Page 86 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

I nodded and hugged her in return. “I think that’s about as much as I can say on the matter tonight. Let’s get some sleep, okay? I’ve got you.”

She gave no protest, for once. She snuggled into me, our legs intertwined. Within a few minutes, her breathing slowed and evened out, letting me know she was asleep.

For me, sleep was a long way off. There was too much emotion swirling inside of me. Talking about Martinez did that to me.

However, if I were being honest with myself, there was something far more serious welling up inside of me, threatening to break through.

Good thing I was a damned good liar when I needed to be.

Chapter 21

Nikolai

The next morning,I woke up content and damn near euphoric. Last night had been… Well, it had been something unlike anything I’d ever experienced with a woman. I liked control. I enjoyed taking charge. It’s what made me a good Dominant. But with Maddy and the day we’d had yesterday, it was like my dominance fell away into something more simple, something deeper than the dominance I had practiced for nearly ten years now.

Feeling lighter than air, I made my way downstairs. A steaming cup of coffee was exactly what I needed this morning. Then, I planned to make Maddy a delicious breakfast. Granted, it wouldn’t be half the breakfast Sully would make, but I wanted to do this myself. Ineededto do it myself.

Whistling as I waltzed into the kitchen, I knew nothing could darken my mood.

“Well, good morning to you.” Deacon’s low southerndrawl scared me half to death and nearly had me jumping out of my skin.

“Jesus, Deacon. Warn a man,” I chuckled, clutching my chest for a moment as my heart raced.

“I’m just sittin’ here, drinkin’ my coffee, man,” he said with a smirk, raising his mug to his lips.

“Fair enough. Thanks for making coffee.” I rounded the high-top bar, pulling a mug from the cabinet before filling it with the steaming, dark java juice. Nothing beat a good cup of coffee in the morning. Well, other than waking up next to Maddy. That was quickly racing to the top of the list.

“I’m going to make Maddy some breakfast. Want me to make you some, too?” I offered, pouring some creamer into my cup. Deacon and Jax both drank their coffee black, which I could just never understand. Give me all the creamer and sugar, I didn’t care. It tasted good. I needed caffeine. I didn’t need it to taste like dirt.

“Nah, I’m good with this for now,” he replied, raising his mug to me. “But you got a minute to talk, brother?”

Uh oh. I knew that tone.

“Sure.” I joined him at the table, wondering what was up. It wasn’t often Deacon had an issue, but when he did, and when he chose tohave a chat, it was obvious.

“So, this thing with you and Maddy. Seems to be heating up,” he said, obviously skirting around whatever issue he was having. My heart dropped into my stomach, realizing that the issue lay with the dynamic between Maddy and me.

“Yeah, you could say that.” I took a sip of my coffee,unable to hold back my groan of satisfaction at the taste of the blissful, sweet taste of java. It soothed my soul.

“I gotta ask, man. What’s the plan there?”

“The plan?”

“Yeah, the plan.”

“I guess I don’t really have a plan.”

“That’s unlike you.”

“I suppose.”

“What I’m sayin’ is that… brother, I’ve known you for over a decade now. You always have a plan. You are the man who thinks things through. It’s why you take the lead here in this very house. But with Maddy, it’s like you’ve completely changed who you are.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. His words confused me. While I could see where he was coming from to a degree, I didn’t think I’d truly changed who I was.

“That feels a bit dramatic. I haven’t changed who I am. I’m still the same person.”

“You’re not though. Look at your behavior.”

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