Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(52)

“I’ll never get used to the cold,” I complain and shiver.

His arms encircle me instinctively, and I lean back against him, enjoying his warmth. “I feel like I know everything about you and nothing at all. Where are you from originally?” he asks.

“Florida and Texas. Grew up around Dallas and moved to Miami after my father died,” I reply.

“You plan on returning there now that The Monster is gone?”

“I plan on being wherever you are. Are you stationed here or … does it work that way?” I ask.

“Sort of. I pretty much have my choice of assignment,” he says. “The military gave me a choice to leave at any point. They don’t normally keep guys like me who can’t qualify as mission ready. Baba pulled a few strings with old friends for me to remain, and I’m on restricted duty as a recruiter.”

“You really love it.”

“I do. My family has a history of public service, and this is what I want to do. I love being close to home after about eight years away from home. Baba is getting older, too, so I help out with the family foundations now that Katya moved away to be with Sawyer. I figure I’ll stick around here until I retire.”

I consider the snow. It’s a small price to pay to be near Petr.

“You okay with all that?” It sounds like he’s trying to joke, but there’s a serious note in his voice.

“Completely. I want you to be happy, Petr, and from what I can tell, you are,” I reply. “I … I guess I have to figure out what to do with my life now. I hadn’t thought about it in the past four years.”

“You’ve got a terrific skill with graphics. Baba would hire you in a heartbeat to work for our foundations.”

A flutter of anxiety, or maybe excitement, races through me. Petr’s talking like me being here with him is permanent. I kinda love the idea.

“How about, instead of ice skating, we grab some coffee and fill in the blanks about each other’s lives?” he suggests. “Favorite colors, movies, whatever.”

“And cuddle,” I add.

“Yeah. I don’t plan on letting you go anytime soon.”



And he doesn’t. The next four days are sheer bliss. We talk, mingle with his family and Todd, make love every chance we have, and wake up giggling about the new positions we tried. If I’d ever imagined a perfect weekend, it would fail miserably to stack up to our perfect weekend. Petr rarely leaves my side, and when he’s with me, we’re constantly touching. The shadow and fear are gone by Sunday night, lifted from a combination of Simon’s news and the miracle of Petr.

Monday morning, I get up early to go to work as usual. He appears with a tray of breakfast, his hair tousled and his chest bare. I reach for him automatically after he sets it down, the need to be in contact with his warm skin consuming and far too compelling to resist.

He hugs me. I breathe in his scent and rest my cheek against his chest.

“Todd’s up. The driver took him to school,” he reports and nuzzles my cheek. “You sure I can’t convince you to stay?”

“You can. But you shouldn’t,” I say with a laugh. I kiss him, a long, lingering kiss. His hands go around me. “I know we have us. I need to figure out a few more things for myself, like … how I’ll transition to doing what I want, whether I should go back to school. That kind of stuff.”

“Money isn’t an issue.”

“I know, Petr.” I draw away. “But … I need my own independence still. I can’t rely on you for that.”

“I understand,” he replies. “Say the word, and Baba can create a spot for you on the payroll doing graphics work.”

I hesitate. I know how serious he is, and it thrills me. I also need some space to determine my own fate.

“Think it over.” He speaks before I can say the words. He squeezes my bottom and pulls me against his hips. “I’ll wait. As long as you plan on coming home tonight?”

Home. I could get used to his home being mine. I’m not sure how appropriate it is yet. Our relationship is just beginning, no matter how incredible it feels. Yet the thought of spending the night anywhere where he’s not has absolutely no appeal.

“Yes. If that’s okay,” I murmur. “I don’t think we’ll both fit in my twin bed.”

“We could make it work.” His eyes sparkle. He tucks hair behind one of my ears. “Want me to drive you in?”

I nod. I don’t want to go anywhere at the moment, but I’m not leaving my job until I have a better life plan. No matter what, it’ll include Petr. He pulls on a sweatshirt. I sigh, missing his chiseled upper body already.

With our arms around one another, we walk through the quiet mansion to the front, where his truck is parked and running already. We hold hands even in the vehicle. Imagining how long my day will feel until I see him again pains me, and I want to laugh at myself for being head over heels for him already.

“This was the best weekend of my life,” I say when he stops in front of the diner. “Thank you, Petr.”

He kisses the back of my hand. “It’s the beginning, Claudia. I hope you know that.”

“I do.” And I love it. Leaning forward, I kiss him once more. He cups my cheeks with his hands and deepens the kiss. I almost melt then and there at his taste. I crave his flavor, his touch, his scent all over my body.