12. Kat

12

The muffled sound of a hesitant knock echoes through the cavernous bedroom, interrupting my dark thoughts.

After a moment of indecisiveness, I answer, not bothering to rise from the bed. "Yeah?" I say guardedly, glancing at the closed door from my comfortable observation point. Slowly, it opens.

To my surprise, it's Dmitri. He glances at me, clearly unsure of his welcome.

"Can I come in?" he asks from the doorway, his pale blue eyes cautious.

I nod, sitting up. "Yeah, of course."

He comes in carrying almost a dozen shopping bags. Wordlessly, he looks around the sparsely furnished room before asking, "I'm not sure where you want these. The boutique clerk sent them over today."

After noticing my puzzled expression, Dmitri says, "It's the stuff we had with us when the Irish rudely interrupted your little shopping spree and we had to run for our lives."

"Oh." I rise from the bed. "I guess we'll put it all in the closet. I can't believe the store kept it for us. And then had it delivered here, too. That was nice of them."

"I'm sure they were more than happy to go out of their way to please Nikolai Stefanovich's new girlfriend," Dmitri says, following me into the walk-in closet.

As I take the bags from him, I laugh humorlessly. "Girlfriend? Yeah, I don't know about that."

"Soul mate it is, then," Dmitri says, teasing me. He impassively watches me empty the bags. "I heard you two had a lovers' quarrel."

I roll my eyes at him. "Nik's right. You don't know how to mind your business, do you?"

Dmitri sighs wearily. "Come on, Kat. We've already discussed this. Nik is my business. Stick around long enough, and I'll make you my business, too." He winks at me.

I scoff, ruefully shaking my head at him. "We'll see about that."

He smirks. "Oh, you bet we will. Now, let's hear about this little trouble in paradise."

I hesitate to say more, but if anyone can offer me valuable insight on what to do with that impossible man, it's Dmitri. "What can I say? As you're undoubtedly aware, Nik can be a very challenging man. He's also a stubborn ass. Sometimes, it's hard to curb the urge to force some sense into his thick skull."

"You're preaching to the choir, sister."

"I guess you could say I'm struggling to figure out where I stand with him. Am I still his underling, or are we past that now? I know he and I started off on the wrong foot—and, truth be told, he's not entirely to blame for that. But I thought that was water under the bridge by now."

Dmitri raises his eyebrows. "It isn't? That's news to me."

I shrug. "Not if what he said to me earlier is any indication. And I'm not sure I can fully trust him when I don't know if we'll ever move past our rough start. This whole Jekyll and Hide song-and-dance is giving me whiplash."

Dmitri sighs, leaning his broad shoulders against the closet's door frame. "Look, Kat—I've known Nik for most of my life. For what it's worth, I've never seen him so taken by someone as he is with you. If anybody had described his recent behavior to me, I'd have called it bullshit. But I've seen it with my eyes. This lovesick, infatuated way he acts around you probably seems like the norm for you, because that's all you've known from him. But let me tell you, that couldn't be farther from the truth."

"What are you trying to say?"

He shrugs. "Just give him time. It's all new to him. He's adjusting to you—to all these new responses you evoke in him—just as you are to him. He's many things, but a disappointment isn't one of them. I'm sure you know that by now. If you're patient with him and give him a chance, he'll come through. He always does."

I sigh. "Oh, Dmitri… If only it could be this simple. There's just no way of knowing?—"

"Listen—" he interjects. "I get it. This shit's scary. And it's hard as hell, too. But take it from someone who knows—you don't want to lose your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have something as life-changing and special as this kind of love. Not over something fixable, workable."

His heartfelt statement gives me pause. It's a welcome distraction from my emotional conundrum and another piece of the intriguing puzzle of his mysterious love life. I decide to prod a little. "It sure sounds like you're speaking from experience, Dmitri."

As always, he remains noncommittal. "We all have our romantic disappointments here and there, don't we?"

I scoff. "Oh, cut the crap. Don't give me that. I've opened my heart to you. It's only fair that you do the same."

Dmitri shakes his head, a sad look lingering in his beautiful eyes. "I can't. And trust me, it isn't a story worth telling."

"I'll be the judge of that."

He bites on the side of his cheek, seemingly deep in thought. As I start thinking he won't give me an answer, he sighs again. Then, he mumbles, "I guess I could tell you some of it. There's this girl."

"No shit, Sherlock."

He goes on as if I haven't spoken, rolling his eyes. "She's always been special to me, but it took me a while to realize the nature of my feelings for her. By the time I was able to admit to myself that I was in love with her, it was too late for us. I had lost her. And now, not a minute goes by without me wishing I could turn back the clock and do things differently. There's absolutely nothing I won't do to get her back."

"What happened between you and her?"

"That's a tale for another time. If we make it that far," he says with a sad chuckle. "The moral of the story is that finding someone who makes life worth living is fucking hard. And rare. So don't throw it away if it happens to you. Don't take it for granted, or you might regret it for the rest of your miserable existence. I know this now. So does Nik. He knows what it's like to lose someone you love forever."

