“Same,” he snorted with a light shake of his shoulders.
Katarina’s giggle was so sweet. Like tinkling bells, covering her lips with one hand, while the other gripped her side. It was sweet, like custard with raspberries and lemon. It had bite to it, and there was a little tart taste, but delightful.Refreshing.He shifted in his work boots lightly, not sure why his collar was suddenly hot. Yet Nikolai couldn’t look away as Katarina caught him staring.
“Is there something on my face?” She giggled more.
“No, your laugh,” he swallowed over his own tongue.
“Oh, yeah, got it from my mom. You should see me with a glass of wine. I start snorting and I can’t stop. Isabella’s got it too, when one of us gets going with the snorts, it’s all over. We once spent a whole hour on the kitchen floor because she got flour up her nose. I wish I had one of those dainty laughs.” She shrugged as her laughter sobered.
“I like it.” The words ripped out of his chest. She blinked once, staring up at him in amazement. The burning started at the back of his neck and scorched across his throat. Deep beneath all the fur was a blush that he’d not had in a long time. It licked across his chest and made his stomach twist up.
They lingered there, in that tense air. He could bite it.Bite her.Oh, it wasn’t like Nikolai didn’t hungrily eat her up from the kitchen that morning. She came down in pajama shorts and an oversized t-shirt. He could sink his teeth into those thighs, into her neck. The one downfall with Jessie was he was all fur, just like Nikolai. Didn’t make sense to give into the biting tendencies with him…but Katarina—WHOOOOA,BUDDY.Nikolai nearly choked on his own lungs.
Horny bastard, she’s just lost her whole life. Doesn’t need a horn dog panting down her neck.
“I, uh, should get her back in the car,” she breathed. Nikolai tiptoed around the vehicle, unable to voice the words building up behind his tongue. They were a heavy lump in his throat as Katarina helped untangle the child from his fur. He leaned over the doorway, memorizing how she locked Isabella in while she was still limp from sleep. Katarina pulled back and smiled at him. “Thanks for the piggyback ride.”
“Anytime,” he muttered, licking his lips nervously.
“Don’t tell Bug that,” Katarina teased softly, shutting the door on the snoozing child. “She’ll never touch the ground again. But, then again, one of us should get piggyback rides while we still can. I miss them.”
“You want one?” Nikolai arched a brow. Katarina twisted to him, both fists on her hips in challenge. There was a ‘you’re joking’ expression painted across her face. He rocked back on his heels, studying her.
“You couldn’t.” She rolled her eyes.
“Watch me,” he huffed, wrapping a singular arm around her waist. Through the loops of her arms and hugging her waist, he hoisted her up. Katarina squeaked, her hands flying to his shoulders. Nikolai hugged her to his side and smirked at her. “See.”
“Put. Me. Down!” She hissed under her breath, her gaze going to the car window. Nikolai’s gaze followed hers for a quick check, but Isabella was still passed out. Which only pleased him more. Nikolai returned his attention to the succubus writhing inhis arm. She huffed, her tiny horns popping out from under the fringe of her hair. “Fine, you can pick me up. Put me down, strong guy.”
He chuckled to himself, setting her back down onto her feet. “Miss them still?”
“That was hardly a piggyback ride.” She pouted before immediately jabbing a finger in his face. “Don’t you dare.”
Nikolai threw his hands up beside his head, admitting defeat. Katarina glared at him for a moment. Then, after she’d taken a wobbly step back, she exhaled heavily. “That was…wow, I’ve… You’re actually really strong.”
“Ehh.” He shrugged.
“Don’t you ‘ehh’me, when you just hoisted me off the ground to show how strong you are with one arm.” She crossed her arms under her chest, her back pressed against the hood of the car.
“You just think you’re heavy,” he countered before nodding at the cars. “You’re no car.”
“That’s…fair,” she grumbled, pushing off the hood. Katarina jerked when her pocket trilled. Nikolai eyed her as she pulled it out and groaned. “I gotta go, or else I’ll miss my appointment with the Lord Commander.”
“Everything good?” He followed her around the car like a lost puppy.
“Yeah, it’s about what happened with Gill. I’m pressing charges. I’m guessing I need to make an official statement or something.” She tossed her arms out. Nikolai rushed to reach around her, grabbing the door handle of the car. She stopped in the doorway as he leaned over the other side. Katarina offered him a worried grimace. “See you two later?”
“Yeah.” He nodded before patting the frame of the car. “No baseball bats, okay?”
Katarina sputtered, giggling again and making his stomach twist up. It made his cheeks ache from the goofy grin that graced his face. Katarina’s shoulders trembled the whole way down into the seat. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good girl,” he slapped the hood for good measure and marched his way back to the shop…before he could say anything else remarkably stupid like ‘Let me give you a piggyback ride’ or ‘I like your laugh’ a-fucking-gain.
Chapter Six:
~Katarina~
“TheLordCommanderwillsee you now.” The wind elemental behind the secretary’s desk spoke up from her keyboard before motioning to the large golden doors beside her. Katarina scooped up her daughter and hung her bored child on her hip.Hopefully Blightwood has something for her to fiddle with in his office.Isabella was usually a self-entertained child, but as she hadn’t been to school in two days, it was getting hard. Thankfully, after climbing the flight of steps, they landed in a long, rectangular room full of zipping papers and floating books. Isabella was instantly amazed. She wiggled out of her mother’s arms to follow a paper airplane through the office on a glittering breeze.
