“I’m not a Jenna. I’d need a schedule, and it can’t interrupt dance or choir practice. And I insist on no Sundays.”
“Now look who is insisting on things. Choir practice is on Wednesdays, right?”
“Yes, how did you kno—never mind.”
He kissed my knee, forcing a gasp past my lips.
“Imagine the scandal if they knew you were in bed with a naked man,” he teased.
“You’re not funny. Have you no shame? I’m over here trying to do my Christian duty, taking care of the sick.”
“You’re right about one thing. I have a sickness, and it dwells deep inside me. But I don’t need anyone to take care of me, kitten,” he mumbled.
I continued to comb my fingers through his hair. His strands pulled taut as I gave them a gentle tug, and he looked up. The weariness staring back made my heart hurt.Liar,I wanted to say.
“Everyone needs someone to take care of them. I suggest you find someone soon, Reaper, before you’re lost forever.”
“I’m already lost. That shit happened a long time ago.” He closed his eyes, and I continued to rub his head and play with his hair.
I found myself lost in a moment of quiet intimacy, content to simply be present with him in some small way. The rhythm of his breathing slowed, and he drifted off to sleep.
A soft melody began in the recesses of my head, a lullaby of sorts. Where it came from, I didn’t know, but with a voice barely above a whisper, the words flowed in Russian. Goose bumps erupted across my arms and tears formed in my eyes.
What did he mean about a sickness inside him? Was it physical, mental, or emotional? A combination of them all?
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Nikolai murmured.
Lost in my thoughts, I startled as his voice broke through the peaceful haze. The suddenness of it jolted me. It took a minute for my brain to register his presence. Blinking in surprise, I faced him, offering a hesitant smile.
How much time had passed?
He’d showered, that much I could tell, as he smelled like soap and that delicious combination of coffee and leather. My heart raced as the memory of him ravaging me earlier flooded my mind.
I couldn’t help but recall the intensity of his kisses. The way he gripped me possessively and the words he uttered in my ear. A flush of heat rose in my cheeks, and I gulped nervously.
“Don’t worry, the Crow has been satisfied for now. You needn’t fear me, malyshka.”
“That remains to be seen,” I remarked dryly.
“Scout’s honor.” He put his hands up in a salute of some sort. “But I have to say, I’m beginning to think you might be the dangerous one here?”
“You’re joking, right?”
He was the one who practically attacked me, and god knows where it would have ended if Ivan and Alek hadn’t stepped in. There was a hint of teasing in his tone, but also a layer of suspicion. And his next words were all the proof I needed.
“What exactly are you doing to my brother, hmm?”
“Nothing,” I stammered, feeling flustered.
His words hung in the air between us, a challenge wrapped in unspoken accusations.
“Doesn’t look like nothing to me.”
His eyes pierced mine, and I stilled my hands. Alek shifted under me and moaned my name in his sleep.
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You’re invading his sleep now too. What’s next, baby girl?”
His mood shifted entirely, and I shivered. He sat next to Alek, and his cheek twitched as he stared down at his brother.
