Heart Ache (Bound by a Touch Novels #1) (6 page)

There wasn’t a doubt, large or small, in Nikolai’s mind she remembered the hours she’d spent curled in his arms. Her forehead creased, her brows knitted together in confusion. A smile touched his lips as his body surged with a sense of success.

“
I asked you to call me Nikolai. Is that a problem?”

Her blue eyes sparkled as she searched his face, his eyes, his body language for some kind of answer to explain away what her mind was telling her.

Nikolai fought to keep his excitement in check. He forced his face to remain emotionless and hoped she wouldn’t see it in his eyes. Anticipating her glance, he dropped his gaze and watched from under his lashes as she shifted her weight from one delicately high-heeled foot to the other.

He finally had an ace up his sleeve and tipping his hand now wasn’t something he wanted to do. He
would
win her heart. With help from the beloved Goddess, he would.

“
Please, I would like it very much if you called me by my full name.”

“
Nikolai?”

“
Yes.” He smiled. “My mother used to call me Niko, but—”

“
Nikolai.” Each syllable caressed her tongue as she said his name slowly, reverently.

“
I like that … very much.” He was barely able to speak as he processed just how very much he liked it. He’d never experienced pleasure like that one word being spoken from her perfect lips.

“
And I—” She paused to bite her lower lip, dropping her face to look at the floor.

He’d always kept a professional relationship at the office. That seemed to be their problem. He’d never crossed that professional line. He wasn’t going to make that mistake any longer. He slipped his finger under the soft skin of her chin and lifted it gently.

“
Please tell me what you’re thinking, sweet Gabrielle.”

Her eyes met his for only a heartbeat before her lids dropped, hiding the blue depths.

“
Nobody calls me Gabrielle,” she said in a whisper.

The words struck him like a slap. He took a step back, dropping his hand to his side, feeling like a balloon punctured by a railroad spike. Maybe opening himself up to her, crossing that imaginary line wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“
I’m sorry.” Disappointment radiated in his voice, and he turned his back to her, fearing his face gave too much away. The sounds of her moving behind him alerted him to her pursuit.

He’d almost made it to his desk before her hand caught his arm and he allowed the gentle contact to halt his retreat; although he couldn’t bring himself to turn and face her. Seeing rejection in her eyes would devastate him as nothing else could.

“
Nikolai,” she whispered.

He closed his eyes again. He would never tire of hearing his name on her lips. It was even more beautiful when she was conscious.

“
Nikolai Voinea!”

It had been so long since his full name had been used to reprimand him that he was momentarily struck stupid. His brows flew up. His mouth fell open and, despite his every effort, he turned to face her. He looked down into her face, expecting to see her with hands on her hips, glaring up at him. But with eyes wide, she appeared to be as shocked as he was.

Silence stretched on as they just stared at each other. And just when he thought she was going to apologize, she straightened her shoulders disapprovingly.

“
You’re being ridiculous.”

“
Am I?” He cocked a brow.

She tossed him a saucy smile. The sweet, playful grin eased the irritation. “Yes,” she scoffed, taking a step toward him.

He turned his back to her, stalked over to his desk, and lowered himself into the chair, then motioned for Gabby to use one on the other side of the wooden barrier. He needed to keep his distance and putting the desk between them was his only hope.

She smirked then rested one side of her fine rear on the corner of his desk just to his left.

“
It wasn’t that I don’t want you to call me Gabrielle. It’s just that everybody calls me Gabby.” She rolled her eyes and emphasized the movement with a girlish giggle. “Well, except for my mother when I was in trouble.”

“
I won’t—”

Her hand flew up and her fingertips covered his lips. In the heartbeat that followed Nikolai wasn’t sure who was more surprised by the contact. Her eyes closed and he watched as she smiled, seemingly enjoying the intimate contact. Her eyes flicked open and she jerked her hand back like he had suddenly burst into flames.

“
If you still want to, I’d like it if you called me Gabrielle … and use your accent,” she added under her breath.

“
My accent?”

“
Yeah … oh, never mind.” She stood and took a step away.

Nikolai jumped to his feet, grabbed her arm, and spun her around so she faced him. He looked deep into her eyes, capturing her complete attention. Neither of them breathed for a few seconds. Nikolai leaned forward until his lips were right at her ear.

“
Anything you want, sweet Gabrielle.” He allowed the accent he’d tried to erase for centuries to ooze thick on each syllable of her name.

She blushed the most delicious shade of crimson, and he smiled in satisfaction.

“
I, ah … I really should—” She stumbled as she backed away, her eyes still locked on his. “I’ve got … things to do.” Her back hit the door and air whooshed from her lungs.

“
You know I would be a mess without you? I need you.”

“
Thank you.” She jerked the door open. “If you … um … need anything—” With eyes still on him, she shook her head as though she were trying to focus, then she cleared her throat. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

He smiled and raised a brow.
Where to begin?

She blushed, dropped her gaze. “Mr. Voinea.” She drew the proverbial line in the sand by using his formal title.

“
I’m fine, thanks.”
Better than fine
, he thought as she walked out the door, leaving it ajar. It felt good to flirt with Gabrielle, so natural. And Nikolai looked forward to many more conversations to bring out the red hues that made her beauty even more intoxicating.

As absurd as it was, Gabrielle couldn’t bring herself to close his door all the way. Nikolai had never been so … flirtatious.

Was that what it was?

Maybe he was just being nice—overly nice.

