Bad Nerd Falling (20 page)

In response, Helena’s mouth curled
down. “It’s taken us this long to get together. I’ve waited years
for you, and now there’s the possibility you could be ripped from
me.” Her voice dissolved into tears.

DuBois shoved his chair away from the
table and grabbed some dishes. Then he entered the kitchen. Vlad
tugged Helena into his arms and held her tight as she sobbed
against him.

“
The purpose of all my
training was to increase my odds of surviving.”

“
That doesn’t make this
any easier.”

“
No, but this is what I
do. It’s what I’m
supposed
to do.” He cupped her chin and raised her
tear-stained face toward him. “Just like I’m supposed to be with
you.”

The surety in his voice helped to
alleviate some of his own doubts. Yet there were still some there.
They fell like bomb debris all around him. He hoped none struck
him, but was pretty certain he wouldn’t escape
unscathed.

“
How do you know
that?”

He shrugged. “Have you ever been
attracted to another man?”

She went still in his arms. “No.” The
certainty in her voice strengthened his own.

“
I’ve been all around the
world, met dozens of beautiful, classy, intelligent women. Not one
of them interested me.”

“
Because of
me?”

His arms tightened around her.
“Because of you. There is only one woman for me,
Helena.”

Her nod was enough, but then she
burrowed deeper into his arms and he was pretty certain he couldn’t
possibly want this woman more. It felt right to have her here,
close and wrapped around him. They fit like a weapon and
ammunition. Made specifically for the other.

It was enough, for now.

***

“
So tell me everything
happening at home.” Tia demanded of Ben once they were served
dinner. “Start with your kids.”

“
The twins are growing so
fast, Treeny is afraid they’re going to be taller than her soon.”
Ben’s grin was that of a proud parent.

“
She’s not
short.”

“
No, she’s five feet six.
But it appears that Kale and Kyla are going to take after my side
of the family.”

“
Are they a year old
yet?”

Ben nodded. “They’re eleven months.”
He sounded solemn.

“
You’re sad, but you see
them as often as you can and that’s what matters.”

Around them, Rex and Derek added their
comments and soon Ben relaxed. “I’d like to see them and Treeny
more often.”

Ben’s wife, Treeny, was a strawberry
blond with gorgeous blue-gray eyes that should appear icy but
weren’t at all. She was a doctor and that nurturing quality was
quite evident in her. Like another pair she knew, Treeny and Ben
had waited for each other. “You should talk to Helena and
Vlad.”

Ben’s eyebrows rose. So did most of
the other table’s occupants.

Tia laughed. “Sorry, I just remembered
that you and Treeny never dated anyone else all through your late
teen and early adult years. You waited for each other. That’s what
Vlad and Helena have done.”

Derek let out a nearly silent whistle.
“She’s waited too?”

“
Oh yes.” Aleksi shared a
glance with his mother. “Most definitely.”

“
As far as we can tell,
Welly has never dated anyone. Since we watched Ben do the same
thing, we didn’t find it as weird as it is.” A lot of glee suffused
Derek’s voice.

“
I can’t think of a single
instance when Helena dated any of the young men who asked her.”
Gracia tapped her fork gently against the delicate, nearly
priceless china.

“
That sounds like Vlad,”
Rex announced in his quiet manner. It was the first thing he had
said since entering the dining room. His voice sent delicate
shivers down her spine. It was yummy.

Aleksi sent her a sardonic glance and
to appease him, and because she adored him, she blew him a little
kiss. He smiled lazily at her, and she wished their wedding day was
here already. Except that before they could be married she had to
return to America.

In the slyest move yet, Aleksi had
arranged for them to marry ten weeks from now. That meant she had
no more than six weeks in America. At least if she wanted to have
two weeks before the wedding that is. She would need at least that.
In the back of her mind, she was aiming for no more than three
weeks. The thought of being away from him for six weeks was…
unbearable.

The main problem would be selling her
condo in that time-frame. Hmm. “Hey, Ben. Do you know anyone who is
looking to buy a condo?”

He blinked before shifting
conversations with her. “I think Julie mentioned needing a new
place. Why?”

“
I need to sell my condo,
and I’d like to do it quickly.”

“
Isn’t Bryan’s girlfriend
a real estate agent?”

“
Yes, she is. But she
sells more on the west shore than our side of the river.” Tia
resettled her napkin. “The sooner I sell the condo, the sooner I
can return here.”

“
Don’t you also have a
work project to finish up?” Ben sounded skeptical.

“
Yes, but we’re working on
it here in Rurikstan.”

“
How is that possible?”
Derek asked.

“
I had a colleague send me
everything I needed. So we can perform the necessary tests here. We
should be finished soon.”

“
And that will enable you
to?” Derek kept eating, like he didn’t get meals like this one very
often. Beside her, Rex appeared to be enjoying the meal every bit
as much.

“
The toughest thing I have
to do when I return to Hershey is pack and sell my
condo.”

Ben frowned. “The Packers can have
your place finished in a few hours.”

“
Oh, I forgot about The
Packers. Of course, they’re as near to professionals as anyone I
could hire.” Tia sighed in relief. Of course, her mother and the
aunts were exceptional at many things, but they really excelled at
packing up their various family members’ belongings.

“
The Packers?” Aleksi
blinked.

Tia laughed. “They are a collection of
our mothers,” she gestured to Ben and herself, “and some aunts who
all get together and pack up the homes and apartments of family
members.”

“
They go in, pack it all
up like a professional moving company, label everything, stack it
up for the men—” Ben said.

