Page 23 of Drop Pass

I couldn’t breathe.

My eyes found Nikolay and he seemed to know what I was thinking. He was out of his chair and behind me in a flash. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me out of the chair before clasping his hands together just under my bust. I tried again to breathe but my entire throat was blocked.

“I’m sorry.” He said the words as he pulled back in the Heimlich maneuver.

Pain shot through my ribs, chest, and throat but nothing happened.

My hands flew to my neck, but there was nothing I could do. He pulled again, harder and the force was enough. I coughed and a chunk of the cheesecake’s cookie crust came out. I caught it in my napkin and sat still as tears ran down my cheeks.

He kneeled in front of me, holding my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

I took in a few shallow breaths and nodded.

“Drink some water.” He held up my glass.

I obeyed and the burning sensation decreased. I leaned back in the chair and tried to calm down.

Once my heart rate was down and my brain caught on that I was no longer at risk of dying I realized he’d saved my life. Again. In one day.

“Thank you.”

His serious expression didn’t change as he looked me over. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nodded and he stood. He pulled his chair closer and sat, never taking his eyes off me.

“How often do you have near death experiences?”

He said the words so bluntly it took a moment for me to realize he was joking. I let out a laugh and cringed at the pain in my throat.

“I swear, this has been the worst day ever. Record breaking.”

He smirked. “So, it’s me?”

I pretended to think about it. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“I don’t know if that means I should leave you alone, or never leave your side. Either I cause it or it’s my job to save you from now on.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I don’t know either.”

He was handling this much better than I would have. I would have kicked me out and told me to stay away. This day had been a disaster but he wasn’t running.

“I think I owe you another dinner.” The realization made me cringe. At this rate, I’d always be in his debt.

“No, you don’t.”

“This was not how tonight was supposed to go.”

He smiled slightly. “I think that’s life in general. Nothing ever goes according to plan.”

I met his gaze and felt that stupid crush returning bigger and more determined. He might not be interested in me, but my heart didn’t seem to care. I could tell myself it was racing because of the choking incident, but I knew it was how close he was. It was how nice he was being. This was a side of Nikolay I’d never seen, and I liked it a lot more than I should.

“I should go before something else happens.”

He nodded once and stood, walking me to the door. “Think you can make it home okay?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Now you’re all jokes, huh?”

He smiled. “Have a good night, Elena.”