There was a heavy silence between Nik and I as we exited the house and trekked down the driveway. It was broken by Rachel calling out and her rapid footsteps as she chased after us. We stopped and turned, I wanted to know what she wanted. She stopped in front of us, Kaleb stood on the porch, a stern expression on his face.
Well, fuck. This wasn’t gonna be good.
“We’re sorry,” Rachel huffed.
Hmm. Good, but maybe just not in the way that I had expected.
“You’re right, Anastasia. You’re right about it all, and we want to make it up to you.” There was an edge of panic, of pleading to her question.
“How about we start fresh?” I smiled because she was my mother and at the end of the day I wanted my parents in my life.
Rachel’s arms flung around me and held onto me tightly. I pulled away to see her eyes tearing up, “I’ll call you.”
As we walked away from the Varela house, I had a good feeling about this. I’d gotten what I’d wanted but maybe a little extra. I knew they’d have seen it my way eventually, but I was glad that it was now, and I was happy that I hadn’t been banished from their lives forever.
After all, they were my birth parents, I’d spent time getting to know them and while they were self-serving snobs, I had liked them.
It was nice to know that as we left, it wouldn’t be my last time here or my last time seeing them. I wanted the relationship that we’d been working so hard to build.
I kept my mouth shut as Anastasia hopped into the truck. I didn’t want to jinx it a second time by saying the words out loud, but they were all my mind could think. My body hummed with excitement at finally getting to go home, to bring my Ana back home with me.
“Let’s go home.” Anastasia flashed me a smirk before making herself comfortable. It wasn’t too bad a drive but sitting in the passenger seat was a whole other story. The hours tended to drag ridiculously when you had nothing to do.
My hands clutched the wheel and I started the engine. I was happy, I finally had Anastasia back in my grasp.
She fiddles with the radio, eventually settling on an old rock station. After settling back into her seat, she used my hoodie as a blanket and closed her eyes. I knew that it wouldn’t have taken her long to drift off. I assumed she’d be exhausted, at least for the next few days, as she came down from the adrenaline high. And even after that, I knew there was the chance that Anastasia might need some time to adjust. After everything that had happened, not just the past few nights, but this entire mission of hers.
It was a lot for anyone to take in. But this time I would be there, I wouldn’t be leaving her sight anytime soon. As soon as we arrived I would be bolting the fucking doors after us. I wanted to keep us in and the world out for the rest of our lives. We’d overcome so much but if anything else tried to keep her from me I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“Ana, baby we’re here.” I hated to wake her but it was only five o’clock. If I’d let her sleep she probably wouldn’t have slept through the night. Still, I unbuckled her seatbelt and slipped my arms around her. I loved the feel of her in my arms as I proceeded to carry her inside the house.
It wasn’t dark yet but the sun was starting to set. I noticed that the windows had been replaced while I’d been away. When I’d left they had been boarded up, now they were back to normal - plain glass windows. It was like all evidence of the attack had been scrubbed away, except for the fact that I knew that night would forever be burned into my brain.
The worry, the fear… the sheer panic over Anastasia’s life.
I automatically held her a bit tighter to my chest as I thought of it. I never wanted to experience anything like that again. It was one of the reasons I’d been considering moving. But I knew that it was something that I needed to discuss with Ana first.
I could picture us in a house in the country, on a remote farm. Just the two of us, it would be perfect.
But… the choice would be left up to Ana because I knew that wherever we were, as long as we were together, we would be fine. I’d be happy anywhere as long as she was by my side.
As soon as I unlocked and pushed open the front door, Heather was there. I whispered a greeting and exchanged a smile before she disappeared outside. I assumed she’d grab the bags as I walked Ana to the living room and laid her down on the sofa.
“Baby?” I squeezed her hand gently. It seemed that she wasn’t ready to wake up.
“Nikolai,” came her breathy sigh. She squeezed my hand back and blinked her big blue eyes up at me. There she was.
