sense of the moves and had been able to replicate them. By the end, I hadn't just been going through the motions. I'd been truly focused on watching Nikolai's body so I could counter his mock attack and react appropriately. I’d felt like a million bucks by the time Nikolai had called it quits and praised me. The feeling had lasted for all of two minutes after he’d gone to get us some water. At that point, the gorgeous Dannie had approached me and introduced herself and I’d mentally gone on the defensive.
But the pretty blonde’s charming and genuine nature had been hard to resist and soon we’d been talking like old friends. That had lasted until the moment Nikolai had returned and Dannie had wrapped her arms around him. Knowing I’d been in the presence of yet another one of Nikolai's romantic partners had obliterated all of the confidence I’d been feeling. Between suspecting Nikolai had hooked up with Angel after we’d gone our separate ways the night before and learning that he and Dannie had history, I'd been more than ready to get the hell out of the gym and back to my normal routine.
I still didn't know what had made me say yes to the idea of going to play basketball. But now I was glad that I had. As soon as we’d arrived at the courts, Nikolai had challenged four young men who’d already been playing each other to a game. The man didn't know how to do anything in small measures. Instead of just finding two other guys to play two on two with, he’d picked the four youngest and talented players to take on.
We’d won, but barely.
Thankfully, I'd managed to focus more on the game than on Nikolai as he’d played. The man knew how to handle a basketball. He was athletic and graceful and if I hadn’t been forced to play my part, I would've enjoyed just drooling at the sight of his shirt riding up to reveal a yummy treasure trail every time he made a shot.
We’d ended up working well as a team. The guys we’d been playing had been impressed and had suggested another game, but fortunately, Nikolai had insisted that he and I had to go. We’d played it cool like we really were too busy, but now as we limped our way back to the car, I was more than glad he'd had the foresight not to take on a second round with the guys.
"Thank you, Nikolai," I said. "I needed that."
Nikolai glanced at me and smiled that heart-stopping smile of his. "You’re welcome."
Once we were in the SUV, Nikolai asked, "Home?"
Considering he and I were both sweating and smelling pretty ripe, I nodded.
"And after?" he asked.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he wanted to go someplace for lunch, but his ringing phone stopped me before I could ask the foolish question. Despite the morning's events, I needed to remember that I was still just a job to Nikolai. If anything, he just wanted to break up the monotony of escorting me back and forth to work.
Nikolai answered his phone and after his initial greeting, he began speaking Russian to the caller. I didn't need to know what was being said to realize it wasn't good news. He tensed up and sat forward as he spoke to whoever was on the other end. The urgency in his voice made my insides tighten. When he hung up, he seemed pale and shaken.
"Nikolai?" I said softly.
It was like he didn't hear me.
"Nikolai, is everything all right?" I asked. When he didn't answer, I put my hand out to cover his, which was gripping his phone hard. "Nikolai?" I whispered.
He finally looked at me. Fear was etched into his features. “I'm sorry, I have to cut our day short. I'll call Mike to have someone else take you to work," he murmured. Then he began fiddling with his phone. I moved my fingers so they were covering most of the phone and part of his hand. His skin felt cool and there was also a slight tremor in his fingers.
"Nikolai, talk to me. What happened?"
Nikolai swallowed hard. "My nephew’s in the hospital. That was my father on the phone. He says Maks spiked a fever and has been throwing up all day. My sister tried to wake him to give him his medicine a little while ago but couldn't."