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It wasn't until ere on the elevator that the silence between us was broken I was the one to break it when I saw the knuckles on Nikolai's right hand They were covered in blood and bruises "Oh God, Nikolai, your hand," I said as I went to gently grab it He yanked it away from me before I could make contact

It hurt

It hurt a lot

I kneas pissed at ust, hatred even I supposed I couldn't really blame him My behavior had forced hi arded my safety as well as his because I hadn't been able to focus on the right things

I wanted to explain to him why I couldn't have even if I'd wanted to, but I held ue I dropped my own hand, which I realized was covered in blood from when he'd held my hand, and sidled away froainst the elevator We didn't speak again after that When we reached my floor, I allowed Nikolai to dictate when it was safe for me to step off the elevator and I quietly followed him to the end of the hall whereformy pocket forto his apartment

"Inside Now," he demanded

His anger put ut I kneouldn't hurt me I entered his apartment and waited until he was inside and had locked the door He threw the keys into a bowl on a side table and then he was reaching for my arentle as he led me forward

The layout of the aparth it see personal about it and thefurniture didn't fit the vision of Nikolai I had inon a cushy, worn sofa in sweats and a T-shirt on a Sunday afternoon watching football on a big-screen TV in a too-small apartment

The industrial decor of the apartment Cliff had all but bribed the couple to sell to him on a moment’s notice was too harsh, too cold for someone like Nikolai

I assu room so he could rail at me about my foolishness, but to my surprise, he took me down a short hallway and then into the e bed in the center of the roo that had happened, 's events had dampened the noise in my head, but my body didn't seem to care about that It still wanted Nikolai

Badly

But he didn't lead me to the bed No, he led ot a look at myself in the mirror I had splotches of blood on otten there I most certainly hadn't felt them They had to have come from Nikolai's victim

"Don't move," Nikolai muttered as he looked in the cabinet for a couple of towels and a washcloth When he found what he wanted, he stuck his hand under the spray of water froh to wash the blood away then wrapped his knuckles in a small hand towel Then he turned his attention to me I fully expected him just to hand me a washcloth so I could clean my face, but to my surprise, he dampened the cloth and then reached for my face himself

"Nikolai, I can do it—"

"Shut up," he said softly Despite the harshness of the words, he said theently "Let me do this"

I didn't knohat to ely intimate scene

I didn't knohat to ry with entle It was all I could do not to lean into his fingers as he wiped the cloth overh… the right a Actual work

He tipped my head back and to the side just a little bit It wasn't until he growled, "That fucker," that I realized he was exa whatever marks my assailant had left behind

"I'm fine," I whispered "It was my fault I shouldn't have—"

Nikolai turned my head so I was forced to look at hiht to put their hands on you like that Ever”