Page 31 of Nikolai

"Load him up," my father says. Victor and I lift his dead weight from the ground, then toss him in the back, and haul ass back to the clubhouse with a little gift.

12

Leah

It's been two days since Nikolai, and I shared a kiss. He didn't come into work yesterday either because some stuff went down with the club involving Sam and his girlfriend, Sofia. Sam and Sofia are new, but he's been in love with her forever. Long story short, Sofia and another woman connected to The Kings were kidnapped. I have noticed a pattern over the last year when it comes to The Kings' women. Trouble seems to follow them everywhere. Lucky for them, they all have men who will go to the ends of the earth to keep them safe.

"What's running through your head, Leah?" Alba asks. "You look a million miles away."

It's Saturday, and yesterday Alba stopped by my work, insisting I go shopping with her and Bella today. For once, I didn't fight her on the invitation. Surprisingly, I have wanted to buy new clothes. I don't know if it's how Nikolai makes me feel when he looks at me or how he makes it a point to tell me how beautiful I am, but I find myself more confident and comfortable in my skin.

Snapping out of my musings, I look over the top of the clothing rack at Alba. "I was just thinking about Sam and Sofia. I'm relieved her, and that the other woman are okay."

"Me too. Thank God she has Sam."

"Yeah. I'm happy for him. They're perfect together," I add.

Alba smiles. "They are."

"Hey." Bella comes to stand next to Alba. "You two want to hit up Grace's for some coffee?"

"I'm in. Just let me pay for this dress, and we can go." I hold up the white vintage floral summer dress.

"Oh, Leah. That's a gorgeous dress," Bella boasts.

"Yeah, Leah. That dress will look hot on you," Alba agrees. Then her lip tips up in a smirk. "You wouldn't be buying that for anyone in particular, would you? Say a certain hot Russian?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. Alba hit the mark. She takes my silence as a yes to her question, and her smirk turns into a full-blown smile. "Okay. I'm going to need you to hurry up and pay so that we can get to Grace's. This conversation needs to happen over coffee and whatever mouthwatering goodness Grace has for us today."

"I second that." Bella ushers me to the register. "I need details."

"Guys, there's nothing to tell."

"We'll be the judge of that," Bella says, and I roll my eyes.

Twenty minutes later, the three of us are sitting inside The Cookie Jar with coffee and fresh-baked cinnamon buns. I pick at my food and take a sip of my coffee while trying to ignore the sisters sitting in front of me. Alba is not having any of that, though.

"Okay, spill."

"I already told you, there is nothing to spill." The moment the words tumble out of my mouth, my thoughts drift back to mine, and Nikolai's kiss and my cheeks heat.

"Liar. You're blushing," Alba calls me out.

I sigh. "Fine. Nikolai kissed me."

I nearly jump out of my seat at the sound of the squeals coming from Alba and Bella. The sound of metal crashing to the floor from behind the counter where Grace just dropped a pan, because she too was startled. Alba gives Grace a sheepish look. "Sorry, Grace."

She turns back to me. "When did this happen?"

I shrug. "A couple of days ago."

"What! And I'm just now hearing about it?"

I sigh. "It's not a big deal. It was one kiss."

Bella smiles. "Oh, I think it's a huge deal. Nikolai has been waiting a long time to make his move on you. No way will he stop at one kiss." She shakes her head. "That man is just getting started."

"What do you mean he's been waiting a long time?"

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