Chapter Five

Nick stormed out into the cold night and took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. Both anger and desire burned through him. He had wanted Katerina for so long, had longed for her love since they had been children. At first it had been a mild infatuation, a crush on the orphan child his parents had taken in, but as they had grown up and become closer, he had realized it was much more than that. For him, it had been a deep inescapable love from the beginning.

As they had grown older, he had watched as she had boyfriends and lovers. He had been supportive of each broken heart she went through, and quietly stewed in his jealousy. Katerina was a once in a lifetime kind of woman. She was kind and cared so deeply about those around her. She was so strong and stubborn but seemed so small and fragile to him too. That alone was the reason he had kept his feelings to himself.

The cold air swirled around him as the wind picked up a little, flakes of snow beginning to fall