I laughed. “You made me do it.”
We were wrapped up in each other’s arms, and he made a move to get his fingers between my soaked thighs. I squeezed them tight together. “A few minutes of rest,” I begged.
“Sounds like a plan. You drained me dry, little girl.”
“And I’ll do it again,” I promised.
We lay quietly together for a little while, catching our breath and nuzzling at each other, and finally, my eyes landed onmy painting. I took in the different blues and greens of the sky and ocean, the little puffy clouds, all those colors I had mixed for the flowers. Kolya noticed me looking at it and held me a little tighter.
“I should have let you known sooner that I didn’t get rid of it,” he said. “I was a stubborn ass. I’m sorry.”
“I’ve got some things I should probably apologize for, too,” I said, thinking of all those times I imagined him suffering. I held on tighter, thinking about how he must have felt when he got those pictures of me from Vissarion. I didn’t want him to suffer anymore.
“Later,” he said, kissing down the side of my neck. “You still have to see the house.”
“Later,” I told him, drawing him closer. “I’m done resting.”