Bad Nerd Falling (14 page)

“
I don’t have to stop
anything.” His lazy eyes told her he had the muscle and will to
back up that statement.

She wasn’t impressed. “Do you want to
eat tonight?”

His lips curled up. “Yes.”

“
Then you better stop
kissing me.”

When he cocked his head and assessed
her like that all pertinent thoughts fled. Really, this man had far
too much power. He shook his head. “Kissing you is more important
than eating.”

Her heart bounced. Like it was on a
trampoline. She stared at him in horrified awe. She also took three
steps back and warded him off with both hands. “Oh but this isn’t
going to work.”

He scowled. “What isn’t going to
work?”

“
You and me. You have far
too much power, and I’m not doing this Vladimir Wellington.” She
sent him a matching scowl.

His expression didn’t change, but she
still leapt back. Vlad didn’t appear to move but in the time frame
of two heartbeats, he was on her. She gasped, but planted both
palms on his most impressive chest. With her head flung back, she
stared him down.

In two seconds, he sandwiched her
between the wall and his massive body so her feet dangled above the
floor. He and the wall kept her upright. “You’re not doing this?”
he repeated menacingly.

She still didn’t fear him. Instead her
heart rate picked up substantially and her body melted in certain
critical places. It was good he kept her upright.

“
No. I’m not doing this
with you.” Her chin jutted out as she matched him glare for
glare.

“
You aren’t walking away
from me,” he growled. His jaw was firm, eyes blazing.

“
My feet aren’t currently
touching the floor.” Her eyes narrowed. It was a shame she was so
attracted to this man. Really, she should be trying a lot harder to
escape.

“
That is true.”

Her breath stalled somewhere between
her throat and mouth. Nothing moved, not even her heart for a space
of time. Then, when it did resume normal operations, there was
nothing normal about its beats-per-minute.

“
Since your feet aren’t
near the floor, that means I get to make this decision.” His lips
descended closer yet.

She whimpered. It took her
a moment to realize that noise had escaped from
her
lips.

He didn’t offer another opportunity to
reveal her crumbling defenses. Instead, those amazing lips marauded
hers. Like a pirate of old, he blasted a warning shot across her
bow, and then before she could respond, climbed aboard and took
everything she had. Including her.

When his lips took hers, he fastened
them together in such a way Helena knew she would never be the same
again. Like he had managed to seal them together for the rest of
their lives. Maybe he zipped their souls together. Maybe he
ensnared her heart. Or planted himself in hers. Then again, maybe
he just reached in and took hers.

“
No,” she cried, wrenching
their lips apart. “You are not taking my heart.” She wriggled
frantically to escape but he only offered a masculine sound of
satisfaction before resealing their lips.

His hands threaded through her hair,
just like he had threaded himself into her heart and soul. This man
shouldn’t possess such sensational lips and the devastating
knowledge of how to use them. Someone unkind had definitely
bequeathed him with all these extra gifts he now used on
her.

When he lifted his head, she was
panting and wide-eyed. His smirk didn’t help his cause. “Too late,
I think I just did.”

“
If you want to live you
better release me.” She used the same tone now she had used all
those years ago when she told him off. It penetrated then, but
apparently times had changed because all he did was kiss her
again.

It was like he sucked a little more of
her heart and soul out with each locking of their lips and tongues.
The man knew how to use his tongue. Each stroke stole her breath
and made her weak and dizzy.

The beast got his point across,
anyway. That she was very susceptible to him. That it wasn’t
possible to resist him. Each barrier she had so carefully erected
to keep him at bay he skillfully demolished.

What happened if he ripped down all of
them? Would there be anything of her left?

As those thoughts coalesced a
determined knock battered her front door. Relief washed over her in
a heady flow, while her eyes met Vlad’s. He lowered her to the
floor with obvious reluctance. That both pleased and alarmed
her.

The door knob rattled, reminding her
she had a visitor. Helena had to clear her throat before she could
even respond. “I’m coming.”

When she unlocked the door (when had
she locked it?) and swung it open Beau asked, “What took you so
long?”

She eyed him with speculation. Did she
throw him to the wolf in her flat or try to save him?

Beau didn’t seem intimidated though
since he carefully shoved her aside and stepped into her
foyer.

“
I have company.” Not that
she needed to warn him. Without turning, she knew Vlad loomed like
a death specter behind her.

“
Ah, that’s why you took
so long.” Beau offered Vlad a hand. “I’m Beau DuBois. You must be
Vladimir Wellington.”

“
Nice to meet you,
DuBois.” Vlad shook the proffered hand and even sounded perfectly
normal.

From the corner of her eye, she
noticed Beau picked up the nuances of the tension in the air, but
he was as relaxed and normal as usual.

It was almost like he didn’t fear Vlad
in the least. Why was that?

“
You, too.” Beau offered a
slight smile before turning his attention back to her. She realized
then that Vlad had trapped her against the wall that contained the
vent she shared with Beau’s flat. There was no way he had missed
their interaction. His eyes were intent and watchful as he
performed a full scan of her person before he was apparently
satisfied she was fine.

Helena realized he heard enough to
make him rush upstairs. In his usual big brother manner, he raced
to her rescue. From what she could gather, he read whatever signs
they were throwing off with ease. Apparently whatever he saw made
his lips twitch in amusement.

“
Are you staying for
supper?” she asked, already sure of his answer.

“
Of course. All I have in
my place is baking soda and some moldy cheese.” He made himself
comfortable and she knew it was to give her the time she needed to
assess what was going on. From the amusement in his eyes, she
guessed he wasn’t in the least bit concerned about her
now.

Men, why did they have to
be so infuriating?

“
What are you making?”
Vlad’s expression gave nothing away. Unlike Beau, she couldn’t tell
what he was thinking at all. She couldn’t tell if he was angry,
amused, or indulgent. She guessed it was a combination of all
three, but couldn’t determine at what levels.

Perhaps that’s why she was
having trouble with the relationship all of a sudden. It had been
perfect in Italy, but now she was scared. That was the correct
term.
Scared
. She
wasn’t certain what he was thinking or feeling.

To make matters worse, she didn’t know
where her own thoughts and emotions were. This man had been the
star of her fantasies for so long. Now that he was her reality,
things weren’t quite as rosy as they had been in her dreamscapes.
Everything was perfect there.

Perfect and chaos didn’t mesh well.
And right now her thoughts, emotions, and mental state were utter
chaos. This wasn’t what she had signed on for. It wasn’t what she
envisioned, and yet here it was.

With a long sigh, she turned from the
door and trudged into her kitchen. She had two big, hungry men to
feed. Maybe by the time she placed food on the table, the chaos
would have dissipated enough that she could wade through the
destruction and discover what was left. Maybe she’d meet up with a
unicorn who could explain life to her. In a way that made perfect
sense.

From the obvious signs, she might need
to check into a mental health facility.

***

Despite his reservations, Vlad decided
he liked Beau DuBois. The man didn’t show any signs of romantic
interest toward Helena. That was his first great characteristic.
But what swayed him in favor of the man was the big brother
attitude he did show toward her.

He must have heard their disagreement
in the kitchen and come to make certain Helena was okay.

Vlad respected and admired the man for
that. He hadn’t met Vlad yet, didn’t know what situation he was
stepping into, but he still flew to Helena’s rescue. This man
protected his own, and since Vlad had been hewn from the same mold,
he was appreciative.

Emerson, Maks, and Aleksi would all
jump to her defense as well, but this man lived under the same
roof. It was good she had a protector so close. He still planned to
run an extensive background check on Beau DuBois, that was already
in place, but he was far more comfortable with the man
now.

Helena disappeared into the kitchen
and he heard pots and pans rattle. He and DuBois exchanged looks
before ambling over to the kitchen counter that separated the space
from the living room.

“
Do you need help?” Beau
asked.

“
Not yet.” She bent to
take a lid from a drawer. He appreciated the view. DuBois appeared
to have a masculine appreciation for Helena, but it was from a
brotherly perspective. He didn’t growl at Vlad, but his message was
still clear.

Don’t mess with her unless
you’re serious.

Since he was dead serious, he figured
he passed the big brother test.

Helena filled two pots, one with sauce
and meatballs and the other with water. She also tossed a salad
with ease. Vlad realized he liked how she moved. There was
something elegant and casual in her movements. Her body flowed, in
an easy and efficient manner. He appreciated both of those
qualities.

“
Do you want us to set the
table?” DuBois stretched his fingers out then curled them into a
fist before repeating the process.

“
Yes.” Helena checked the
pot of water.

The man flowed off the bar stool with
the ease of a man in peak physical condition. His eyes narrowed as
he tore his attention from Helena to take the measure of the other
man. The way he moved bespoke of more than a musician’s training.
When Helena’s phone rang, he was thankful.

After she answered the call, he turned
to DuBois. “What did you do before you were a musician?”

Nothing in the other man’s demeanor
gave him away. That was telling. His body didn’t tense, his eyes
didn’t shift, there was no alarm coursing through him.

His lips did curl up. “I’ve always
been a musician, even as a child.”

“
But you didn’t earn your
living as one until recently.”

The musician’s smile told him exactly
nothing. “Why should I tell you anything?”

“
You shouldn’t, not until
you trust me.”

“
Then we agree.” DuBois
didn’t waver, but he did set the table with efficient movements.
“What do you do for a living?”

“
I’m a military weapon.”
There was no pride in his voice, no boasting. If this man was what
he suspected, DuBois would take that as the warning he
intended.

“
Does Prince Aleksi know
that?”

The very fact DuBois knew to ask that
question told him a lot more about Helena’s neighbor. “I don’t
know.”

“
Did Prince Aleksandr
know?”

Another good question.
“Yes.”

DuBois nodded as he turned to select
some napkins from the holder on the counter. He added them to the
table. “Don’t hurt her.”

“
That’s not my
intention.”

“
Good. I don’t know what
you were playing at before, but now you have a lot of making up to
do.”

“
We’re in the early stages
of our relationship. Neither of us have ever been in one before.
We’re bound to screw up.”

“
Never?”

He shook his head. “Never.”

“
Ah, that explains some
things.” The man stood back and surveyed the table. “I think that’s
everything.”

Helena concluded her call and stopped
beside him. “You forgot the glasses.”

“
Oh, yeah.” DuBois turned
back to the kitchen and opened a cupboard.

“
How is it that you know
Helena’s kitchen so well?”

“
We have a system. Beau
buys the groceries and I cook.”

“
I like to eat, but I hate
to cook.”

“
He was eating out all the
time, and I wasn’t eating much because it’s not fun to eat by
yourself. I convinced Beau we could save him money and me from
having to buy a new wardrobe.”

“
The system works well.”
DuBois patted her head. She snarled at him.