While she jumps up to get ready, I let out a groan at the loss of contact and make myself feel better by watching her walk naked to the bathroom.
“I can feel your eyes on me,” she says with a laugh.
“Good, because I’m staring at you pretty damn hard.” God, just the sight of her has me getting hard again. She gives me a wink before shutting the door, and I hurry up and get dressed before grabbing my phone. I send Dima a quick text, letting him know that everything is fine and that Moira’s coming back to my place. I don’t mention that we fucked on his couch. I do laugh to myself knowing it happened, though. I’m still laughing when I get his response.
Glad it all worked out. Gina felt sorry for your ass and stocked your fridge. I’ll tell her she can stop mothering you now that you’ve made up with Moira.
I smile and text aTell her I said thanks.
He sends me a thumbs up emoji before I put my phone away and grab my shoes. When Moira is ready, we gather the few things she has and head for the door. “Maybe I should keep my stuff here.”
I stop and look at her, noticing the way she suddenly seems shy again. “Why? Would you rather stay here?”
I try to sound neutral about it, but inside I’m begging for her to say no.
“I could just stay at the club.”
“Absolutely not,” I say, quickly cutting off that line of thinking. “If I thought you would’ve listened to me, I would’ve asked you to move in with me that first night I saw where you were sleeping. I want you with me. I want you to stay with me. If it makes you feel better or more comfortable, you can stay in my guest room, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go back to sleeping at that damn club.”
“I’m not so sure this relationship can withstand two stubborn people,” she says, fighting a grin.
“Then you’d better stop being stubborn.”
She laughs and says, “Okay, okay, I’ll stay with you.”
“See? We’ll have you docile in no time.”
She really laughs at that. “Boy are you in for a rude awakening.”
I kiss the tip of her nose and lead her out the door. We lock everything up and load her stuff in her Jeep. She follows me back to my house, and seeing her parked in my driveway makes me feel downright giddy. God, she’s got me feeling like a fucking schoolgirl in love. What’s next, doodlingMrs. Moira Sokolovain flowery script? I push the thought aside and wrap my arm around her as we walk to the front door. For the first time since buying this house, when I walk in with Moira at my side, it feels like a home.
I turn the gas fireplace back on and give her a quick tour since the last time she was here she didn’t really see anything except the living room and the bedroom. She seems to really like the place, and I let out the breath I’d been holding. I love this house, and it would’ve been hard to sell it if she’d hated it, but I’m willing to do anything to make her happy. I’m just thrilled that her idea of happy isn’t a high-rise condo right in the middle of downtown.
“This is so beautiful,” she says, standing in front of the wall of windows in the kitchen and looking out to the dark woods that stretch out beyond the window.
I walk up and wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss the top of her head. “You’ve found my favorite part of the house. You should see it when it’s snowing. It’s really beautiful then.”
She reaches up and grabs onto my forearms, relaxing into me and smiling at our reflection in the window. “You’re not at all how I thought you’d be.”
I smile and kiss her temple before bringing my cheek to rest against hers. “And how did you think I’d be?”
“An ass,” she says with a laugh. “A giant, arrogant ass who would never want a relationship of any kind with a woman.”
“I never did before you,” I admit, “and many people mistake standoffishness as arrogance.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “No, I’m pretty sure I picked up on some major arrogance the first time we met.”
I shrug my shoulders and laugh. “That was Sergei’s drool on my shirt, by the way.”
“Uh-huh, that’s probably who I’d blame, too.”
I turn her around and pick her up. “Always such a handful,” I say, giving her ass a smack.
“You love it,” she says with a laugh, tightening her arms and legs around me.
“I do,” I admit. “I love everything about you.”
Her face softens at my words. “The feeling is mutual, Kolya, even though I tried my absolute best to fight it.”