Page 31 of Born into Chaos

I laugh at that. “I think we both know I would’ve found my way down here eventually.”

“Only because you’re so sweet that you wanted to make sure I had soup to eat.”

We both know my excuse was flimsy at best. Bringing soup over is more of a Natalya or Yelena thing. It’s not that I’m uncaring. It’s morethat I’m just sort of clueless about domestic things, and taking care of someone who’s sick doesn’t come naturally to me.

“Just so we’re clear,” I tell him, “had you actually been sick, I would’ve figured out how to make the soup for you.”

“I’ll remember that.”

I look over and watch him. He looks exhausted, and maybe I was wrong about my nursemaid abilities, because all I want to do is take care of him.

“Lay down and take a nap, Vitya.”

His eyes have already fallen closed, and when he opens them to look at me, I can tell he’s tempted to take me up on my offer.

“I’ll make sure she’s okay,” I tell him, “and you’re going to be useless tonight if you don’t get some sleep now while you can.”

He groans at the thought of another sleepless night. “Fine,” he relents, getting up and lying down on the couch. Before he closes his eyes, he looks over at me. “Swear to me you won’t leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Vitya. Go to sleep.”

It’s a testament to how tired he is that he stops arguing and rolls onto his side so he’s facing me. His eyes are already closed, and within minutes I can tell he’s asleep. I watch him for several minutes, noticing the way his face softens. His brows are no longer furrowed, the line of his jaw seems less tense, and his shoulders are more relaxed. He looks peaceful, and that’s not a look he usually wears.

When I’m sure he and Samantha are both in a deep sleep, I get up and walk over to him. There’s a blanket draped over the end that I cover him with. He doesn’t move, letting me know he’s completely knocked out, and the temptation to touch him is strong. I manage to resist running my fingers over his gorgeous face, but I can’t put off my curiosity about the man who’s been watching over me.

I’m only human, and the urge to snoop is way too strong. If he were awake, I think he’d be proud of my restraint so far.

Leaving them both to sleep, I glance around the living room, but there isn’t anything here beyond the typical furniture you’d expect and a bunch of baby stuff. This isn’t going to tell me anything, so I walk towardsthe kitchen, figuring I’ll start there and then work my way to the other rooms.

The kitchen is just as gorgeous as the rest of the apartment with pretty dark blue cabinets, a granite countertop, and stainless steel appliances. The island is covered in a mess of baby bottles and packages of ready-to-eat formula, but the rest of the room is spotless. I wonder if the clutter is driving him crazy. He’s probably too tired to notice it much now, but it’ll eventually start to grate on his nerves.

Without a shred of guilt, I walk over and open his fridge. A quick scan of the contents reaffirms what I already know about Vitya. He’s a health nut and a clean freak. Every single item is in its proper place, organic, and there’s not a sweet treat to be found. Quietly shutting the fridge, I check the pantry next, not at all surprised to find more of the same. The only difference is that amidst all the organic granola bars and cans of vegetables, there’s one shelf that’s very different from all the others. There are boxes of fruit snacks, a box of cupcakes, and several bags of blueberry muffins—all my favorite things. I grab a fruit snack and leave the kitchen.

While I eat, I make my way down the hall, passing a bathroom that looks pristine, whether that’s because it’s rarely used or because Vitya is just that on top of his cleaning, I have no idea, and then I walk by a spare room that’s being used as a home gym. I keep going. I don’t want Vitya to wake until after I’ve had a look at his room.

The last door on the right is open, and when I look in at the king-sized bed, I know I’ve found it. I know this might be considered invasive, but I’ve always been too nosy for my own good, and there was no way in hell I was ever going to be able to resist this temptation. I pop the last fruit snack in my mouth and step into the room. My feet sink into the plush carpet, and I nearly moan at the familiar scent that fills the space. Vitya always smells so damn good. It’s a masculine, earthy, citrus scent with a touch of leather, and it makes me want to rub up against him every time I smell it.

