Page 135 of The Dark Side

Jolie's fingers danced on his chest, tracing each tattoo, putting them to memory, questioning what made him get them. Some were nicer than others. She didn't appreciate the naked women or the devil, but they were choices he made without her. There were random scars covered by dark ink, and she teased them, trying to guess where he got them from. There was so much about his life she didn't know about, and yet he didn't feel like a stranger. She felt like she had been waiting for him her whole life.

The gunshot wound on his shoulder had opened during their lovemaking. Band-Aids proved ineffective, but thankfully, they had a small first aid kit in the bathroom, and she wrapped gauze over it. He was immune to pain, not caring as it bled when he tried to have sex with her on the bathroom floor.

Food was brought to her by Esfir as Adrik hid under the covers. Lunch and dinner, but it was only enough for one. They shared, but now she was starving. She was unbelievably thirsty, but she didn't want to move. She didn't want the peace between them to be over.

Adrik moaned as he woke, his gaze on her through the haze of sleepiness. "You okay?"

She nodded, trying to smother her smile but was terribly unsuccessful. "Happy Birthday," she whispered, kissing his chin.

Adrik smirked as a hand danced along her cheek. They spent so much time together, and it wasn't enough. He didn't want the day to start. He wanted to stay wrapped in her bedsheets forever. "You thought that was it," he joked, recalling when he came inside her for the first time. She got up and cleaned her pussy, then tried to put clothes on. He had picked her up and sat her on the dresser. The confusion on her face as he shoved his hard dick back into her had made him laugh. "You should have seen your face."

Jolie defended herself. "How was I supposed to know you can do that?"

"You read enough books."

"And it's typically one and done."

He chuckled. "Then, the women writing them aren't as lucky as you."

Jolie giggled. "You're so full of yourself." She curved her body around him, a naked leg over his. His fingers drifted up and down on her arm. She was floating in a cloud. Conversations between them had all been playful and sweet, with naughty talk sneaking in. She learned all his favorite things and saw every kind of smile. The bubble of happiness she was floating on couldn't be popped.

But she knew they still needed to discuss some things. Now that the day was just beginning, she wanted to start off on the right foot. Sex wasn't a balm; it wasn't going to make all their problems better.

"I'm sorry," Jolie began.

Adrik turned to her with knitted brows. "Sorry? For what?"

Jolie avoided his gaze. "I opened the door on the ship. You told me not to, but I got scared when they were drilling in from the other side. Your mom told me to stay, but I grabbed Helina and left. And they were waiting on the other side. I'm sorry. It's my fault you almost lost her."

Adrik rolled on his side, a hand propping his head up. "Baby, I wasn't mad at you."

The tears in her eyes hurt him, and he touched her bruised skin to assure her it was alright. "Then, why didn't you talk to me?"

He didn't know how to say his worries out loud. He wasn't typically a sharer. But Jolie wasn't like Katia, who saw emotion as a weakness. Jolie needed his words to soothe her. "I thought you would tell me it was over. I'm honestly surprised it isn't." He leaned into her ear, and whispered, "I'm starting to think you like a little danger."

Jolie giggled, pushing him away as he chuckled. But her smile fell after that. "You asked me to stay," she whispered. "And I want to."

"But?" he added, hearing it in her tone. He dropped on his back and stared at the ceiling. There was always a 'but.'

Jolie sat up, holding a blanket to her chest. She stared down at him, and his blue eyes avoided her. He didn't want to hear it, but she wasn't going to keep quiet. "I was terrified on the ship. I needed you, and instead, I got your brother. You use your brother to fix things. You can't do that. I don't want your brother. I want you."

Once more, she proved different. Adrik was beginning to realize his preconceived ideas of all the women he knew didn't apply to her. Adrik shrugged. "Alexei knows what to say."

"I don't care. His words aren't your words. His presence isn't your presence. In a relationship, we need to learn how to support each other. You can't rely on him to make me feel better. It puts him in a vulnerable position. It's misleading."

Adrik sat up. "Did he come on to you?"

"No," Jolie quickly corrected. "But"—she took a deep breath—"I think he likes me."

"I know he does." Adrik threw the covers off and put his feet on the floor, stretching. "But he knows his place."

"Adrik, that's not the point."

Adrik knew she was right, but Alexei was always the communicator. He knew how to deal with certain situations, usually with women, because Adrik didn't have the patience to deal with hysteria. He was not polite when met with crazy. But Jolie wasn't being crazy. She was communicating her needs, and he needed to listen.

He snatched his phone off the nightstand and turned it on. The agonizing seconds it took, with Jolie staring at him, was a new torture. Thankfully, dozens of beeps took away his attention the moment it activated. Being absent from his business for so long without letting anyone know was a good way to cause panic.

Jolie laid back on the bed, her heavy sigh distracting for half a second. He didn't want to deal with his supposed imperfections this early in the morning. It was his birthday, after all; didn't he deserve a break?

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