BRANDON
“Maybe this isn’t a good idea.” Nikolai pauses as soon as we cross my room’s threshold.
Leather jacket in hand, he rubs his nape, causing the white T-shirt to ride up his inked abs.
His jeans hang low on his hips, stretching over his muscular thighs, giving him a lethally attractive edge. His whole look is. From the leather jacket to his hair that’s unfortunately held up now.
His bicep flexes, drawing my attention to the tattoos on his full sleeves, stretching to the backs of his hands. I never thought so many tattoos could be so sexy until Nikolai.
But then again, it might be because the tattoos are on him.
I seem to be irrevocably drawn to everything about him.
If he hadn’t come today, I have no doubt that I would’ve somehow, someway, gravitated toward him again. I would have tried to stay away and failed.
I would’ve pretended to have pride, then crushed it to pieces and sprinted toward him.
He’s beginning to have this undeniable effect on me and that frightens me. Not because of him, but because of me.
Though beginning is a massive lie. He’s had it for a long time, but I just refused to admit it.
Nikolai lets his arm drop to his side, putting a halt to my shameless ogling session.
“I think it’s better if I stay in a guest room,” he says in a careful tone. “I don’t want to give your dad more reason to hate me.”
I can’t help the smile that tugs on my lips. He’s so fucking adorable. He’s been acting like this respectful gentleman in front of my parents, and I could tell he took the entire thing very seriously.
“Don’t smile like that, baby. I’m barely stopping myself from jumping your fucking bones. You know I have no self-control when it comes to you.”
I stand in front of him and lean over so I’m speaking against his tempting lips. “Why start now, then?”
Hot breaths expel out of his mouth and dance along my jaw, drawing goosebumps over the skin.
I swear he’s about to kiss me, but then he steps back with visible difficulty. “Your dad, remember? I don’t want to be on his shit list more than I already am.”
Disappointment tugs on my insides, but I shake my head as I close my bedroom door. “He doesn’t really hate you. He’s just overprotective. If you think that was hate, you should’ve seen the King envoy he dispatched when Killian visited.”
A splash of hope blossoms on his face. “Kill had it worse?”
“Absolutely. You’re much less antagonistic than he is, so Dad was really just giving you a hard time on principle. He’ll eventually warm up to you.”
“Even if he doesn’t, it’s my mission to make him like me.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because he’s your dad and you obviously care about him,” he says as if it’s a given, and I smile again.
I can’t seem to keep control over my jaw muscles today.
“Just don’t come on too strong. He’s very British, so in-your-face emotions are extremely frowned upon. The same applies to both of my grandfathers, by the way.”
“You’re taking me to see your grandads? You must really like me, huh?”
Ah, shit.“I mean one day. If you want. We’re kind of close, so I thought…forget it. And stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” He grins like a damn idiot as he watches me closely.
“Like a gloating twat.”
“I have every right to gloat, baby.” He wraps an arm around my waist and presses me close to his hard chest. “I didn’t think you were so into me that you told your parents about me. Now, you’re even thinking about telling other members of the family.”
“I’m not so into you.”
“Baby, you came out to your parents and introduced me to them. If that’s not into me, I don’t know what is.”
“Well, you’re the one who came all the way here.”
“I told them I was a friend, you could’ve gone with that.”
“No.” I stroke his cheek and he leans into my touch, rubbing his skin on my palm like an eager fucking puppy. Jesus. How can a man be so ruthlessly hot and adorable at the same time? “I don’t want to hide you, Nikolai. I also told Glyn and my friends about us.”
“You…did?”
“A couple of weeks back, yeah. You’re not my dirty secret, and for the record, I was never ashamed of you.”
I was and still am ashamed of myself.
“Baby, you need to stop saying things like that because I’m really never going to let you go now.”
“Who says you have to?”
“Does this mean…we can be in a relationship?”
“I thought we already were?”
“We were?”
“It was a secret, but it wasn’t only physical, either, right?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely. You really pissed me off when you said that earlier. I love spending time with you whether we’re fucking or not.”
“Me, too.”
“So we’re going public now? Actually, no question mark, we’re definitely going public. I need everyone to know you’re fucking mine.”
I nod, even though my airway gets constricted. I swallow past it and refuse to let nausea rule my emotions anymore.
“You are mine, Niko.” I tug on his hair. “I thought we’d established that, hmm?”
“Jesus fucking Christ. I love it when you go all possessive on me. I want to eat you the fuck up.”
“Go to sleep and I might let you.”
“You’re kidding, right?” He wedges his legs between mine and presses his erection against my thighs. “There’s no way in fuck I’ll be able to sleep before I devour you, my lotus flower.”
“I thought you were worried about my dad?” I smile against his lips and hiss when his thigh brushes against my hardening dick.
“We can lock the door. I really can’t keep my hands off you, baby. You drive me fucking crazy. Besides, Kolya hates me and has been acting like a literal dick ever since I deprived him of you.”
I burst out laughing and he has this intense look in his eyes before he dips in and bites my lower lip into his mouth. I groan when he sinks his teeth in the sensitive flesh and then swipes his tongue along the mark he left.
His mouth pulls away before I can feast on him, and I try not to look disappointed as I throw a questioning glance his way.
“Mind if I use your shower? I need to get the flight’s grime off me.”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” I point to the far right. “It’s over there. I’ll try to find you some of my loose-fitting clothes.”
“Be right back.” I think he’ll kiss me again, but he grabs my face and brushes his lips on my forehead in a soft, intimate kiss. “I missed you so fucking much, baby.”
I stand rooted in place long after he disappears in the bathroom. My face is so hot, I’m surprised I don’t burst into flames.
Fuck.
Unable to remain standing, I fall against the wall and press a palm to where my heart’s about to jump out of my chest.
Bloody hell.
I’m so irrevocably doomed.
Screw this.
I tug my shirt off and strip out of my sweats and boxers on my way to the bathroom. I don’t even care that I’ve thrown them on the ground a la Nikolai.
My feet pad along the wooden flooring and I slip inside through the ajar door, because Nikolai has never closed the bathroom door. Not once.
Unlike me, he has nothing to hide.
Unlike me, he owns everything about himself, faults and mental issues included.
And for once, I want to rip a page from his book and be as open as he is. As forward as he is. Even if it’s only this time.
Steam swirls around the bathroom and I’m thankful for the fog that covers the mirror as I turn in the direction of the shower.