by Sydney Lea
“Shit. Harper. You’re killing me.” Nikolai took a step backward, inwardly groaning at the pain in his groin from his unrelenting zipper. He started to walk away to cool off, and adjust certain parts that would no longer be in working order when she stepped into his path.
“Where are you going? I didn’t mean stop. I just needed to breath. Now get your sexy ass back over here and help me get these buttons unfastened.”
Her dangerously seductive smile left no room for argument. One button…two buttons…three buttons...all the way down until his torso was bare.
“Hmmm. Why don’t we go take a shower?”
Nikolai tilted his head curiously, certain he had heard her wrong. Shower? Right now? Things were just getting good.
Harper smiled at his stunned expression. “Come on. We’ve both had a hell of a night, and it will do us some good. Uncle Collin and the others are working up a plan as we speak, and we can find them later to learn the plan of attack.”
Nikolai frowned. “How do you know what they’re doing?”
Harper’s face grew more concerned. “Nikolai, they were discussing it right before they dropped us off.”
“They were?” Nikolai racked his brain, trying to remember the conversation.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I think, maybe you’re in a little shock as well. Please come and take a shower with me. I really shouldn’t have to beg.” She smirked.
That penetrated the fog.
“I think I like the idea of you begging.” He leered at her.
Harper laughed. “Come on, Holter.”
Nikolai obeyed, loving the sound of his real name on her lips, and was right on her heel as she walked to the bathroom. His eyes tracked her movements as she lowered the zipper of her dress, and it fell to the floor. The only thing left were her panties, and they were quick to go as well.
Nikolai stopped in the doorway, his eyes taking in the room. This wasn’t a bathroom; it was a small apartment.
However, though huge, the bathroom could be described as somewhat dilapidated. The formica peeled from the vanities and the enamel was chipped in the sink. Water leaked from the base of the faucet when it was in use. But it was scrupulously clean, the old tarnished mirror sparkled against the LED light he had switched on and both the bath and shower, though also chipped, were as brilliant white as any in a showroom. A few towels sat carefully folded on a thrift-store chair in the corner.
Harper made her way over to the enormous looking shower, pulled it open and stepped inside. The thing had to be big enough for three people. Whoever had originally owned this place before the FBI clearly hadn’t given a damn about the rest of the home, but had made sure the shower had been built for comfort.
He heard the water running before Harper poked her head out and smiled, crooking her finger for him to follow.
Damn, she was beautiful.
“Well, are you going to come in here or not?” Harper purred, stepping under the water. “You don’t want me to get lonely, do you?”
Nikolai watched, transfixed when she grabbed the soap and rubbed it over her body. His heart skipped a beat when she grinned at him.
“I could use some help, you know, reaching all those hard to get places. That paint really got everywhere.”
“When you put it that way…” He chuckled, removed the rest of his clothing quickly and stepped behind her under the stream of the showerheads. He slid his hands around, and pulled her against him and nipped at her neck. “Harper,” Nikolai breathed against her skin.
Leaning into the embrace, Harper closed her eyes and shivered. “Nikolai. I can’t believe we’re standing here right now,” she admitted before turning in his arms and looking up at him. “For a while, I had some serious doubts.”
“I love you,” he murmured against her lips, kissing them softly. “I would never let anything happen to you.”
“I know,” she said simply, stepping back to soap herself up. “We’re going to be okay, right?”
He followed the movement of her hands, greedily wanting to trade places with the soap as it ran its way over her body. Trying to focus, he answered her question. “Yeah. We will. I’ll make sure of it. Are you okay? I’ve got to say, you’re dealing with this better than I thought you would.”
“Oh, I’m not dealing with this it all,” she said absently. “I know what you’re saying, but I’m not thinking too deeply at the moment. I think I’ll save my freak out for when I’m clean and tucked into a warm bed you and there are five armed men positioned around the house.”
Nikolai smiled. Harper was handling it the way she always did. She gathered all the information, didn’t focus too long on any one thing, and then went through it piece by piece until she came to a conclusion.
“I know I still have a lot to make up for…”
“Hush. No more of that right now. Now is for good, happy feelings,” she said with a smile, turning in his arms. “And I have a few ideas.” She reached between them and wrapped her fingers around him. “We’re together now, and that’s all I want to focus on.”
“You never cease to amaze, or surprise me,” he murmured as he moaned with pleasure. Leaning in, he kissed her as he pressed her back into the wall.
The cold tiled wall made her shudder. “Amaze? Surprise? No, I just know you a little better now.” She cocked an eyebrow and squeezed him tighter in her hands. His hips thrust forward as he groaned. “And you, sir, are so easy.”
A fierce, deep growl tore from his chest as he caught her hands and pressed them to the wall over her head. “Only for you.” Nipping at her lips, breathing her in slowly and pressing closer, he whispered, “Sei fatto apposta per le mie mani.”
“Ero fatto per te,” she replied softly, grinning at his shock. “What? You thought I never picked up any Italian. Give me some credit.”
