Chapter 62 Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Nina’s POV
I stayed under the shower until the water turned lukewarm and my fingers looked like raisins. The steam had cleared a little, but the ache between my legs and the empty feeling in my chest stayed. Nikolai walked out like that. No words. No look back. Just the soft click of the door and the sound of water hitting tile like it was mocking me.
I turned off the tap eventually. Wrapped a big towel around myself and padded to the bed. Didn’t bother with pajamas. Just crawled under the covers naked, skin still warm and damp. Pulled the sheet up to my chin and stared at the ceiling until my eyes burned. My mind kept replaying his face when he stepped back. The way his jaw locked. The frustration in his eyes. Like he wanted me so bad it hurt him to stop.
I didn’t cry. Just felt heavy. Tired in a way that went deeper than bones. Sleep came slow, but when it did, it pulled me under hard.
Morning light slipped through the curtains in thin gold lines. I woke up to the smell of coffee drifting up the stairs. Strong and dark, the kind that makes your stomach wake up before your brain does. My head felt thick, like I’d slept too deep and not enough at the same time. I sat up slow. The towel had fallen off sometime in the night. I grabbed a soft gray robe from the chair, tied it loose, and ran fingers through my tangled hair. Didn’t look in the mirror. Didn’t want to see what my face looked like after last night.
Bare feet on the cool wood floor. I walked downstairs quiet, following the coffee smell and the low murmur of voices.
The kitchen was full of people and noise in the best way. Sun poured through the big windows, bouncing off white counters and making everything look bright and normal. Nana stood at the stove in her apron, flipping something in a pan. Dante sat at the head of the long table, newspaper open but eyes on his phone. Enzo leaned back in his chair, legs stretched out, chewing on a piece of bread like he had nowhere to be. Nikolai sat across from him, black coffee in front of him, staring into the mug like it owed him money.
They all looked relaxed. Like this was just another morning. Like guns and hidden rifles and almost-sex in the shower didn’t exist.
I gulped once, hard, then stepped in. “Good morning, everyone,” I whispered.
Heads turned. Small smiles. “Morning,” Dante said without looking up from his phone.
“Morning, sweetheart,” Nana called over her shoulder.
Enzo grinned wide. “Hey, bunny. Sleep good?”
Nikolai didn’t say anything. Didn’t even lift his eyes. Just took a slow sip of coffee.
I slid into the empty chair next to Enzo. Kept my hands in my lap. The table had plates of sliced bread, butter, jam, a big pot of tea steaming in the middle. Everyone moved easy around each other. Passing the sugar. Reaching for more bread. Talking low about nothing important. It felt strange. Peaceful. Like a family that wasn’t supposed to be one.
Nana turned with a plate in her hand. “Some bacon and egg sauce? I made extra.”
I shook my head quick. “No, thank you. Just… tea maybe.”
She nodded, set the plate down anyway in case someone wanted it, then went back to the stove.
I poured tea into a cup. Hands a little shaky. Added milk. Stirred slow. Tried to sneak a look at Nikolai.
He still wouldn’t meet my eyes. Kept his gaze on the mug, then on the window, then on Dante when he talked. Active avoidance. Like if he looked at me, last night would spill out in front of everyone. The virgin question. The way he stopped. The way he left me standing there wet and wanting.
I felt tired suddenly. Too tired to chase his eyes or figure out what was going on in his head. So I just ate. Tore small pieces of bread. Dipped them in tea. Chewed quiet. The sounds around me filled the silence. Clink of spoons. Enzo laughing at something on his phone. Nana humming while she scrubbed a pan. It was nice. Really nice. Like the house forgot it was full of danger for a minute.
Then Dante set his phone down. Looked around the table like he just remembered something.
“Nikolai will teach you how to shoot today,” he said casual, like he was talking about the weather. “Guns. Basics. How to protect yourself. You’re too weak like this.”
My spoon froze halfway to my mouth.
Nikolai’s head snapped up. Our eyes met for the first time since last night. Sharp. Immediate. Like two magnets clicking together.
“No,” we both said at the same time.
Dante raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
I spoke first. “He’s too strict.”
Nikolai grunted at the same second. “I’m injured.”
Dante looked back and forth between us. Suspicious now. Eyes narrow. “Exactly why Nikolai will be doing it. He’s injured so he won’t be going with Enzo to track down the second piece of that nuclear shit. Which is none of your business, Nina. He helped you. The least he can do is teach you how to hold a gun without shooting your own foot off. And I know he can go to war with his hands tied like this. So that injury excuse is flimsy.”
Nikolai made a low sound in his throat. Not quite a growl. More like a warning. He lifted his coffee again. Sipped slow. Didn’t argue.
Enzo chuckled low. Leaned over and tapped the end of my nose with his finger. “I will gladly teach you, my bunny. But work is calling.” He popped the last bite of bread in his mouth and stood up, stretching like a cat.
I set my cup down. Looked at Dante. “Fine. If you don’t want me to be idle, let me go to the library and study for medical school. I can still do it online.”
Dante turned slow. Looked at me like I grew a second head. “Who told you we have a library in this house? We just came in yesterday.”