Page 11 of King of Malice
I lean back in my chair, drawing in a deep breath as Dimitri follows his daughter. An older man comes out of the back and embraces Dimitri, thumping him on the back.
It hits me. When I first saw Dimitri, I thought…that maybe he was following me. It’s his intensity.
Or his tattoos. They’re seriously aggressive.
But clearly, he was coming here and us running into each other was a coincidence. Have I passed him before? Not even noticed?
That makes me relax as I let out a long slow breath.
“Alex, this is my new friend, Ava. She’s helping us find a nanny for Anna.”
I start to stand but Dimitri’s hand comes to my shoulder, settling me gently back in the chair. But this time I don’t panic under the weight of it. It doesn’t feel predatory, but protective and if anything, I relax under his touch.
I think it might be the first time in my life that’s ever happened and I want to melt into him. “It’s nice to meet you, Alex,” I say, starting to recover myself from the fear that stole my breath on the street. I find myself reaching up and wrapping my fingers around Dimitri’s wrist. I can feel his pulse, strong and constant under my fingers and my cheek bends toward his arm.
“And you, Ava,” Alex says, his accent much thicker than Dimitri’s. With a wink, he whisks Anna up in his arms and carries her behind the case, allowing her to choose her treat.
Dimitri doesn’t sit. Instead, he bends down, keeping his hand on my shoulder, as he whispers close to my ear. “You’re all right,milaya. Nothing will hurt you here.”
I have no idea what the Russian word means but I lay my cheek on his forearm, my eyes sliding closed. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. It’s not anything you did, it just happens sometimes.”
“What happens?”
But I can’t answer as a plate of treats arrives on the table. “I’ll get you both a coffee,” Alex adds. “Raf. You’ll like it, Ava.”
“What is it?” I ask, even as Anna toddles up to me, lifting her arms up, a treat in her hand. I pick her up without thinking, settling her on my lap so she can reach the other pastries.
Dimitri’s hand slides down my arm and then settles on my waist. It’s intimate and comforting and I kind of want to sit in his lap the way Anna is in mine. “It’s a sweetened coffee that tastes a bit like espresso.”
It sounds delicious.
“Help yourself to a pastry,” Dimitri squeezes my waist. “No one can bake like Alex.”
I do, taking a chocolate-covered sweet and helping myself to a large bite. I’m a healthy eater. With my curves, I gain weight pretty easily, but I can’t resist taking another bite as the flaky chocolate goodness melts in my mouth. It’s like the pastry is feeding my soul.
Or maybe that’s Dimitri. He chuckles. “I should make you eat about ten of these.”
“Why?” I wrinkle my nose, even as he reaches up his other hand and swipes his thumb at the corner of my mouth, removing a tiny bit of chocolate.
I flush at the intimate touch, my chin dipping as I kiss the top of Anna’s head to hide my embarrassment.
“Because. You’d look good if you filled out.”
Why does it not feel weird that we’re discussing this? “Most of the world would not agree.”
“Most of the world is stupid.”
I smile around another bite even as Alex returns with two coffees and a juice in a straw cup.
I spend enough time with small children that I steady the cup as Anna grabs with two hands, tipping the straw to her lips.
Dimitri’s hand slides between me and the chair, settling on the small of my back. “You’re a natural with her.”
“Experience,” I answer with a shrug. “I did a year as a nanny before I was promoted onto full-time staff."
Dimitri, who is still squatting, leans over to kiss Anna’s cheek. But it means his jaw slides across my breast, my nipple instantly peaking. My silk shirt is thin enough, it’s totally obvious and I’m mortified.
But he only gives me a slight smirk, his eyes full of a mischief that makes me ache as he says, “Try your coffee, milaya.”
