Page 74 of To Love a Monster
I tilt my head, smirking.“I have to know where the line is.”He leans in, voice dropping.“Decorate the place as you wish, but if you paint a single wall pink, I’m setting it on fire.”
From behind us, Tess snorts.“God, it’s like watching two teenagers try to settle down and play house.You’re disgusting.I love it.But anyway, enough of this.You’ve had her for weeks and we have some major catching up to do so I’m stealing her for a few hours.”
“Oh, Tess.”I groan.“We just got here.Can it just wait a few days until we’ve settled?”
She gives me a pointed look.“No.Not a chance, princess.You disappear without a word, come back with a fuckingmansion, a black card, and a man who looks like he runs an underground empire.You have some serious explaining to do, babe.”
I glance at Nikolai, unsure if I should be leaving, if that’s even allowed right now.Tess clocks it instantly and snaps her fingers in front of my face.“Don’t look at him.He’s not invited.”
Nikolai meets my eyes, then glances at Tess before giving a small nod.“Go and have fun.Just make sure you take your phone.”His tone is calm, even, but the message underneath is clear.That phone has the tracker.He’s not just saying stay safe, he’s making sure they can find me if something goes wrong.
“You’ll be okay?”I ask quietly, my hand resting on his chest like I’m not quite ready to leave him yet.
“I’ll be here,” he says simply, his eyes never leaving mine.His voice is steady but there’s something in the way his fingers brush over mine and before I can place the emotion that flashes behind his eyes, he leans in without a word and kisses me.
It’s not rushed, not intense.Just slow and sure.His mouth moves over mine like he’s memorizing it and I kiss him back with everything I have.
When he pulls away, he doesn’t say anything else, just rests his forehead against mine for a second before stepping back.
Tess huffs.“Okay, ew.”She grabs my arm again, more impatient this time.“Let’s go before he changes his mind and locks you in a tower.”
I glance back one last time and he gives me a small smile, quiet and unreadable.
****
The sun hangs low whenwe finally stop.Tess and I collapse into two wicker barstools on the patio of a restaurant that overlooks the bay.The sky’s a blur of pink and orange, the water glowing with its reflection.We’ve spent the whole day bouncing between high-end showrooms and tucked-away little shops I never knew existed, picking out headboards, tables, couches, and obnoxiously expensive kitchenware.
My body is tired, my arms are sore, and I’ve never felt so high.Two cocktails hit the table, hers neon, mine blood orange, and she raises her glass.“To rich, scary boyfriends and their unlimited black cards,” she says.I laugh, the sound slipping out easier than it has in a while.“To full creative control and velvet couches Nikolai’s going to hate.”
We giggle and clink glasses.Tess leans back, studying me over the rim of her drink.“Okay, now that we finally have a moment to relax ...spill.I want to know it all.”
I take a long sip, buying myself a second.“What do you mean?”
She gives me a flat look.“Don’t play dumb.One second you were freaking out over being watched and the next you just vanish.No texts, no updates, nothing.Then I hear that you’ve met the love of your life and you’re disappearing for a few weeks and then bam!You show up with him and a new mansion in the woods, acting like this is all totally normal.FYI, it’s not!So explain.I’m waiting.”
I set my glass down slowly.“It’s not as dramatic as it sounds.”
Tess arches a brow.“Oh, really?Because I’m pretty sure you were on the verge of losing your mind because you thought you were being stalked.”
“Okay, maybe a little dramatic,” I admit.“But it wasn’t what I thought at all.Obviously, otherwise I don’t think I’d be here right now.”
She leans in, curiosity shining in her eyes.“Okay, so what exactly happened?You had everyone spinning back here.”
I pause, glance at the waves in the distance, then shrug like I’m brushing off a storm.“He moved into the place close to mine like we figured.I guess I just freaked out when I thought he was watching me.But when I went over there, it turned out he was just ...curious.New town, new neighbors.And, yeah, I jumped to conclusions.”
“Okay, and then what?”Tess asks.
I roll my eyes and smile.“And then he invited me in.We talked.It was weird ...but kind of electric and from there everything just happened really fast.”
She narrows her eyes, like she’s trying to figure out whether or not I’m telling the truth.“That’s a hell of a jump from ‘I think he’s stalking me’ to ‘let’s move in together and get matching bath towels.’”I laugh, but it’s thin.“Yeah, well, life’s short, right?”
She holds my gaze a moment longer, then finally backs off.“Okay.But if he turns out to be a mob boss or something, I want a heads-up.”
“You’ll be the first to know,” I say, lifting my glass again.
****
The drive back is slowand streetlights spill across the road as Tess winds us through the hills.
