14. Anton

14

ANTON

The last thing I expect to find when I walk into the lounge is Nina chatting with my mother.

I decided to pop back to the house between meetings to check on both of them, and when the maid came rushing out of the kitchen looking distressed, I knew immediately that my mother was having a bad day.

But then I heard Mama laughing, and I froze.

It is a sound I have not heard in a long time, and it almost made my knees buckle.

It seemed Nina might be working her magic on more than just me.

“Why don’t we go and have some tea, Mamulichka ? We can show Nina the secret door to your rooms.”

“Nina?” She looks confused.

I look at Nina, but she shakes her head.

“Long story,” she mouths, and I nod.

I lead Nina through the hidden door behind the bookcase, and my mother eagerly gives her a tour of her rooms, pointing out the many paintings on the walls that she’s done herself.

Nina is nothing but patient as Mama chats away, and I give them some space as I make some tea for all of us.

Lucid days are turning into lucid moments, but even those are becoming rarer and rarer.

I’m grateful that I was able to be around for this one because I know eventually she won’t be able to remember me at all.

Nina and I stay with my mother until Annie arrives at four.

I had completely forgotten that Jen was off today, and I’m pissed off at myself for making another mistake. I normally have the nurses schedule synced with my work calendar so I can make sure not to schedule meetings on their days off, but it seems my mind was elsewhere yet again.

I’m quiet as Nina and I head back out into the main house.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Nina breaks the silence as we cross the foyer.

I stop on my tracks and take a deep breath as I look down into her pale blue eyes.

She looks anxious, and I silently curse myself for making her worry.

“Sorry if I’m being quiet.” I reach out to stroke her cheek.

Touching her seems to ground me, pulling me out of my thoughts and bringing me back to the present.

“I’m annoyed at myself for messing up the care schedule for today. Please don’t take this as me being mad at you for spending time with my mom. Trust me when I say you didn’t overstep, Nina. Not in the slightest.”

“She was so distressed, and I thought I could help…”

I take her hand and squeeze it tightly. “You did help. You were wonderful with her. So gentle and caring.”

Nina’s cheeks flush pink, and she lowers her eyes, clearly embarrassed by the compliment.

I reach out to cup her chin, and she shyly looks up at me under her lashes.

“You’ll make an amazing mother one day.” I rest my forehead against hers and for a moment, we let the sound of our combined breathing fill our ears.

But then Nina wraps her arms around my neck and rises up on her tiptoes to softly kiss me.

“I missed you today.”

Her words bring a smile to my face, and I kiss her deeply, showing her just how much I missed her too.

My tongue tangles with hers, and she moans, pressing her body up against me.

I wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her tighter against me, as my other hand moves to her throat. I gently squeeze the delicate column of her neck, and she whimpers, the sound making my cock twitch.

I’m desperate to take her straight up to bed, to continue exploring her incredible body. I’m curious to know the sort of positions we could try considering how flexible she is, but I also don’t want to push her.

I’m well aware of the fact that she’s staying at my house against her will, and I need to be careful not to make her feel pressured into anything. After all, she did turn down my advances that first night…

I pull away before Nina can feel the evidence of my arousal.

“Do you need to head back out tonight?” She sounds a little breathless.

Her lips are swollen, and her eyes have a slightly glazed look to them that has me adjusting myself.

“I canceled the rest of my meetings.” I try to ignore my thickening cock.

“How come?”

“I thought we could watch a movie or something. Only if you want to, of course…” I add, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

“Really?” Nina’s eyes light up. “You want to have a movie night?”

“It was just an idea?—”

“It sounds perfect” She bounces up and down on her toes. “We could make hot chocolate and popcorn!”

I smile at the excitement in her eyes.

“Whatever you want, lapochka .”

Nina’s cheeks flush pink, and she reaches up to kiss me again.

I moan as she sinks her fingers into my hair, and she responds by pressing her breasts up against my chest.

I’m treating Nina like she’s my girlfriend when I should be doing the exact opposite. But it’s so damn hard to resist the life that’s flashing through my mind when I wake up with her in my bed or sit across from her at the breakfast table as we drink our morning coffee.

“You might regret saying that.” She nips at my bottom lip.

“I already do.” I press my erection against her lower belly.

“Anton…” She grinds against me.

As ready as we both are, I know Nina’s come straight from a full day of classes and likely hasn’t eaten yet.

I promised her I would take care of her, and not just in the bedroom.

“Let’s go and get you fed.”

She scoffs. “Is that code for a blow job or something?”

I bark a laugh. “I meant actual food.” I chuckle as I flick the end of her nose. “Such a dirty girl.”

