted to do something nice for you after all the nice things you’ve done for me.”
“You went clothes shopping for me?” Embarrassed she’d seen the side of him that could so easily get bent out of shape over lost luggage, he tried not to focus on his earlier behavior.
“Yes. I might have gone a little overboard, but I think I did well. I think Bruce Wayne would approve.”
He laughed, touched she would take time away from visiting family to do something so thoughtful. “Thank you.” He’d figure out a way to repay her for the money she spent, but the gesture… It was so incredibly thoughtful. His attention drifted to the drawn curtains. “What time is it?”
“Almost midnight. You slept most of the day.”
The time change disoriented him. “How’s your aunt?”
Her smile turned sad. “Not well. She doesn’t have much strength left.”
“I’m so sorry, Nadia.” He took her hand in his and squeezed. She shifted, filling the space at his side as she lay down on the bed, facing him.
Her fingers pulled at the sheet, lowering it to his ribs and his nipples tightened.
Her fingers teased his chest, her breath feathering over his skin.
“It’s good I’m here. It makes her happy.
The house seems so sad I can only bear it a little at a time.
I like being able to come back to you for an escape. ”
“Then I’m glad I came with you.”
Her fingers explored, treading softly from his chest to his jaw. “I’m not used to seeing you with facial hair.”
“I need to shave. I should shower and see about finding food.”
“My nagymama sent something for you.”
He grimaced. “Not more horse, I hope.”
She laughed. “No. A sandwich. She makes the bread herself. You’ll like it.”
“I like that you know what I like.” For the most part.
“I’m learning.” She settled and sighed, appearing tired.
He, of course, was wide-awake. “We seem to be on opposite sleep schedules.”
“Mmm,” she answered, and he tipped his chin, seeing her eyes had closed as her cheek rested on his chest.
He lightly touched her hair and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He could probably sleep some more if he had something to eat. “Where did you say the sandwich was?”
She didn’t respond.
Sliding out from under the blankets, he replaced his chest with a pillow. She didn’t flinch. The woman could sleep.
Eyeing the bags, he didn’t see anything that looked like food. He’d find it later. Right now he needed something quick.
After using the bathroom he dialed room service and ordered a plate of what he hoped was eggs. While he waited, he shot his mother an email.
She worried whenever he traveled and emailed him twice already, asking if everything was okay.
Email was the most dependable form of communication when overseas and typically he’d have checked in when he landed, but he usually traveled alone.
Nadia had distracted him. He apologized for the delay but avoided any mention of his travel companion—certain more talk of Nadia would only get his mother’s hopes up.
He’d begun to explain his frustration with the airlines and the hassle of losing luggage, but then deleted his comments, no longer as irritated by the situation. Despite the absolute inconvenience of it, he was surprisingly … over it.
He paused from writing his email and blinked.
His mind worked to fathom this unfamiliar, inner calm he felt.
His gaze drifted to Nadia. Was she responsible for this strange sense of tranquility?
Usually, he was wound tighter than a top, but at the moment his body was relaxed, at total ease regardless of the unexpected hiccups of the trip. How strange.
He concluded his email with a peculiar everything’s going great. It wasn’t his typical tone, as he often complained to his mother—the one person who never seemed to tire of him. But today, he had no complaints. With a strange grin, he closed his laptop.
He showered but decided to shave in the morning. Room service delivered two eggs, one hard-boiled, the other poached. There was also toast, beans, and several slices of questionable meat.
He picked at the toast then went searching for the sandwich again. She was right. He liked it. The bread was fresh and the meat was mild. There was some sort of sauce he suspected was made from avocados, but all in all, it was filling and delicious.
Nadia slept soundly. He’d removed her sandals and covered her with the blanket, supposing she’d stay there the night. It was too late for her to drive back alone.
Passing time, he checked the rest of his email and stocks and then caught up on some of the shows he’d missed that week. By three o’clock he was dozing off, so he placed his iPad on the nightstand, folding his hands over his chest as he stared into the darkness.
Nadia sighed and nestled deeper into his body. Her natural affection showed a softer side he adored. She never hesitated to touch him or kiss him. So why was he restraining himself?
He studied her under the shadows for several minutes.
Lifting his arm he carefully draped it over her narrow shoulder.
She sighed and her slight weight nestled closer.
This was not at all what he expected a week after running into her, but his expectations were shifting, his standards climbing.
He was considering things he was afraid to even admit, even to himself, fearful those expectations would somehow turn to disappointments and this would somehow blow up in his face.
His hand tightened on her shoulder as he leaned down and kissed her temple, breathing her in.
His mind drifted to images of her family …
her … fiancé. The man didn’t pose much consequence, being that he was here and they were leaving in a few days, but Elliot didn’t like the way he groped Nadia.
Hopefully, now that his position had been clarified, there would be no more issues there.
It was one thing to pretend to be her boyfriend, but now that he actually was… There would be no other men touching her—especially not a Hungarian beast twice his size.