Bad Nerd Falling

Bad Nerd Falling

The Morrison Family
Series

Book 8

D.R. Grady

This book is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, and incidents are all products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Known locales are also used
fictitiously.

If you enjoy this book, please buy a
copy for someone else to enjoy. Please do not download or buy this
from anywhere except where the story is offered legitimately. All
rights reserved - including the right of reproduction in whole or
in part in any form.

Copyright 2014 by D.R.
Grady

Smashwords Edition

Please Note: While I had help with this story
from several knowledgeable sources, there are still likely mistakes
on my part. Authors also like to stretch and change things to make
their story work. So this book does not necessarily reflect
reality. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Dedication

To Delynn Royer and Sunni Rose
Blendette - two fabulous critique partners. A huge thank you for
your wonderful suggestions and comments! I can’t express how much I
appreciate your help.

To all of CPRW - you know
why.

To my hubby, Roy, for your unswerving
support as I continue on this writing journey.

To you, the reader. Thank you for your patience
and for loving these stories as much as I do. I hope you feel like
a part of the family now!

Bad Nerd
Falling

By: D.R. Grady

Prologue

U.S. Navy SEAL BUD/S
training

13 years before

His lungs burned while the ankle he
twisted earlier throbbed. All of his muscles ached and his hands
were nearly raw from this latest sadistic exercise. Vladimir
Wellington kept running, pushing through the pain. All around him
guys were ringing out so often it sounded like a constant peal,
driving him crazy about quitting. Like a litany. “Time to quit,
time to quit, time to quit.”

Next to him, his swim buddy’s jaw
hardened. Like Vlad, he seemed to concentrate on placing one foot
in front of the other. Also like Vlad, he represented another
country, but had been sent here to obtain these skills. They would
never become a part of the elite SEAL Teams, but their countries
both thought they would benefit by completing this
training.

“
You quitting?” his swim
buddy asked, panting.

His own jaw hardened. “No.”

A smile, more a grimy grimace, creased
his swim buddy’s face. “Me, either.” He shook his hands, and little
droplets of blood splattered the sand beneath them. “My country
needs me to finish this. So I will.”

Relief made him a little light-headed.
That’s exactly why he didn’t have the luxury of ringing that stupid
bell. There were too many people counting on him. The image of his
prince, leader of their country, a tiny nation in the very center
of Europe, rose up before him like an unruly but determined
ghost.

“
No matter what, you
cannot quit, Vladimir. Rurikstan needs you. You must complete this
training. Do not quit.” The prince’s mouth was grim, his eyes
serious. He received the message loud and clear then. Now he
re-purposed within his heart to finish this. It didn’t matter that
his own hands were raw, that his lungs still burned and his ankle
throbbed. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t seem to breathe. What
mattered was that he finish.

Rurikstan wouldn’t stand a chance if
he rang out. That meant the girl he left behind might
suffer.

He gritted his teeth and put one foot in front of
the next. He would continue this until the training ended or it
killed him.

Chapter 1

What was that stupid American saying
Tia muttered the other day that she had to look up? Oh yes,
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty.” Unfortunately, she could now relate
to this ridiculously true saying all too well.

Helena Dubrinsky realized a little too
late that she should have never encouraged Vladimir Wellington all
those weeks ago. She castigated herself for the dumbest act of her
life thus far. Perhaps this negativity stemmed from utter
frustration because she rarely saw him…

Sure, he was a fine example of
manhood. He was smart, fast, and she feared, lethal. And not just
the deliciously yummy, protective type of lethalness, but she was
pretty certain the man could take on just about anyone and
win.

At the time she had been convinced,
smitten really, that Vlad Wellington was her future. No other man
had ever made her heart react like he did. No other man had ever
smiled and her entire world was suddenly bright and sunny, even
through the pouring rain. She couldn’t think of one other man she
had ever been even remotely attracted to, other than
Vlad.

Was this normal? Because it should be
illegal.

She pursed her lips. Vlad Wellington
should be declared illegal. The man was far too tempting. Right now
she didn’t need that. She didn’t need him. Not really.

“
Helena, where is your
brain today?” Tia Morrison, her boss and their princess-to-be asked
as she dropped into the seat beside Helena and eyed her knowingly.
She was tall, blond, and utterly beautiful.

“
It’s not here.” She was
grateful that Tia nearly missed the stool. If it wasn’t for her
penchant for clumsiness, their future princess would be perfect. At
least that’s what most of Rurikstan thought. Since agreeing to
marry their prince, Tia wasn’t nearly as clumsy now. It was like
she’d finally gained the confidence owing her.

Where had she gotten that confidence?
Because Helena needed a healthy infusion right about
now.

“
I noticed. Is this about
Vlad?” Tia tapped the benchtop with one elegant finger. “Who, by
the way, I still haven’t met.”

Her eyes widened as they darted to
Tia’s bright blue-green ones. Glowing gems that matched her
gorgeous engagement ring perfectly. The overhead lights caught in
the old jeweled facets and nearly blinded her. Throwing her hands
up to ward off the tear-inducing stream, she blinked a few times to
clear the ache.

