Chapter 6
Viktor turned into Nicoleta’s drive. He’d stopped by the gallery to see if she would have dinner with him tonight, but she had already left for the day. So far they’d had dinner three times in the last few weeks. He’d managed to wrangle an invite from her to watch a movie at her home twice. He’d even been so bold as to accidentally run into her on the hiking trail that ran between their homes and casually joined her on her daily walk for the last week. He was making progress, but she still had moments when she became skittish and nervous around him.
When he arrived at the gallery tonight, Cole and Tia had filled him in on the events of the day. Tia had asked her father to check in on Nicoleta on his way home because she’d been upset over the art piece that missing. Viktor was past concerned over this situation. He was becoming frightened for her. If this kept up someone was going to get hurt.
It had been unnecessary for Tia to ask him to drop in on Nicoleta. After hearing everything that had happened he already planned to check on her. Before leaving town he made a few stops for supplies and ran to his house for a change of clothes and a suit. One way or the other he was staying with Nica tonight. She could either let him stay with her or he would happily take her back to his cabin. Whoever was pulling these stunts needed to be stopped.
They were doing everything they could to find the culprit, even going so far as to replace the security system at the gallery and at her home. The attacks had stopped for a few days but soon started again with a vengeance. Viktor wanted nothing more than to grab Nica and take her back to his cabin. At least up on Eagle’s Pass they had the high ground and could see if anyone was coming.
Viktor stopped his truck as close to the cottage as he could. They’d received another four inches of snow today and he wasn’t in the mood to trudge through it. Grabbing the hardware bag sitting on the front seat along with the bag from the burger shack down the street, he opened his door to a blast of icy weather. Having come from Chicago, he was used to snow and ice. But for some reason, he was more than ready for this winter to be over. Perhaps it had to do with recent events dampening his holiday spirit.
As he juggled the two bags, he reached back inside for the duffle he’d brought that contained a change of clothes and the tools he would need to exchange Nica’s locks. He knew Duncan had already replaced them twice since she moved in, along with installing a high-tech security system, but it seemed Nica’s stalker was finding a way around the new security measures.
One thing was certain, he wasn’t leaving here tonight unless she was with him. That was all there was to it.
He decided to leave his suit in the truck rather than taking it inside now. He didn’t want to frighten her any more than she already was, but if they stayed here he would need it for his early meeting with his first client of his new business.
The front door opened as he stepped onto the porch. The sight of her nearly made him drop everything and pull her into his arms. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Had she been crying? His heart couldn’t take that. Nica had seen too many tears in her life. He wanted to see her smiling, loving life, not feeling defeated and captured in a new type of prison.
All of his good intentions of taking tonight slow turned to dust. “I’m not in the mood to argue with you, solnishko. I’ve brought us dinner and new locks for your doors. We will eat first, then while I change the locks you can soak in a nice bath. Afterwards we will decide if we are staying here tonight or going to my cabin.” He stepped closer, placing a kiss on the top of her head. It was the first time he’d been so intimate with her. He didn’t want to frighten Nica, but his concern over this situation was ruling him. He needed to protect her. To be near her. To see her smile light up her eyes. He needed for her to see they belonged. It was as simple as that.
Nicoleta stepped back to allow him room to enter her home. She didn’t want to fight or argue with him either. When she saw him, relief flooded her mind. She shouldn’t lean on him. There was no good reason for her to trust him. But she did. She was scared and didn’t want to be alone tonight. Throughout the last few weeks, Viktor had been gentle and patient with her. He never pushed for more than she was ready to give. That isn’t to say he hadn’t shown his temper, he had; but it had been at the situation never toward her. For some reason, that made it easier to let her guard down with him.
“Thank you for coming, Viktor.”
Viktor smiled as he kept himself between her and the outside world. When she turned around and headed back into the house in front of him, he began to relax a little. At least he wouldn’t have to fight her too.
“Nica, have you decided if we are staying here tonight or leaving?”
“I don’t want him to force me out of my home, Viktor. You understand, right?”
“I do, but there are too many places a person can hide around your house. Tia’s landscaping is beautiful but it doesn’t help with security.”
“Duncan and Devin said the same thing. I hate to say it, but I think I’m going to need to pull some of the shrubs and trees closer to the cottage.”
“We’ll look at some different types of shrubbery to replace them with. I know there are some that have thorns or prickly leaves. We could plant something like that which would make it uncomfortable for someone to hide in them.”
Nicoleta brightened at the idea. It was short-lived when she realized they were only in November. Spring was still several months away.
They were sitting on the couch, a movie channel played on her television as they talked. When he saw her disappointment he took a chance and pulled her onto his lap.
“Viktor...What?”
“Hush, now, Nica. I’m only holding you.” He settled her onto his lap sideways where they would both be comfortable and still be able to talk or watch the movie. “Sometimes, I need to be close to you. Indulge me.”
Nicoleta fought the smile trying to come out. She quickly realized she was losing the battle. Viktor had a peace about him that made things feel as if they weren’t quite as bad as she thought they were.
“Let’s talk about Christmas.” Viktor smiled.
