Bad Nerd Falling (36 page)

“
What happened?” Beau met
them at the door of her flat.

Vlad settled her on the sofa then sat
beside her before succinctly telling him about their near miss with
the car. As he talked, Beau’s lips thinned and his eyes grew colder
until he looked remarkably like the four men at the scene. A
whispering cold lashed her as goosebumps popped out along her arms
again. She shivered a bit in the warmth of her flat and ran her
hands up and down her arms.

While she didn’t think he noticed,
Vlad must have because he looped an arm around her and tugged her
close. She savored his warmth and comforting masculine scent as he
continued the conversation with Beau.

Her landlord asked some very pertinent
questions she would have never thought of. In fact, she was
surprised Beau asked them. Vlad had seen something in him from the
very first that she hadn’t. She had always been comfortable with
Beau, but she didn’t realize until this minute that was perhaps
because he reminded her so much of Vlad and his superhero
friends.

Not that she was happy by this
revelation. It explained more about those mysterious injuries he
didn’t like to talk about. Now she realized it might be because he
wasn’t permitted to talk about them. But some things still didn’t
connect for her. Which military had he worked for? He hadn’t lived
in Rurikstan for years so his training didn’t come from
here.

Her eyes focused on him, she asked,
“Beau, were you a member of the American military?”

He and Vlad ended their low voiced
conversation. They both turned to her. “Yes. I grew up in America.
I joined the Army during college.”

“
It’s why he doesn’t play
well with my Navy friends,” Vlad said with a hint of mischief. She
really wanted to explore that particular quality in him much
further.

Beau didn’t give her the opportunity.
“Everyone knows about the Army-Navy rivalry.”

Since she had no idea what they were
talking about, she moved on.

“
Are you planning to stay
for the evening?”

Beau looked at Vlad. “I’ll stay with
her.”

Vlad nodded as though he had taken
that for granted. His hand slid up and down her arm.

She bristled. “I’m here you know. I’m
not some helpless maiden.”

Both of them paused in their renewed
conversation to stare at her. Beau’s lips quirked up. “There’s no
way you’re a helpless maiden. No maiden takes on a man like Vlad
Wellington.”

Vlad’s own lips kicked up. “She might
not have any idea what she’s getting into.”

“
I know, trust me.” She
eyed him, and even though she really liked what she saw, she kept
her expression impassive. “Sometimes you have to take what Fate
hands you.”

She popped to her feet to evade his
long reach. He followed her, relentless. Really, she should have
known that.

Vlad caught her with ease and tugged
her close. So close she could see the pulse in his neck beating and
feel the utter warmth of his body. It was in complete opposition to
his cold, deadly eyes. She supposed even predators were
warmblooded, but they seemed so… well, coldblooded.

With one gentle finger he tipped her
face up to his. She was aware on a subconscious level of Beau
disappearing into the kitchen, but it was only a periphery
knowledge.

“
You can run, but you
won’t escape me.” Vlad’s eyes weren’t cold now but focused and
steady.

“
Did I try to run?” She
snuggled in. She even batted her lashes at him. If there was one
aspect of her looks she rather liked it was her eyelashes. They
were long, dark, thick and curling. Not even Karis, beautiful as
she was, had eyelashes like hers.

His mouth softened as he stared down
at her. “Yes, you did. It is silly.” He wrapped her closer still
and bent his head to kiss her.

It had been way too long, she decided
as their lips connected. Their lips were getting better and better
at this kissing business. Her temperature soared, as did her heart
rate. All thought processes thereby ground to a halt as sensation
took over. The need to feel his skin caused her to raise leaden
arms to wrap around his neck. Her hands smoothed over his neck and
dug into the dark strands of hair.

He lifted his head for a moment and
she protested. His mouth was smiling when he tilted his head and
repositioned his lips against hers. It didn’t take her own lips
long to curve up to match his.

“
What are you smiling
about?”

“
You melt when I kiss
you.” He sounded a little awed by that.

“
I like kissing you.” She
ran her fingers through his hair, across his nape, to skim over his
neck and finally curve around his bristled cheeks. She loved how
masculine he felt. There was no doubt this man’s hard planes were
in direct contrast to her softer curves.

The differences between man and woman
were very obvious between them. Never before had she quite
appreciated her own femininity. Even though it seemed like he held
all the power at times, she realized she possessed some of her own.
Vlad wasn’t immune to her.

That helped to maintain the balance
between them.

She would hate if he had all the power
and she none in their relationship. It wouldn’t work in this day
and age. It hadn’t particularly worked in previous ages.

A loud bang from the kitchen crashed
them back to reality.

“
What happened?” She asked
as she caught Vlad’s hand and tugged him with her to the
kitchen.

“
I dropped this out of the
freezer?” Beau waved a white paper wrapped block.

“
That’s a pot
roast.”

“
That won’t work for
tonight.” He tucked it back into the freezer.

“
Check the fridge. There
should be some thawed items in there.”

He obediently opened the door and then
brandished a package of chicken, some tomato sauce, and cheese. She
took them and soon had the chicken cooking. She started on the side
dishes, while Beau and Vlad conducted a low voiced discussion at
the kitchen bar.

“
You are having supper
with us, right?”

Vlad nodded. “I think I can eat with
you but then I need to return to work.”