“
Careful, that is a
registered weapon.”

Tia blinked. “What’s a registered
weapon?”

“
That jewel on your
finger.”

In response, Tia smiled down at the
heirloom. “It is nice, isn’t it?”

That was a given, if a serious
understatement. Yet the utter beauty in Tia’s smile of contentment
and love was far more lovely than the ring. A lonely ache stabbed
her heart. She wanted a love like that. But how did you go about
getting it? Especially when the only man you’d ever been interested
in was Vladimir Wellington - the most frustrating man on the
planet. Four months into a—whatever they had—with him and she knew
frustration intimately. If they had dated in the past rather than
dance around each other, she might have a better understanding of
relationships but alas, she had no idea.

Then what Tia said penetrated. “Wait,
you haven’t met him yet?” She darted a quick look at his mother,
Maria. Who probably outshone even Tia in beauty.

“
No, I haven’t met him.
I’m sure, because he probably looks like Aleksi and Maks, right?”
Meaning he was tall, dark haired, and dark eyed, traits that all
applied to Vlad.

“
Sort of.” She tapped her
pen against the lab notebook she was supposed to be writing
in.

“
Sort of?” One beautiful
blond brow rose.

“
He resembles them, but
Vlad is…” She frowned as the word escaped her.

“
Vlad is…” Tia
loopy-de-looped her hand in an encouraging manner.

“
Lethal.” Aleksi de Leos,
their crown prince, supplied behind them. Tia did fall off her
stool in her haste to face her fiancé.

Aleksi caught her with ease and drew
her close; so tight it looked like Tia couldn’t breathe. Tia didn’t
appear to mind. Her arms slid around him and she lifted her face
for the kiss she definitely received.

“
I don’t want to see
that,” she whined as the two love-birds cooed at each other.
Really, people in love were sickening.

From the corner of her eye she caught
sight of Maria Wellington scampering by. Leaning out on her lab
stool she noticed the champagne haired woman wore heels that had to
be three inches, if not four. “Maria, you’re going to break your
neck in those shoes.”

Both Tia and Aleksi leaned out with
her to survey the shoes. “Don’t those hurt?” Aleksi
asked.

“
Yes.” Both she and Tia
agreed emphatically on that score.

“
Of course not.” Maria
overrode them with a casual wave. She scurried from bench to bench,
collecting the microbiological materials and tools she needed like
she wore comfortable American sneakers.

She glanced down at her new sneakers.
She had convinced Maria to find her a pair during her recent visit
to America. The first time she put them on she decided she was
never wearing heels again. She was even starting to think like an
American, since Maria returned sounding like her home country and
Tia worked here.

She glanced at Tia’s feet. “I thought
you were planning to start wearing jeans and sneakers in the
lab.”

“
She can’t today, we’re
getting our engagement pictures.” Since becoming engaged to Tia,
Aleksi’s English had transitioned from the more proper British
sounding to a much more American twang. She liked it.

“
Once the pictures are
finished, I’m going to change.” Tia glared at the dress she wore,
complete with high heels.

“
I thought you said you
couldn’t walk in high heels.” Because she appeared to be doing just
fine.

“
I taught her
how.”

She turned to Maria who still flitted
about the lab, procuring items. “Of course you did.”

“
She and Gracia made me.”
Tia’s eyes drilled into Maria. “Neither of them are nice,” she
added, speaking of Aleksi’s mother, Princess Gracia.

Maria’s tinkling laugh warmed the
area. “You are much more confident, love.”

“
The thing is, you are
quite adept in them now. That negates one of your fears of becoming
our princess.” She tried to keep the grin out of her
voice.

“
What were those fears
again?” Aleksi looked expectantly between them.

Her lips kicked up while Tia’s mouth
flattened. “Pink, makeup, and high heels,” she rattled off since
Tia wasn’t going to.

“
I’ve mastered the high
heels because of General Wellington over there. I’m
never
doing pink.” Tia
sounded firm.

“
Good for you.” She
scratched her chin. “If you don’t like it, don’t wear
it.”

Tia eyed Maria’s soft cashmere sweater
in a beautiful dusty shade. “When I look that good, I’ll start
wearing pink.”

“
You’ll never look that
good. No one will.” She and Tia stared at their lab
mate.

“
That’s why I said it. Now
I never have to wear it.
Ever
.”

Laughter bubbled. She heard Tia giggle
as Aleksi murmured something in her ear and the two became encased
in their little bubble of love.

She sighed.

Aleksi kissed Tia before waving to
everyone. He left the lab and Tia turned on her.

“
Vlad Wellington is lethal?”

Chapter 2

Inhaling deeply, Vlad savored the
familiar scents of the town. He liked how the vegetation had turned
green again and there were once again people out and about on the
streets. Thanks to Tia Morrison’s knowledge of microbiology and her
subsequent cleaning up their water well problems, Rurikstan City no
longer needed to boil their water. They could freely use the
resource again, while the not so healthy were better, and Rurikstan
had returned to everyday life.