Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Leyla
The noise of the crowd softened to a whisper the second Niko’s lips touched mine. The world stilled, and all I could hear was the sound of our breaths and the beating of my heart.
What sounded like a growl in his throat reverberated through my body, and I whimpered. All the feelings, all the admiration, all the attraction that had been building for weeks bubbled over. It felt like coming home.
Niko grabbed me around the waist and stood us both up, tilting his head and drawing me closer as my heart pulsed with every breath and my arms went around his neck.
This was heaven. I remembered asking Vicky and Sofia how they knew they were in love with the Austin brothers. They both said the same thing: you’ll just know.
They were absolutely right. I was in love with the man who kissed me with such tenderness, such heat that my toes curled in my heels. Far too soon, he pulled back, laying his forehead on mine.
We were both breathing heavily. The kiss had not been scandalous, but the spark between us had left us both breathless.
“Leyla,” he whispered.
With the loud music, I felt the word more than heard it, but it sent chills over my whole body.
I blinked back tears at the sweetness of the moment. Nothing I had ever experienced compared to the feeling of being kissed by this beautiful man. Suddenly, the need to ask the question from dinner the other night was overwhelming.
I had to know.
Leaning back so I could look him in the eye, I stayed close enough not to have to yell. “Let’s get out of here.”
Niko hesitated for a moment, then pulled me from my chair, grabbed our jackets, and led me to the exit, his hand firmly on my back.
All I could think about in that moment was how it had felt to be in his arms. The warmth of his hand holding mine to his heart was so gentle yet so intimate. I wanted to live in his arms forever.
The fresh night air cooled my warm body, both from the venue’s heat and from Niko’s nearness. I sighed as I took a deep breath. He stood in front of me like a sentinel, caging me against the brick wall, guarding against any danger that might lurk in the darkened city street.
Those warm chocolate eyes seemed to melt as he gazed into mine. His breath was still shallow as he waited, always waiting for my next move.
“I need to know, Niko.” My ears rang from the sudden reprieve from the loud music and my own heart.
His brows pulsed downward, his voice raspy and raw. “What do you need to know? I’ll tell you anything. Everything.”
Gathering my courage, I answered, “The note. What did your note say?”
He visibly relaxed. I had a feeling the note was important, important to what came next for us.
There was a pause, and then he nodded. “The note said, ‘Leyla, if you only knew how much you mean to me, you would never doubt for a moment I could ever hurt you.’” His voice cracked before he continued.
“’I am praying for you to find peace as you take your final today.
Call me when you’re done. I’ll be waiting. Please. Come find me.’”
There was a sacred silence for a long beat as our emotions filtered between us.
Suddenly, I couldn’t hold back the hot tears that rose at the thought of what might have been. Niko came closer, just enough to still look me in the eye.
“Don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. Your tears make me want to tear down this city to ease your pain.” He looked terrified and unsure of what to do. I’d never heard him talk that way.
His protectiveness caused a sob I couldn’t hold back to be released as I laid my forehead on his chest. “I’m so sorry. I am so very sorry,” I mumbled into his shirt.
Niko pulled me into his arms with a force that spoke of his inability to hold back any longer. “Leyla, there is nothing to be sorry for. I’ve told you before. All of that is forgiven.”
“I just wish…well, there are so many things I wish in this moment.”
“In my language, we say ‘keske’. If only. There are a lot of things about you and me I wish for, too. But I strongly believe our steps are ordered by the Lord. Which means that we met for a reason. Even if our paths were meant to part for a little while, He led me back to you now. Right here in this moment. And that’s all that matters to me. ”
Niko had rendered me speechless again. His words wiped away all my regret in a single precious moment.
He leaned back from our embrace and kissed my forehead. A faint memory of Vicky sharing something about Turkish dramas came back to me. “A forehead kiss means more in your culture than in mine, right?”
I felt him smile and then nod. “It denotes a strong affection,” he mumbled against my skin.
Emboldened by that declaration, I asked, “And a kiss on the lips?”
Niko smiled, then bent his head to look into my eyes. “I don’t know. We might have to practice again, dating coach, to see what scientific conclusions we reach.”
“Well,” I shrugged, “I mean, if it’s for science, how can I refuse?”
