Chapter Nine

Elena

I felt the heat of his body as he inched closer towards me. I inhaled the refreshing scent of his body wash, and fortunately my eyes weren’t completely closed. It had been a long arduous day, and my body wouldn’t let my eyes stay open. It was bad enough I had to let him kiss me on the forehead in the church, let alone having to be holed up with Nikk in a honeymoon suite.

I thought he would realize I loathed him and his family and would leave me alone. Stick to the contract, but that was a grave misstep on my part. I knew he would emerge from the shower, and that possibly he would be looking for me, but only to say good night. The scent of his bodywash did nothing to settle my jangled nerves, and I hoped the racing beat of my heart would stop climbing, but with every footstep closer in my direction, the beat grew stronger and stronger.

Is he going to kill me or try to touch me? I couldn’t guess, but my brain’s neurons had already entered fight-or-flight engagement. I was fast working out the details of how quickly I could roll off the plush couch and reach for my gun to shoot him.

Apparently, I didn’t spare enough time to stop him from reaching for a tendril of my hair, curving it behind my ear. His featherlight touch sends shivers down my spine, and it isn’t because I’m scared of him. It’s a feeling I can’t put my finger on exactly.

My stomach clenches, knotting itself into a ball as my eyes fly open. Within a millisecond, I grab his wrist to stop him from proceeding any further. I might not have the strength that Nikk does, but I want him to realize I’m serious about not touching me without my consent.

“What are you doing?” I grit out, but it doesn’t come out with enough firepower. There’s a sleepy hoarseness in my tone, but it does give him pause.

“Nothing,” he replies silkily, standing rod straight in front of me. God, I can see everything through his boxers. My eyes widen at the bulge inside them, my breath hitching in my throat, and a flush of heat prickling my cheeks. A mischievous smile tugs at his mouth as he notices my fright. Fuck. Hide it. Pretend you didn’t see. I shelter my eyes from staring at his half-mast cock, letting my mind wonder as to what it would feel like.

No, Elena. You mustn’t think like this. He’s the enemy, and this is a sham marriage. Not a real one. “You were so peaceful lying there, so I came over,” he admits gruffly, giving no plausible explanation still as to why he touched me. I raise my head, drawing my parted robe at the thigh back together and allowing myself to sit up.

Thankfully, he doesn’t try to force himself on me, no, instead, to my surprise, Nikk steps back, raking a hand through his hair. “Right.” My eyes narrow in suspicion as I drink him in fully. God, he is a beautifully dangerous enemy. His hair is damp at the nape of his neck, and tiny beads of water sit on the hump of his well-carved-out shoulders. He must work out a lot. His eyes make him even more enigmatic, the color of green emeralds, reminding me of places I’ve seen on TV. I don’t want to delve too deeply into them for fear of being sucked in, but it seems I don’t have much of a choice.

Nikk tilts his head in question, my heart still not slowing its pace. “Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

“Because,” I say in a clipped tone, thinking it would be obvious to him, and not wanting to dive into the rabbit hole with him.

“Because?” he says, smirking, intense coils of heat rolling off his ripped body. I stare blankly at his bare chest, his tattoos visible, studying the raised scar at the base of his abdomen. God. A Russian Adonis. This is all I need. A secondary ripple of heat blazes through my body as an unfamiliar ache takes root in my core. Fuck. Am I turned on by this guy? How can I be? Embarrassment sets in, but I don’t let on.

“Because, I think it’s better I sleep on the couch tonight,” I mumble, casting my gaze elsewhere, but I fear it’s too late. His victorious smile is giving him away. He knows I’m feeling nervous. I’ve taken it to second and third base with a guy, but never all the way, and Nikk is experienced. I know he is. I can tell by the way his eyes are gobbling me up.

“Will you be sleeping on the couch for the entire year? We will be living in the same room. The same house and working together. Are you aware of that?”

Snickering, and regaining my senses partially, I finally raise my eyes to level up with his in challenge. “Surely, we’ll be able to stay in separate rooms. I know New York is known for its tiny spaces, but surely your house isn’t that small, is it?”

Nikk’s holds a deadpan expression, his deadly eyes peeling back my vulnerability. Okay. That didn’t work out as I hoped. God, I wish he wouldn’t look at me as if he wants to eat me alive. “There’s no clauses in the contract about us not sleeping in the same bed,” he explains drolly, his chest muscles flexing involuntarily. I sneak a look down further to his bulge. It’s still there, and as my eyes scan further, I note the strength and stability of his legs, but I pretend to be stretching.

“It might not be in the contract, but I did say to you that you can’t touch me unless I say so,” I remind him.

Nikk chuckles, cracking his knuckles. “Donna, you will sleep in the same room as me, and that’s final,” he presses, his jaw hardening.

Crossing my legs, I let out a whisper of a breath. I could pretend I don’t like his authority, but that would be a bold-faced lie. The slice of his words hit me in all the right places, but still, I’m not backing down to a filthy Orlov. “Why should it be final?” I challenge, fire in my eyes as Nikk shakes his head.

“You Mancinis. First you want to work and go against my tradition.”

“It’s part of the business arrangement we decided upon, yes.”

“Part of the business deal is marriage, Elena. You will sleep in the same room as a mark of respect. You are my wife now. If the help in the house see you’re sleeping in another room, they will think you’re my mistress. Now, you don’t want that, do you?”

Thinking about it for a quick second, I flip my hair over my shoulder. “No, I don’t.”

“Good, then it’s settled. Besides, I caught you looking,” he teases, a smirk holding laughter lines on his face.

“Caught me looking where?” I quip, my face reddening.

“At my cock, Elena,” he blurts out brashly, my face close to bursting into flames as the pulse in my core grows.

“I wasn’t doing that. You’re showing off. You should put a shirt on.”

“Why? You’re my wife. Have you not seen a man before fresh out of the shower?”

Squirming in discomfort, I reach for the remote wanting to watch TV, but Nikk craftily slides in front of it, his eyes questioning as he switches it off.

“Elena, are you a virgin?” he asks, and I wish only for the ground to swallow me whole.

“Shut up! I didn’t need to sleep my way to the top. I’m already on top. I’ll save myself for my one true love. And there’s no way I want to share a bed with you,” I spit out, acid on the tip of my tongue.

“Oh, you say that now, but soon, Elena, you will be begging me to share a bed with you. You’re already telling me with your eyes, wife,” he taunts.

Dammit.