God, his look was so primal, so savage as he stared at her. How had she managed to survive this long without him? Her body ached to submit to him, her mind longed to understand everything about the real him, and her heart yearned to claim his.
“I need you, Nikolai,” she begged.
He nibbled down her neck lightly. “You have me.”
Harper gasped when he abruptly dropped to his knees. Spreading her legs, he cupped her ass and pulled her to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to find the tight, swollen bud between her folds.
She wrapped her fingers tightly in his dark hair, moaning as he devoured her. “Please,” she begged. “Oh God, Nikolai. Yessss.”
Spreading her so he could thrust his tongue into her wet heat, he groaned. “You taste so damn good,” he told her.
“Please, Nikolai. More. Please, I need to come. I want you inside of me,” she begged.
Thrusting a finger into her body, Nikolai sucked at her clit and groaned softly against her flesh. Pressing a second finger into her pussy, he pumped his fingers in and out of her hard and fast.
“Come for me,” he demanded against her damp folds.
Harper had no choice but to obey. She screamed, arching her back as pleasure raced through her. Her vision dimmed, and she sobbed his name, which echoed in the glass enclosure and through the marble room like a chorus of need.
Getting to his feet, he lifted her up and thrust into her. Harper felt him shudder as she squeezed him tight. Grabbing her hands, he held them above her head as he forced his cock deeper into her heat. Rocking hard and fast, he took her, pushing and pulling in and out.
Harper cried out, and her legs tightened around him. She might not be able to have her arms around him, but she could hold him with her legs. She planned to hold on and never let go. Arching against him, she moved harder against him with the help of the shower wall. “I love you, Nikolai.” Harper mewled and whimpered, she was again ready to come.
Nikolai leaned forward, nuzzling her neck, the feel of his teeth and hot breath on her skin took her over the edge she had been balancing on.
“Nikolai!” The sound of her own heart beating drowned out
anything else. She felt the splash of heat deep inside her as Nikolai found his peak, and Harper shuddered uncontrollably in his arms.
The soft whisper of Nikolai’s voice dragged Harper out of her haze, and she blinked in surprise when the ceiling of her bedroom came into focus.
Huh?
“Hey. There you are,” Nikolai murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. “You had me worried for a second.”
Harper could hear the concern in his voice and wondered how long she had been out of it. Certainly long enough for him to get them out of the shower and dry her off. “What…what the hell happened?”
Nikolai smirked. “What can I say? I’m just that good.”
She slapped him on the chest but laughed. He really had been that good. Harper opened her mouth to make a snide comment when the light shining through the blinds caught her attention. Was that sunlight? “How long was I out, Nikolai?”
“Not long.” He kissed her again as though he couldn’t get enough. “I’m going outside and check in with the agents and get an update. Will you be okay here?”
She smiled lazily. “I think I’ll manage. Just outside, right?”
He nodded. “Just outside, no further. Hell, I won’t even leave the doorway. Promise.”
“Okay,” she whispered, feeling sleep pull her under once more.
Later, Harper woke in total darkness with the bed dipping beside her. Having lived alone for so long it startled her, making her jump up into a sitting position while yanking the covers over her nakedness.
“Easy, love. It's me.” Nikolai crawled in beside her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her sweetly and tucked them in good and tight. All her worry drained out of her, and Harper relaxed with her back against his bare chest, feeling safer than she ever had. No more lies between them, and a clear future ahead. The comfort of his embrace had her falling fast asleep.
The sun peeked through the curtain, streaming straight into her face. Harper rolled over, trying to escape the bright blinding light from hell but couldn't. With a groan, she reached for Nikolai. Instead of finding the solid rock wall of delectable muscles, she found a cold, empty bed. Lifting onto one arm, she pried her eyes open, and alarm filled her. He was gone. What the hell?
Struggling to breathe, a million things raced through her mind. She fell back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling. Just as she started to get up and get the hell out of dodge, the door opened. In walked Nikolai, carrying an old scarred wooden tray.
Harper sagged in relief and examined the contents of the tray. Buttered toast, pancakes, maple syrup, cooked eggs, a small amount of bacon. Beside the full plate was a glass with a single rose and a coffee mug filled with the strongest brew.
“Breakfast is served, ma’am,” he said with a flourish.
Harper laughed, feeling suddenly light and full of joy. “All this for me?”
“No,” Nikolai snorted. “You’re good, but I don’t think you could shovel all of this into such a tiny frame.”
“Hey!” she said in mock outrage. “Was that a height joke? You’ll pay for that one.”
Try as she did, Harper was unable to keep a straight face. She knew she was a short ass, and embraced it.
Glancing at the plate, she grinned when she noticed the syrup drizzled over the pancakes spelled out I Love You.
She raised a brow in question.
Nikolai shrugged. “I can be romantic.”
Harper snickered. “Sure you can.”
A finger nudged her chin up, only then did she realize she had dropped her head. “I’ll prove it to you. Every day.”