One way or the other, everything seems to go back to Maxim eventually.

"Nik has had little practice at loving or being loved, Kat," Dmitri says quietly. "He hasn't been that fortunate. But I know he'll bend over backwards to give you anything you want or need if you ask him for it. And I think you know it, too."

I sigh again. "Dmitri?—"

But whatever I meant to say is quickly forgotten when we hear the bedroom door open and shut quietly.

Immediately straightening, Dmitri raises an eyebrow at me before glancing at the newcomer over his shoulder. He turns back to me. "Just think about what I told you," he whispers. "And try to be patient. Please."

Without waiting for a response, Dmitri leaves.

I don't need to sneak a peek to know who my visitor is. That's why I turn my back to the doorway and resume sorting through the shopping bags.

Dmitri's story and advice still echo in my mind when Nik stops by the closet's entrance.

I have no intention of making his groveling any easier for him—and, frankly, I also have no clue what to say—so I remain silent, waiting for him to take the first step.

He watches me in silence for an impossibly long moment. Or maybe it just seems like that because I can't stand this uncomfortable silence between us.

Just as I'm about to cave in and blurt out something outrageous, he sighs. "Kat, I'm sorry."

His willingness to offer an olive branch promptly renews my resolve to remain silent. After all, if he's ready to admit he can be a supercilious bastard when the mood strikes him, then I won't to be the one to stop him.

"Kat, look at me. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth. I can't tell you how sorry I am for upsetting you. I just hope I haven't completely ruined things between us. If there's anything I can do to make you forget I was a complete jackass, then you have to tell me. Whatever it is, I'll do it. Just name it."

I can't remember ever hearing his voice sound so unsettled. There's no point in denying it—his obvious discomposure at the prospect of having irrevocably damaged our relationship mollifies me a little. I glance at him over my shoulder. It's a mistake, because one look at him and my steely resolve is gone. The troubled look in his eyes warms my heart. To make matters worse, he still looks as devastatingly handsome as he did this morning in his light blue jeans and gray sweater. The only noteworthy difference is the state of his hair. It's now an invitingly glossy mess. My guess is that he's been repeatedly running his fingers through it.

The pale colors of his outfit bring out his dark coloring in the most stunning way. His dark hair and deep brown eyes are strikingly alluring, and I bite back a titillated sigh.

"Did you send Dmitri to sweet-talk me into forgiving you?" I ask accusingly.

Nik wordlessly glares at me for a second before sighing. He shakes his head, looking slightly insulted. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I would happily stoop very low to get you to forgive me. Truth be told, there isn't much I wouldn't do to get back in your good graces. But honestly, Kat, at this point, if you seriously think even for a second that I'd ever send another man into a bedroom with you, then I don't know what to tell you."

I struggle to hide my captivated smile, completely charmed by his earnest disgust at the mere idea. Still, I compose my face into a dispassionate mask before speaking. "Be that as it may, your seemingly sincere apology doesn't impress me much. To be perfectly candid with you, even the most heartfelt words can only go so far after a person shows you how they truly feel inside. Talk's cheap, Nik."

"I know," he says with a grunt, approaching me. "That's why I'm going to show you with my actions that the idiotic things I said earlier do not reflect how I truly feel about you. Not in any way, shape or form. I'm not afraid to grovel. Repeatedly and indefinitely, if that's what it takes. It's also why I come bearing gifts."

Nik's long fingers reach inside the front pocket of his jeans, pulling out a glittering bauble. He steps behind me wordlessly before brushing my hair aside, away from my nape. A moment later, the cold feel of metal against the skin of my throat makes me shiver. His competent fingers make quick work of the clasp before he softly asks, "Well? Do you like it?"

I move towards the closet's full-body length mirror to glance at my reflection. Mesmerized, I turn my head left and right, my gaze fixated on the sparkling choker necklace around my neck. My discerning eyes lose count of how many cushion-cut diamonds make up the breathtaking piece. Over two inches wide, the necklace is striking and understated at the same time. The light-colored gems beautifully contrast against my tan skin and dark hair. It's precisely what I'd have purchased for myself if I happened to be a multibillionaire, like the man standing behind me.

With a slight shrug, I meet Nik's eyes through the mirror. "It'll do, I suppose," I say.

My own eyes, however, give away my delight. Nik smiles, pleased with himself. "Am I forgiven, then?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, miliy. But not because of the necklace. It's beautiful, but don't think for a second that it's a get-out-of-jail-free card."

"Damn it, there goes my plan, I guess. I can't use diamonds to buy my way into your heart. Noted."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be terribly put off if you tried it anyway."

Nik laughs. "I'll keep that in mind. Will you be terribly put off if I kiss you now? I need to know we're okay, but I don't want to incur your wrath again. Not if it can be avoided. Although, truthfully, I'm craving you so much right now that I might risk it, anyway."

"That depends. You don't happen to have any more diamonds on you, do you?"

