Page 101 of Scarred (Russian Sinners 2)

“I give you my word; I won’t leave without telling you.” And I meant it. It was important to me we trusted each other.

She nodded. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I-I…,” she tried to search for words and as if she gave up, she finally continued, “I am falling in love with you, Nikolai. Like hard falling. And I don’t want to see you hurt.”

If I had a heart up till this moment, it must have not been beating because for the first time in my entire life my heart raced at hearing her words. Like that one organ had been hidden until now, like it had been waiting for her these last thirty-six years.

I grabbed her by her butt; her legs hooked around my waist as I picked her up. I pressed her against the wall and she held on tight.

“Fuck, Olivia,” I muttered against her lips. “I already love you. You are the only woman for me.”

Her blue eyes flashed with surprise and then her eyes glimmered again.

“Don’t cry, malysh,” I comforted her, nuzzling my face against her soft skin. Her scent was calmness and adrenaline wrapped in one for me.

“They are happy tears,” she whispered low and her lips brushed against my scar. She kissed it, tracing it gently with her lips. She always seemed to gravitate to my scar while everyone else shied away from it. “I love you so much,” her voice trembled with all the emotion I felt. “And I’m scared of losing you.”

My lips pressed hard against hers, and all the pieces of me came together for the first time in my life… for her.

I leaned my head against her forehead, both of our breathing heavy.

“You won’t lose me,” I vowed to her. “I’m yours forever.”

“But-”

I gently pressed my finger over her lips. “But nothing. Tomorrow we’ll come up with the plan. Together.”

“Yes, together,” she repeated, and it was our solemn promise.

We would do it all together.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Olivia

Nikolai swept me off my feet, literally and figuratively. I loved everything about him, from his fierce protectiveness to the loyalty he offered to his family and friends. He might have grown up differently than me, but he had more honor in him than most people in my social circles.

I loved him. Every single scar, every smile, all of his darkness. As soon as those words left my lips, it was also an admission to myself.I have fallen hard for him.There would never be anyone that would make me feel it all like him. He made me feel happy, loved, cherished, and above all safe. He would never use me for his own selfish motives. If anything, I had to make sure he wouldn’t sacrifice himself for me. Because damn it, I wanted us to get out of this alive and see where this took us.

For a while there, I thought he wouldn’t listen to reason. I could completely understand the need to go after Malcome right away and crush him. But Malcome was sneaky and never played fair. My sixth sense was sending all kinds of warning bells that we would be making a mistake to go after him thinking he wasn’t expecting us.

It was hard for Nikolai to wait, and I couldn’t blame him. Malcome killed his sister, his only immediate family left. Nikolai was a man that made people pay for crossing him, not to mention hurting people he loved. That's what I loved about him the most. There was no bullshit, just the man that lived his life by his code but still honorable. I didn’t give a shit that he killed someone that threatened to hurt him or others. The logical part of my brain said this wasn’t eye for an eye world, but hell, maybe it would be better if it was. In that world, assholes like my father and Malcome would have gotten theirs a long time ago.

We were both in bed, his big body spooning mine. It made me feel protected, being in his bubble.

“You look tired,” Nikolai nuzzled my neck. “Let’s get some sleep.”

Taking a deep breath, I forced my body to relax. He was right, we needed to get some rest. The next few days would be hard and would probably need all our focus and energy. But even with Malcome looming as a dark, threatening cloud over us, I felt as if my world righted itself. It was all thanks to this man that I loved him… all of his darkness, his scars, his rough but protective demeanor. I was all his.

“Thank you,” I murmured, my eyelids getting heavy already. “For loving me and for hearing me out.”

His arms tightened around me. “Always.” It was a vow, a promise I intended to return. For the first time in a very long time, I fell asleep with a hope for a future. All those dreams for a happy family of my own finally seemed like a possibility.

* * *

Ilya, Andrey, Nikolai, and I sat around in Nikolai’s office. Nikolai had a map laid out on the desk, marking every street corner of his parent’s home that was currently covered by his men. There was also a flat screen television mounted on the wall that was hooked to the security cameras in Nikolai’s old parent’s home. Seeing Malcome on the screen was like watching a beast in a cage. Except the viewer was more scared than the beast itself, knowing that if I fell into that cage, I’d be mutilated alive.

I gulped hard, stopping the trail of my thoughts. We were safe. Currently Malcome couldn’t move without being spotted by Nikolai’s men. The question was whether he knew it or not.

“Using you as a bait is out of the question,” Nikolai retorted dryly. I tried offering my idea one more time as we got started, but even before I opened my mouth, I knew Nikolai would shut it down. He was way overprotective. It was what I loved about him. I tried to relate to him that I’d still be safe and I had no doubt that he’d protect me even if there was a bit of distance between us. He wouldn’t have any of it.

---