Unable to resist, I step closer to his bed and lower my face to his pillow, inhaling the scent like I’m trying to drown in it. My face heatsup at the thought of him catching me like this, but I still take one more sniff before I force myself to take a step back. There’s a military sci-fi novel on the nightstand and a framed photo. I grab it, so surprised by the image that I sit down on the edge of the bed so I can study it better. It’s Vitya, but a happy Vitya, a smiling from ear-to-ear Vitya, and the sight is just as breathtaking as I knew it would be. He looks younger, and he has his arm around a much younger guy who looks so much like him that it has to be a younger brother. Before I can think better of it, I pull my phone out and take a picture of it, wanting to try and draw this smiling Vitya so I can look at it whenever I want.

His neck is bare in the photo, so whenever this was taken, it was before he got the dragon tattoo that I love so much. He’s also so carefree, not at all like he is now, looking every bit like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. I reluctantly put the photo back in its place and stand up so I can keep looking. The urge to snoop through his drawers is strong, but I feel like that might be crossing a line, so I ignore the pull and instead walk into the large, attached bathroom.

“Damn,” I whisper, running my eyes over the huge walk-in shower. An image of a naked Vitya scrubbing his body under the large rain shower head immediately hits me. I force my mind away from the tempting image and look around the room. There’s a tub in the corner and double sinks with a large counter and plenty of drawers that I keep my itchy fingers out of. I’m grabbing one of those cupcakes from the pantry on my way out of here, because I definitely deserve one for the restraint I’m showing.

I may keep my hands out of the drawers, but I do pick up his bottle of cologne and give it a good whiff. I wish I could spray some on my shirt so I can take it with me, but there’s no way to do that without him noticing, and I’d rather spare myself that embarrassing confrontation.

Before I leave his room, I take a quick peek in his walk-in closet, smiling when I see how neat it is. Mine looks like a mini tornado went through it, but his is perfectly ordered, and everything is in its place. He even has his shoes lined up in a nice row. God, he’s the sexiest dork to ever walk the planet.

With a sigh, I shut the door and get my ass out of the room that I probably shouldn’t have ever stepped foot into. But, honestly, he had to have known I was going to snoop. He knows me well enough to know the temptation would’ve been impossible for me to resist, so it’s kind of on him for falling asleep and leaving me to it.

On my way back into the living room, I grab a cupcake and a bottle of one of his fruity teas from the fridge. I’m guessing he won’t mind. I take them both out to the living room where Samantha and Vitya are still both fast asleep, both of them looking adorable, and I can’t help but take a few quick photos. I wish I had my sketchbook so I can draw them, but drawing was the last thing on my mind when I’d left my apartment this morning.

Without my pencils to occupy my mind, I focus instead on trying to come up with a plan. Watching Samantha gently suck on her pacifier while she sleeps in her cute little llama sleeper makes it perfectly clear that I’m with Vitya. I can’t imagine just leaving her at a hospital. The thought of strangers taking care of her doesn’t sit well with me. I know I’ve just met her, but the feeling is strong nonetheless, and I’m not going to just ignore it.

By the time she starts to stir, I have a flimsy plan in place that might, if we’re really lucky, buy us some time. Knowing Vitya needs more sleep than just a couple of hours, I quickly scoop Samantha up before she can start screaming. I may not be a pro at the gross stuff yet, but I know how to hold and comfort a baby, at least for a little bit. Usually I just pass the crying baby back to Natalya or Lara, but I think I can probably manage things on my own for now.

The little baby in my arms is surprisingly laid-back for all that she’s been through, but I quickly learn that she turns downright feral when she’s hungry. I see her cute face turn red and her lips turn down, and when her brown eyes start to fill with tears, I know I need to move my ass before she lets loose and wakes Vitya up.

“Don’t cry,” I whisper, begging her to hang on for just a second. I follow Vitya’s lead and speak to her in Russian. I doubt she would understand anything I say right now, no matter what language I’mspeaking, but I think she understands the sentiment because she reins in it and gives her pacifier a greedy suck. I know it’s a short reprieve, and speed walk my ass to the kitchen to get her next bottle. I keep lightly bouncing her in my arms while I grab a clean nipple and pop it onto one of the bottles of formula. I swear her little eyes light up when I pull her pacifier away and replace it with the bottle.

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