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she said, turning onto her side and sitting up. Stretching her arms back, she looked around and sighed contentedly. “What’re you cooking?”
“Me? Nothing, Heather’s here doing dinner for us.”
“Heather? Nice.” She smiled up at me and patted the seat beside her. “I’ve really missed this place. I’ve missed you.”
Before I had the chance to sit down, there was a scuffling, scraping sound from the hallway and Achilles came bounding into the room. He leapt up onto the sofa and began whining and licking Ana’s face. She laughed and stroked behind his ears. For a second, I found myself jealous of my boy.
“Guess you’ve lost your seat now,” Ana said, grinning at me before speaking to Achilles; “I missed you too, I did!”
He calmed down as she petted him and eventually got down off the sofa to lay at her feet.
“Seems like I have competition for your affections!” I laughed, rubbing Achilles’ head. Ana’s grin only grew as I leaned over to kiss her. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen — Heather will want to know how you want your steak cooked.”
“Ooh steak? What’s the special occasion?” she joked followed by the magical sound of her laughter. “Medium-rare obviously. With those chunky-ass fries that she does, and ketchup. My god, I’m salivating at the thought.”
“Ketchup on your steak? You monster!” I laughed.
“No!” she protested, pouting and batting my arm. “For the fries!”
I shook my head, still chuckling, and held out a hand to help her up. “Come on, beautiful, kitchen.”
Hand in hand, we walked through to the kitchen where Heather was shuffling food around. The smell of a rich red wine sauce wafted through the entire downstairs and made Anastasia’s stomach growl loudly. Ana laughed self-consciously and put a hand over her stomach as if that would soothe her hunger. The kitchen was warm from Heather’s cooking.
Heather turned as we entered, a welcoming smile stretched across her face. She was genuinely happy to see Ana and while it wouldn’t have made a difference either way, I liked that Heather had grown fond of Ana. It meant alot to me, more than I’d ever share with anybody out loud.
“Ana, dear, it’s so good to have you back!” she exclaimed, dropping her wooden spoon into the saucepan and coming over. “I’m making you a special welcome home dinner. Steak. How would you like it?”
“Medium-rare, please,” Anastasia answered, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. “It’s so good to be back here, I’ve really missed it.”
“Well, all that matters is that you’re back now,” Heather said, giving Ana a motherly smile. “I’ll get on that steak. Nikolai, why don’t you take a seat?” She headed back to the stove, humming as she went.
A few moments later, the steaks hit Heather’s hot pan with a satisfying sizzle. While I enjoyed cooking, I wasn’t a patch on Heather. Ana yawned from her seat beside me.
“We can head straight to bed after dinner if you want?” I asked her, taking pity.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” She giggled as she fought yet another yawn.
I laughed, “There’s no way you’re sleeping through the night,” I had a feeling she didn’t care. She shrugged.
“I have the rest of my life to sleep through the night. For now, I just want to eat and sleep.” Ana told me.
We waited, watching with impatient eyes and e
mpty bellies for the food to be cooked and plated up. But it was worth it, at one juicy bite my mouth watered - that may have had to do with the x-rated noises the sex goddess next to me had been making through the entire meal.
Ana’s cutlery clinked against her plate as she laid down her knife and fork. “That was beautiful, Heather. Thank you.”
“Would you like any dessert or just leave it for now? I’ve got homemade cherry pie with ice cream,” Heather asked. Ana considered the idea of dessert, she seemed to be weighing it up against the urge to head on up to bed. Sleep was calling her away, I could see it.
“I think I'll leave it for now, but I’ll probably be back down later for a midnight snack.” Heather chuckled.
“Right,” Ana said, getting to her feet. “I’m going to get some sleep.” She looked at me and tilted her head to the side, the universal gesture for ‘you coming?’
“I’ll be right up,” I told her. Picking up our plates, I took them to the sink before Heather shooed me away.
