5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Ali
Ali’s first day of training ended with her returning to her room, weighed down by a stack of papers and a headache.
Grace spoke so fast, it was hard to keep up sometimes.
She had pointed out names of locations and people that all blended together in Ali’s disorganized brain.
By lunchtime, the symbols on the pages began to swirl together in an inky storm of despair and mockery.
Despite the lessons she’d begun in reading and writing, her skills were nowhere near where they should be for a job like this. If she didn’t put in some extra work, the other council members would laugh in her face. What was Grace thinking?
She dumped the papers on the kitchen table and pushed back the frazzled bangs from her forehead. The responsible thing to do would be to begin reading one of these journals, manuals, or historical documents, but all she wanted to do was collapse into bed.
She took a deep breath and committed to reading at least one of the smaller journals before calling it quits for the day. Small steps.
Searching through the cabinets, she tried to find a snack to lessen the suffering of the work ahead of her.
There was a mix of nuts and dried fruit that she liked to get from one of the shops in town, but Nik loved it just as much and had developed a habit of stealing it and hiding it from her so he could hoard it for himself.
The upper cupboards contained plates, cups, and various dried goods but not her favorite treat. The lower cupboards were equally disappointing, with only pots and pans to offer. Where had he hidden it? Next time, she’d have to hide her snacks first.
Sighing, she racked her brain, trying to figure out where he might’ve stashed it.
Inside his bedside table drawer? No. Perhaps his dresser between his many folded shirts?
Not there either. She checked the bathroom and what felt like every nook and cranny of their small apartment, including under the bed, before finally giving up.
She was still kneeling beside the bed when the door opened and Nik walked in, looking tan and sweaty from the summer heat. He paused at the threshold and tilted his head when he noticed her sitting on the floor. “What are you doing?”
She pointed at him and narrowed her eyes. “I know you took my snack mix. Where did you hide it?”
Laughter tore through him, and he moved toward her in a few fluid steps, pulling her up off the floor. He kissed her forehead and then leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You’ll never find it.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he tossed her onto the bed. As much as she wanted to pester him until he gave up his hiding place, all thoughts eddied from her head when he removed his shirt and exposed his defined abs. In a blink, her cravings changed course.
Nik crawled onto the bed and pinned her in place with the weight of his body. Her hands slid over his warm skin while he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You’re in quite the mood today,” Ali said, though she certainly wasn’t complaining. She fought the urge to grind her hips against his. He’d have to work harder than that if he wanted her forgiveness for stealing her snacks.
Nik peppered kisses along her neck and slid his hands beneath her shirt.
His thumb rubbed the underside of her breasts, inching closer to her hardened nipples.
When he licked her neck just below her ear, the heat of his breath had her eyes rolling back in her head.
“Being away from you all day has that effect on me.”
She smiled, lacing her fingers through his hair and pulling his head up so she could press her lips against his. A taste so divine and addicting, she’d never get enough.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, she ground into him, eliciting a moan from deep in his chest. The vibrations sparked a fire inside her and she pulled him closer until there was no space left between them.
“I’m not the only one who seems to be in a mood,” he said between ragged breaths.
“Just shut up and fuck me already.”
Like an animal released from his cage, Nik clawed at her shirt, pulling it over her head and leaving her thin bralette in place.
He yanked her pants down her legs without bothering to unbutton them.
Then he was back at her stomach, kissing and running his lips over the thin black fabric of her panties.
Her back arched off the mattress when he felt his way between her thighs, seeking the spot that always left her gasping. She clutched his hair so hard she was sure it must’ve been painful, but he kept his head in place, still teasing her through that damn barrier she began to despise.
“Take them off,” she panted.
She didn’t need to ask twice. He hooked his fingers beneath the band and slid her underwear down her thighs, spreading her wide and settling between her legs.
His breath was hot on her cunt. She reached for his head again and sighed with relief when his tongue finally caressed her clit.
“Oh my god, Nik.”
He hummed in approval before pushing one finger inside her, curling it around to stroke her inner walls. That sensation alone had her clenching her thighs around his head.
With careful precision, he built her pleasure until it was about to overflow. Then he pulled back and his hands dropped to unfasten his pants.
Ali made a noise of frustration.
“You’re not going to come on my fingers, sweetheart. I want you to come on my cock.”
Nik sucked his fingers into his mouth and then pressed them against her clit, swirling in a circular motion while simultaneously pushing the tip of his cock inside her.
Ali’s toes curled, and she thrust her hips forward, needing more of his length to fill her and stretch her. Desperate for the friction, she rocked her hips against him, but he gripped her by the waist and slowly pulled out, then slammed back in.
Her eyes rolled back in her head. It was too much and not enough all at once.
“Nik,” she pleaded.
Still, he moved at an agonizing pace, and she felt every inch of him as he slid in and out of her pussy.
“I love watching you like this. When you’re so needy for me…”
“Please.”
