Predator | 45

This is the censored version of chapter 45

It was late by the time dinner had finished. April helped her brother with the dishes once everyone, excluding Nikolaj, left for home. April had insisted to drive him back home, even though Nikolaj tried to politely reject her offer.

April pulled over once they reached his place. Rain poured down on them as they hurried over to the door. She breathed in relief when she stepped inside, though her hair was already wet despite the short distance they had walked from the car to the door.

April bumped into Nikolaj's back when the abruptly stopped in the middle of the hallway. She held onto his shoulders so she wouldn't stumble over her own feet.

"Nik? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly and peaked a look over his shoulder when he said nothing. There was a large puddle in the middle of his living room. "Oh, no."

The rain was leaking through the roof of his cottage, drops of water falling onto the ground of his living room. The edge of his couch was already wet from the rain and so was a part of the carpet he had on the ground.

Nikolaj left to grab a large bucket, placing it just under the area where the drops of rain were crashing down into his living room.

"Does this happen often?" April asked as she glanced up at the wooden ceiling. It really didn't look waterproof at all.

"No, it doesn't," he answered. "But it already happened twice."

April was sure that once upon a time, this cottage may have been beautiful to the eye, but over the years it looked rather run down when looking closely.

Nikolaj created a homey atmosphere with the right furniture even if he didn't own much, but the whole place was still in a need of a renovation. Or rather than having the whole place renovated, he should leave for a better place with a waterproof ceiling and electricity.

But she also knew that Nikolaj didn't have the money to move to another place, if he had money at all.

It was like he was shunned from the rest of the town.

April crouched down down and grabbed another towel, helping Nikolaj to dry the ground. It was quite a mess the rain caused, but at the same time April was relieved that it was just a wet couch and wet carpet. It could have been much worse.

"You don't have to do that," Nikolaj spoke and trailed his hands down her arms to her hands, trying to slip the towel away from her hands.

"I know, but I want to." She regarded him with a smile. "What do we plan to do with the leaky ceiling? I doubt that the bucket will solve this problem."

"The rain will stop anytime soon."

"You might be right," April responded, though she doubted it would be the case. "But I think we should cover it up, if you want to avoid this to happen a fourth or a fifth time."

"You're right," he responded as he glanced up at the ceiling. He then drifted his gaze over to April. "I guess you want to go back to your brother?"

"No way," was April's quick response. She was bewildered that he even said that, though at the same time it didn't really surprise her at all. How could she leave him alone? She wouldn't even consider that. Fixing the ceiling would be a bit of work, that much was sure. "I'm going to help you."

"You don't have to."

"I know, but that's what friends are for." She inwardly cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. Was friends even the right word? She wasn't so sure. She peeked a look at Nikolaj and to her relief, he didn't look offended at all.

Instead, he gave her a beautiful smile and took her face into his hands, pressing his warm mouth on her forehead. A delightful shiver run down her body when she felt his lips on her skin.

"Thank you," he whispered.

His voice had the power to do strange things to her. Her belly began to flutter and a warm feeling washed through her.

It was beyond her how he could make her feel like that with nothing but a simple kiss on her forehead. It was amazing but scary at the same time.

April watched him from under her lashes. She gave him a smile of her own and watched his smile growing even bigger into a boyish grin.

Nikolaj wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest, until there was no space between them anymore.

"You do everything for me and I do nothing for you," he spoke in a soft whisper. Nikolaj smiled at her, but this time his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"That's not true," April disagreed. "You helped me when I got bitten. You came over and cleaned my wound, even though you didn't even know me back then. We were strangers and you didn't have to help me, but you still did. For that, I am very thankful."

He did a lot more for her than he realized. Just simply being there for her was enough for her. That was all she wanted. Just him, nothing else.

"Do you always find the right words to say?" Nikolaj asked with an amused smile.

"I'm just telling the truth."

He grinned at her and leaned down to give her lips a hard kiss.

"I need to take of the mess now. I don't want you to sleep at a place that is not waterproof."

"Of course," she answered. Though she didn't care where she slept, as long as she was with him. "Oh no, I forgot to bring clothes with me."

"Doesn't matter. You can sleep naked."

Nikolaj was getting bolder and more talkative. She already notice the change a few weeks ago. Heat crawled up her face and she was sure she her face was tinted in a soft red. She elbowed him softly into his side and shook her head with a small grin on her face.

Now she couldn't stop thinking about laying in bed with him naked. She was sure there was a furious blush on her face.

"You are cute when you act all shy."

He pressed a kiss on her cheek, before releasing the hold on her. He went over to the couch and grabbed a rag. He kneeled down in front of the puddle and started to dry the ground. April stripped off her jacket and threw it on the dry side of the couch.

Not wanting to stay useless around watch, she went over to him and helped him. Rolling up the sleeves of her blouse, she kneeled down next to him and helped him with the mess the rain caused.

Nikolaj avoided eye contact the whole time they were drying up the ground of his living room. April was confused, but then realized that he was ashamed.

She felt bad that he was feeling embarrassed over this. She gave him a bright smile when he finally looked up and hoped to change his mood to the better. She wanted to show him that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I'm going to empty the bucket," he said and rose to his feet. Nikolaj took the bucket and made his way to the front door.

April stood up as well, her back slightly aching. Her fingers were now cold and pale. She decided to throw a few pieces of wood into the fireplace and light it up. She then pushed Nik's wet couch in front of the fireplace, so that it would dry quicker.

April held her hands near the fire, seeking the warmth of the flame. Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and April jumped slightly, startled at Nik's sudden appearance.

She didn't hear him entering the cottage.

Nikolaj ran his hands down her arms and then took her cold hands into his, intertwining her fingers with his warm ones. His thumb softly brushed over her knuckles as he tried to warm her fingers.

"Your smell always drives me insane," he whispered in her ear. There was something strangely erotic about the way he said it. She could feel his breath on her neck. April shuddered when he began to place soft kisses on her neck. "And you taste delicious, too."

"Nik..," she breathed in a hoarse voice.

"I like it when you call me that," he spoke softly into her ear. A soft kiss under her ear followed his words, making her eyes flutter close. "It makes me believe that I matter to you."

"You do matter," she responded in a whisper. "You do matter to me."

When she opened her eyes, she was startled by the intense way Nikolaj was looking at her. By now her heart was thumping so wildly against her chest that she was afraid to faint anytime soon.

* * * * *

His strong arm looped around her as he pulled her head on his chest and began to stroke her head. She then realized how safe he made her feel and how good he was at making her worries vanish into thin air.

Maybe, just maybe, she was wrong about not being in love with Nikolaj. She didn't know when and she most certainly didn't know why, but she was slowly but surely falling for him.