“It’s what you pay me for, Nikolai,” she admonished lightly.
I didn’t need any encouragement to go and find Ana. She was already up the stairs when I got to them, and I heard the bedroom door closing. Uncertainty struck me. Would she have gone to my room, or to hers? I knew which one I hoped she’d chosen but I still doubted myself.
At the top of the stairs, I strode to my bedroom door. The one right across from Ana’s. I opened the door slowly. She wasn’t there.
Crestfallen, I retreated, and knocked on Ana’s bedroom door. When there was no answer, I called her name, my heart beginning to pound irrationally.
“Just a minute!” the muffled voice came. From my room. The latch on my ensuite door clicked, and she emerged wearing only her underwear. “I was just washing up. I felt grimy after that car journey.”
Instead of laughing with relief, I smiled and walked over to the bed, taking off my shirt. Her eyes roved over my torso then met mine. She took off her bra and stepped out of her underwear, before slipping between the covers, turning onto her side and facing away from me.
I pulled off my jeans and got into bed, shuffling up to her so that I could hold her in my arms. We fit together like we were meant to be. She shifted slightly, pulling my right arm over her ribs. I rested my hand just below her breast. I felt my cock hardening as she nuzzled closer, rubbing her ass over my crotch.
“If you want to sleep, you’re going to have to stop doing that,” I said quietly, a smile curling my lips. She knew exactly the effect she had on me.
“Okay,” she whined. “I do want to sleep, but don’t blame me if I wake you up later…”
My smile spread into a grin. I had no problem with that at all.
Something shifted on the bed, stirring me awake.
“Hmm?” It was still dark but Ana must’ve been awake. Probably needed the bathroom.
When I didn’t get an answer, I began turning onto my side. A soft hand brushed down my abdomen. I froze, then relaxed back onto my back. The hand snaked downwards towards the thin trail of dark hairs that led to below my boxer briefs. I felt myself hardening at her touch. I couldn’t control the fire she ignited within me.
Fingertips pulled at the sides of my boxers until they were off. Now free of any barriers, she grasped my girth in her hand and stroked up and down my length. I hardened more and more until I felt fuller than ever.
I sighed as she rubbed her thumb over the head of my cock and swirled it around. I bit down on my bottom lip. She knew how to make me tick, there was no mistake.
I felt her shift beside me on the bed again. She kissed my chest, working her way up my pecs to my collarbone and up the side of my neck. I turned my face to meet her halfway. Our lips met, and I swear I felt a crackle of energy pass between us.
Ana moved again, pulling the covers back and swinging her leg over my waist. She shuffled back and I immediately felt how wet she was for me as my cock hit her slick folds. She braced one hand against my stomach and with the other, slipped my length inside her. She gasped as she stretched to accommodate me. As she began to move up and down on me, I reached up to massage her breasts and heard her soft giggle.
“So you are awake?” she murmured, raking her nails down my stomach. “I was beginning to wonder…”
“Of course I’m awake. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” I bucked my hips upwards sharply and a gasp escaped her.
I moved my hands down her sides and pushed one between her legs. She wasn’t getting away with having all the fun. As I pressed and rubbed her clit, she moved her hips, grinding against me in a smooth circular motion.
Her soft moans were music to my ears. They got louder as I rubbed faster and tweaked her clit harder, massaging down the sides of her hot, wet lips. I could feel myself going in and out of her as she moved, and honestly, it just turned me on more.
Resting my hands on her hips I guided her rhythm as she moved up and down. Soon, we were perfectly in sync.
I moved my right hand back to her clit, circling and rubbing until her moans turned to cries and I knew she was going to tip over the edge. She moved, undulating above me, faster and faster. I knew, if she kept going like this, she would make me tip over that same edge for sure.