“Beg for me, sweetheart.”
“Fuck. I need you, Nik.”
With enough force to rattle the bed, he drove into her over and over again until she couldn’t take any more. Her legs trembled as her pussy fluttered around his cock.
Catching her breath was a difficult task while Nik continued to thrust forward until he, too, came undone, spilling inside her.
He released a pleasured sigh and fell to the bed next to her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her tight against his chest while she threw her leg over his hip.
There was something so comforting about the way he held her, the way his fingers trailed down her back and his lips curved in a contented smile.
It made her forget everything she’d been stressed about before he came home.
She couldn’t hear the call of the papers left abandoned on the table over the sound of his heavy, sated breathing.
“How was your day?” he asked, drawing lazy circles on her back.
“It was…a lot.” She smiled, recalling the way Grace had led her around the mountain, introducing her to important people whose names she’d already forgotten and pointing out locations she’d hadn’t ventured into before—the council chamber, the office of the woman who oversaw Berland’s finances, the room labeled “controls” written in bold red letters.
By the end of the day, she didn’t think her brain could handle any more information.
“Everything you hoped it would be?” He smiled in a mocking way that made her press a finger into his chest.
“All that and more.” She chuckled. “Honestly though. It feels challenging, but in a good way. I’d always hoped that my life would be more meaningful than catching fish or weeding gardens.
This seems like the perfect opportunity to make an impact.
Grace introduced me to a few people, and they all seemed optimistic and welcome to the idea of me joining the council.
” Although Ali suspected that Grace had only introduced her to the people who would be accepting of her.
“I’m happy for you,” Nik said. “I hope things continue to go well.”
“Thanks. And what about you?” This time, it was her turn to smile. The thought of Nik and Eli spending a day together made her giggle maliciously. Did they talk? Did they argue the whole time?
Nik rolled his eyes. “It went exactly as you’d expect.”
He shifted to lie on his back, seemingly done with the conversation, but Ali rolled on top of him.
“That’s it? I want to know every detail. What did you guys do?”
“Ali…”
“Did you help him like I asked? Or were you an asshole?” She frowned, although she should’ve known throwing the two of them together without a buffer would lead to a high likelihood of violence.
“It was fine, Ali. We went for a run and then he practiced in the mud pit.”
“And you weren’t mean to him?”
Nik licked his lips and tried to hide a smirk. “Why do you assume I’m the mean one?”
“Because you are.” She paused to kiss his tempting lips, then hugged his sides and rested her cheek on his chest. “But I love you anyway.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“So, are you going to help him again tomorrow?”
The irritation in his voice was unmistakable, though partially muffled by his hands as they swept over his face. Once he reappeared, he released a long sigh. “Maybe. I’m supposed to meet with Grace, but if there’s time, I could probably work with him again.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” she teased.
“It’s not sweet. It’s taking pity on a poor guy who desperately needs some guidance.”
She doubted Eli was in that bad of shape. He’d always been lean and toned, but he also had a surprising amount of strength. “Well, thank god he has you. The first round of the Rite is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
Nik nodded. “He’s only got a couple weeks left to train. It’s hard to believe we’ve already been here for a little over a month.”
Ali smiled against his chest. Berland had turned out so much better than she could’ve hoped.
Her top priority had been finding Eli, but they’d also found a home.
A place they could build a life and be happy together.
She was terrified that someone would wake her up and it would all be a dream. Nothing was ever this easy.
Something twisted in her stomach, and her mind drifted to the rebellion and their determination to disrupt her paradise. She quickly dismissed the unwelcome thought. She’d been through hell and back. A few entitled men wouldn’t scare her off.
They’d been in Berland for a month with a lifetime to go.
A month.
Ali shot up in bed, still straddling Nik, who looked alarmed by her sudden movement.
“What’s wrong?”
Maintaining a blank face, Ali swung her leg over Nik and hopped out of bed, stumbling over their discarded clothing on the floor.
She forced herself to walk calmly to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinets, searching for the reusable cup she used for her period and the small note she kept with it to keep track of her cycle.
One month? That couldn’t be right.
She shoved a stack of clean washcloths out of her way.
Where was it?
“Is there something I can help you find?” Nik had left the bed and was now standing behind her, watching as she dug through the cabinet below the sink like a rabid animal.
There!
She snatched the cup and the note trapped underneath and checked the dates. It had been almost two months since her last period. She remembered it perfectly. She’d wondered that very day if there was something wrong with her. If there was a reason she hadn’t gotten pregnant.
Upon their arrival in Berland, she’d meant to get a contraceptive from their medics but had never gotten around to it.
Leaning against the open cabinet door, she let out a small laugh. “Unbelievable.”
“Ali, are you okay?”
She nodded before meeting his gaze. “Yes. I’m better than okay, actually.”
Nik tilted his head, confusion and concern written all over his face.
She laughed again and covered her mouth. “I think I’m pregnant.”