Bad Nerd Falling (2 page)

Thinking about Tia’s lab turned his
thoughts to her lab helpers. One was his mother, the other… he
still wasn’t certain how to classify Helena. The most beautiful
woman in the world had very wisely waited for him. From the little
tidbits he picked up on his brief forays home, he learned she
didn’t date.

That was good for her.

He refused to share her. All through
the grueling years, he never lost the picture he’d painted of her
in his mind. Her brown-red hair that curled in spirals to her waist
and those bright green eyes and light caramel skin had kept him
going. In his darkest hours he could close his eyes and hear her
laugh. See those perfect lips arch into a smile, her head thrown
back, curls cascading to her hips.

That picture of beauty and home kept
him alive so he could continue with his assigned task. Not that he
hadn’t also cursed this assigned task. He had. Often. Yet knowing
why it was his duty helped him as he struggled to complete each
assignment. There were times when he was certain he
couldn’t.

He
had
completed his training, not
always without complaint, and not always without some really nasty
thoughts about his prince, but he had accomplished everything asked
of him.

The problem now was his prince no
longer sat behind that heirloom desk in the Prince’s office. That
good man had died of lead poisoning from ancient pipes and
conditions of a weak heart a year ago. The man who had sent him out
to become a warrior was no longer waiting to hear of the lessons
learned.

Instead, his son sat behind that
desk.

So the current prince had no idea
about his assignment. He wasn’t certain anyone in Rurikstan other
than the former prince knew of his special training. This meant the
meeting with Prince Aleksi was going to be rather
interesting.

He practiced the opening
sentence.

“
Yeah, Aleksi, great to see you. Nice weather
we’re having. By the way, your father turned me into a
super-soldier.”

Chapter 3

After swallowing the lump in her
suddenly tight throat, she nodded. “Yes, lethal is the correct
word.”

“
Why are you dating
someone
lethal
?”
Tia hissed. They both noticed Maria watching them with feigned
nonchalance.

Since Vlad was her son, they better
not discuss the man in front of her.

“
If you haven’t met him…”
Heat burst through her so she fanned herself.

“
Mmm, that nice?” Tia all
but purred.

“
You’ve been hanging out
with Maria far too long.”

“
Hey, you learn stuff that
way.”

“
I wonder if some of her
magic will rub off on me.” She fiddled with her notebook pages. The
ones she still hadn’t written anything on.

Tia snorted. “Like you need any
magic.”

“
I don’t think princesses
are allowed to snort.”

“
Love me, love my
snort.”

“
You’re so very much what
Rurikstan needs.”

“
That’s what Aleksi says.”
Tia’s eyes turned dreamy.

“
He’s so besotted
he
would say anything,”
Helena mock scoffed.

Tia’s smile took on a sultry quality.
“I like him that way.”

“
You like him any way you
can get him.”

“
Yes.” Tia’s dreamy look
vanished to be replaced by her I’m-seeking-information one. It
spelled Tia careened down the path of enlightenment and she didn’t
intend to bail until she got what she wanted.

She all but groaned.

“
So, my overly beautiful
friend, spill on the boyfriend.”

“
I am not
beautiful.”

Jorge, who had just seated himself at
the bench across from them, snorted. He was white haired, bearded,
and sported dark glasses and a scholarly air.

“
You’re spending too much
time with Tia.” She tried to glare at him.

“
I like Tia.” Jorge
started his calculations. “And you are one of the most beautiful
women in the world.” Jorge glanced around the room. “I’m the only
man in the Beauty Pageant lab. I
love
coming to work.”

He started his calculations with a
happy sigh.

Helena turned accusing eyes on Tia.
“You’re the one who started the whole Beauty Pageant lab
misnomer.”

Tia stared at her. “You are probably
the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. That was my first thought.
Of course, that was until I saw her.” Tia hooked a thumb over her
shoulder at Maria.

“
Like any woman can
compare to that one.” Helena spun on her stool to stare at their
lab mate. “She’s gorgeous.”

“
So are you, my friend.”
Tia patted her shoulder. “So when can I meet Vlad?”

“
I don’t know as I’ve
barely seen him myself.”

“
He’s been here for two or
three months, right?”

“
No, I think he arrived
around the same time as you. So it’s only been about a month. But
sporadic.”

Tia tilted her head. “How many times
have you seen him?”

“
Twice, maybe three
times—for a very short time.”

“
He’s not living here
then?”

A bunch of her questions suddenly made
sense. “You know, that might explain a few things. Like why our
time together is short and random.”

“
Maybe you should ask him
if he’s actually living here.”

“
He might not answer
me.”

Tia blinked like a blond owl. “Why
not?”

“
Vlad is the king of vague
answers.” She sighed. Really, he always had been secretive. And
bossy.

Before he left Rurikstan, they had
engaged in a massive argument, because he was unhappy about her
coed study group. They hadn’t even been dating at the time. She
couldn’t quite remember, but she was pretty certain she had flung
her physics book at him. If memory served her right, her aim had
been true, but Vlad was fast and avoided the spiraling textbook. He
left home soon after and she hadn’t heard much of him
since.

She heard of his travels to America
and then all over the world. What she hadn’t heard was what he’d
been doing since then. All of her subtle and not-so-subtle
questions were left unanswered.

She scowled.

Tia raised her hands in the universal
surrender gesture. “I didn’t do it, I promise.”

“
Ha ha.” Helena wiped off
the scowl. “I still don’t know anything about him. He’s
always
been this
frustrating.”