The only thing she knew for sure about the bizarre conversation was the way he purred her name made her toes curl. A shiver ran up then raced back down her spine as she remembered the silver sparkle in his usually dark eyes.

Damn, he was a gorgeous man. His accent alone caused a girl’s knees to buckle.

An annoying ring brought her out of her thoughts.

“
Mr. Voinea’s office,” Gabby said into the phone and she sat down at her desk.

“
Gabby!” Marie laughed.

“
Good morning.”

“
You sound distracted.”

Well, yeah, she was. Big time.

“
You okay?”

“
Yeah.” She shot a glance at the still open door. “Can you meet me in the cafeteria for a cup of coffee?”

“
Coffee … in the cafeteria? What’s wrong?” Gabby didn’t comment, so Marie continued, “Okay. Give me fifteen minutes.”

“
Thanks.”

Gabby hung up the phone and mindlessly began organizing—and reorganizing—the stack of papers in her ‘in’ basket. Her fingers traced over the elegant signature of her boss, and she wished it was her name written by his strong hand.
With Voinea at the end.

Another ring made her focus on reality. “Mr. Voinea’s office.”

“
Is Nikolai in?” the feminine voice purred the question.

“
He’s on another call. Is there something I can help you with?”

“
I’d like to leave a message. Please let him know Patricia called to confirm our date tonight. Tell him I can’t wait.”

Jealousy swirled in Gabby’s gut. She swallowed. “I’ll let him know.”

Without waiting for a response she hung up. She’d always assumed Nikolai dated, but knowing it stung. Big time!

These feelings she had for her boss were wrong on so many levels; the desire, the ache, the need, the
desperation
. But she’d be damned if she could change a single one of them. Hell, she’d been trying for three years.

Nikolai smiled as Gabrielle left his office. She’d been flustered beyond words. He’d finally had an effect on the beautiful female who made his heart flutter. It was only fair. After allowing himself a few selfish moments of smug satisfaction, he crossed the office to the large bookcase and pulled the lone book, the Voinea family bible, from a shelf in the middle. Behind it was the hallowed out space in the wall where he’d installed a small refrigerator.

He took a medical bag out and replaced the wood paneling and the bible. As he poured the bag into his glass, his fangs lengthened.

Despite having found his heartmate, Nikolai still required more than love for sustenance. With a little luck, someday that would change.

The thought of feeding from Gabrielle was one that Nikolai couldn’t think on too much. Once he took her blood within his veins he would need her for survival. A cold, unbeating heart would make him wish for death. But if she was no longer willing to give her blood, death would be a painful reality.

Sounds of Gabrielle moving around in the outer office caused Nikolai’s anxiety to flare. She couldn’t find him like this; red eyes and fangs would be even harder to explain than an out-of-place pair of shoes under her bed.

He walked across the room in determined strides and softly closed the door. It only took three gulps to down the red liquid. He rinsed the glass at the small wet bar and placed the empty bag in the garbage under the sink.

His fangs were just returning to their normal position, and the tell-tale red hue in his eyes easing when someone knocked lightly on the door.

“
Yes?” He knew exactly who would be opening the door, his body’s reaction was indication enough.

Gabrielle’s tropical scent accompanied her inside the office. “Niko—I mean Nikolai, I’m going down to the cafeteria for some coffee.”

He raised his brows. There wasn’t a place with worse coffee than the crap brewed downstairs. It was flat-out awful.

“
Cafeteria coffee, Gabrielle? You must really need some caffeine.”

She tucked an auburn lock behind her ear. “Well, I—”

“
It’s okay, Gabby.”

“
I’ll be back in a little bit.” She turned, paused then turned back to him. “Can I bring you something?”

“
Are you trying to kill me?”

“
No, I—”

A dark, warm chuckle bubbled from his throat. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

A storm raged in her blue eyes. He didn’t understand her dark mood even when she tossed a message onto his desk. “You should probably return this as soon as possible.”

When the door closed, he picked up the message and plucked the phone from its cradle, only to set it back down. His brows pinched in confusion.

He didn’t have a date tonight. And who the hell was Patricia?

Gabrielle stormed out of Nikolai’s office, strode passed her desk, and escaped out the door. She didn’t want to give herself a chance to go back into his office make a fool of herself—again.

Damn, she felt pathetic!

The elevator in the hall dinged, announcing its arrival. She entered and pushed the button for the lobby. The door closed and she sighed when her body finally relaxed against the wood panels along the back wall.

Whenever she was near Nikolai, her skin tingled and she had to remind herself to keep her hands to herself. And now she finds out he’s dating. Dating! She couldn’t help but wonder how many women he had on speed dial. Did he have a new one every night?

Ugh! Why did it matter?

She was engaged.

“
Stupid!” She lifted her hand to examine the diamond and muttered the name of the man she
should
be obsessing about.

She examined at the pattern of the tile floor instead of looking at her reflection in the stainless steel door. There was no need to
see
the guilt she felt.

Another ding signaled her destination. She looked up just as the doors revealed Marie. The puzzled expression on her face and her hands planted on her hips made Gabby rethink the coffee break idea.

“
Hi.” Gabby forced a small, guilt ridden smile.

“
Don’t hi me. What’s going on?”

“
Shh!” Gabby grabbed a hold of her friend and tugged her off to the side. The only sounds the clicking of her stilettos and Marie’s high-heeled boots as they hurried through the empty lobby, past the cafeteria, and out the back doors.

“
Um, I thought—”

“
Can I talk to you?” Gabby stopped walking and turned to face her friend.