“Christmas?”
“Yes, It’s the holiday that follows Thanksgiving. It happens at the end of December, and most people put up a tree, decorate and exchange gifts.”
“I know what it is and when it is. What do you want to discuss about it?”
“First, I was thinking we should get a tree and decorate it.”
“Here?”
“Yes, here.”
“I don’t really celebrate Christmas, Viktor. I’m pagan, we celebrate Yuletide.”
“You still have to decorate and celebrate. We can combine our traditions and beliefs.”
“Combine a Christian and Pagan holiday into one?”
“Yes. We will make it ours.” He smiled.
She loved the way the fine lines at the corners of his eyes deepened and the rich dark brown of his eyes became richer and warmer.
“I would also like for us to go to the Blackthorns for dinner. Cole and Tia, along with Cole’s grandfather, Hank, will be there. I’m sure Duncan and Amara will be as well.”
“Amara mentioned something about it.”
“I think you should go with me.”
Nicoleta was shocked. “You do?”
“Yes. I think we should go as a couple.”
“Viktor…” her voice was full of exasperation.
“Now listen to me. We are sort of the odd ones out. Cole and Devin are more like brothers than friends. Hank used to work for Dominick and they have a long standing friendship from it. Tia and Kylie are distant cousins. Duncan is Devin’s brother, which means Amara will be considered part of the family as well. That leaves you and me with no direct blood or marital connection to the Blackthorns outside of our girls being with Cole and Duncan.”
“But why go together? We would see each other there.”
“Because I don’t want to walk in there feeling like a fifth wheel, a tagalo
ng to Cole and Tia.”
“We can’t be a couple, Viktor. You know I can’t…” her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to lead him on, but she knew she would never be able to become intimate with another man. Too much had happened to her. Too much had been done to her.
“Nica, there is more to being a couple than sex. Surely you know this.”
“But, sex is important, especially to a man.”
“I won’t deny that, but I’m not asking you to sleep with me. I’m asking you to have a holiday dinner with me.”
She felt her cheeks grow warm in embarrassment.
Viktor chuckled as he pulled her closer to him. Moving her to where she could lay her head on his shoulder. “Nica, one day, when the time is right and you’re ready, you will surprise yourself.” Using his finger he tipped her face up so he could see her eyes. “When that day comes, the man you choose to share that part of yourself with will be the luckiest man on earth.”
That statement confused her. Was he saying he wouldn’t be that man? Did that mean he didn’t want to be that man? And, why was she questioning this? She didn’t want any man. She wanted to live her life alone; quietly and happily alone. She shifted around attempting to leave his lap.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t need to be sitting on your lap.”
“Why?”
“Because…” Words failed her. She didn’t want to make more of an idiot out of herself than she already had. She’d basically told him she wouldn’t have sex with him and he hadn’t even asked that of her.
Viktor cupped the side of her face, holding her still for a moment. “Don’t misunderstand me, solnishko.”
“Are you purposely trying to confuse me? I don’t like games, Viktor.”
“I am not playing games, Nicoleta. I’m just not stupid enough to presume you would pick me simply because I want you. I know I will have to earn your trust. Earn you.” He leaned closer, placing his lips to her forehead. “And you will be worth everything I have to do to get you.”
Nicoleta closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel his gentleness. A small trickle of desire heated her from inside out, but it was so minuscule it frightened her. What if she couldn’t have a healthy sexual relationship? What if, after ten years of sadistic treatment, she couldn’t be turned on by a gentle touch? Craig was still controlling her and she hated it.
Without warning, Nicoleta jumped up from Viktor’s lap. “It’s getting late. You should probably leave. You have that early meeting.”
“I told you when I arrived I wasn’t leaving here without you tonight. If you wish to stay here then I will sleep on the couch. I just need to run outside for the rest of my stuff and my suit.” He stated somberly as he stared up at her trying to connect the dots of what had just happened. One minute she had been relaxed, reclining in his arms. And the next, she had put a wall between them. What was she thinking that had frightened her so badly?
Chapter 7
Viktor spent an uncomfortable night on Nicoleta’s couch. He woke with a stiff neck and a backache. Damn, it was a shame to get older. At sixty-two, morning’s like this made him think his best days were behind him. Swinging his feet to the floor he had to sit there for a moment waiting for the aches to ease up a little.
One reason his sleep had been so uncomfortable was he had worn a pair of pajama pants. He didn’t regret having worn them. He’d do anything to make her more comfortable, even if it meant sacrificing his own comfort. However, he could have handled not feeling as if his legs were being tied up.
Viktor stretched his arms up high, bent at the waist to one side then the other. Leaning, he gave his back a good stretch before bending forward and placing his hands on the floor. He was still in pretty good shape for his age. At least he hadn’t begun running to fat, yet. He was a fairly active man. He faithfully walked every day and used his rowing machine at minimum three times a week. As a financial advisor, he spent a lot of time on his ass behind a desk. He’d always been cautious of what he ate and being physical when he could.
