Page 24 of Covert (Ruthless Love #2)

Chapter twenty-one

Axel

N ikki has started sleeping on my chest every night, and she has no idea how much it means to me.

I've been looking for Natalie for years now.

I should have given up a long time ago. The chances of her being found alive are slim to none.

But the ache in my chest from her loss doesn't let me sleep at night, anyway, so I search. And I search.

The next night, Nikki sneaks in after dinner and after the others have gone to bed.

"You bought this?" she asks, excitedly pointing to the couch-like office chair I bought for us. Sleeping upright can't be comfortable for her, but there's enough room for her to curl up in this chair, preferably with her head in my lap.

"Do you like it?"

Uncertainty passes across her face. "Do you not like me lying on you? God, I never even asked, did I? Just plastered myself to you like a damn koala."

I shake my head to interrupt her rant. "Having you with me has made these nights bearable. I love having you here with me. I just wanted you to be comfortable, but still keep you close." I sit and motion for her to join me.

She curls up in the spot I left for her and rests her head in my lap. My right hand moves the mouse and types, looking for more skin auctions or websites, but my left brushes through Nikki's soft, black hair .

I think she's fallen asleep, but her voice calls from my lap. "Who was she to you?"

Not, 'who was she?' I already told her I couldn't answer that. But I can tell her who she was to me.

I tug down the old, faded picture of Natalie that I had taped to my monitor and hand it to her. She takes it and turns it sideways so she can see it better.

"The first girl I ever fell in love with," I whisper, feeling her hair to comfort myself. "Natalie. We were neighbors growing up..." I trail off. There isn't much more to say. At least, not for my part of the story.

"She disappeared three years ago. Went out dancing with some friends and never came home."

Nikki's quiet for a long time. "I'm sorry," she whispers, and I can hear the remorse in her voice.

"Thank you." I take a moment to appreciate the girl lying with me.

One I've grown very fond of. She's funny and caring, and flirts with me when I'm feisty, but then sits with me when I'm lonely and sad.

She's constantly thinking of the people around her and helps them without being asked, as if it's second nature to her. She's beautiful, inside and out.

And I know with a certainty I feel in my bones, that she could be the second girl I fall in love with.