A slow smirk curves his lips. "Come here and frisk me. Find out for yourself."

I tug him closer by his sweater to answer his request with a kiss of my own. Long, languidly delectable moments pass before I pull away from his mouth when a question pops into my head. Nik grunts in protest when I push him away, but I ignore his objections. "I have to ask—do you always keep a few pieces of jewelry at hand just in case some disgruntled woman in your life needs appeasing?"

"For your information, there's only one disgruntled woman in my life that I'd bother to appease."

"Meaning there are other disgruntled women in your life that you wouldn't bother to appease?"

Nik laughs, eyes glowing with amusement, before stealing a quick kiss. "Let's stay on topic. No, I don't have jewelry lying around the house, just in case I need it. I'm sorry to disappoint you. But if you were considering going on a little treasure hunt, don't let my words discourage you. By all means, knock yourself out looking around. It'll entertain me immensely."

"Your entertainment is always my main priority," I say with a smirk. "So, where did my gift come from? Did you run out to get it or something?"

He laughs again. "No. I'm a collector of sorts, I guess. Not necessarily of diamonds, but of anything particularly beautiful. Art, jewels… It doesn't matter to me what it is. If it catches my eye, then I'll own it."

I sigh. "Oh, to be that rich. It must be nice to be able to purchase anything that strikes your fancy on an impulse—money be damned."

Nik smirks. His finger traces the borders of the choker around my neck. "I've had this particular piece for a while. I bought it years ago at an auction in London. I was fascinated by it from the start. It seemed fitting that you should have it."

"Sweet-talker," I say against his lips, and he parts them with a sigh. "It sure is a bit funny that you're gifting me a diamond necklace now when another diamond got us in this situation in the first place."

"The irony isn't lost on me," he says, raising his eyebrows with amusement.

"Well, the first one started us off on the wrong foot, so who knows? Maybe these will mark a change in our course or the beginning of a new era. Maybe it's a good luck charm."

Nik's eyes soften. "The Flame of Mir brought you into my life. That's as lucky as it gets if you ask me."

"I'll remind you of that next time."

After kissing the top of my head, he asks, "Did you know that the ancient Romans believed that Cupid's arrow tips were made of diamonds? Do you think that's why I can't get you out of my head since that first night?"

Heartily laughing, I say, "Who knows? Perhaps. Or maybe I'm just that good in bed. Or on a desk, I guess, as it was."

"Oh, you most certainly are, kiska."

I press a kiss against his chest. "You're not so bad yourself."

"I'm glad you think so. Because you're stuck with me now. As a matter of fact, don't bother unpacking these shopping bags. I'm having them moved to our bedroom as soon as we're done here. The rest of your stuff, too, of course."

He announces his decision with such an aggravatingly imperiously tone that I can't help teasing him a little. "Our bedroom, is it? Do I get a say in that?"

"Sure. If you don't like it, I'll move my things here instead—or wherever you prefer to be. Hell, if you can't find a single room in this penthouse that you like, we'll just buy a place that suits you. It doesn't matter to me one bit, as long as I'm where you'll spend your nights."

"Is this your way of asking me to move in with you? Because I believe that ship has sailed a long time ago. Namely, when you had me kidnapped and chained to that bed out there."

"You have such a flair for the dramatic, Kat. No, this is my way of telling you I don't want to be apart from you from now on. You're out of your mind if you think you'll sleep anywhere but in my bed. Try it, and I'll actually chain you to my bed. For real this time. Without hesitation."

I can't tell if he's joking or serious. Likely the second, knowing him. Regardless, the point is moot since there's no place I'd rather be than in his arms.

That's when it dawns on me that I don't have to let the Flame of Mir come between us. The diamond and the heist don't have to be this horrible memory, a taboo subject in our relationship. A.J. told me just today that she's closer than ever to delivering the final blow to the stronzo, and I have no reason to doubt her. Once we no longer have to worry about the Italian mobster, there won't be a reason not to retrieve the Flame of Mir from his possession. If he still has it, of course. It may be long gone by now.

This whole idea could go nowhere, so I must be careful and keep expectations in check. Especially after our fight from earlier. I'd hate to disappoint Nik by promising him something I'm not sure I can deliver. It's wise not to mention this idea to him until something comes of it. It'll be a pleasant surprise. My gift to him.

Besides, sharing my idea would lead to him asking too many questions, the type I can't afford to answer just yet. The odds are that the stronzo has long fenced the diamond, anyway. But if he hasn't, then I could easily rectify this blemish in my history with Nik so it can no longer affect our future. I could clear the slate between us. For the first time in our relationship, we'd be on even ground—equals, at last.

Best of all, I would return Nik's prized possession to him. I would give it back to the man who gifted me this beautiful diamond necklace—as an apology for bringing up the one I've stolen from him.

"Chain me to your bed, huh?" I ask with a laugh before kissing this gorgeous man's mouth. My gorgeous man. All mine. A priceless, unequaled gift from Cupid himself. "You'd have to catch me first."