Bad Nerd Falling (10 page)

This kiss was a little easier because
both of them remembered to breathe. When they parted, Vlad loved
how slumberous her eyes were. Her lips pouted in a sultry,
beautiful woman way.

“
You came to kiss me?” Her
eyelids half-masted – like it required too much energy to open them
wider.

“
No, I didn’t come to kiss
you,” he refuted.

Her lips curled up in a knowing
feminine smirk.

“
Okay, I did come to kiss
you. But I also came to just spend time with you.”

Her smile faded as hope and awe took
its place. “Really?”

“
That was the plan.” He
ran a hand through his hair, but kept the other arm fastened
securely around her. For some reason, it was hard to let her go,
even to put a few centimeters between them.

Her smile lit up the dark places deep
inside him. He wanted to burrow deep inside her light, to bask in
the warm, soft glow. This is what drew him here tonight. The sense
of contentment he knew only when he was with Helena. It was
addicting. Like her lips.

“
I’m glad you came.” She
smiled up at him, like he was the only man in the world.

That’s when he noticed they hadn’t
proceeded any further into her apartment than the foyer. She
couldn’t move because he held her flattened against him. Tight.
Helena didn’t protest.

“
I am too,” he whispered
and bent his head to sample her smile.

She didn’t argue, but let him explore
her lips. When she leaned into him and moaned, he realized they
needed space between them or things he wasn’t planning on might
occur and he would be powerless to stop them. Relying on Helena to
halt things wasn’t a great plan because he would work extra hard to
convince her and she apparently had the same weakness he
did.

Easing space between them was harder
than he imagined.

“
I think we need to sit on
opposites ends of the sofa.” One shaky footstep away from him and
he wanted to snatch her close again, but she raised her hands to
stop him and he relented.

“
Okay,” he agreed, even
though instinct demanded he claim his mate.

Helena pointed to the sofa and he sank
onto it, not happy she was so far away. She strode into the
kitchen, which lay beyond a counter. He hadn’t even looked at the
place, much less assessed it for danger and weaknesses.

That was unacceptable. The
first thing he should have done was protect Helena, and instead he
jumped headlong into those kisses and ignored his surroundings.
That had never happened before.
It better
never happen again
, a caustic voice stated
firmly in the back of his mind. He agreed.

When Helena exited the kitchen he
noticed she carried two bottles. She handed him one and he saw it
was iced tea. “Thank you.” He unscrewed the cap.

She followed suit and they both took a
sip before turning to each other. Now that he was here, he didn’t
know what to do.

Helena leaned forward to place her
bottle on the coffee table before leaning back and staring at him.
“I’m glad you came.”

His lips quirked up. “I think you
already said that.”

She reached out to playfully swat him
and he grabbed her wrist and tugged. Tumbling and laughing, she
flew into his arms, exactly as he planned. “I thought we were
supposed to talk,” she said breathlessly once she settled against
him.

Vlad wrapped both arms around her,
anchoring her to his side, in case she had ideas of escaping him.
Silly woman if so.

“
We will. But I like you
close.”

Throaty laughter bubbled up. “I guess
you do, since I can’t move.” She mock scowled at him.

“
You’re fine.” He brushed
a hand over her hair, loving the springy mass. Her dark curls had
caught his eye from the beginning. She must have been about five.
He was entranced then, and had never grown out of his
fascination.

“
How do you know I’m
fine?” Her arched brow provided another distraction.

Vlad traced the lovely line. “You’re
beautiful.”

“
You’re
partial.”

“
Maybe, but there’s no
denying yours is a face men fight wars over.”

He loved the delicate color that
flooded her cheeks. She was the most beautiful woman alive, but she
was also humble. “How did a beautiful woman like you end up in a
lab?”

“
I love science. You know
that.”

“
You did spend a lot of
time chasing insects and animals and collecting rocks when we were
kids.”

“
Yeah, I haven’t changed
much.”

“
You still collect all
those things?” He took another, more leisurely, look at her
apartment.

She laughed. “No, I don’t collect them
now. But I still love science and adore my job.” She stroked a
delicate finger over his jaw. “It’s official as of today. Your mom,
Jorge, and I are all going to help Tia in the lab.”

He frowned. “I thought that was
already official.”

“
Not until
today.”

“
So you didn’t know for
certain you were going to work with Tia?”

“
There wasn’t much said.
We all feared we’d end up having to return to the
hospital.”

“
You didn’t like the
hospital?”

“
Not compared to what
we’re doing with Tia. And her research is only going to get more
exciting.”

“
The hospital wasn’t
exciting?”

Her mouth turned down. “Try processing
stool samples and then answer that.”

“
No, thank
you.”

“
So polite.” Her tone was
teasing as she traced a finger over his lips. He managed to kiss
the tip before she trailed it over his cheekbone. “So handsome.”
Her swallow was loud in the silent room. They stared at each other
before she leaned forward to kiss him.

He didn’t argue; instead he kissed her
back with gusto.

Hauntingly beautiful piano music
started playing. It was nearly as exquisite as the woman in his
arms. He tugged her closer, savoring her warmth and enticing female
scent. His senses had only ever been used for survival before. But
now he realized they could appreciate the beauty all around him.
This woman, this evening, the music that rose, lifting his spirits,
embracing his heart, urging him to become a part of the
night.

