Sharp Edges

Chapter Eleven

When James woke up, he laid there and stared at the ceiling. He didn't have a nightmare last night which made him happy, but so did the naked woman curled against his side. He grinned to himself as he turned and looked out of the window, watching the breeze blow the curtains around. He liked leaving one window cracked sometimes.

The breeze moving over her skin woke Yelena with the slightest chill. She didn't mind it, she was Russian after all. She was most comfortable with a certain degree of cold. She heard the sounds of the morning birds filter into her ears and a small sound escaped her as she rolled over to find James. "Morning, handsome..."

James looked down to see Yelena's bright green eyes. "Good Morning, baby doll. Did you sleep okay?"

"Mm hm," she agreed, stretching her limber body. "It seemed like you had a quiet night of sleep yourself. Did you have any nightmares?" she asked, realizing that he hadn't woken her up.

He shook his head. "I slept peacefully for once," he replied softly, then leaned to press a kiss to her forehead.

"That's a big deal," she emphasized. "I'd love to say it was me, but I wonder if it has something to do with your friend in the other room down the hall."

"I just feel... at peace," he told her. "More than I have in a long time."

A smile unlike one anyone else could pull from her crossed Yelena's youthful expression. With James she could see hope. There were times, like right now, when... she could think about what it might be like to just be. "You've been looking for that, for peace," she observed, perching her chin in her hand. "I'm so happy you've found it."

"You helped me find it," he murmured before tilting her head back further so he could kiss her. "I love you, Lena."

She returned his kiss eagerly, her face melting into a sweet smile. "I love you, Jamie," she replied. It was really a wonder that either of them would be able to find this, or really anything close to it. "This feels so surreal... having a home and something that looks like a life."

"It is a life, Lena," he told her. "It's our life."

She closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. "I still... have a hard time believing it's real sometimes. I have to pinch myself," she admitted.

"Me too," he admitted. "But we're here, this place is ours and we're building a life together." James turned to lay and face her. "Maybe even a family at some point... in our own way."

Yelena nearly laughed out loud at his suggestions. "I think every maternal instinct I had was removed by the Red Room," she shared, wrinkling her nose. "I'm less scared of bombs than I am of babies. I can diffuse a bomb."

James chuckled as he turned and rolled on top of her, feeling one of her hands run over his bare ass. "I'd be scared too."

"Neither of us have extensive training in children," she said with a smile as she looked up at him. Her hands couldn't help but roam his strong, muscular body.

He sighed softly, focusing on the feeling of her hands on his body. "We don't... but I like them. Always have."

She smoothed her hands over his strong sides, tracing his muscles with her fingertips. "I guess I've never really thought about it. I haven't been around kids since I was one and my childhood was not exactly normal," Yelena mused.

James bent forward and kissed her softly. "We don't have to make any big decisions," he murmured. "But I think you'd be a good mom."

She quirked a brow with a softer smile. "Why do you think that?" she asked, genuinely interested.