“You’re seriously an anomaly.”
“Maybe you are. This shit seems boring. Why are they talking all the time? Where’s the action? The cars flying and people jumping in the air?”
“It’s a murder mystery. They talk to give clues about the murderer.”
“Neat. I’ll use this to lull myself to sleep.”
I hit his chest even as I suppress a smile. “Let me guess. You like action films?”
“Hell yeah.”
“But they’re mindless.”
“The more mindless, the better. I’m a simple man. I see good violence, I rate it five out of five.”
“You need help.”
He licks his lips, eyes twinkling. “Then help me, baby.”
A fire erupts at the base of my stomach and spreads all over my body. I stare at his moist mouth and gulp. “You’re going to kiss me, aren’t you?”
“I’m starving for your lips.”
He dips his head and steals my lips and I just give in. It’s impossible to fight the pull he has on me, and at this moment, I don’t want to.
We kiss for what seems like hours, tongues stroking and teeth nipping. Only, this time, it’s not urgent or leading up to sex.
Once we break apart, we don’t go to the bedroom. We don’t tear each other’s clothes off.
We just stay in that position, with my head on his lap as we watch Agatha Christie.
And it feels peaceful.
Right.
At least, until my demons demand that I leave.
For now, I just soak in his presence and do what I excel at.
Pretend that everything is okay.
20
NIKOLAI
“Let’s start a fucking war!”
That’s what I shouted this morning, to which everyone rolled their eyes as if I was being unreasonable, when the fact is, we should’ve started this war two weeks ago, after those fucker Serpents thought it was a good idea to attack our home.
But I’m cool. I can roll with it.
Lie, fucking liar.
Except for a little arson and chucking one of their cars down a cliff, I didn’t get much action. Fine. So Jer did give me a few targets to eliminate and I go to the fight club like my life depends on it.
But none of that is enough for the war machine brewing inside me.
It might also have to do with other particular circumstances that I can’t seem to fucking understand anymore.
Instead of giving us what we all need—the war—Jer told me to calm down, and Kill said it would be better if he takes me on a walk, to which I replied that I’m not his fucking dog.
Still, we walk down the island’s cobbled streets, throughout the old town, attracting more attention than necessary. Or more like, I do, even though I put a shirt on, for fuck’s sake.
“You need to stop glaring at anyone who looks at you,” Kill says with his usual calm, looking every bit the dignified gentleman that he most definitely is not.
“Maybe they need to stop looking at me.” I snarl at a lady who keeps walking and glancing behind her.
She runs inside one of the stores as if her ass is on fire.
“Jeez, Niko. Way to scare the locals.”
“This is dumb. Let’s go to the fight club, where I can beat you the fuck up.”
“Pass. I’m meeting my Glyn and I can’t suffer from a black eye.”
I stare at him with mock disbelief. “Are you telling me your girl is more important than me? Your cousin with whom you grew up?”
“Why is that a question? Of course she is.”
“Kill, you motherfucking—”
“Oh, please. Quit the dramatics. You already have someone who’s more important than us.”
I pause and narrow my eyes. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Your failed attempts at sneaking around at night and at the crack of dawn. Care to share where you go?”
“Fuck off.”
“Oh? Didn’t know you had the ability to be secretive, dear cousin. My, my. I’m officially intrigued.”
“Un-intrigue yourself.”
“That’s not a word. Hmm. It can’t be your fuck buddies since you didn’t shy away from flaunting them in our faces and disturbing us with your excessive porn shows and extravagant orgies. The fact that they disappeared altogether and you told the guards to kick out your toys whenever they come to the mansion means one thing.”
“Which is?”
“You really do have that ED.”
“Don’t make me flash you in public, because I’ll totally fucking do it.”
“There are a bunch of prudes here, Niko. You’ll end up in jail.”
“Don’t fucking care.”
“If it’s not ED, the only other option is…you went exclusive.”
Fucking Killian and his psycho mind should be banned from existing around me. I’m struggling as it is and barely stopping myself from shouting that “I’m off to fuck my lotus flower” every night and “I’m gonna give my lotus flower a good morning kiss” every day.
It should be blasphemous that I’m expected to keep any sort of secret. I’m a muscles guy who prefers speaking with his fists. Everything else needs to fuck right the fuck off.
I don’t like complicated. I don’t do complicated.
Anyone who entrusts me with their secrets is a fool. Bran is a fucking fool. But he believes in my discretion, so I can’t just advertise the whole unorthodox relationship.
Though he’d lose his marbles if I were to call it a relationship.
It’s a situationship.
A deal at best and a whoring contract at worse.
Sometimes, it feels like a relationship. Especially after the fire. He’s started coming to the penthouse more often than not, and the times he can’t, he sends me texts like:
My cousin and brothers are dragging me to this party. If I leave, it’ll be suspicious. I’m sorry. Will I see you tomorrow morning?
The girls invited me to their flat and I can’t make up an excuse this time. Glyn is asking if I’m okay because she’s growing worried, and I don’t want to put that burden on her. I’m really sorry. Can I still see you in the morning?
So yeah, the first time he didn’t come to the penthouse, I ghosted him the next morning as well, but I couldn’t keep doing that when he was apologizing and basically begging me to meet him for our runs.
He’s so fucking adorable. Though I wouldn’t tell him that out loud or it’d freak him out. He gets antsy whenever I treat him gently outside of sex.
It’s like he’s scared of the prospect of us growing closer or something. And yet he’s the one who does my grocery shopping and cooks for me.
I don’t remember what all the fancy dishes are called, and I’m pretty sure I don’t eat them the right way, considering the way he shakes his head in disapproval, but they taste awesome. Which is the whole point behind food, if you ask me.
He’s the one who stays a bit longer every night, as if he’s finding it harder to leave. He comes up with excuses about cleaning up and cooking or finishing the late-night murder mystery, but I know it’s because he loves me and wants to be with me more.
Okay, he doesn’t exactly love me. But I’m totally growing on him.