The heady scent of Helena filtered in
and enticed him deeper. Her lips beckoned and pleaded. He
responded. Everything male in him clung to all of her that was
female. The night dropped away as the music built. It neared the
crescendo and Vlad’s breath caught as the beauty of the music
rivaled the beauty in his arms.

With one haunting chord to the next,
the music swelled until it was inside him. Then it crashed all
around him, in him, through him and then before it was finished,
abruptly ended.

“
What?” He raised his head
to stare in bemusement at Helena.

“
He botched it again.” She
grinned before rising to pace over to a small door in the wall.
Opening it, she leaned inside and yelled, “Beau, play something
else. You’re too tired to do that piece.”

A man’s disgruntled voice answered. “I
nearly had it.”

Helena shook her head. “No, you
didn’t.”

“
Everybody’s a critic,”
the male voice griped. “So what does Her Highness wish for me to
play then?”

Helena rattled off several names he
had never heard before. Apparently they meant something to the man
downstairs. “I do need to practice those.”

“
Make certain you use the
correct tune.”

“
I’m a musician, that’s
the point.” A thump told him the man had abruptly shut his own
little door in the wall.

Helena laughed and shut hers before
turning to him.

“
Did I fall down a rabbit
hole?”

“
No, Vladimir in
Wonderland.” She surveyed him before pointing out, “You’re not
dressed for the part.”

He stalked her and with a laugh she
jumped out of reach. This was child’s play to him. But it was also
fun with her.

“
You have a musician who
lives downstairs who you taunt,” he opened for her.

“
His name is Beau DuBois
and he’s a symphony orchestra pianist.” She adeptly avoided him
again.
Hmm, Helena was good at
this
. Too good in his
estimation.

“
That name sounds
familiar.”

“
Yes, he’s widely known
throughout the world. He just accepted a position with Rurikstan’s
newly formed chamber orchestra. Beau was born here and he very much
wanted to return.”

“
Where was he
before?”

“
He played with several
well known orchestras in America.”

That snapped his memory into place.
“That’s where I’ve heard of him.”

“
Yes, he’s considered a
very eligible bachelor and ends up in the tabloids a
lot.”

“
He’s single?”

Helena frowned. “I think so. He rarely
talks about that aspect of his life.”

“
He’s asked you out on a
date?” He worked to file down the hard edge in his
voice.

“
No. We’ve gone out as
friends, but there’s no chemistry between us. And he knows about
you.”

That appeased him. “That’s good.”
Heroically, he refrained from cracking his knuckles.

The music started up again, and it was
as beautiful this time as before. “I don’t know what you were
complaining about, that first piece was beautiful.”

“
Yes, it’s amazing until
he gets to the exact same point in the piece. He can’t seem to get
it right.” She paused. “At least not when he’s tired.”

“
Does he always practice
at home like this?” He distracted her so he could
pounce.

It didn’t appear to be
working, because she kept her focus on him.
Smart woman
. And she was
his
. “Yes, he practices
quite often.”

“
None of your neighbors
mind?”

“
No. I can hear him
because of the cupboard, but most of the others can’t.” She eased
to the left.

He watched her, and barely restrained
himself from licking his lips. Her eyes gleamed with cunning as she
set laughing eyes on him.

“
So you get treated to a
concert every night?”

“
Most every night. If he’s
here. Sometimes he has to travel.”

He nodded but his mind wasn’t on the
conversation. Instead he watched her for the telltale signs of what
she planned to do. And there it was, she feinted right, and when
she went left, he grabbed her.

And startled a laugh out of her as he
caught her and swung her around in his arms. Helena circled his
neck with her arms. “You cheated.”

“
There was no cheating
involved.” He stroked a hand down her back. “You’re easy to
read.”

She pouted but then her neighbor
started playing a new piece, and this tune was more recognizable
and as beautiful as the others. “Would you care to dance?”
Hopefully his skills weren’t as rusty as he feared.

“
We are in
position.”

Her eyes were dreamy and he was
willing to bet his were as well. “We are.”

When she kept her arms looped around
his neck he grinned. “You’re supposed to offer me a
hand.”

“
Oh.” She quickly did so.
Her cheeks tinged with pink.

To say he was entranced was probably
an understatement. He took her warm hand in his and squeezed gently
before he swept them around the room. It was lit with only one
light and to the accompaniment of the piano downstairs, the evening
took on a magical, otherworld fantasy.

Helena’s green eyes glowed with a
light he had never seen before. But one he longed to see so much
more of in the future.

“
This is nice.” Her voice
was about the prettiest he’d ever heard.

“
It must be amazing to
hear a fabulous concert like this most nights.”

“
A free concert.” She
nodded. “Of course, I also have to listen to all the mistakes as
he’s learning a piece.”

“
You know
music?”

“
I can usually identify
mistakes.”

“
Are you kind?” That
sounded like amusement in his voice. Tonight it didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered but the woman in his arms and the music that
continued to play below them. He was a bit rusty at dancing, but
like most things, it came back.

“
Of course. He’s my
landlord.”

That gave him pause. “DuBois owns the
entire house?”

“
Yes. His thought was to
return it to its former glory but then he saw that it would make
him a tidy income if he kept it like this.”

“
Ah, he’s
pragmatic.”

“
I also convinced him that
he’d enjoy living amongst other people.”