It didn’t feel that way to River. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had paid enough attention to her to notice what she was eating; let alone the precise way she took her coffee.
“Thank you, Nik,” she said softly.
The handsome air fae lifted his mug, covering the smile dancing on his lips. “It was my pleasure.”
And gods, he sounded as if he meant it. As if learning what she took in her coffee and remembering it for months was something heenjoyeddoing.
They’d been engaging in this dance for years, flirting while staying away from each other, but keeping her distance from Nikhail had never been more difficult than it was in that moment.
River’s cheeks burned from his attention, and she returned her energy to the hot beverage in her hand. She really did need the caffeine, after all. Last night had been one of the most draining ones she’d ever experienced.
The coffee was delicious, and it warmed her from the inside out. They drank in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. If anything, there was a comfortableness about being around Nikhail that grew the more they were together.
After several minutes had passed, Nikhail pulled out two black coasters from a drawer in the nightstand. River glimpsed inside, not at all surprised to see that it was as meticulously organized as the rest of the room. A box of tissues, two pens, and a notepad were lined up next to each other.
There weren’t any feminine touches in the room, and that knowledge brought River far more relief than it should have.
Nikhail placed one coaster near her, and he put his empty cup on the other. Folding his hands in his lap, he put his other foot on the ground. He held her gaze, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees.
“So…” he said, raising his brows.
One word was all it took for the air to shift. Nikhail’s face rearranged itself into a serious expression that River had oftenseen on her brother. The air fae was in military mode, and he wanted answers.
A knot formed in River’s stomach, and the coffee suddenly seemed less appealing. She probably should’ve spent more time thinking about how to explain her loss of control earlier, instead of studying Nikhail’s bedroom.
It was too late for that now, though.
Shifting on the bed, she echoed, “So.”
Amber eyes drilled into hers. Seeking answers. Searching.
The urge to squirm beneath his gaze was strong, but she fought against it. This wasn’t some random military officer. This wasNikhail. She knew him. She trusted him. No matter what she told him, he wouldn’t hurt her. He just wanted answers.
“Do you want to tell me what happened last night, or should I start guessing?” he asked.
It was only fair that he wanted to know what happened, since he’d helped her bring her storm back under control. She knew that, but that knowledge didn’t stop her from wishing she were anywhere else.
Placing her coffee mug on the coaster, River twisted her hands together and chewed on her bottom lip. “Would you believe me if I told you I just slipped up?”
Nikhail canted his head, smirking. “Would you believe me if I told you I was secretly a dragon shifter?”
An unladylike snort that would have landed River in heaps of trouble when she was a young girl escaped her.
“Not for a single moment,” she said.
River only knew one dragon shifter. Therian Firebreath had participated in the Choosing with Ryker a couple of years ago. Everything about the man, from his sheer sizeto the flames that occasionally swam through his eyes, screamed that a beast lived beneath his skin.
No, Nikhail Galebringer was many things, but a dragon shifter wasn’t one of them.
“Exactly.” Holding her gaze, Nikhail leaned forward and parted his lips. How could he be so stern-looking and so gods-damned handsome at the same time? “I know something happened last night, River.”
Gods above, her name had no right sounding so good in his mouth. He didn’t spit it at her like Tertia or say it with care like Ryker.
No, he had his own unique way of saying her name. His tongue seemed to glide over the two syllables, as if they were a rare treat, and he was savoring the taste.
It was then, as she gazed into the depths of Nikhail’s eyes, that River realized he wouldn’t let her leave without knowing the whole story.
Resigned to reliving last night, she traced the swaying trees embroidered on the edge of the comforter. She studied the green threads as though they were the most interesting things she’d ever seen in her life as she shared yesterday’s events with Nikhail. Being barely on time for work, her boss’s awful reaction, and the way the night culminated in two terrible deaths.