She blinked at him. “Every day? That’s a tall order.”
His lopsided grin reminded her of the charming and goofy young man he was when he thought no one was looking. “Good thing I can fill it.”
Harper bit her lip. “You are trouble, Agent Holter.”
He hushed her with a single finger pressed against her lips. “It’s Mr. Holter now. If we’re doing this, we’re going to do it right and with a clean slate away from all this. You with me?”
She nodded. Harper didn’t plan on going anywhere. Certainly not while she felt as though she was wrapped in a silken cocoon of euphoria.
“Then let’s enjoy today. They want to move us again this afternoon and then hopefully after that we will be on our way home.”
“Home?” she said with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
“Yeah. My identity hasn’t been blown so I’m free to return to my roots as they say.” He chuckled, oozing roguish charm. Harper was a sucker for him, always had been. “I never did tell you I have a little brother, did I? He’s a chef. Owns his own restaurant and needs help. Figure it would be a good place to start while we work out what we want to do. Just promise me one thing, okay?”
She eyed him warily, her amusement fading as she regarded him with searching gravity. “What?”
“No need to look like that. I promise if I intend to have my way with you, you’ll know about it.” Nikolai gave her a rakish grin.
Oh, the man was trouble.
“Then what?”
“If things get hard for you, or they don’t feel right, tell me? Don’t keep it bottled in. We’re being honest now. No more lies.”
Harper threw her head back and laughed. “None, whatsoever? You sure a dirty liar like you can handle that much truth?”
“I think I can manage it,” he said with a deadpan expression before pointing to the tray. “Now drink your coffee before I finish it.”
Giving a ridiculous giggle Harper knew she should be embarrassed by, she leaned forward and kissed him briefly.
With a look she hoped was sultry, Harper said, “I can think of a few other things I’d like to drink…”
Quick as a flash, Nikolai had the tray and the covers on the ground while Harper laughed like a loon.
With a sexy leer, he bent down to brush their mouths together.
“Now that’s an order I can fill.”
Harper placed a hand above the swell of her ever growing belly as she used the other to push open the door of the restaurant. The area was empty in the main rooms given it was a Monday night and they remained closed those evenings.
She had been surprised when Nikolai had called her and asked her to come to his brother’s restaurant. Her new brother-in-law, Mason had driven her given she was so far along she now was. Fitting behind the steering wheel was no longer an option in her last trimester.
Her smile stretched wide when she caught sight of Nikolai issuing orders to the few staff members through the door way that lead to the kitchen. Watching the way those staff held on to his every word and immediately moved into action amused her.
Once a fed, always a fed. Giving orders always came so easily to him. It was the following orders that Nikolai had trouble with according to her uncle, Collin.
She chuckled when she thought of the overly reserved man she had come to know. Now there was a man who liked giving orders. Pity for him he had been surrounding himself with people like herself and Nikolai.
When he caught her looking, he snapped out a few more directions before moving towards her.
“Hey. You’re early.” His eyes flicked to where hand placed on her belly and he noticed her wince. “Are you okay?”
Rolling her eyes at the concern she heard, Harper opened her arms for the embrace she knew was coming. Nikolai seemed to take any and every opportunity to hold her as close as possible since they had discovered she was pregnant.
“I’m fine. Your child’s going to be a kick-boxer, I’m telling you.”
Pulling back to look at her, Nikolai’s eyes light up with pride and amusement. “That’s my boy.”
“Hey,” she said in mock outrage, gentle slapping his chest. “She might very well be a girl.”
“Two girls in my life? I could only hope to be so lucky.”
Harper melted at the heart rendering tenderness of his haze. The man was too damn smooth.
“What are w
e doing here?” She looked around, surprised to find one table in the middle of the restaurant completely set. Candles were lit, silverware sat in the correct order waiting to be used, all sitting on the finest satin linen. “What is all this?”
“This,” Nikolai answered with a wave of his hand, “is romance. I know things have been crazy these past few months.”
Raising fine, arched eyebrows, she snorted. “Few? Have you seen the size of me? This is more than a few. Besides, let’s face it, things have been a whirlwind since the moment I met you.”
There was a pale blue lightning of amusement between his lashes. “True. And this is my way of making up for all the mayhem I brought into your life.”
“Very sweet of you.”
He studied her face with his enigmatic gaze for an extra beat, his features sobering, bordering on painful. “You’ve given up so much. And all I seem to do is ask for more.”
“It’s nothing I haven’t willingly given, Nik,” she said in an attempt to reassure him. She hadn’t seen him like this since she had followed him here after their extraction. “I really haven’t given up that much, and what I’ve received in return is so much more than I could have ever had without you.”
He seemed pensive now, not disturbed or angry. “The only thing you got to keep from your life before was your name, and even then not all of it. The only people in our lives that know the truth about you is your uncle and my brother. You’ve had to lie to everyone you meet. How can you say that it wasn’t that much, Harper Monroe?”
