Page 87 of Captive

After squeezing my arm, Nikolai walked closer to his friend, holding out his arm. “Thank you for everything.”

“What are friends for?” Travis shook his hand roughly then winked in my direction. “I think you have everything you need for the night, including wine. Whiskey. Some food in the fridge, although I wasn’t certain what you’d like. Oh, and there’s some puppy food in the cabinet. I did what I could, my friend.”

“You don’t have any idea how much I appreciate it,” Nikolai said as he shook his head. “It’s good to be home.”

“We’re damn glad to have you here. I think I’ll just let myself out.” Travis cocked his head in my direction. “Unless you need me to stay.”

“Leave,” I barked. Then I moved closer, wrapping my arms around him. “Thank you, but if you ever scare me like that again, I’ll kick your ass.”

Travis burst into laughter. “I have no doubt you would.”

I watched as he walked toward the door, a spring in his step. The man was even whistling. When I finally turned around to face the man I loved, I shook my head. Although I wasn’t certain I could stay miffed at a man who was getting dozens of puppy licks.

“What happened?”

“I did what was necessary, bringing peace at least for now.”

“I’m so glad.” I could see relief in his eyes. “So, what is this place?”

Nikolai laughed like I’d never seen him do before. There was such light in his eyes as he played with the puppy that I became mesmerized.

“This,” he said as he continued to nuzzle the dog, “is hopefully the kind of house you were talking about in your fairytale.”

“This is beautiful. Who does it belong to?”

“For an intelligent woman, there are times you can be so dense. The house belongs to you. Now, I’m not going to lie; I hope you’ll allow me to spend some time here.”

I tapped my finger across my lips, the hard hammering of my heart giving me palpitations. “I have to think about it.”

“Oh, you do, huh?” He lifted a single eyebrow before placing the puppy on the floor. His swagger as he inched closer was unlikeany move that I’d seen him perform before. “Then I guess you’ll need some convincing.”

“I’m not sure you have it in you.”

“Woman, you infuriate the hell out of me. You refused to obey me on any level, remaining in the same city where you were placed in danger. And you wouldn’t accept any assistance. I assure you that I heard all about what you’ve been doing.”

“So Travis is a spy,” I teased.

“Absolutely.” He closed the distance, placing his hands on my arms. “You’re one disobedient woman.”

“And you flew away to a country where everyone wanted you dead.”

He gently brushed hair from my eyes. “Maybe not everyone.” As he lowered his head, he took a deep breath. “God, I missed you.”

An intense shiver skated down my spine. “You have no idea how much I missed you. I never thought I’d see you again. That almost broke me into little pieces.”

Nikolai took his time, slowly shaking his head from side to side. “I love you, Chloe. I think I have from the moment you walked into my classroom. I will never allow anyone or anything to come between us again.”

“Does that mean the danger is over?”

“That means,” he half whispered as he rubbed his thumb back and forth across my lips, “that my brother is fully in charge of the Federov Bratva. I don’t think there will be an insurgence in a hell of a long time.” He took me into his arms, rolling both handsdown my back. The tender moment created a wave of tingles as well as a rush of excitement.

“Then you’re safe.”

“We’re safe. We can finally live our lives the way we’d like.”

“I’m so glad.” Another rush of emotions plowed into me. I was aching all over, the rumble of desire erupting into a firestorm as the electricity soared between us.

A sly look crossed his face as he held me. “We’re going to share some special moments together in this house.”