Chapter 306 Chapter 307

Chapter 306 Chapter 307
Chapter 307

Nikolai’s POV

My hand clamped around Nina’s wrist with iron strength right before her fingers could unhook the side straps of her bikini bottoms.

Every single cell in my body went up in flames. The cold, disciplined control I had maintained throughout years of brutal combat vanished into thin air. I snapped.

In one blinding, fluid motion, I shoved her down onto the bed of dry palm leaves, pinning both of her wrists firmly above her head. I leaned down, my massive body hovering mere inches over her bare, delicate frame. My chest heaved with heavy, ragged breaths, the heat radiating off my skin burning right through the narrow space separating us.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I growled out, my deep voice dropping into a dark, dangerous rumble that echoed off the leaf walls. "Do you have any idea what you are doing, Nina? You sit here calling me gay, teasing me, pushing every single one of my damn buttons like this is some kind of game!"

Nina gasped, her eyes going wide as saucers as she stared up into my dark, stormy gaze. But instead of backing down or showing fear, her lips parted slightly, her pulse hammering wildly against the flesh under my thumbs.

"I keep testing you because you keep lying to me," she whispered breathlessly, her chin tilting up in defiant challenge. "You act like you feel nothing for me, Nikolai. You act like I am just some assignment."

"I am a lethal mercenary!" I growled, tightening my grip on her wrists just enough to hold her still without causing pain. "I am dangerous, Nina. I have killed more men than you can count, and I belong to the syndicate. You are testing a man who has been trying his absolute best not to lose his mind and tear your clothes off since the second we stepped onto that damn yacht!"

Before she could process my words, the heavy physical proximity shattered my remaining restraint into dust.

I leaned down and slammed my lips against hers in a raw, explosive kiss.

There was no hesitation, no tactical distance, and zero restraint. I devoured her mouth with a deep, possessive intensity, my tongue sliding past her parted lips to taste the sweet, intoxicating heat of her mouth. Nina let out a low, breathless whimpering moan against my lips, her fingers flexing against my grip before relaxing completely. She surrendered to the kiss, arching her bare chest flush against my front and kissing me back with a wild, hungry passion that made my entire head spin.

For several long, breathless minutes, the quiet shelter turned into an inferno. She knew the truth now. There was zero indifference in the way I held her, zero coldness in the way my lips possessed hers. Every single touch screamed how desperately I wanted her.

With a heavy, forced grunt, I pulled my mouth away from hers, resting my forehead against her damp temple as we both panted heavily into the dim space.

"Turn over," I commanded, my voice thick and gravelly.

Nina blinked up at me with heavy, dazed eyes. "What?"

"Turn over onto your stomach right now," I said, releasing her wrists and sitting up.

I grabbed a cluster of large, broad palm leaves from the corner, spreading them gently across her bare lower back and waist to keep a physical barrier between my bare hands and her exposed skin. I needed to maintain some form of professional boundary before I lost total control and took her right here on the sand.

Nina let out a soft sigh, rolling over onto her stomach as instructed. She rested her chin on her folded arms, her skin soft and glowing under the faint moonlight filtering through the doorway.

I placed my broad hands over the palm leaves, digging my thumbs firmly into the tight, knotted muscles along her spine and shoulder blades.

"Ouch... oh, wow," Nina groaned out, squeezing her eyes shut as my calloused hands worked out the heavy tension in her lower back. "That actually feels incredible."

"I told you I knew how to relieve muscle tension," I muttered, moving my hands down to the small of her back, keeping the rhythm steady and firm.

The atmosphere inside the small shelter grew thick, quiet, and deeply intimate. Her soft sighs filled the quiet night air, and for the first time since the boat exploded, the constant danger surrounding us seemed to melt away into the background.

Suddenly, a low, distant thrumming noise vibrated through the air.

My tactical instincts instantly flared. I froze, lifting my hands off her back and tilting my head toward the open doorway. The faint, rhythmic chop of heavy marine engine rotors cut through the quiet night sky, echoing far out over the dark ocean waves.

"Is that a helicopter?" Nina asked, raising her head from her arms.

"Or an assault boat search crew," I replied quietly, shifting my weight toward the entrance to listen closely.

The low hum echoed for a few moments before fading slowly into the distance toward the northern sector of the island. They were searching the grid, but they were still too far out to spot our small position in the dark.

"They are sweeping the sector," I told her, looking back at her tired face. "We need to rest while we can. Go to sleep, Nina."

Nina did not argue this time. She pulled a layer of soft leaves over herself, her breathing slowing down within minutes as exhaustion finally claimed her body. I lay down on the hard ground beside her, keeping one arm extended near the doorway, ready to react to any threat.

When my eyes snapped open, bright golden morning sunlight was streaming through the cracks of the leaf roof.

I sat up slightly, completely taken aback. I had slept deeply through the entire night without waking up once. In my line of work, sleeping that soundly in an unknown, wild territory was a dangerous anomaly. It was a absolute first for me, and the realization brought a sudden wave of tactical panic to my chest.

Before I could fully sit up, a sharp, audible gasp tore through the quiet shelter.

I froze, my dark eyes instantly darting toward Nina.

Nina was wrapped tightly around my side, her bare body pressed flush against my hip. Her bright eyes were sparkling, wide with absolute shock as she stared down at the front of my rolled-up tactical trousers.

My gaze followed hers down.

My pants were stretched tight, my morning wood standing rigid, thick, and completely upright, pressing prominently against the fabric right beside her thigh.

My face went hot. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers, letting out a long, heavy groan of pure frustration.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath.