Nikolai 2 (Her Russian Protector #6) (40 page)

"It feels good to be home," he murmured tenderly.

Home? Me. I was his home. I was his sanctuary.

Closing my eyes, I melted into his loving embrace. "Yes, it does."

Chapter Twenty-One

"
Ty takaya krasivaya.
"

I lowered the mascara wand I had been using to dab at my eyelashes and smiled at Nikolai's reflection in the bathroom mirror. He leaned against the frame of the door and watched me with eyes aflame with love and desire. We had spent the entire day hiding out in the guest suite at Niels' estate, but now it was time to go out and face the world—together. "Thank you."

"I have a gift for you." He pushed off the door frame and sauntered toward me.

I instantly recognized the colors and logo of the bag he placed on the counter. It belonged to the jewelry store owned by Kazimir Abramov. His daughter Zoya was the finest jewelry designer in Houston.

"Go head." He gestured to the bag. "Open it."

I set aside my mascara and plucked the golden tissue paper from the Prussian blue bag. I reached in and withdrew the jewelry boxes. Heart racing with excitement, I opened the long, thin box and gasped. "Kolya!"

"I wanted you to have something special for tonight. Zoya amazed me with this one."

I touched the delicate, glittering gold and diamonds. She had incorporated Nikolai's nickname for me into the design of sunbursts. It was luxurious and elegant and a true statement piece.

"Let me." Nikolai took it from the box and draped it around my neck. He swept aside my hair and fasted the clasp. He kissed the back of my neck. His lips lingered there, and I reveled in the sensual touch.

Piece by piece, he helped me put on the rest of the jewelry. It looked stunning with my black dress. Hands on my shoulders, Nikolai pressed a sweet kiss to the top of my head. "I'm so proud of you, Vee. I hope tonight is everything you want it to be."

I leaned back against him and welcomed the arms that wrapped around me. I placed my hands on the sleeves of his suit jacket and held his gaze in the mirror. "I'm so glad you're here with me." I clasped his fingers and brought them down to my ever-growing stomach. He rubbed the small bump there, and I amended, "I'm glad you're here with us."

"There are a dozen men we owe thanks to for that." Over a late breakfast, he had told me the entire crazy tale of his global trek. I sensed he didn't want me to worry about the No Fly List, but I had a bad feeling that it was a shot across the bow from Maksim. It was his way of sending a message.
Get in line—or I'll bury you.

"I would suggest we send fruit baskets or a nice bottle of wine as a thank you, but…"

Nikolai laughed. "I'll think of something more appropriate for them." He placed a noisy kiss on the curve of my throat. "Are you ready?"

"Almost." I untangled myself from his arms and finished primping in the mirror. After packing my clutch with necessities, I left the bathroom and found Nikolai waiting patiently near the window overlooking the gardens. "We'll have to explore them tomorrow morning. I know you're just champing at the bit to get down there to investigate and compare."

"There's no comparison. I tend our garden with my own hands. I saw his landscapers out there this morning." Sounding wistful, he said, "I left Ten and Boy in charge of my trees and plants. God only knows what we'll find when we get home."

Only too aware of his love for the garden and small orchard that he had painstakingly nurtured since buying and renovating the home we shared, I reassuringly patted his chest. "I'm sure they'll take good care of your tomatoes and peaches."

"They had better," he grumbled before taking my hand. "We should go. We'll want to get there early."

Hand in hand, we ventured downstairs. René seemed to appear from nowhere to inform us a car was waiting outside. We slipped into the backseat, and Nikolai reached for my hand. "We should have made time for dinner reservations before the show."

"Actually, we have plans for after the show." I couldn't believe I had forgotten about Sergei's request!

"We do?"

"Yeah. I sort of forgot." Heat flooded my cheeks. "We were a little busy, after all."

"A little?" He chuckled deeply. "
Sladkaya.
" He pecked my temple. "I don't think we've spent that much time in bed since you were on Spring Break."

His comment inspired memories of those lust-filled mornings and afternoons and even wilder nights. My skin flushed, and I squeezed my thighs together. "I think you're right."

He smirked in the most annoyingly handsome way. "So, what do you have planned for after the show?"

"It's not me. It's Sergei."

That perked him right up. "Sergei?" His mouth settled into a worried line. "How did Galina react to Bianca?"

"Better than I expected," I admitted. The dinner I had attended at their hotel suite the evening Sergei's mother and brother had arrived in London had been an interesting affair. "I tried to act as the buffer between the two of them. The conversation and dinner went fine."

"But?" He seemed to sense there was more coming.

"Ivan called me the next morning. He told me that he had run into Bianca in the hallway of the hotel. He could hear Sergei and Galina arguing in their room. It wasn't good."

"Shit."

"Right? You know what a softie Ivan is when it comes to women. He told her a little of what he had overheard and then invited her back to their room to see Erin. Bianca stayed there until Sergei came to get her."

"Have you spoken to Sergei or Bianca?"

"Yes. Both."

"And?"

"Sergei thinks it will get better with time. Bianca is pretty much convinced that Galina is going to hate her until the end of time."

"She won't. She'll come around."

"How can you be sure? Look at my family, Kolya. My grandparents hated my father until they died. My father's family won't even meet or see me. Only Eric is brave enough to do that."

"Bianca is a wonderful person. She's smart. She's beautiful. She's tough. She operates a highly successful business."

"That's not what Sergei's mother dislikes and you know it."

Nikolai exhaled roughly. "I know. It's stupid." He shook his head. "The color of Bianca's skin has nothing to do with her worth as a person." He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll take care of it."

I wasn't sure how he was going to convince Galina to abandon a lifetime of prejudice and overcome ingrained social mores, but I trusted he would find a way.

"What does Sergei have planned for this evening?"

I nearly bounced in my seat as I said, "He's going to propose to Bianca tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes." I studied him with surprise. "You don't seem as shocked as I had expected by that news."

"I saw Sergei at Abramov's. I helped him pick out the ring."

I could just imagine the pair of them, shoulder to shoulder over a jewelry case trying to pick a princess or round cut. "Is it pretty?"

"It's perfect for Bianca. She's going to love it." He smoothed his hand down his tie. "Where is he proposing?"

"On the rooftop of the gallery," I said with an excited smile. "They rent it out for small parties and other functions. Niels helped him secure it for the night. He's going to propose during the show. We have reservations to celebrate at a restaurant Yuri recommended. It should be nice."

"We should pick up the tab."

"You already have," I admitted nervously. "I used our card for the reservation."

Nikolai just laughed. "I take it you've gotten comfortable spending
our
money now."

"Well, I was still pretty pissed off with you when I made the reservation for their best tables. I may have, um, possibly ordered an obscene amount of champagne and wine."

"That you can't even drink?" He seemed amused by that. Sifting his fingers through my hair, he smiled. "It's fine. I'm actually thrilled you didn't hesitate to spend the money." He stroked my bare shoulder. "I hate to ask you this, but can we hold off a little while longer before we announce your pregnancy? I know it will be difficult to keep this secret tonight, especially with everyone celebrating, but we are in a precarious position here. We need to be on our home turf before dropping that news."

"Because of Maksim?"

Nikolai seemed to carefully consider his words. "I think we should be cautious."

"I won't say anything but this," I took his hand and placed his palm against my stomach, "is getting hard to hide. I'll have to start shopping the maternity section when we get home."

A warm look crossed his face. He lovingly caressed me. "It's happening so fast. I feel like it was just yesterday morning that I was pushing you into the bathroom with the test." He nuzzled my neck and turned my face so he could capture my mouth in a sweet, tender kiss. "I need to slow down and spend more time with you. I don't want to miss anything."

I covered his hand with mine. "As quickly as we made this one, I'm sure there will be other chances in the future for you to catch anything you miss with this baby."

He glanced away briefly, but I still noticed the pleased, hopeful expression that danced across his handsome face. When he looked back at me, his usually controlled expression in place, he said, "I hope we get the chance to do this many more times."

I rested my head against his arm and enjoyed the remainder of the drive comforted by his familiar heat and scent. Things felt right between us again. It was strange, but the arguing and the forced separation and Nikolai's willingness to cross half the world in the belly of a cargo plane, the front seat of old cars and the cabin of a rickety boat seemed to have reminded us of what was truly important. Nothing else—
nothing
else—mattered except for the two of us and our baby.

When we arrived at the gallery, Nikolai cupped my face and grazed his thumb along my cheek. His genuine happiness and the love burning so brightly in his eyes warmed me right through, left me feeling relaxed and able to conquer anything. "It's your time to shine,
solynshko.
"

Yes, it was.

* * *

Nikolai shook his head at a waiter offering him a glass of champagne and continued weaving in and out of the invitation-only crowd. He had lost sight of Vivian while talking to Sergei's mother and brother. He had made a point of warmly welcoming Bianca and speaking highly of her to Galina. He hoped his good opinion of Bianca would go far in helping Galina warm up to the woman who would soon be her daughter-in-law.

When he spotted Vivian with Niels and a couple he didn't recognize, he slowed his steps. He scanned the room, his gaze lingering on familiar faces, before flicking to the next ones. Judging by the response to his wife's paintings, the show was a smashing success. Not that he had ever doubted otherwise.

He had already seen most of the pieces she was exhibiting and offering for sale, but they looked different on the walls of the gallery. The mix of recessed and spot lights and smoky gray walls perfectly highlighted the colors and textures of each piece. He started to form an idea of what he might give Vivian for Christmas. After everything he had put her through in the last two weeks, she deserved a grand romantic gesture. He wanted to give her something that made her weak in the knees.

Already making plans for the gift, he enjoyed the sight of the guests, most of them journalists and collectors, standing in front of the paintings and animatedly talking about them. A few made critical remarks. He memorized their faces before making damned sure they saw his. He didn't often take pleasure in scaring the shit out of people, but he couldn't hide the triumphant smirk when the critics scurried away from his path.

"Kolya." Ivan stepped in front of him, but he wasn't smiling as he had been when they had spoken earlier in the night. "We need to talk."

"Now?" Nikolai glanced around the gallery. "Can it wait until dinner?'

"No." Shoulders squared and his stance shifted slightly forward, Ivan looked as if he wanted a fight.

"Fine. Let's talk."

He steeled himself for an onslaught about his recent problems with Vivian. Ivan was intensely protective of Erin and the people she loved. He had always been fond of Vivian and would take it personally if she were unhappy.

"Whatever the hell you've been doing to make Vivian so sad has to stop." Ivan kept his voice low so no one around them would overhear. He had relaxed his stance so it simply looked as if two old friends were having a chat. "I'm not going to stand by and watch you ruin the best thing that ever happened to you."

"I've learned my lesson. It won't happen again." There were few men brave enough to tell him what he needed to hear, and he was lucky Ivan was one of them. He put a hand on his dear friend's shoulder. "Vanya, thank you for looking out for me."

"I may not be in your family anymore, but I'm still your family."

"You're a good little brother."

"This little brother will kick your ass if he finds out that one of his best fighters is moonlighting as a guard for you anymore." Ivan whacked his back with an exaggerated movement to prove a point. "I mean it, Kolya. I want Kir off your payroll. He's a good kid. He's got talent. He's going places."