In the next breath, his lips were on mine, once again bringing me to the heights of heaven. The moment my arms slipped around his neck once again, the kiss surged, pulling us both under.
Pulling back slowly, his voice was low and raspy. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Then he kissed me again like he was making sure it had really happened.
I didn’t know if it was the dance, the kiss, or just being held in his arms, his heart wide open to me, but my heart was calling out to his.
Choose me. Love me. Be mine.
The words rang out in my chest with every beat of my heart.
Our kiss ended with a sigh. I wasn’t sure whether it was mine or his. His eyes were glazed over, his lips swollen, as he looked at me with so much affection that my heart expanded.
Once again, I was gifted with the sweetness of a silent and sacred moment. No words were needed. What passed between Niko and me didn’t need words. Not yet, anyway.
“Leyla, I’ve never been kissed like this before.” His words washed over me. He loosened his hold and bent down so I could see him. “I’m not saying this right. I meant, I’ve never felt like this before. Not once in my whole life.”
Overtaken with emotion, I looked up and kissed his lips lightly, then said, “That’s because you’ve never been kissed by a woman who understands you. Who sees you. The whole you.”
His bottom lip trembled slightly, and I was about to lose it when he whispered, “Do you? Do you see me, Leyla?”
“Yes, Niko. I see you. I see your strength, your beautiful mind, your heart. I see all of it. And I’m in awe that I get to be the one in your arms tonight. Honestly, it’s becoming a problem,” I said with a shy smile. “Lately, you’re all I see.”
He breathed out through his nose and closed his eyes. “I never thought I’d find a woman who could. Who would see all of me and still want me.”
He was breaking my heart in two. Quoting the verse that had become precious between us, I said, “The Father created you as a masterpiece, on purpose. My heart wants to believe He created you just for me.”
I was lifted off the ground with the next hug. “You said you see me. The truth is, you’re all I’ve seen since the very first day you walked into chemistry class freshman year. I said in that note I’d be waiting,” he whispered. “I still am.”
“I’m here, Niko. I’m right here.”
The ride home was filled with shy, adoring looks. He held my hand and kissed it as he drove me home. There wasn’t a declaration of love, not yet, but I knew with everything in me we both felt it.
When he walked me to my door, I realized there was one last thing I needed to clear up. Pulling away from his last good night hug, I asked, “So, I have to ask. What about Pam?”
His dark brows pulled down again. “Who?”
I huffed in exasperation. “Pam. The woman I’m supposed to help you win. Is that over now? I mean, you and me, and tonight…”
He kissed my lips quickly and answered, “You are Pam.”
My head jerked back. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s you. You’re who I wanted to win over. I made her up to spend time with you. To let you get to know me. Are you angry?”
I looked at him with both horror and relief. “Are you serious? Do you know what you put me through, only to find out I was jealous of myself?”
Pretending to try to wiggle out of his hold, he pulled me in tighter. “Please don’t be mad at me. This was all Mike’s idea at first, which I rejected, but then you offered to help on your own,” he sputtered. It all made sense then, but I was going to make him suffer for a minute.
Biting back my laughter, I pushed on his chest so I could step back, and glared at him as harshly as I could manage. “So you decided to lie to me?”
Niko was so stunned or confused he tried to speak but only managed grunts. When I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I burst out laughing.
His eyes got wide and his brows shot up in shock, taking another minute to understand.
Holding his hand to his heart and taking deep breaths, he said, “Oh my gosh, you just scared the life out of me. I was about to go ballistic that I’d finally confessed it all to you, only to lose you again. That was so not funny.”
I was laughing so hard he had to hold me up. To get me back, he started tickling me, making me scream out. He laughed as he watched me squirm, eyes squinted in mock anger.
“Stop, stop, please, please,” I stuttered, breathing heavily.
He stopped, still holding me close while I tried to catch my breath.
“That’s the last time I’ll ever lie to you, Leyla. I just want you to know that,” he said, looking at me with such tenderness.
“I know.”
He leaned closer, whispering in my ear. I swallowed loudly as his mouth moved against the shell of my ear.
“Please hear me, Leyla Cooper. There is no one else. It’s only ever been you.”