“
You’re scowling again,”
Tia unhelpfully pointed out. “You were so happy a few weeks
ago.”

“
Yes, I was under the
impression that our relationship had changed. Finally.”

“
It hasn’t, I take
it?”

“
No.” Her answer was
gruff. “He’s still every bit as frustrating and close-mouthed as
he’s always been.”

“
It takes an impressive
woman to handle a man like that.”

“
Who said I’m an
impressive woman?”

***

Later that morning, Helena finished up
her experiment. The data looked really promising that they might be
on the brink of a new antibiotic. Hopefully it worked, since
bacteria had evolved to resist their current selection. It would be
nice to provide something effective again. She logged the last of
the microbiological results, aware that Tia was staring over her
shoulder.

“
If you start heavy
breathing, I’m shoving you in front of a truck,” she informed Tia
cheerfully.

“
You’re not my type.
Although I must admit to being excited about this data.”

“
Yes, I agree.” She typed
in the last of the data and stared at it with pride. “Okay, you can
heavy breathe a little.”

“
Oh my
.” Tia sounded awestruck. This data wasn’t
that
exciting. A niggle
of awareness lifted the hair on the back of her neck.
He
was
nearby.

Her head swung around until she
located the object of Tia’s sudden desire. Yes, there he was, in
all his masculine glory. Every perfect centimeter of
him.

“
Oh my,” Tia
repeated.

Lips curving up, she nodded. “Meet
Vlad.”

“
Wow, he looks like Aleksi
and Maks, but not.”

And there it was, that unexplainable
factor that made Vlad who he was. “Yes.”

“
You never said he was…”
Words obviously failed her. She understood. He was tall, broad,
with shaggy dark hair and dark brown nearly black eyes like Aleksi
and Maks, Vlad’s older brother. His face was chiseled with a
masculine appeal that wasn’t beautiful but was powerful
nonetheless. He was all hard edges and dangerous
seductiveness.

“
Gorgeously
lethal.”

Tia snapped her fingers. “Yeah,
that.”

“
Do you want to meet
him?”
Of course she wanted to meet
him
. Tia was a healthy female below the
age of one hundred.

Turning stunned eyes on her, Tia shook
her head. “I don’t think I’m allowed.”

She grinned. “Aleksi isn’t worried
about Vlad stealing you.”

Tia waved that off. “No, I don’t think
men like him,” she gestured toward Vlad, “are allowed to meet nerds
like me.” She frowned. “I think it’s against the rules.”

She turned baleful eyes on her. “He’s
dating me.” Then she winced. “I think.”

By that time he stepped fully into the
lab. Not that Vlad came to them. Instead, he finished his
assessment of the space. His eyes slid possessively over her,
before he nodded to Tia and Jorge. Then he made his steady way
across the lab to stand behind his mother. She bumped him in the
course of her work and shrieked.

Maria dropped the pipette she was
using and turned quickly. The moment she caught sight of Vlad,
utter joy crossed her face and she leapt into his arms
instead.

“
Mom,” he protested, but
Helena noticed immediately that the rigid line of his shoulders
relaxed a fraction as he engulfed her in his arms. His mother’s
warm welcome showed he had been missed. Her tears were definitely
of the joyful variety as she kept hugging him and exclaiming. The
man had been gone thirteen years with only sporadic trips home to
see his family.

“
When did you get here?
It’s been so
long
since your last visit. We need to call your father. I’m so
happy to see you.” Maria rattled on so fast she smiled and turned
to Tia.

“
Have you blinked since he
stepped into the room?” Not that she was judging. Since she had to
remind herself to do the same.

“
I don’t think
so.”

“
Blink, girl.”

Tia blinked, but continued to stare at
Vlad. “I’m so happy I met Aleksi before I met him.”

“
Me, too. I’m rather
partial to him.” She wished for things that might never
be.

By that time, Maria finished her
compulsive squeezing to tow him over to them. Jorge received a
genuine smile when Maria introduced them. It appeared Jorge and
Vlad already knew each other. A friendly handshake between the two
men then Vlad turned to them.

He stood directly in front of Tia. She
noticed Tia really was tall. She didn’t have to crane her head too
much to look up at Vlad. That must be nice. Of course, Maria was
the short one in the lab, but Helena wasn’t much taller than Maria.
Maybe two inches. Still, it was better than being petite. Although
Maria wore that nomenclature well. But then again, Maria wore
everything well.

Better not go
there
, a wise voice piped up in the back
of her mind.
Right
, she agreed.

“
I am Vladimir
Wellington.” He obviously appreciated the view as he introduced
himself. That should prove to her dummy friend that she was quite
attractive. Men liked her.
A
lot
.

But Tia proved without a doubt that
she was princess material. Her smile was as genuine and easy as
his. “Hello Vladimir. I’m Tia Morrison.”

He nodded. “I have heard much of
you.”

Tia’s smile didn’t falter. “I haven’t
heard squat about you.”

Vlad appeared to be up on American
slang because he laughed. “That is because I’m the black sheep of
the family. It was better to not mention me.”

“
I don’t believe that for
a moment. But I am looking forward to getting to know
you.”

“
I agree.” His smile
nearly melted her safety glasses.

Oh no
, she wasn’t still wearing them? A quick check proved she
was.
Ugh, not here, not in front of this
man
. She snatched them off and dropped
them on the benchtop like they were on fire. He knew she worked in
a lab. Vlad had to know that she was a major geek. She had thrown
her
physics
book
at him. That should tell him everything he needed to know about her
interest in science.