I nudged her leg with the back of my hand, and she paused. I pulled her down towards me and rolled us over, so that I was on top of her, supporting myself on my elbows. We moved together, flawlessly in sync. It was something else, more than I had gotten from any other woman. Ana was mine, and she was perfect. She wrapped her legs around my waist and tucked me in close to her. I smothered her mouth with kisses, my tongue brushing hers as her mouth opened for me.
Resting on one forearm, I used my free hand to play with her nipples, while I fucked her, my thrusts getting harder and faster. She moaned into my mouth and I had to restrain myself from exploding inside her right there and then.
I kissed and nipped a line down her jaw to her neck burying my face in the scent of her. She moaned again, and I knew we were both close. As I moved, one of her hands fisted in the bedsheets. She was going to make me climax, and I was so ready for it. Ana cupped her hand around the back of my neck and brought my face to hers.
“Look at me.” Her big blue eyes were half-closed but she was still looking right at me.
I watched her face in the darkness, wishing that I’d turned the light on so that I could see her in all of her beauty. See her face flushed with passion.
“Ana…” I whispered, my voice hoarse.
“I want you to,” she said, another moan of pleasure escaping her throat. Of course she knew what I was going to say, she knew the place that we had gotten to.
She cried out in passion as she climaxed and for a few moments, I kept going, holding on until the last possible second so that she got as much out of this as possible. I stilled as I released my load inside of her, one last thrust rocking our hips together.
I kissed her again, slower almost lazily. “I love you,” I murmured as I moved from on top of her. She curled into me as our breathing slowed.
“I love you too, Nikolai.”
I put my arms around her and held her to me as my heart swelled.
“How did I ever get so lucky?” Anastasia muttered sleepily. Still wrapped in my arms, she was already starting to drift off to sleep again. I didn’t know if she was fully conscious or not if she’d even realised she’d said it aloud. But nevertheless, I’d heard it.
My mind couldn’t grasp how she felt ‘lucky’. After all, she’d been through… I couldn’t agree with her that luck was on her side. But maybe, just maybe, things were turning around for her.
“Will you tell me about this?” Nikolai whispered as his fingertips traced the scar that ran down my stomach. I considered it for a minute. I hadn’t realised that I’d never told him the full story. I supposed there was still a lot we had to learn about each other and I looked forward to it.
“Only if you tell me what went down with Finch…” I smiled coy
ly as I replied.
“You know what happened, I found him spying on you. We went back to my hotel, and he told me about our father.”
“Not that. Before… the night before I left? We’d been arguing and you came in and took him outside. What happened? You were angry when you came to find me later on.”
“You don’t have to protect him. You weren’t arguing, I saw him hit you.”
Ahh. That explained just about everything.
“I was furious. I told him not to come back around here again.” The way his eyes wouldn’t meet mine told me that those weren’t the exact words he had used that night.
“Anton owed money to the wrong people. I was only a kid and on the way home from school one day those wrong people picked me up. They held me for two days while Anton came up with the money.”
And there. That was it. It had been one of the worst times of my life and I hated thinking about it, every single time my mind took me back to that dark place. I felt the same things I did back then, scared and completely helpless. Nikolai’s arm tightened around my waist, pulling me into him. The touch pulled me from my memories and reaffirmed that here in the now, I wasn’t alone.
“I’d felt so alone. I was helpless, dependent on Anton coming up with the money. When he finally called them, we met him at the racetrack, they were suspicious of him from the moment he walked in. Turned out they were right to worry, Anton pulled a gun, men flooded the stands all with guns.”
“Who did this?” His fingers lightly brushed my stomach again.
“One of the guys that had taken me. Everyone was shooting but instead, he grabbed me and used me as a shield. He had a knife pressed to my stomach. I got shot, we fell… I woke up in the hospital a day later.”
“You’ve been through so much, Ana.”
“I don’t really like talking about it, it was a horrible time.” After that incident, life seemed so dark. I refused to go to school for weeks, I withdrew from what little social life I’d had, I wouldn’t even speak to Anton.
Be My Queen (The Crown Duet Book 2) Page 12
