8. Nik

8

As it has become the norm for me since that fateful night when I first met Kat, my temper gets the best of me. Again. In what I would like to think is an uncharacteristically childish display of frustration, I practically kick my bedroom door open. It slams against the wall with a satisfying bang.

With a startled gasp, Kat almost jumps out of her skin at the sudden noise. "Thank God. You're alive," she says seconds later, rising from where she sat on my bed. Without warning, she jumps into my arms. It sure seems like it is going to become a habit for her. I have to bite back a sigh. I could get used to this.

Her body is shaking as she wraps her legs around my waist while her arms clutch my neck tightly. I hug her back just as hard, holding her firmly against me. With an almost imperceptible groan, Kat buries her face against my neck, inhaling deeply.

"Did you just… smell me?" I ask.

Unabashedly, she says, "Oh, yeah. And I'm about to taste you, too."

And God help me, true to her word, she does.

Kat slants her head, kissing my mouth like she does everything else—with her own brand of passionate intensity and effortless expertise. As her tongue curls around mine, I struggle to catch my breath. I pull her even closer, resigning myself to the idea that closer will never be near enough when it comes to her.

Just as tempestuously as the embrace started, it ends. Kat breaks our kiss with little warning, pushing me away almost forcefully.

"Hang on a second, Nik," she says, her breath as erratic as mine. "Are you hurt? Let me take a good look at you."

With a shake of my head, I say, "Looking is overrated. I think you should go back to tasting me instead."

Unfortunately, Kat doesn't oblige me. Instead, she scans every inch of me with her watchful eyes.

"I'm fine," I say, scoffing as she fusses over me. It's an unfamiliar feeling. I can't remember the last time a woman worried about whether I made it back home in one piece. It's entirely possible one never has.

"I'll be the judge of that," she says, scolding me while still assessing me for damage.

I roll my eyes and spin on my heels, lifting my arms and giving her a full, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. "See? Like I said, I'm fine."

Kat raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed at my surly tone. "Hmm. I'm not so sure about that, Nik. Why don't you take your clothes off so I can be certain?"

Her eyes glint mischievously and I play along. "As your boss, I must say I'm very impressed by your dedication. Something tells me you just might earn yourself a raise."

"I see that," she pointedly says with a smirk, deliberately glancing at my jeans just below my waist. "What can I say? I'm nothing but thorough."

"Ah, I wouldn't say that. It's been my absolute pleasure to learn your many other things beyond that, milaya."

The smile she gives me makes my knees feel weak. It reaches all the way to her eyes, turning them a deep midnight blue.

"Only good things, I hope," she says.

"The best, Kat. The very best."

After this frustrating emotional roller-coaster of a day, I can't wait a second longer to have her in my arms again. Especially not when her beautiful eyes glow with warmth and pleasure whenever they meet mine.

While holding her hand, I slowly draw her into my arms. "Come here," I say against her lips.

Kat wraps her arms around my neck, placing a quick, almost dismissive kiss against my mouth before pulling away again. "So, how did it go?" she asks with a smile as I sigh with frustration.

"Can we talk about this later?" I ask, even though I already know the answer. Like a dog with a bone, Kat isn't likely to let this go.

"No way," she says, looking at me as if I might be out of my mind for even asking. "I've been sitting here for hours, biting my nails and wondering what had happened to you. I can't wait any longer."

With a shake of my head, I lean forward until my mouth reaches the sweet-smelling column of her neck. I kiss it languidly. "Then, kiska, I believe we're at what they call an impasse. Because after dreaming about having you back in my arms all afternoon, I can't fucking wait, either."

Kat groans in frustration. "Nikolai Stefanovich—be serious."

I nip her ear lobe. "Katherine Devereaux—I assure you, I've never been more serious in my life. I warned you we would continue this later."

Kat rolls her eyes before pushing against my chest. "The sooner you tell me everything that happened with McGuire, the sooner we get to do just that."

After cursing under my breath, I give her the most disapproving look I can manage. "You're a piece of work, did you know that?"

She shrugs. "Duh. And we both know you wouldn't have me any other way. Now, spill the beans. How did it go?"

I resist the urge to grind my teeth and grimace. "Well, how should I put this, Kat? Let's just say that coming home to find your pretty ass in my bedroom—on my bed, no less—is the only good thing that came from this whole pointless afternoon."

"No luck finding McGuire, then?" she asks with a slight frown.

I shake my head. "No, there's no trace of him. Lucien's intel was bad—or outdated, at least. McGuire was gone."

With a deep exhale, Kat hugs me, and it almost unmans me. To my absolute dismay, my cheeks grow warm and I find myself blushing, embarrassed that she's witnessing my failure at taking down the Irish family's boss. I'm glad Kat's head is pressed against my chest and she doesn't see it. A bit awkwardly, I wrap my arms around her shoulders.

"Oh, well," she says. "Nobody's hurt, right?"

"No, but?—"

"Well, then today's still a win in my book."

I scoff at that ridiculous statement. McGuire got away with directly attacking me—and worst of all, Kat—unpunished. Under no circumstances would I ever count that as a win.

"Kat—" I say, but she interrupts me.

"I mean it. We're all going to live to fight another day."

"Including McGuire."

She dismisses that fact as insignificant with a decisive wave of her hand. "It's just a matter of time before you track him down. All will be well when it ends well, Nik. And it will. I have no doubts about that. Trust me."

"I'm trying, believe me. But you have to understand, Kat—I won't be able to rest until he's dead. It was one thing for him to murder Maxim. For better or for worse, Maxim made his bed. Don't get me wrong, I'll have McGuire's head for it. But Maxim knew the consequences of fucking around with the man's daughter. But for him to come after you…"

She sighs. "Nik?—"

"I'll make him pay for what he did to Maxim—and me, to an extent. But Kat, for what he did to you, I'll make sure he suffers."

Wide-eyed, Kat shakes her head. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

I shrug. "I know. It doesn't matter."

She shakes her head frantically. "I don't want the weight of an all-out mafia war on my head. I can't even bear the idea."

"It isn't on you, milaya. It's on him. He knew what he was doing when he came after you. He forced my hand, and I can't hold back any longer."

"Nik—" She grabs handfuls of my sweater and shakes me, undoubtedly attempting to force some sense into me. She doesn't realize it's far too late for that. "This is madness. You don't want this."

I laugh humorlessly. "I don't?"

"No. Think of your men. Think of Dmitri. I know you don't want their blood on our hands any more than I do."

"Kat, I know it's hard for you to understand this, but they don't expect or want me to show McGuire mercy. He openly challenged me. It would be a show of weakness. That's not our way."

"If something were to happen to you, it'd destroy me." I silence her with a quick kiss as my heart painfully tightens inside my chest. Her heartfelt cries and pleas out of concern for me—of all things—are dangerously close to destroying me.

"Kat, listen—I can't hold back any longer." I'll lose my mind if she isn't mine at last before the night ends.

Tears threaten to stream down her face as she glares at me, her hopelessness unmistakable in her expression. She must think my confession is about McGuire. "Nik, please…"

With a shake my head, I lift Kat's chin until she's looking into my eyes. I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers before repeating myself unfalteringly. "Kat. I can't hold back any longer."

Her frown deepens, and I close the distance between us, kissing her. I try to pour everything I don't know how to express into that kiss. I need to make her understand how much I crave her… how much I need her.

"Nik—" Kat says with a gasp, breaking our kiss.

Unyielding, I grasp the back of her neck, sinking my fingers into the soft, luscious mass of her dark hair. "I won't hold back any longer, Kat. Not when it comes to you."