She didn’t say anything else, but
instead decided to enjoy the time she had with him. Her job was
your basic nine-to-five or thereabouts. Sometimes they did work
late. Or someone had to go in during the night, but for the most
part her hours were steady.

It didn’t seem like anything about
Vlad’s work was steady. His hours were chaotic and numerous. He
probably never knew where he was going to be. Or who or what he
faced next.

She frowned as she turned the browning
chicken breasts. The broccoli head was missing. A glance around the
room showed Beau expertly chopping it. That meant she could put the
water on for pasta.

Fifteen minutes later everything was
nearly done. She surveyed it all with satisfaction. She had timed
the meal perfectly. It didn’t take long for them to sit down to
eat. Their conversation flowed and ebbed and it was a wonderful
addition to the tasty meal she and Beau prepared.

She forgot that her time with Vlad was
limited.

Chapter 27

When he awoke, Vlad wasn’t surprised
at the itchy, restless feeling slithering through him. This meant
something bad was about to happen. He figured his SEAL buddies were
aware of the same feeling. It was their warrior intuition preparing
them for the battle ahead, and they were trained to heed
it.

He rolled out of bed and dressed
quickly. With minimum fuss and some speed he headed toward the
palace. Keeping to the shadows of the pre-dawn morning wasn’t
difficult. Not much stirred on the streets at this hour. There were
a few people up, but most of the homes remained dark as the
occupants slumbered on.

Very few people saw this hour. Even
the hoodlums had already made for their beds. With the dawning
light shining on their deeds they shuffled away since the light was
their enemy.

The same restless feeling that awoke
with him increased and he picked up his pace again. He was a block
from the palace when Tigger fell into pace beside him.

“
Sit rep,” he requested as
they increased their speed to a jog. Neither of them breathed
heavy. Both were far too accustomed to physical training. He asked
for the situation report because it was obvious Tigger had been on
patrol.

Derek Shively offered a quick report
on what he had seen during the night, which was nothing
unusual.

They expected that.

“
Did you get any
sleep?”

“
I took a combat
nap.”

That meant he put himself into REM
sleep and woke refreshed after only a half hour or so. It
sufficed.

They entered the palace through a side
door, keeping watch the entire time. When the door closed behind
them, he made certain it locked. There was no use advertising
trouble by allowing an open entry.

The talk with Prince Aleksi about the
palace treasures got him to thinking. Likely those valuables were
definitely well hidden. At the moment, they didn’t have time to go
searching for them. Even if they did, he doubted they would. They
had more pressing matters to attend to.

Like keeping everyone
alive.

“
I have to pick up
Helena,” he announced after their first report.

Ben sipped coffee while Beaumont
pounded away on the computer. Tigger was busy eating some eggs. He
appeared to be savoring them. He helped himself to more bacon and
then rose.

“
You’re taking her to
work?” Ben leaned forward to snag the coffee carafe.

“
Yes. Since yesterday’s
incident, I decided to make certain she gets to and from work
safely.”

They all nodded, like that was
logical.

He headed out soon after and took the
car Aleksi offered for their use. It was a roomy sedan, and would
afford some protection.

After he parked, he took a moment to
assess the area before he alighted. He listened, watched, smelled,
and felt the pertinent things around him. When he concluded all was
well, he headed to Helena’s apartment.

After a quick knock he waited. When
she opened the door, and stared at him like her experiment had come
to life, he smiled. “I’m here to escort you to work.”

“
Why?” She held her hair
in a long ponytail in one hand and a hair band in the
other.

He stepped forward while she fell
back. Once he was inside the apartment he locked the door and then
watched with interest as she finished her hair.

In lieu of answering her question he
instead gathered her close and kissed her. Repeatedly.

“
Good morning,” he finally
whispered when he let her go.

“
Good morning.” She
sounded strangled. She sent him a look that might have indicated
she had no idea what to do with him this early in the morning. He
didn’t mind.

She paced back into her bedroom,
looking a little bemused, to finish getting ready for work. He took
note of her hospital scrubs before he investigated the coffee
pot.

“
Help yourself to
coffee.”

“
Thanks.” He finished
pouring some into a mug.

A few minutes later she padded into
the kitchen. “Did you have breakfast?”

“
I ate a little with the
guys.”

She eyed him for a moment before
lifting the lid of a pot on the stove. “I have
porridge.”

“
That will work.” He’d
inhaled eggs and bacon earlier. This would round out the
meal.

With a minimum of fuss, Helena ladled
the hot cereal into bowls and handed him both. In moments they were
seated at her table, enjoying the fare. Not that porridge was his
favorite breakfast, but it was food and it was nice to be eating it
with Helena.

They didn’t talk much, but he
appreciated the easy, comfortable silence between them.

She got up to snag the coffee pot and
refilled both their mugs. He enjoyed the homey atmosphere. So this
is what he’d been missing all these years. Glancing at Helena, he
didn’t want to eat with any other woman.

This
one
. And
only
this one, his subconscious
whispered.

He concurred. Yet he wasn’t certain
how to go about convincing her of that. Maybe she didn’t need
convincing though. She had shown her feelings all along. Perhaps it
was merely a case of sitting down with her and actually
communicating.

The military was big on
communication, but it wasn’t all that good at it at times. He’d
definitely seen a few examples of how
not
to communicate. He needed to
pull out his best communication skills, but they were among those
he lacked.

The main thought in his head was that
this was the most important no-fail mission of his life.