53. Nikola
NIKOLA
S kye hadn’t said much about the house. We ate dinner in silence and then she excused herself, but instead of going to the master bedroom, she went to the guest room.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. Well, disappointed and somewhat relieved, because my legs were still a sore subject and a big part of me rebelled against Skye seeing too much of what was holding me back.
She’d always looked at me like I was her hero and there was no sense in lying to myself, I didn't feel like one anymore.
Our new house had a top-of-the-line gym connected to the master bedroom suite, equipped with machines that had been recommended by my physical therapist. I’d been working on the exercises diligently every morning and every night, and tonight was no exception.
Yet, my heart wasn’t in it right now.
Instead, it kept thinking about the lips and body of the girl I’d sworn to protect since I was that little boy who accidentally kissed her on the lips. Things were certainly more simple back then.
I wheeled myself back into the empty master bedroom, showered—which took longer these days—before I found myself sprawled on my back, letting my mind wander.
I wondered if Skye ever thought about that kiss and our childhood.
The day was warm and the breeze swept through her long, dark pigtails, tempting me every time they swung.
She was small, too small for her age. My dad said I was too big for mine, but he was wrong. Skye was definitely fragile, although when she glared at me, it didn’t seem so.
Skye jumped up in the air, almost as if she believed she’d fly away, and I finally gave in to temptation and tugged on her pigtail. Hard.
She winced, then put her hands on her hips and glared at me.
So I did it again, this time even harder, and she cried out. The sound did something to my chest, so I bolted.
Once I was a safe distance away, I turned around. Of course Branka and Sasha ran over to her, pampering the little princess. I grinned, but she didn’t find me amusing at all.
Her scolding glare was pinned on me, but that wasn’t what bothered me. It was the tears that rolled down her cheeks and the hurtful expression she wore.
I watched her sign to my uncle Sasha. “He’s always pulling on my hair. He’s mean.”
I am not, I wanted to yell, but what was the point? She wouldn’t hear me nor would she listen. I just wanted her… attention?
“Boys are dumb,” Branka signed to her in comfort and I shot my aunt a glare. “Might as well learn that now. ”
Everyone fussed over Skye. Branka. Sasha. Even Alexei and my parents. I didn’t mind it.
“Sasha too?” Skye questioned.
“I’m not dumb,” I grumbled under my breath, but nobody paid attention to me.
“I see we’re teaching my daughter to rule over the boys, huh?” Uncle Sasha beamed lovingly at his adoptive daughter.
I narrowed my eyes. Why would he be okay with it? Boys rule, not girls. He’d said that so many times, yet suddenly he’d switched sides.
“Best to just stay away from them. And if any of them give you a hard time”—Uncle Sasha glared at me—“Daddy’s going to whoop their ass.”
Skye smiled through her tears and asked, “Are you going to whoop Nikola’s ass? I want you to.”
Branka said something, but I couldn’t hear it. Or maybe I was too focused on Skye’s tears that made me feel sad.
“Nikola, get your butt over here,” Uncle Sasha demanded.
I sauntered over, my hands tucked in my pockets and my head hanging low.
“I’m going to whoop your ass.” Skye snickered, and I glared at my uncle.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel sorry for tugging at her pigtails.
I’d make it my mission to do it again. “ Unless you apologize to Skye and start treating her the way a girl should be treated. Gently and with respect.”
“Sorry,” I signed, although I didn’t mean it. I actually liked tugging on Skye’s hair. At least she paid attention to me then.
“You always protect the family, and Skye is family. She’s your cousin,” Sasha continued talking, but I was good at ignoring him. My dad said I got that bad trait from Uncle Sasha. “So what’s it gonna be?”
I stomped over to Skye, then pulled her into my arms. She was so small and fragile. I swore I would protect her, not because Uncle demanded, but because she needed it. I bent my head to kiss the top of her head, but then she raised her face and… Smooch.
It was the first and last time I blushed.
The crack of the door yanked me from my memory, and as if she was pulled by the magnetic force of it, a head with long dark hair poked through.
“ I can’t sleep ,” she signed. “ Strange house. Strange bed .”
“You were meant to sleep here.” I patted the spot next to me. “Come here.”
She padded across the room, wearing nothing but a pink babydoll nightgown. My cock stirred, but I ignored it. I needed her to be okay. I needed to fix what I’d broken with my pride, more than my cock needed her pussy. Although the poor organ was peculiarly close to turning blue.
Bottom line, I needed her to initiate it.
She slid into the bed, right next to me, and suddenly, everything seemed right again. My heart sped its rhythm in my chest, finally working again.
It only seemed to function properly around her.
She shifted up into a seated position, the strap falling down her creamy shoulder. “ Why didn’t you ask me to sleep with you ?”
I sighed. “I wanted to wait until you’re ready. I broke your heart, let you down?—”
Her hand covered my mouth, stopping my failures.
“ Don’t do that, malysh. ” She swallowed and my hand slid down her slim throat. My thumb ran down her beautiful lips.
“I’ve never been so wrong in my life, Skye. These doubts… they’re killing me. I doubted you. Us. Everything . ”
She shook her head frantically. “ No, malysh. You doubted yourself, but I’ll never let you do that again. ”
My eyes and heart were opened when Kostya threw himself into the equation and I realized how fucking lucky I was that she was mine. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—survive watching her with someone else. But those therapist’s words still weighed me down.
“Nothing and nobody has ever felt more right than you. Not when we were children. Not now,” I signed with my free hand, the silent words louder and truer than anything else I’d ever spoken.
“ We’re right for each other. ” She watched me with conviction in her eyes, feeding my soul. “ You protected me for years, always my shadow knight lurking to jump in. But from now on, we’ll protect each other. Just you and me forever, Nikola. That’s all I want. ”
My hands reached for her soft hips and I pulled her over so she could straddle me. Then I showed her just how right we fit together.