Page 24 of Nikolai

This time around, I become more aggressive in the way I'm handling her. I want her to feel what is going on. For a second, she struggles, forgetting everything I just taught her. Suddenly her fight kicks in. She executes one move after the other. A guttural scream leaves her body as she aggressively pushes me away from her, then with added measures, kicks me in the face. I fall back on my ass.

"Oh my God! Nikolai, I am so sorry." Leah scrambles across the floor until she's right in front of me. "I don't know where that came from. Are you okay?" I rub the side of my face. "Let me look," Leah brushes my hand away, and her fingertips gently press against my cheek, her face marred with worry. "I'm sorry. You have a small scratch there too. I'll find something to clean it up." Leah goes to stand, but I grab her wrist, pulling her back to the floor.

"You've done nothing to be sorry." I brush loose strands of hair from her face and fight the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Leah turns her head, hiding her blush.

"It's getting late. I should go."

Desperate for her to stay, I blurt the first thing to come to mind. "Stay. Have dinner with me." It's not a question, but I won't make her stay if she chooses to go.

She hesitates for a moment, biting her bottom lip like she's going to say no, but she doesn't. "Okay."

I get to my feet, pulling her up with me and tug at the hem of her shirt. "You should wear clothes that fit you. I don't like the way you hide your body."

Leah drops her head and tugs at her shirt. I sense her insecurity, and it pisses me off. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, I lead her into the kitchen, dropping the subject.

"Sit. I'll fix dinner."

"You cook too?" Leah slides onto a stool at the kitchen island. "What can't you do?" she mumbles, and I chuckle.

"There are many things I can't do. But I can cook a decent Beef Stroganov." I tell her as I rummage through the pantry and the fridge for all the ingredients I need. For the next hour, we engage in small talk. Nothing heavy. It's the most we've talked to each other casually since we first met. Leah's guard is down, and she's relaxed.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Leah sits in her seat, resting her chin in her palms as she watches me prepare our meal on our plates.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll answer a question if you answer one of mine." I place a glass in front of her.

"Personal?" She draws figure eights on the countertop.

"Yes. I'd like to get to know you better." With both plates in my hands, I jerk my chin, "Let's sit in the living room and watch a movie while we eat." Leah stands, following me. I wait for her to take a seat on the sofa.

"Is it true the Volkov's are a mafia family?"

"Yes." I pass a plate and take my seat next to her. Grabbing the remote, I turn on the TV, settling on a random movie channel, and wait for her reaction.

"Ooh. Fools Rush In. One of my favorites." Leah smiles, then lifts her fork, taking a bite. She moans as she finishes her bite then gets her fork ready for another. "The man can cook," she moans around her fork again after taking another taste of food, and the sound goes straight to my cock.

"My turn," I tell her then take a bite of my food. "Will you have dinner with me again?" My question is not what she was expecting, and her fork freezes mid-air as she goes to take another bite. Leah turns her head, looking at me.

"That's it? You're wasting your one question to ask me out?"

I continue to eat my meal.

"Like a date?" she questions as if she might have misunderstood me.

"Yes. A date," I clarify. What she doesn't know is the date will be a first for me. I've had women—plenty of them. But I didn't date until now. Leah makes me crave things in life I've never wanted before.

"I'd like that." She finally puts me out of my misery, and the smile that follows seals the deal.

Finished with our dinner, we sit and watch the remainder of the movie. It was your typical boy meets girl; they fall in love and live happily ever after. I never watch shit like this. I don't cook women dinner, and I sure as hell don't watch sappy ass movies with them. I fuck. That's it.

But Leah is different. Fuck, what is this woman doing to me? I steal glances at Leah, her eyes glued to the TV screen, and wonder, does shit like that exists? She's in danger already. Am I selfish by pursuing her? My family has enemies. Being the son of Demetri Volkov has put a mark on my life more than I can count. If I cross the wrong person, they will kill her just to watch me suffer. Am I willing to risk all of that by loving someone?

By the time the movie has ended, Leah has snuggled into the corner of the plush cushion and is fast asleep. I glance at the time. It's late. Instead of waking her, I stand. Tucking my arms beneath her, I lift Leah from the sofa, pulling her close to my chest, as she buries her face in the crook of my neck. Carrying her upstairs to my room, I lay her down, gently on my bed, remove her glasses, and set them on the nightstand. Then I pull the comforter from the foot of the bed and cover her.

Moving to the chair in front of the window, I sit in the dark, watching her sleep.

10

Leah

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