Page 69 of Heritage of Fire

“I’m sorry, Lev. I missed it.”

He snorts, irritation flashing in his eyes before they soften. “I asked if you’d be up for a walk later?”

A walk with Lev isn’t anything new, but something squeezes in my chest. I don’t want to be rude, but?—

“Not tonight, Lev. I’m pretty tired.”

I shuffle my bag of groceries to better grab the handles. We stopped on the way back from Kate’s and I grabbed a few snacks, prepared to wallow in my calories tonight.

He nods and opens his door, running around to my side before I can let myself out.

Standing, I right my skirt and grab my purse. I happen to glance up at the second floor, and a flash of movement across one of the large the window panes captures my attention. Was someone at the window?

After saying hi to the guys in the warehouse and smiling at Frank, I head up the stairs. The rich and delicious smell of buttered popcorn slams into me as soon as I open the door, reminding me how hungry I am.

Nik is seated on the couch, looking relaxed, one leg crossed over his other knee. A bowl of popcorn rests on his lap.

“Hey,” I say.

Nik smiles, his eyes darting to the window and then back to me.

“Hey. Have fun with Kate?”

All right, I guess we’re doing the whole pretend thing. He runs a hand through his hair, and when I move closer, the gray sweatpants and white t-shirt take me by surprise. It’s rare not to see Nik in a suit, but this …thisisn’t fair. Hecan’tlook this good in lounge clothes.

His eyes are fixed on the large flat-screen mounted on the wall. Baseball players move across the field, and the pitcher steps up to the mound. Nik leans forward, arms flexing as he sets the popcorn bowl on the coffee table. The eager glint in his eyes makes me smile. The contentment on his face isn’t something I see often.

I unload my groceries, leaving the chocolate-covered candies out on the counter. There’s sparkling water in the fridge, so I grab one but pause before closing the door.

“Want anything to drink?”

Nik’s head snaps toward me and his eyes widen. Why is he staring at me like that?

“There are a few of these?” I hold up a blue can of beer.

He nods, and I walk over to him, still subject to his unrelenting stare. Not even when joyous cheers erupt on-screen does he look away. The tempo of my heart rate increases with every second his gaze lingers.

“I’m going to go change.” I toss my thumb over my shoulder and back out of the room. As I duck into the bedroom, I hear the subtle metallic click-hiss of Nik opening his beer.

After quickly stripping off my skirt, I reach for leggings and a simple t-shirt, but I pause in front of Nik’s side of the closet.

A smirk pulls at my lips when I enter the bathroom and look at my outfit in the mirror. After pulling my hair up into a bun and dabbing on some ChapStick, I leave the room to grab my snacks and water.

Then I plop onto the couch with my chocolate.

Nik’s absorbed in his game, but when he catches I’ve sat, he does a double take. His eyes narrow at me. “Is that my t-shirt?”

His scent clings to the fabric and having it draped around me causes warmth to flutter in my belly. It’shugeon me; the sleeves extend past my elbows and the hem reaches my midthigh, but there is instant comfort in wearing something of his.

“Do you mind?” I ask, not wanting to explain how much solace I feel in its embrace.

“Nah.”

He shoves his hand in the popcorn and plows a fistful of it into his mouth, then swings the bowl to me. I grab a piece and pop it in my mouth, but the bowl doesn’t move. He shakes the snack, making the popcorn jump several times.

“Come on, you can’t just have one piece.”

His smile is crippling. His dimple sits in the perfect place, on the lower part of his cheek, near the corner of his mouth. That tiny endearing indentation is playful, like he is.

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