Chapter Twelve
“D o you think he’s okay?” Mia asked, brow knitted in a frown. She knew the mission would take time, but it was now dark out and they hadn’t heard a word from Nik. It was also snowing hard and her gut churned with worry.
“I don’t know,” Nadia admitted. She sat at the kitchen table, cleaning her gun. Which wasn’t intimidating at all. Not one little bit.
“What do you think?” Mia paused stirring the canned soup she was heating up on the stove. “Should we be worried?”
“Nikolai is a man hellbent on revenge. He’s going to get his vengeance or die in the process. Only time will tell.”
Her words didn’t make Mia feel any better. Even though she wasn’t very hungry, she poured the soup into two bowls and walked over, setting one near Nadia. Sitting down, she picked up her spoon and swirled it around, contemplating the other woman’s words as the soup cooled.
What if Nik didn’t come back? Logically, she knew she wouldn’t be stuck in Russia. All she had to do was call the man on his team named Pharaoh and he’d arrange for Hunter to fly her back to the States. But the idea of Nik possibly dying made her heart constrict. As annoying as he could be, he also fascinated her.
And the attraction between them? Gah. She squeezed her thighs together as she remembered him climbing into the tub with her, splashing water over the sides like nothing mattered to him but getting to her as quickly as possible. And it wasn’t the hot soup that made her lips burn when she thought about how he’d kissed her with a passion she’d never experienced before.
A man that virile and vibrant couldn’t just disappear from her life as suddenly as he’d appeared. Like an unpredictable force of nature, he’d come out of nowhere and she’d been slightly infatuated ever since. Okay, maybe a little more than slightly.
Sure, he said she wasn’t his type. But she didn’t believe him. She’d gotten a glimpse of his arousal and, dear God in heaven, it was big. If he wasn’t attracted to her, his cock wouldn’t have been nearly bursting through his zipper.
Right?
Granted, Mia had very little experience when it came to men, but from what she knew, a hard-on meant a guy was ready to have sex. Well, at least thinking about it. She bit her lip when she realized Nik had wanted to have sex with her.
He had to come back. He had to because she wanted so much more than that one kiss.
Nadia’s phone rang and Mia’s head snapped up. “Is it him?”
Instead of responding to Mia, she answered the call. “Alexei?”
Mia waited, heart in her throat, as Nadia started talking in Russian. Dammit, why had she taken Spanish in school? Although, thinking back, she didn’t remember Russian being an option for a foreign language credit. Well, it should’ve been, because it would’ve come in quite handy.
After a couple of minutes of back and forth chatter with Alexei, Nadia hung up. A funny look passed over her face before she met Mia’s worried gaze. “Nikolai finally got his revenge.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open. “He’s okay?”
“No, he was shot.” Her matter-of-fact tone was almost dismissive.
“What?” Mia bolted up, her chair nearly flipping over. “Shot? Oh, my God, is he—”
She couldn’t finish the sentence because her throat closed and hot tears flooded her eyes.
“He’s alive,” Nadia revealed, studying her closely.
“Oh, thank God.” Mia pressed a fist to her heart. “What happened?”
“One of Petrov’s men shot him in the arm as they were escaping. Just a graze. Another scar to add to the collection.”
The fact that she didn’t sound at all concerned left Mia confused and slightly angry. Nik had been shot with a bullet from a gun . Graze or not, he’d bled and had to be in pain. And, the poor man didn’t need any more scars. He had enough.
“When will they be back?” Mia asked.
“They just landed, but the bad weather is going to slow them down.” She glanced toward the window. “They better hurry, too. No offense, but I much prefer being snowed in at home rather than here with you.”
I prefer that, too , Mia thought dryly, but didn’t reply. Instead, she abandoned her soup and hurried into the bathroom, searching for a First Aid kit. She had time to prepare for Nik’s arrival. Her first priority was making sure his arm was properly cleaned and patched up the minute he got to the cabin. And she’d insist he take the bed. She had no problem sleeping on the couch in front of the fire again. Keeping Nik as comfortable as possible, propped against a stack of pillows, was imperative. Besides, the couch couldn’t accommodate his long legs.
Kneeling on the bathroom floor, Mia dug around through the cabinet and drawers, searching for items that would help her take care of Nik. When a throat cleared behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Nadia standing there, arms crossed, a curious look on her face.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Looking for a First Aid kit,” Mia mumbled, head beneath the sink. “Found it!”
She pulled the small box out and began rifling through it, taking stock of all the items.
“You care about him.”
It wasn’t a question and Mia looked up, meeting Nadia’s intense green eyes. There was no point denying it, but she wasn’t exactly going to admit it, either. “He’s hurt. I just want to make sure he gets the care he needs.”
“And if his dick hurts? Do you plan on sucking it?”
Mia’s gaze snapped up and her jaw dropped. “I’m referring to his arm.”
Damn, these Russians were bold. Mia’s eyes narrowed.
“Why do you care, anyway?” Mia asked. “You said Nik was only good for a night.”
Nadia arched a brow. “A night or two,” she clarified with a smirk.
“Do you have feelings for him?” A zap of jealousy shot through Mia’s veins.
But, the other woman shook her head. “Relax, he’s all yours. Nik is like a brother. Half the time I want to punch him in the face. But he does have his moments.”
