AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I missed you,” I say into his ear.
For a second, I wonder if Nik will joke about how I just saw him a couple of hours ago. Instead, he says, “Fuck. I missed you more.”
I gasp when everything I thought I would never get a chance to tell him rushes to the forefront of my mind. Suddenly, I can’t wait even a second longer to share it with him. I push against his chest, and, with obvious reluctance, Nik sets me down, but his arms linger around my waist.
I take a deep breath. “Nik, we need to talk. There’s something I must tell you.”
Nik’s shoulders stiffen, and his eyes become guarded as a saddened expression washes over his handsome face. “What is it?”
The words rush out of my mouth. “We’ve wasted so much time. You and I have spent way too much time letting meaningless things and worries get in the way of our happiness. It’s time we stop this nonsense. After the challenges we’ve been through since we first met, we deserve it more than anyone. I say it’s our turn to be madly, ridiculously, embarrassingly happy. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m game if you are.”
“What are you saying?” he asks, his voice slightly unsteady.
I shrug, smiling. “You know I hate feeling powerless or like things are spiraling out of my control. And, sure, at this point, it’s fair to say I have something of a traumatic history with controlling mafia bosses. If I never see another mobster for the rest of my life, it will still be too soon. But you are my exception. And I never want to let my fears stand in the way of our happiness again. I don’t want to hold on to them. Nothing but misery awaits me if I make that mistake again. I want to hold on to you instead. For the rest of my days. And if you feel the same way?—”
“I do,” he quickly says.
I squeeze his biceps, grinning. “Let’s not waste another precious second with our useless emotional baggage, then. Let’s be outrageously happy instead.”
Nik’s dark brown eyes frantically search my face. “Kat, do you mean that?”
After wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him closer. “Nik, I need you. Even if I hadn’t been forced to confront my mortality and yours today, I would still have returned to you.” I smile at him. “Eventually.”
“You would have?” he asks incredulously.
I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Of course. I was having a hard time staying away from you before Dmitri even knocked on my door. Mind you, that does not mean you get to lock me away in a tower or browbeat me into giving in to your every whim and dictate. You will need to curb your urges to boss me around, mister. In turn, I will share all my secrets with you. I’ll become the proverbial open book. Get ready, Nik, because I’m about to give the term oversharing a whole new meaning.”
Nik scoffs, his lips twisting into the most captivating smirk. “Kat, please. Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’m warning you. You don’t know what you’re signing up for. Before long, you’ll be begging me to shut my mouth.”
“Unlikely,” he says, unabashedly amused. “But if somehow that day ever comes, I know just the thing you can do with your lips instead.”
I hook my finger around the collar of Nik’s shirt and pull him closer and closer until our faces are a mere inch apart. His breath mingles with mine, and he shudders.
Suddenly, I become entranced by his mouth. “Speaking of which, will you shut up and kiss me already?”
“In a moment. First, there’s something I need to tell you, too.”
“What is it?” I ask impatiently.
Nik studies my expression before brushing his lips over my ear. His breaths warm my skin as, with a trembling hand, he cups my face. “Kat, I love you with all my heart.”
My heart skips a beat, but with a shrug, I wink at him. “I know.”
“Do you think—could you see yourself one day feeling the same way? Before you answer, you should know how deeply sorry I am for hurting you. I will never, ever be able to apologize enough for locking you in here and forcing you to stay. Or for losing my head that day, or for dragging you into my mess of a life. I’ll always be profoundly ashamed of what I’ve done to you and the pain I’ve caused you.”
I sigh. “Nik, you aren’t listening to me. I wanted to run back to you after less than a day apart. Yes, locking me away was despicable—and the other stuff didn’t make you look great either. But I still fell in love with you!”
Nik blinks twice, tilting his head as if he can’t believe he heard me correctly.
I almost can’t resist the urge to roll my eyes. Men are so freaking clueless…
Amused by his dumbstruck expression, I say, “Come on. You know I’ve had a crush on you from the start. Even when you were mean to me and I wanted to hate you, I couldn’t help craving being around you. With every word we exchanged, every moment we shared, it grew harder and harder to remember why I wasn’t supposed to fall for you. And when you kissed me or touched me?” I sigh, theatrically fanning myself. “Let me put it like this: you don’t play fair, miliy. I never stood a chance.”
Nik shakes his head with a flattered, bewildered expression. “I can’t believe this is my life.”
“What do you mean?”
