Page 36 of Christmas With The Kings
“I am…always at the ready,” I murmured as he shook his head and took my hand.
Nikolai
She pouted the second I pulled into the main house driveway.
“Wait, what are we doing here? Aren’t we spending the night at the cottage?” she whined.
I reached across the console and lifted her chin with enough pressure to remind her who was in charge. “We are,” I said calmly. “But I need to grab something first.”
“Oh, okay,” she sighed in relief.
Inside, it took less than two minutes. I moved quickly, boxing the item and slipping it into the boot of the car while she waited in the passenger seat. When I returned, I didn’t speak right away. Just climbed in, started the engine, and slid my hand back over to her leg. My thumb traced slow circles over the inside of her thigh as I drove.
That always settled her. “Close your eyes,” I said after a few miles.
She squinted at me. “Why?”
“Do you really want to test me right now, malyshka?”
The blush that rushed to her cheeks was immediate and satisfying. She obeyed without another word, fluttering her lashes closed with a dramatic sigh.
“I swear if you’re making me close my eyes just to—”
“Tone,” I warned.
I kept one hand on the wheel and tightened the other on her thigh, squeezing firmly to redirect her. Like the good girl she was, she murmured an apology. I returned to trailing lazy patterns along her skin, up and down from knee to mid-thigh.
She hummed under her breath. Relaxing and leaning into the moment more. It was my favorite version of her—when she gave over the reins completely and let herself be taken care of.
“You’re not going to tell me what it is, are you?” she finally asked, keeping her eyes closed.
“Nope.”
“Mean.”
“Necessary.”
I parked outside the cottage twenty-eight minutes later, proud of how well she held out. Not once did she peek. Not even when she knew we were slowing down. I got out and came around to open her door. Her hands immediately reached for me, blindly seeking guidance. I took both of them in mine.
“Still eyes closed?” she whispered.
“Still closed,” I confirmed, guiding her from the car. “Lift your foot…there you go. Good girl.”
She stumbled, and I caught her before she could make a sound, gripping her waist and pressing a soft kiss below her ear.
“You trust me?”
“With everything.”
My chest warmed. I’d never take that lightly. She shivered as I took her hands, the wind nipping at her cheeks, and I immediately regretted not bringing a heavier coat for her. I pulled my scarf off and wrapped around her. Her lips quirked into a smile, and when she nuzzled her nose into the warm fabric and inhaled, it made my chest tighten.
“Are we going inside somewhere?” she asked, eyes still closed, brows raised beneath the knit band of her hat.
“No, baby girl. Not yet.”
I handed her the thermos first. Her gloved fingers brushed mine, and the contact sent a bolt of something warm through me—deeperthan comfort,strongerthan lust. Love. God help me, I was in so deep.
“This feels like a thermos.”