Nina grins before dropping her hands from around my neck and sauntering away, making sure to swish her hips with every step.

“Fucking hell,” I hiss as I eye her perfect ass in those leggings.

She glances over her shoulder, her dark bangs falling in her eyes, and I can’t help but reach down and squeeze my length.

She laughs before disappearing into the kitchen.

She knows exactly what she does to me.

As soon as I enter the kitchen, my housemaid turns to me. “Can I make you something, Mr. Koslov?”

Nina has taken a seat at the table and is resting her chin on her bent knees.

“That’s quite all right, Danika. Why don’t you finish early today?”

“But it’s only just past four? I was meant to be here until nine?—”

“I’ll still pay you for the full day, don’t worry. Please, go and spend some time with your family.”

Danika looks on the verge of tears as she collects her bag, which was not my intention at all.

“You’re very kind, Mr. Koslov. My children will be happy to see me home early.” She pats me on the arm.

I offer her a warm smile in return and go to open the kitchen door for her.

Nina shakes her head as I close the door behind Danika. “Okay, seriously, are you like a saint or something?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve never known someone take such good care of his staff.”

“It’s basic human decency, Nina.”

“I know, and yet so many people treat others like garbage.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to try and fight my smile.

She frowns. “What?”

“You’re cute when you’re annoyed.”

Her brows furrow harder, and I can tell that something is bothering her.

“Nina? What’s wrong?”

“Who’s Katerina?”

I freeze.

How does she know about Katerina?

“Why do you ask?” I try to seem almost indifferent to the question, but my heart is starting to race.

I hate talking about Katerina because it always leaves me feeling empty.

Nina bites her lower lip, looking embarrassed.

But I’ve made it clear to her how important honesty and truth is to me, so I gently tuck her hair behind her ear, silently giving her permission to speak whatever is on her mind.

“Your mother thought I was Katerina. I didn’t correct her because I thought it might upset her even more.”

“I see.”

“Sorry, I’m not very familiar with Alzheimer’s, so if I was wrong to not correct her, I apologize?—”

“You don’t need to apologize. Often it’s best just to go along with the narrative she’s created rather than trying to correct her. I did that in the beginning, and it only upset her.”

“Okay, that’s good to know. But you still didn’t answer my question.”

I trace my thumb over the pink blush staining her cheeks. I’m curious to know why she’s so interested in Katerina.

Is she jealous?

The thought has me holding back a smile.

But I can’t find it in me to tell her the story, and I know telling her who she really was will lead to a whole lot of questions. So, I just say, “She was just someone that our family used to know.”

“A friend of the family?”

I nod. “Something like that.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Now, how do you feel about popcorn for dinner?”

I feel bad for not telling her the whole truth about who Katerina is, but the truth is that even after all this time, it still brings back painful memories. I know it would probably help to actually talk about her, but Nina is not going to be that person. Talking about your ex-girlfriend with the woman you’re interested in is a complete mood killer.

Nina smiles and gets to her feet.

I pull the bag of kernels out of the pantry as Nina grabs the pot out of the cupboard beside the stove.

I pour the kernels into the pot and set the lid back on. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Long, but good.”

“So, the girls are heading out tonight?”

“Yeah. Oh, that reminds me, Emma says thank you for organizing the table and everything. It was very sweet.”

“It was my pleasure. You know, it’s not too late if you want to join them.”

Nina glances at me and bites her lower lip.

“I’d rather stay in with you,” she whispers.

I can’t help but bend down to kiss her on the tip of her nose.

“Me too.”

Her breath catches, and I laugh, loving how she responds to the slightest touch.

Once the popcorn is almost ready, I grab two huge mugs and start heating up milk for the hot chocolate. “I think there’s some whipped cream in the fridge.”

“Ooh, yum!”

I smile as she skips over to the fridge, her movements so delicate and graceful that I can’t help but stare.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that I invited Emma over on Sunday for a girly afternoon if that’s okay? Sorry, I probably should have checked with you first.” She opens the fridge and pulls out the can of whipped cream.

Warmth rushes in my chest at the thought of her feeling comfortable enough in my house to invite her friends around.

“You’re welcome to invite your friends over any time.” I lean against the counter. “And I want you to know how much I appreciate your willingness to follow my requests when it comes to your safety. I know it’s not easy.”

“Getting to stay in a big fancy house with a hot guy isn’t exactly a hardship.” She smirks.

“You think I’m hot?”

Nina scowls. “Just for that, you can show me just how much you appreciate me.” She shakes the can of cream, and my mind instantly fills with filthy thoughts. “And maybe we can see how willing you are to follow my requests.”