“Shit! You okay?”
Oh boy.The thud from him hitting the cheap but fluffy carpet was muffled, thankfully. Nik and the tiny terror might not have heard. But, Katarina, with her damp hair, in a fresh pair of clothes, came skittering around the corner of his bed.
“Yeah—uh,” he wheezed, embarrassment pumping through his veins as he tried to climb to his feet without thwacking her in some way, shape, or form. Be it from clumsy hands, his tail, orother anatomy. Katarina, however, got him back up on his hooves within the blink of an eye. “Thanks.”
“Well, I did sweep you off your feet,” she laughed, tossing her damp tendrils over her shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t remember what door I came through and took a 50-50 chance on what door.”
“All doors lead somewhere,” he added with a shrug before snatching one of his overalls from the clean hamper next to the closet door. He hugged it to his stomach. “I’ll lock it from this side next time.”
“I’ll try not to get turned around.” She grinned at him before her attention shifted to the plate full of food on his bedside. “Ah, I see you got breakfast in bed service.”
“Yeah, she was eating an apple and waiting very patiently for me to awake.” He rubbed the back of his head.
“Sorry about that,” Katarina cackled, trying and failing to sober the laughter bubbling out of her. It brought a wide, toothy grin to Jessie’s face. Smiles looked good on her.
“No worries, little momma. She’s cute, so she gets a pass.” Jessie leaned as cooly as he could against the closet door frame.What with being naked and all.
“What about me?” Katarina stepped toward the bedroom door. Jessie caught her ruby gaze running down his chest, then back up to his face. “I did also barge in.”
“Cutie pass for the both of you then,” he grinned, his cock bobbing against the overalls covering him up.Well, I mean, if you’re going to be a flirt…“You know—”
“Mommy!” Isabella’s yell echoed around the hallway beyond his bedroom door. “Aunt Sera!”
“Sorry,” she beamed apologetically in his direction, though he wasn’t sure she was all that sorry. “Duty calls.”
Jessie was, for the first time in his life, left reeling and watching a woman saunter away from him. It was surreal to be the one on the back foot, the one left speechless, the one clutching clothes to his naked body and a flutter in his stomach.
Oh, I’m in big trouble.
Chapter Five:
~Nikolai~
Themechanicwaselbowsdeep in someone’s engine, trying to fix a belt that was in the middle of everything. It made no sense, but then again, magic engineers got paid plenty of gold to make complicated machinations. He got paid to fix their fuck ups. Like a snapped belt that he couldn’t get a good angle on, no matter where he attached it. So Nikolai took the lesser of the two evils and rummaged around in the car’s guts from the top like a raccoon in a dumpster.This way if something falls out, it doesn’t fall on my face.The hood propped up over his head was the only pitfall and he’d already knocked his noggin on it twice that morning.
“Vroom! Vroom!”
Thwack!He jerked, glancing up from what he was working on. He snarled, stumbling backward, “Fuaaaachk!”
Three times in one morning.
“Nik ouchie.”
He stood up beside the car, glaring at the tiny terror in the front seat of the vehicle. One hand on his head, the other on the door handle, he popped it open. “Out.”
“But vroom vroom?”
“Not your vroom, vroom,” he grumbled, rubbing his head.
“Nik ouchie, here!” She hopped out of the vehicle, putting her tiny palms up to him. Isabella waggled her fingers in his direction, beckoning him closer. He took a deep breath inthrough his nose before kneeling down in front of the kid.Breathe, big guy, not her fault she’s an excitable kid.Nikolai cocked a brow at the little fiend. She waddled up closer to him and cupped his fuzzy cheeks in her palms. Then, with the gentlest of tugs, she turned his head down in order to kiss the top of his head. Nikolai froze. Blinking slowly as his mind spun around.Did she…just kiss it better?He glanced up to see Isabella smiling at him. “No ouchie, better!”
Gobsmacked. Nik stared at the sandy-haired, ruby-eyed, round-faced girl in confusion.It does hurt less now.His mouth screwed up in a petulant scowl as he climbed to his feet. “Thanks.”
“Vroom, Vroom!” Isabella immediately scrambled back into the car.
Nikolai rolled his eyes, glancing around. Katarina must be nearby if the tiny terror was out here harassing him. He lurched left and right to spot her, but the crimson haired beauty wasn’t there.
“Oi, who’s your friend?” Oats snorted, sauntering up and wiping his fingers off with a rag. He leaned over the opposite side of the car than Nikolai.
