Chapter 21
Karina
I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep for, but I wake up to the sound of the doorbell ringing, wishing it would just stop.
I try to sit up but stop when I feel Vulcan’s hand on my breast—vivid images of last night play in my mind.
I took Cassie’s advice before leaving the hospital yesterday: stop overthinking and go for it.
Cash in that damn rain check. And be manhandled by Hephaestus himself, she’d said, then handed me a bag of goodies. She’d been calling him Hephaestus for weeks, a nod to the origins of his name
Remembering him telling me the morning paper is usually delivered around this time, I slowly remove Vulcan’s hand and slip out of bed. I pick up his T-shirt from the floor and put it on. Exiting the bedroom, I quietly shut the door behind me and walk toward the foyer.
“Took you long enough,” I hear as I open the door, and a weak smile graces my face. Crap, it’s his sister. “Oh, uh, hi. Good morning.” She takes in my appearance. Vulcan’s shirt stops mid-thigh, and I’m sure my hair looks worse than a bird’s nest being built.
“Good morning, come in, come in.” I step aside, opening the door wide.
When I turn back around, I find her standing still at the edge of the living room. When I remember why, all the color drains from my face.
Last night, I learned Vulcan and I have very similar tastes in sex.
The main thing is that I like someone to dominate me, and he loves to dominate.
In the light of day though, I internally cringe, seeing the set of handcuffs on the coffee table, along with lube.
There’s also the matter of the dishes from the meal he cooked still piled on the table.
I rush into the living room, gathering the mess.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting company. Umm.
You can sit in the dining room—wait, no.
The kitch—no! Sorry, can you just wait here for a bit?
” She nods and pulls out her phone, distracting herself while I rush around, gathering Vulcan’s silk ties and the half-empty can of whipped cream.
Then, I’m in the kitchen, grabbing a trash bag and swiping everything off the countertop.
“You don’t have to clean—”
“It’s fine,” I shout, the embarrassment evident in my voice.
I fumble with the bag, tripping over my own feet as I try to shove the evidence of our escapades out of sight.
She must think I’m a freak. When I poke my head into the hall, I see her standing in the foyer, her expression unreadable as I scurry about.
The tips of her ears are pink, whether from embarrassment or suppressed amusement, I can’t tell.
I don’t want to know. I laugh weakly. “Okay, all clear.”
“Well, good morning. I’m Valkyrie, Vulcan’s sister, but you can call me Val.” She steps into the living room. “We didn’t get a chance to meet properly that day in the hospital.”
Her voice is warmer than I expected, easing some of the tension knotting my stomach. I force a smile. “I’m Karina, Vulcan’s…” I hesitate for a fraction of a second. The realization that Vulcan hadn’t mentioned anything about how to address our relationship status makes me pause.
“His soon-to-be wife,” Val answers for me. Okay, so he’s told her about our upcoming nuptials, but I’m sure he wouldn’t let her know the truth behind it. One that involves her, loosely, on account it was their dad who’d sprung it on him out of nowhere. God, what a disaster.
She looks between both sofas, and I know what she’s thinking without her saying a word.
“You can sit on the right one,” I force out, wishing the earth would open up and swallow me whole, and she looks at me with a smile.
“Thanks.” She plops down on the sofa. “So, sister, sit and tell me about yourself.” The warm smile never slips from her face. “What do you do?”
“Umm, okay,” I manage, choosing the armchair adjacent to the sofa she’s perched on. I tuck my feet underneath me, pulling Vulcan’s T-shirt down as I do. “Well, I’m a doctor, and it’s a pretty intense job but, um, incredibly rewarding.”
“Vulcan mentioned you’re passionate about your work.”
Her kindness makes me warm to her a bit more. Because whatever he’s told her, she seems to like me. Or she’s an excellent actress. “Yes, it is. And what about you? What do you do?” I ask, eager to shift the focus from myself.
“I’m a physical therapist,” Val explains, her hands gesturing as she speaks. “Been doing it for a few years now. I love helping people get back on their feet after injuries or surgeries.”
“That must be incredibly satisfying,” I reply, finding comfort in our professions’ common ground.
“It is,” Val agrees, her smile softening. “So, enough formal talk. How did you and Vulcan meet? He’s always kept his love life a bit of a mystery, so I was ecstatic when he told me about you.” Her curiosity seems genuine, which makes me relax further.
