23. Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Isabella
N ikolai drives like a man with a death-wish, speeding through traffic as if he’s on the open road. You’d think I’d be afraid, but the faster he goes, the harder my heart pounds with excitement, and I think he knows it.
“You can’t run away like that again.”
“Then don’t leave me locked up in that house.” I say back.
He rolls it over in his mind. “Coming with me is dangerous. I can’t put you at risk.”
Why is he so concerned with my safety? I’m a grown woman and I can take care of myself. There aren’t kidnappers waiting around every corner to jump me the moment Nikolai isn’t there.
“Well, either I go out on my own or I go out with you. I’m not staying locked away in that house, or any house.”
He chuckles. “I thought you’d say that.”
Nikolai returns to his usual brooding expression.
His soft lips pulling away from mine with a bite replays in my mind until I can’t stop fidgeting. From the moment I squeezed into this skirt, his eyes haven’t left my legs.
“You need to look at the road.” I breathe.
“How can I when you’re right next to me looking so fucking good?”
Nerves bubble in my stomach like I’m a teenage girl, about to have her first kiss all over again.
“You need to get us back to the house in one piece.”
His fingers grip the wheel, every inch of his body tensing with anticipation.
“I’m going to tear you to pieces when I get you alone.”
Oh Lord.
We hurry into the house and I bullet straight for our room, but Nikolai tugs me back like a hook dragging a bad act off stage. “Wait, I need to get something from the job I was on today. It’ll only take a minute.”
I cock my head in disbelief. “Really? It can’t wait?”
Nikolai leans into me, cupping my chin in his hand and tilting my head up. “Anticipation is half the fun, princess.” He steals a kiss to silence my protests before dragging me away with him.
We hurry through corridors of Sidorov Mansion together, burying deeper into the maze of the house. The longer I stay here, the bigger it seems to get. Every new day brings with it a hidden room, a new statue, a secret whispered to me by the armed men patrolling the house. Nikolai halts at a maroon door at the end of a long corridor. He glances at me, presses his index finger to his lips, and then slips inside. Nikolai is usually the strong, silent type, but now and then there are flashes of mischief in his green eyes.
“Where are we?” I whisper.
The whirring of a fan fills up the small room. A single desk stands in the far corner, while the rest of the room is taken up by drawers and cabinets.
“This is where we keep physical records. There are some things I need to see before Boris opens his big mouth to Alek.”
“What is it?” I ask.
Pain flickers in his eyes, but he pushes it away. “It’s the past.” He pulls out a document and flicks through the pages. I peer around his broad shoulders, curiously. Unfortunately, most of it is written in Russian.
“That’s no fun.” I groan.
He arches an eyebrow but doesn’t translate.
“How much did your dad tell you about the Bratva? Our history?” He asks as he scans the page in front of him.
“Nothing, really. He wanted to keep me out of it.”
Nikolai hid any disappointment that might have swirled in his eyes and nods silently.
“Why do I get the feeling we shouldn’t be in here?”
“Because we shouldn’t.” A devilish grin tugs at his lips as he flicks through the document. “These are off limits. Only me, Viktor, and Alek are allowed in here. And only the Pakhan can read what’s in this draw.”
“So… why are we in here?” I ask, simultaneously anxious and excited.
“Because I know you like to break rules. You’re good luck.”
Lucky was the last descriptor I would choose for myself.
“Fuck you, I’m not some lucky charm.” I snap instinctively.
His eyes flick up from the page. “That’s right, you’re a princess.”
“Stop calling me that!”
In typical Nikolai fashion, he ignores me… So; I smack the documents out of his hands into the air, sending them everywhere. Secret document confetti, my favourite. Nikolai gives me the glare of a pissed off teacher, taking in a slow breath like a bull about to charge.
“Oops. Back at the palace, we have someone to clean messes like that.” The sickly sweet smile I flash almost makes me wretch, but it’s worth it.
With his eyes locked on me, Nikolai squats down slowly and reaches for some of the papers. As his hand reaches the page nearest to me, I dig the tip of my heel into it, pinning it in place. His dark gaze trails up my long leg. I expect him to get annoyed but he only brushes my foot with his huge hand, sending a shudder across my skin. Slowly, he kneels in front of me and adjusts the clasp of my heel, pulling it so tight it digs into my skin. As he stands, he drags his fingers from the arch of my foot all the way up my leg.
“Misbehaving isn’t the only way to get attention, princess.”
His face passes mine as he stands to his full height, his hands landing on my hips and pulling me into him. My skin tingles from the trail of his touch, and I can’t help but be hyper-aware that we’re alone, together, in a quiet room we shouldn’t be in, with an ache purring between my legs and a pent up frustration digging into me from between his.
I swallow, but it does nothing to stop my pounding heart from tripping over itself. His fingers dig into me, the intensity of his eye contact making my nerves shiver.
“I’m not changing.” I whisper.
“I know. I won’t let you.”
Those words fill me with intrigue and terror and desire all at once. His hands trail down to my ass, squeezing and eliciting a groan from my lips. His hands are big and rough, and he squeezes my ass just hard enough for it to hurt.
Nikolai’s hooded eyes seem so relaxed, so confident. Then they freeze. His ears perk up.
“Fuck.” He whispers, jerking away from me.
“What is it?” I ask, the panic in his eyes spreading to me.
“I can hear footsteps.” He fumbles with the documents. “Help me.”
I rush over to him, collecting the loose bits of paper in a hurry and cursing myself for causing the mess.
The footsteps inch closer. They're lazy. Powerful. Cold.
“Here.” I whisper, shoving the documents into Nikolai’s hands.
He scans the room, his jaw tensing like it might explode. Without a word, he shoves the documents back into my hands and scoops me into his arms, before dropping me next to a desk at the back of the room.
“Hide.”
I look at the dusty space under the desk, and then back at him, shaking my head. It looks like the capital city of spider country. No, thank you.
“It’s disgusting down there.”
He raises his eyebrows before narrowing his eyes. “Deal with it, princess.”
Nikolai forces me under the desk before jumping into the chair and tucking it in so I barely have space to breathe. I flash him a scowl I wish he could see as his knee digs into my shoulder. This is not what I had in mind when I dreamed of us alone together in a room with a desk.
The door clicks open and closed. The footsteps pause. “Nikolai.” Aleksander’s voice sounds surprised in the way a twelve-year-old acting for their first time sounds surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Has no one cleaned under this desk in the last decade? I wretch, causing Nikolai to act out a bout of fake coughing.
“I think I’m getting a cold.” He says to Aleksander, before giving me a little kick under the desk.
You bastard. Don’t kick me.
He dragged me in here, and now I’m stuck under the desk and he has the cheek to kick me when I make a noise? Two can play that game.