Andrei answered him in Russian, so I couldn’t understand. I saw Adrik’s eyes going wide. I glared at Andrei, who put his hands up and took a step back. “I didn’t tell him what it looks like, spider monkey. I promise!” He was still walking slowly backward toward the door.
I felt Adrik’s arm around my waist and felt his breath on my neck. “He told me I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you the entire night once I saw you in that dress,” he said quietly against my neck.
I sent one more glare in Andrei’s direction. He grinned at me and quickly walked out the door. I turned toward Adrik, moving my hands to his neck, running them through his hair. “You promise he didn’t tell you what it looks like?”
He smiled down at me, kissing the tip of my nose. “I promise, solnishko. He kept me in the dark, as you wish.”
“Good.” I grinned at him. “I want it to be a surprise. I might as well have fun if I’m being forced to attend this thing anyway.”
“If Andrei is correct and I won’t be able to keep my hands off you, then we might not be staying the whole time anyway. It won’t be so bad,” he smiled as he kissed my lips. He pulled back and looked at the stitches over my eye, brushing my curls from my face. “I thought girls like to get dressed up and go out and show off and all that nonsense?”
“Other girls might like that. This girl thinks that’s a lot of effort for nonsense. But I will do it since you’re the favored son of the city. And somebody has to keep the rest of the women off you in public.” “What other women?” he asked, smirking.
I grinned at him, kissing him. “Good answer.”
Sephie
I woke up that night with a terrible headache. I hadn’t had any issues since the night of the attack, but now it felt like my head was being split open again. I got up, fumbling around in the dark, trying to make my way to the kitchen. I misjudged where the bedroom door was. I ran into a wall and cursed. Adrik must’ve heard it because he was up right away.
“Solnishko, what’s wrong?” he asked, switching on the light.
I squinted at the light. “My head is pounding again. I was trying to make it to the kitchen.”
He was next to me immediately. “What do you need? Water? You never took any of the pain pills they sent home. Do you want one of those?”
I nodded, closing my eyes harder, holding my head in my hands. It was starting to feel like my sk ull was being pried open from the inside. He gently walked me back to the bed. “You stay. I’ll get it for you.”
I laid down and within a minute, he was back with a glass of water and a pill. He set the water on the table and turned the light out. I heard him pick up the remote for the blinds. I knew he was closing them so i would be as dark as possible in the room. I felt the bed dip as he got back in bed. He pulled me onto his chest, his hands running lightly through my hair.
Either this pill was stronger than what they gave me at the hospital, or I wasn’t in as much pain as I was the day of the attack, because it knocked me out in a matter of minutes.
I woke up sometime later, not knowing what time it was, or what day it was. I was fully expecting to have slept for multiple days once again, as I felt super groggy. I felt around on the bed for Adrik, but he was gone. The room was dark, so I felt my way toward the bathroom to turn on a light. I closed my eyes before switching the light on. I’d learned it was easier to not completely shock my eyes.
I felt nauseous again, which is why I hadn’t wanted to take any of those pills to begin with. Looks like food is off the table for today. As I opened my eyes, it wasn’t as bright as I was expecting. I left the light on and found a pair of leggings to put on. I left the bedroom to find Adrik.
He was again at the kitchen counter, looking over files. He saw me come into the kitchen. He stood up and walked to me. “How are you feeling?” His face had a worried look on it.
“Better now. Please tell me I didn’t sleep for a day and a half this time.”
He smiled. “No, just twelve hours this time. It’s only Saturday afternoon.” “Well, that’s progress, I guess.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Noooooo. No food. Food is a bad idea right now.”
He clicked his tongue. “I don’t like that you don’t eat. You’re too skinny.”
“Trust me, I don’t like it either. I’d like nothing more than to eat a giant sandwich right now,” I said. My stomach churned, making me feel like I was going to vomit. I put my hand over my mouth until the feeling passed. “Bad idea. No food talk.”
He looked at me, still somewhat concerned, “I think you should take it easy the next few days. Maybe you overdid it with your trip to the dress shop? Is that the only place you went yesterday?” “Yep. We weren’t even gone that long.”
“You still have another week of bed rest. Maybe you shouldn’t leave. Maybe it’s too much?”
I sighed. “Boring. But if it keeps me from having another headache like that one, I’ll do it.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. “I’m sorry you must deal with this, solnishko. All of this.” He sighed as he held me close.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.