Chapter 5 #2
Then I slip beneath the duvet and pull her into my arms. She shifts in her sleep, instinctively curling against me. For the first time in a week, I feel like I can breathe. Her head settles against my chest. “Kazimir,” she murmurs sleepily.
I press a kiss to her hair. “I’m here, baby.”
She relaxes in my arms and drifts deeper into sleep. I close my eyes and try to get some sleep myself. Tomorrow, I’ll continue the fight with Vadim, but tonight, I have my woman in my arms.
?????
Waking up with Chloe in my arms has to be one of the best feelings I’ve ever known.
I open my eyes slowly, and there she is.
Her head is resting against my chest, her dark hair spread across the pillow, her lips slightly parted and almost pouted in sleep.
I lie there for a moment, simply looking at her.
It’s hard not to be grateful for that night.
For the men who attacked me and led me straight to her building.
Because how else would I have ended up breaking into this beautiful woman’s apartment, having her stitch up my wound, and somehow finding myself here weeks later, unable to imagine a single day without her?
Life is strange.You wake up one morning expecting nothing more than another ordinary day. You handle business. You make money. You deal with enemies. You have no idea that somewhere between one moment and the next, your entire life is about to change.
That morning, I had no idea I was going to meet the woman who would change the way I see my life. The woman who would make me look forward to waking up. The woman who would make me want something beyond violence, power, and money. For Chloe, I want to do better. I want to be better.
I lean down and kiss her forehead. She shifts slightly but doesn’t wake.
I carefully slip out of bed. Before leaving the room, I grab my coat and tuck my gun inside.
Then I head into the kitchen. I’m not exactly a man who knows his way around the kitchen.
The only thing I’m good at making is eggs and toast. That’s about the extent of my culinary abilities.
I open Chloe’s refrigerator. As expected, it’s stocked. I make sure her groceries are delivered every week. I pull out the eggs and bacon and get to work. I fry the bacon first, then crack the eggs into the pan, trying to remember exactly how she likes them. Not too runny. Not too dry.
I’m reaching for the toast when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn to find Chloe standing in the doorway. She’s wearing a camisole over flimsy shorts, her creamy thighs exposed, and hair slightly messy from sleep.
“You’re here,” she says with a smile, like she can’t believe it.
Something warm spreads through my chest. “Of course I’m here, baby.”
She walks toward me, I reach out and pull her towards me. My hands settle around her waist, and I kiss her. Deeply. She melts against me, and for a moment, I completely forget about breakfast.
Then I smell something burning. I pull back to check on the toast. She laughs as I turn quickly and rescue it before it becomes charcoal.
I finish the eggs, put everything onto plates and carry them to the small kitchen table.
She sits down, still looking at me like she can’t quite believe I’m actually here.
I watch as she takes her first bite, and a smile spreads across her face. “This actually does taste nice.”
I smile, reaching for a crumb of toast on her lips and wiping it away with my thumb. “I’m sorry I missed our movie night last night.”
Chloe looks up from her plate. “It’s fine.” She gives me a small smile. “We can see it another time.”
I reach across and pull her chair closer to mine. “You look stressed baby. Has work been stressful?”
“A little.”
I lean toward her and kiss her slowly, letting my lips linger against hers before moving to her neck. “Anything I can do to help?”
She smiles against my skin. “You being here is helpful enough.”
I kiss her forehead. “How about you take the day off? We can spend the day together.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t. I promised to help Bea cover her shift. But we can spend the whole of tomorrow together.”
“Okay. Looking forward to that.” I lean in and kiss her lips. “I love you.”
The words leave my mouth before I even have time to think about them. I pull back. What the hell? Where did that come from?
Chloe is staring at me. “What did you just say?”
I swallow, there’s no need denying it, I do love her. “I said I love you.”
Her eyes immediately fill with tears.
“Baby what’s wrong?” She doesn’t answer. “Did I say something wrong?”
I reach for her hand. “It’s okay if you’re not there yet. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
She suddenly grabs my face and presses her lips against mine. I barely have time to react before she’s kissing me deeply. When she pulls back, her eyes are still wet.
“I love you too. I love you so much.”
Something inside my chest loosens. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear those words until she said them. I pull her out of her chair and onto my lap. We kiss until neither of us can remember why we were sitting at the table in the first place.
For the rest of the day, I’m on a fucking high. Nothing can touch it. Not even the report that comes later that Vadim already abandoned the location my men searched. Exactly as I suspected. Normally, that would irritate the hell out of me.
Today, I barely care. My woman loves me. For the first time in my life, I have something that feels bigger than everything I’m fighting for.
But reality seeps back in later that evening when one of the men I've stationed outside Chloe's apartment calls. They spotted Vadim's men near her apartment and around her workplace.