Page 207 of Dark King Daddy

“She’s very affectionate when she likes someone.”

“An unfortunate habit.”

He held the door for her, then checked that Kiryl had remembered the box before letting him follow Nikita downstairs.

Yelena and Sal left together. Anton called for his car. Arkady lingered, hands in his pockets, apparently in no particular hurry to get anywhere.

“Come back with us,” Ksenia offered.

“And listen to him explain architecture to me? His new passion? I’ve suffered enough.”

She laughed. He winked at her and headed down the stairs.

I watched him go. He had remembered a broken lamp, visited an injured guard, made half the table laugh. I hoped that one day someone would make him impatient to get home.

Ksenia found my hand.

“What?” she asked.

I looked down at her.

“Nothing. Ready?”

“Very.”

She tugged me towards the stairs.

I let her.

Ksenia stopped in the kitchen doorway.

I switched on the new light.

Warm light spread across the table. No buzzing. No flicker. The room looked softer, and I was irritated to discover that she had been right about more than the noise.

She stood very still.

“Well?” I asked.

“I’m listening. Give me a second.”

“There’s nothing to hear.”

“I know. It’s lovely.”

She turned and put her arms around my neck.

“Thank you.”

“You chose it.”

“You got it done.”

I bent to kiss her, and she stayed against me afterward, her cheek on my chest. I rubbed my hand slowly over her back. Neither of us had taken off our coats.

“We should move,” she said eventually.

“We should.”