Mia’s shoulders sagged. Thank goodness. The last thing she wanted was to compete for Nik’s affections with Nadia. The woman was too gorgeous, too experienced and, if she had to guess, far too deadly.
Slowly standing up, Mia leaned back against the sink and clutched the small box to her chest. “He told me I’m not his type.” She hadn’t planned on sharing that humiliating tidbit, but it slipped out. Desperate for advice, for another female to confide in, Mia sighed and met Nadia’s worldly gaze.
“Really?” She appeared to be considering Mia’s words. “That’s interesting.”
“How so?”
“Because I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s lying.”
“He looks at me like he wants to throttle me most of the time.”
“Maybe. But he also looks at you like you’re…special.”
Her heart raced. Did he? Sure, most of the time she had the feeling he couldn’t wait to be rid of her. But what if Nadia was right? And could she hope to be “special” for more than a night or two?
“What should I do?”
“I already told you.”
“Nik is good for more than a night or two,” Mia said indignantly, putting her fear into words.
“I’m suggesting you fuck him and see what happens after a night or two. He’ll either run or stay. Either way, you can have some fun. How long it lasts, though…” She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve never known him to want more, but people change. Occasionally.”
Nadia was an interesting woman, but Mia wasn’t sure about her advice.
“C’mon,” she said, “let’s eat. I have a feeling you plan on taking care of Nikolai in more ways than one tonight, so you’re going to need your strength. He’s insatiable.”
Nadia smirked and walked out. She secretly seemed amused, but Mia had no idea why. Heading back to the table, she set the First Aid kit down and sat. The soup was cool enough to eat and she finished it off, along with a handful of crackers.
They still had time before the men returned, so Mia decided to take a shower. It was the quickest shower in history, though, because she wanted to be ready the moment they rolled up to the cabin. Thoughts of Nik consumed her and by the time she heard the SUV pull up outside, she was nearly out of her mind.
Racing across the living room, she threw the door open and an icy wind whipped her blonde hair up and around her face. Nik slid out of the passenger seat looking tired, but very much alive. Now that she’d laid eyes on him, she could finally breathe easier.
“Anxious?” Nadia murmured, moving up beside her.
Mia ignored her, completely focused on Nik. Fighting back the urge to run through the snow and wrap her arms around him, she forced herself to step back and allow the men to enter. Nadia greeted Alexei and Mia couldn’t drag her eyes off Nik. No one paid attention to Zaitsev, the chemist. It was almost like he wasn’t even there.
“Are you okay? How’s your arm?” she asked Nik as he stopped next to her.
He looked exhausted. “Fine.”
Then he turned to Nadia and they had a quick conversation in Russian. Mia bit her cheek, feeling completely disregarded. It hurt more than she cared to admit. While she’d paced and worried about Nik all day, he probably hadn’t given her more than a passing thought. You’re so stupid , she scolded herself.
Several minutes later, Nadia, Alexei and Zaitsev turned to leave.
“Be careful,” Nik said. “The roads are terrible.”
“We will. Take care of yourself.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Nadia turned toward Mia. “Remember my advice.” With a smirk, she walked out with Alexei and Zaitsev.
“He’s going with them?” Mia asked, nodding to the chemist.
“For now, yes,” Nik confirmed, closing and locking the door. “They’ll make sure he doesn’t try to escape.”
Because Nik can’t, she realized. He was hurting more than he let on, and he needed to rest, not stay up all night guarding someone. “C’mon, I want to look at your arm.”
For once, he didn’t argue. He made a strained sound as he started to remove his coat and Mia stepped in to help him. “Careful,” she murmured, gently pulling it from his arms and tossing it aside. Unable to avoid looking at his dried blood and torn-up sleeve, her gaze zeroed in on the wound and she cringed.
He must’ve noticed because he made a face and started walking toward the bathroom. “It’s not that bad. Just a—”
His entire body wavered and Mia ran over, sliding under his arm to steady him. “A graze. Yeah, I heard. I’m still going to check it over, so the less you fight me on this, the smoother this will all go.”
When he leaned on her, she took that as his acquiescence and guided him straight into the bedroom where everything was set up and ready.
“Sit,” she ordered, nodding to the bed. “We need to take that shirt off.”
He obeyed and she frowned at the dry, crusty blood on his sleeve.
“Has this been cleaned?”
Nik sighed. “I’ve been a little busy.”
Turning all business, Mia helped him remove the ruined flannel shirt, then paused to study the wound, doing her best to ignore all the ink and delicious muscles he possessed. She wasn’t an expert and figured it could probably use some stitches. Since they were hunkered down in a blizzard and Nik was grumpy as ever, that was a no-go. So, instead, she got a warm washcloth and carefully cleaned all around the abrasion. After applying some antibacterial ointment and handing him some ibuprofen, she gently wrapped his arm. When she finished, she looked up and he was staring at her so intently, her heart tripped in her chest.
“What?” she murmured softly.
“There was a moment at Petrov’s when I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back.”
Outside, the wind whistled and a shiver ran down Mia’s spine.
“But, I pushed through,” he continued, “because I kept thinking about getting back to you.”
“Me?” she asked doubtfully, her mind racing. Then it clicked. “Oh, so you could track down my father.”
“No.” He laid a large hand on her cheek, slid it around her neck and squeezed. “So I could do this.”
He tugged her forward between his legs and caught her mouth in a kiss, and Mia’s world exploded in pure sensation.