Tia cut in. “And probably will have
supper made and waiting for you in the fridge.”

“
That’s what they did for
KC.”
[
The
Corpsman and the Nerd
- Book 2 - The
Morrison Family Series]

“
And numerous other
cousins and family members.” She and Ben smiled at each other,
content to think about their mutual family. “I can’t imagine not
being a part of the Morrison family.”

“
Neither can I. Nor do I
ever want to.” Ben’s tone was emphatic.

“
Since I’m becoming a
member, do you think they would perform this service for me?”
Aleksi’s droll face was firmly in place.

She leaned forward and flicked that
nose she loved so much. “Yes. But since your family hasn’t moved
out of this palace in over five hundred years, I’m guessing you
won’t need their help.”

“
Eight hundred,” Aleksi
corrected absently.

Everyone turned to stare at him in
astonishment. “Your family has lived here for eight hundred
years?”

Gracia stared at the ceiling. “No,
it’s been nine hundred and thirty-seven years.”

“
The original palace burnt
down at least twice.” Aleksi glanced at his mother for
confirmation.

“
You’ve been here almost a
thousand years?” Tia stared at her fiancé in utter
shock.

“
Not me, my ancestors of
the House of de Leos.”

Tia waved that away. “Same
thing.”

“
We Americans have no
concept of history,” Rex said after he swallowed a mouthful of the
roasted chicken they were enjoying. “I have no idea where my
great-grandparents lived.” Rex stared at Aleksi and Gracia in
wonder.

Derek took a sip from his drinking
goblet. “I have no idea who my great-grandparents were.”

“
You don’t even know their
names?” Ben paused in devouring the last of his chicken.

Derek shook his head.

Ben turned to her. “We’re
lucky.”

“
Yes, we are.” She enjoyed
the shared family moment with Ben. At least they could trace their
ancestors back several generations. She turned to Aleksi. “You know
who all of your ancestors are, from over nine hundred years
ago?”

“
No, probably further back
than that,” Gracia answered. “I can trace mine back at least twelve
hundred years, but the House of de Leos probably goes further than
that.”

When no one said anything, because the
four Americans in the room were probably all reeling from shock,
Aleksi smiled. “We’re a small, family principality. This nation has
always kept very good records. There is a streak of recorders in
our line.” He glanced at her. “That would be Emerson’s family in
our generation.”

“
So his family is part of
the de Leos line?” She still didn’t know all that much about
Aleksi’s history. It would take her lifetime just to learn all his
ancestors.

“
Yes. He’s my second
cousin in my father’s line. And a second cousin in yours, right?”
Aleksi turned to his mother.

She nodded. “Yes, his father and I are
first cousins.”

“
You’re double cousins
with Emerson?”

“
I’m double cousins with
most of the royal families in Rurikstan.”

“
Emerson is considered
royalty?”

“
Oh yes.” Gracia’s smile
was as wicked as Tia guessed hers was. Now that the lead in
Gracia’s system was nearly gone, she was proving to be a lot of
fun.

“
That offers so much
ammunition.”

“
Have we met Emerson yet?”
Ben leaned back in his chair.

She exchanged knowing looks with
Aleksi and Gracia. “If you have to ask, then no.”

“
His wife has been away,
so he seemed eager to spend some time with her today.” Aleksi
managed that without so much as a smirk.

“
You’ll probably meet him
tomorrow.”

By that time, Hans wheeled in dessert,
and their attention shifted from Emerson to the decadent richness
before them. She understood. She feared gaining weight here. Her
only saving grace was discovering the palace gym. Now she and
Helena spent time there every day according to their
schedules.

It worked to keep both of them
motivated and she really did concentrate better if she worked out.
Not that she was a sporty girl, and neither was Helena, but they
managed. Actually, they had a great time making fun of each other’s
efforts, and it kept them motivated, so that was all that
mattered.

After dinner, she and Aleksi took the
three visitors on a tour of the palace. It struck her odd that the
men checked out things that most guests never noticed.

Usually the guests oohed and aahed
over the priceless antiques and paintings. Or the other artwork
scattered around like wares in a dollar store. These guys checked
out windows and asked where doors went and wondered who had access
to which parts of the palace.

“
Please inform us if you
have need of anything,” Aleksi told them.

Then when the men waved goodnight, he
tugged her into a small living room. She didn’t demur and kissed
him back with all the longing and angst that leaving him in two
weeks was going to cause.

She decided, right as his lips descended again,
that she needed to find someone to buy her condo. Spending more
than three weeks in America wasn’t going to work.

Chapter 16

Later that evening in DuBois’s flat,
Vlad reluctantly removed his lips from Helena’s. He couldn’t bring
himself to step away from her though. He savored the feeling of her
plastered tight against him. Taking the time to savor her feminine
form against his was a nobrainer for the next few
moments.

But he knew they couldn’t remain like
that. With a silent sigh, he parted them.

“
I have to leave,” he
murmured, and because he couldn’t resist, bent his head to kiss her
again.

“
You’ve said that several
times tonight.”

“
I know, but it’s
true.”

“
Why?”

“
I have a meeting. Since I
called it, I should be there.”

Behind them, the strains of that first
haunting composition died away. He stroked her face and after a
final quick kiss, lifted his hand in goodbye to DuBois before he
slipped out of the apartment. It didn’t take him long to descend
the stairs and hit the street beyond. Ever aware of his
surroundings, Vlad quickly merged with the shadows and moved with
easy confidence through them.