I laugh softly. “I’d see him around the ER occasionally, but we really didn’t connect until we met at a bar.”
“Don’t be offended, but you seem a bit young. Vulcan is an old fart. Does it bother you?” she asks, and I’m glad she brought it up now and not later. Better to just rip off the age-gap Band-Aid.
“It doesn’t. He has this deep perspective on life that’s really refreshing.
The dating pool nowadays is shallow as hell.
Plus, Vulcan is incredibly supportive of my career.
We haven’t been together that long, but whatever makes him happy, and he wants to do, I’ll be there,” I explain, finding myself opening up more than I thought I would. “The twelve-year gap is not that—”
“Holy shit! Twelve?” She makes like she’s about to fall off the sofa.
“Yes.” I stifle a giggle at her theatrics.
She grins back. “Well, it sounds like you two have a solid foundation, and I love that for my brother. It’s about time he found someone who cares for him. Just don’t break his heart, or I will have to hurt you.” She laughs, but I detect a kernel of truth.
“You don’t have to worry.” I smile, relief washing over me as Val appears to understand and accept the dynamics of our relationship.
The conversation drifts comfortably from there.
She shares stories about growing up with Vulcan—his quirks and all—and I laugh more freely than before.
The woman has this way of making you feel like you’ve been friends for years rather than minutes.
The initial awkwardness melts away, replaced by a budding sense of friendship.
Her presence is disarming. She’s much like her brother in that regard: intense yet deeply kind.
Just as I feel fully at ease, the bedroom door swings open and Vulcan steps out. He looks somewhat surprised as he takes us in, laughing and chattering away. I’m sure this is the last thing he anticipated when he woke up this morning.
“Eww, please! Put a shirt on.” Val tosses a throw pillow at him.
He’s only wearing sweatpants, and subconsciously, I lick my lips. One thing is for certain, I will never be able to get over this man—sexually, of course. This isn’t some meant-to-be romance with a happy ending, Karina, I remind myself.
“You’re in my house,” Vulcan tells his sister, tossing it back. “Good morning, beautiful.” He walks over to me, kissing my forehead, and my moment of unease is replaced with warmth. “Would you two like any coffee?”
“Good morning.” I blush. “No coffee for me, but—”
“Green tea?” he asks. “With lemon?”
I nod. Val asks for a shot of Tequila, to which Vulcan tells her no and then huffs about the time she threw up on his favorite rug. She playfully rolls her eyes. “Fine, coffee it is then. Add five sugars, please, I don’t like the black coffee you try to force on me.”
I watch Vulcan enter the kitchen, moving around and preparing our drinks. His muscles flex, and I can’t help but feel a flutter of excitement as my eyes trace the contours of his body.
“Babe?” He looks over his shoulder at me and gestures with his head toward the left. I know he’s asking about the trash bag.
I grimace and turn my attention back to Val, still not sure how to explain the mess in the kitchen in front of our unexpected guest.
“So.” Val smiles. “Next weekend, I’m throwing a party for my bestie. You should come! Bring a plus-one if you like, someone other than Vulcan. Girls only.”
I glance up at Vulcan, looking for a sign of approval or hesitation, but he’s engrossed in making our drinks. “I’d love to,” I reply, already planning on how I’m going to convince Cassie to come.
Val claps her hands together, pleased. “Awesome! It’s going to be laid-back, a few close friends and way too much food and drinks. Oh, and we’ll be watching the newest episode of Love Behind the Headlines, so if you haven’t watched, better get caught up. It’s already fifteen episodes in.”
I want to tell her I’ve never watched it, but the aroma of coffee fills the air as Vulcan walks over with three steaming mugs on a tray.
After two weeks of living together, I can say without hesitation I love coming home.
I love coming home to him. I never thought I would find a man who’d protect me, encourage me, and care for me the way Vulcan does.
I’m falling for him, and I’m falling hard. And that’s what scares me.
Vulcan is quiet, sipping his coffee while Val chatters about party plans. I steal glances at him, each look making my heart race a little faster.
“Karina,” he says softly after Val excuses herself to answer a call. My entire body tunes in to the sound of my name on his lips. “You don’t have to feel forced to go to this party because she’s my sister. I don’t want you to—”
“I like her… she’s nice, and I’ll bring Cassie. I’m excited, honestly.”