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I shake my head in amusement.
I’ve no idea how Nikolai and I have come to this, but I won’t second guess it. I’m enjoying his company and the attention he’s giving me. It’s better I do myself a favor and stop denying it.
My mind’s made up. For the foreseeable future, I plan on staying in Nikolai Volkov’s house.
I’m officially and willingly taking on the role of his fiancée.
TWENTY-EIGHT
NIKOLAI
It’s been a week since I gave Katarina her freedom. In that time, I’ve given her back her phone, and she’s been in touch with her family, friends, and work.
It’s hard for me not to have her watched around the clock. But considering that she’s still in the house and that no one has come to try to kill me yet, it appears she’s staying true to her word. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t hire extra men to watch my back. I might be testing her, but I’m not a complete fool.
“You must be excited to get home to Kata,” Ivan comments, catching my eye in the rearview mirror. “You’ve been grinning like an idiot ever since we left the office.”
I chuckle softly. “It’s nice to have someone to come home to. I’d forgotten the feeling.”
“I’m happy for you, Nik,” he tells me. “If anyone deserves this, it’s you. God knows you’ve been to hell and back.”
True. The past five years have been a blur. Nothing I’ve achieved compares to having Katarina in my life, especially now when we’re doing it freely and not because I’m forcing her.
“I hope she’s not faking it,” I murmur, a little uneasy. “It’ll take me a while before I can fully trust her, but I guess that’s my fault.”
“It’ll be okay,” Ivan assures me. “You’ll find a way to make it work.”
“Thanks,” I reply.
The car ride is shorter than usual, and I’m grateful for that. Not that I mind hanging out with Ivan, but Katarina is much better company—especially now that she’s sleeping with me every night.
“Here we are,” he says as he stops on the street in front of the brownstone.
I get out of the car and nod at the men positioned at the front door. Neither one of them has anything to report, so I go inside to look for Katarina.
As I reach the top of the stairs, chatter greets me. I follow it all the way to the master bedroom, where I find Olga and Katarina. My bed is covered with boxes, and my closet is in the process of being reorganized.
“What’s going on?” I ask with a smile playing on my lips.
“I went on an online shopping spree,” Katarina says as she comes to me and wraps her arms around my neck. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“By the look of it, you’ve left quite a dent in my bank account,” I muse before pulling her in for a kiss.
“Just say ‘thank you, darling’, and enjoy the new clothes,” she suggests. “Maybe I’ll let you unwrap me too.”
“Good lord, young people these days,” Olga admonishes us with a shake of her head as she makes her way out of the room. Though she’s trying to hide it by looking away from us, I catch her smiling. She’s happy for me.
As Olga passes by me, I give her a quick kiss on the cheek, then continue to the bathroom. “I’ll take a shower, and then we can have dinner, okay?”
“Hurry up,” Katarina urges. “Olga’s been teasing me with her lasagna for the last two hours.”
“Alright. I’ll make sure you don’t have to wait too long to taste it,” I reply.
As soon as the bathroom door shuts behind me, I begin to remove the suit I’m wearing. There’s a sense of belonging that’s I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s hard to get used to the domestic feeling that’s creeping into my home.
Once I’ve disposed of the rest of my clothes, I stand naked in the bathroom and scan myself in the mirror. I’ve been lucky enough not to collect too many scars. Just the one on my temple and the bullet wound on my left leg. At least the limp is gone.
I start the shower and let the water run until it gets hot. A satisfied groan escapes my mouth when the scorching spray hits my skin. It’s the perfect mix of soreness and pleasure, just the way I like it.
