Sighing, I rub my face against his warm chest, breathing in the comforting gingerbread scent. I open my mouth to thank him, but drowsiness drags me under.
ChapterForty-Four
Nikolai
Ava sleeps peacefully in my arms, her face nuzzled into my chest.
Resting my chin gently on the top of her head, I breathe in her sweet vanilla scent, trying to ignore the way her breasts fall and rise, brushing against my arm with each inhale.
She’s sotrusting. Even after going through years of hell. My arms tighten a little and I force them to relax as she shifts, a plaintive noise falling from her lips.
Nash comes padding up, droplets running off him and his eyes widening as he spots Ava. I put my fingers to my mouth, urging him to be quiet.
“Is she okay?” he whispers loudly, and Ava stirs. I shift my head to look down at her, watching her dark lashes fluttering on her cheek as she opens her eyes slowly, rubbing her face into my scent.
My heart clenches as she inhales deeply.
“Nikolai,” she murmurs sleepily. Her husky voice buries into my chest. I want to hear her say my name like that again. “Where’s Nash?”
“I’m here!”
Her eyes fly open at his words, and she pushes herself to sit up. Reluctantly, I release her from my arms as she pulls herself up, glancing at me with a rose tinge on her cheeks.
“I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
“Don’t be. You can sleep on me anytime.” My voice comes out a little deeper than I intended, and Ava’s blush darkens. Nash grabs her hand.
“Do you like sandwiches?” he asks her, and she pulls her gaze from mine to smile at him. “Ilovesandwiches,” she says, and Nash pulls her over to the picnic basket where he starts digging through the food.
“Careful,” I warn her. “He’ll eat them all.”
“I will not!” he says, outraged. “I want Ava to have the best ones.” Ava’s eyes soften as he picks through the contents, passing her food once he’s inspected it. I snort back a laugh. I have a feeling Nash will awaken as an alpha when he’s older.
“Thank you, Nash,” she says softly. Nash plops himself down next to her, leaning against her arm. “Do you know how to swim, Ava?”
She shakes her head, glancing toward me before swallowing down the tiniest bite of her sandwich. “No, I never learned.”
“My pa will teach you!”
Ava and I share a glance. “I’d like that,” she says, and my heart jumps again.
“We can start today?” I offer, and her eyes light up.
After lunch, we walk down to the edge of the water, Nash paddling in the shallow end while I take Ava out a little deeper.
“I’ll need to touch you,” I say suddenly with a frown, the thought only just occurring to me. “Will you be all right?”
She grins at me, her eyes sparkling. “I’ve just had the best sleep ever on your lap, right? No use in being shy now,” she points out. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to learn how to swim.”
My neck prickles at her determined words, and her curls float around her shoulders as we get deeper into the water until I stop us.
“Okay,” I say. “I’m going to teach you to float first.”
I encourage her to lie back against me, her head on my shoulder as I slide my hands underneath her back and lift her. My hands feel huge against her, her skin warm against my palms in the cool water as her hazel eyes watch me closely.
“I’ve got you,” I say firmly. “I won’t let you fall.”
Her lips turn up. “I trust you, Nikolai.”
