Well, who needed a phone when they had a handsome air fae lavishing them with attention?
River knew that she should probably have more questions, and maybe she would soon, but right now, her words seemed so far away. Honestly, it was unfair to ask her mind to functionproperly so soon after waking up. She would do a plethora of indecent things for a cup of coffee and an hour of silence right now. Those would be ideal for figuring out how to properly deal with her brother.
Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be in the cards today.
Thank all the gods, Nikhail didn’t seem to suffer from the same affliction. He crossed the room and leaned against the wall, opening the door a crack.
His back was as sculpted as his front, and River couldn’t stop herself from admiring him. Was ogling him appropriate right now? Probably not.
Did she trace his muscles anyway? Absolutely.
“How long do we have?” Nikhail asked.
Atlas hummed. “Fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty.”
It was only because River was watching Nikhail closely that she noticed the slight tightening of his shoulder muscles. “Okay. Thanks, Atlas.”
“Of course.” The earth fae slapped Nikhail on the shoulder. “I’m going to put on a pot of coffee. I’m glad it’s the weekend. I have a feeling this is going to be the most entertaining day I’ve had in a long time.”
“Fuck you,” Nikhail said affectionately.
“You wish, Galebringer.” Atlas’s low chuckle could be heard as the door snicked shut, and he made his way down the hall.
“So,” River said as Nikhail turned around.
She had plans to keep speaking, but her mind completely blanked at the sight of Nikhail’s chest. It was as distracting as his back. More so, in fact, because of that delicious trail that led beneath the waistband of his?—
Focus,she mentally chided herself.
This wasnotthe moment to be admiring Nikhail’s abs. Even if they were the most superb abs she’d ever seen.
A smirk danced on the air fae’s lips, and he leaned against the wall, one ankle crossed in front of the other.
“So,” he echoed. “Ryker is coming.”
Yes. That’s right.
River needed to concentrate on that, not on Nikhail.
“I heard,” she said.
“I can talk to him on my own, if you want,” he offered. “You don’t have to face him if you aren’t ready.”
For a moment, River considered letting Nikhail do just that. It would be easier to hide away and avoid Ryker. She was certain their conversation would be challenging, and River had already dealt with so many challenging things lately.
But Ryker was her brother. He’d done so much for her in her time of need when she was younger, and it didn’t feel right to let their relationship fracture because of this.
Not when he was the only family left who loved her.
“That’s kind of you to offer,” River said. “But no. I think we should talk to him together.”
Nikhail pushed off the wall and closed the distance between them.
“I love hearing that word from your lips.” His mouth slid over hers. “Together.”
“I’m rather fond of it, too,” she said when they broke apart.
It sounded right, like the word itself had been created to describe whatever it was that connected River and Nikhail. They shared another kiss. A third. They probably would’ve ended up back in bed if River hadn’t groaned and excused herself to shower.