His restless sleep couldn’t all be blamed on the couch or the pajamas. It hadn’t helped that his subconscious kept taunting him she was only a room away. His mind teased him of how she probably unbraided her hair before she went to bed. And he didn’t even want to think about the visions he’d had about what she wore or didn’t wear when she slept. During the night, he’d actually had to talk himself out of going to her room and crawling into bed with her.
Viktor had never considered himself a true gentleman. He was more prone to taking what he wanted than giving someone the opportunity to give to him. With Nicoleta, he was fast learning he did have patience and a gentleman’s oath deep inside. How long this new facet of his personality would hold out was anyone’s guess.
He wanted her. Wanted her in his bed, beneath him, moaning to the pleasure he knew he could give her.
He was a bastard.
Always had been.
Nicoleta replaced the phone in its cradle. Dr. Dayan had thankfully agreed to see her first thing this morning. After the night she’d had just spent, she needed to talk. She needed to figure out what her mind and body were thinking.
She’d just spent an entire night plagued by thoughts of having sex with Viktor. How could she desire any man after what she’d been through? She was sicker than she’d thought. She had to be.
Upset from the night she’d just had, she ran to her bathroom and took a quick shower. Exhausted from the lack of sleep, she threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and put her hair up in a ponytail. Dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror and laughed.
“Well, this should put an end to any thoughts of having sex.” She told her reflection. She looked awful. Her eyes were bruised from the lack of sleep. Her hair was in a messy ponytail. And her clothes were baggy. Viktor couldn’t possibly want any part of her like this.
She left her bathroom, slipping on a pair of house shoes before leaving her bedroom. When she entered the living room the first thing she noticed was his bedding had been neatly folded and placed on the end of the couch. She began to wonder if he had left when something delicious wafted on the air.
Nicoleta entered her kitchen to find a fresh pot of coffee and Viktor at the stove cooking breakfast. She was equally stunned and touched he would cook for her.
“Good morning, solnishko. Grab a cup of coffee and sit, breakfast will be ready in five minutes.”
“You didn’t have to cook. I could have made breakfast.”
Viktor couldn’t take his eyes from the hot skillet. Timing was everything when making blini, the Russian version of crepes. He flipped the blini waited a few seconds and lifted it expertly from the skillet to the waiting plate. Only then did he comment. “I know you would have, but I was up and you were taking a shower. It only made sense for me to cook this morning.”
“But you have your meeting to get to.”
“My meeting is with Kylie and not until nine this morning. We have time to enjoy breakfast before I have to leave. Now, grab your coffee.”
Nicoleta smiled at his commanding tone. Viktor had a take charge personality, but he was never truly bossy. Or, at least he didn’t sound that way to her. Grabbing a cup, she poured her coffee and peeked around his shoulder to see what he was making. “I have some homemade jams that will go well with blini.”
They sat at the table with their breakfast. The domesticity of the scene was not lost on Nicoleta.
“I hope you are hungry. I might have misjudged the portion sizes. It has been many years since I’ve cooked for more than myself.”
“It smells delicious. Thank you.”
“So what are your plans for the day?” Viktor asked as he spread some of Nicoleta’s homemade jam on the bilini before placing it on her plate.
“Tia has decided to close the gallery this week for Thanksgiving. I thought I’d stop in to see Oxana before heading over to Táchiben Besh to pick Amara up.”
“Oh? Do you ladies ha
ve the whole day planned?”
“We’re going shopping then back to Amara’s for a cooking lesson.”
Viktor took a bite of his meal and nodded his head. Her smile lit the entire room. “You are enjoying these lessons.”
“Very much. I spent most of the last decade daydreaming about all the things I wanted to show and teach her. Now I finally have the chance to do so.”
“How are her lessons going?”
Nicoleta laughed. “She’s learning, but I grade her on a sliding scale. I think Duncan is actually becoming a better cook, although I’d never tell her.”
They laughed and continued to chat as they had their breakfast. The tension from their individual restless night eased with the relaxed camaraderie of their growing friendship.
Viktor adjusted his tie in the mirror in her bathroom. It had been months since he wore one and found it funny how he hadn’t missed his suits and ties. After nearly forty years of dressing in a suit every day it was odd he didn’t feel more at ease this morning.
“You look handsome, but you better hurry. It’s getting late.” Nicoleta stated as she stood in the bathroom doorway.
“I look handsome?”
He nearly stole her breath when he smiled at her that way. To regain her composure, she leveled a mock glare on him. “Don’t let it swell your head.”
Viktor chuckled. “Trust me, Nica. I would never allow my ego to swell around you.”
Nicoleta nodded as if to say good. But the man was appealing in jeans and a button down shirt. In a suit, he was devilishly handsome. However, it was his aura that captured her attention. It shocked her how her mind immediately compared Viktor to Craig.
Craig had been devilishly handsome in a suit as well. But, where Craig’s aura always had too much black mixed with the red, blue, and gold, Viktor had orange and pink mixed with his. In the beginning of her relationship with Craig, she had discounted the black and murky colors to mean he was uncertain about their relationship. She had been a fool to dismiss what his aura told her.
Flawed Perfection: A Collection of Winter Wishes Page 31