Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Of all the things I could have said….
That got him to do another crunch. His eyebrows were basically a unibrow, they were so furrowed. His jaw so defined, I could see the striations of muscle beneath his skin as he snapped, “I’m not your big brother, Nina.”
Ouch. “I said like my big brother. Back then.” But ouch again. The good thing was, my little crush secret got to live another day.
Even though he had more than likely always known about it back then.
I wasn’t going to worry about it.
Stretching my arm out, I reached for him and touched the top of his hand, noting that his fingers were long and thick. “I was messing with you, Henri. Thank you for telling me that about Matti. I meant what I said about always knowing I could count on you if I needed you. I still think that way now.”
He didn’t say a word, and I winced.
There went my big mouth again. “If it makes you feel better, when the gnomes showed up the first time, I was ready to run with the puppies and leave you with them because I knew you’d protect us.”
His blink made me snicker, and the reappearance of Teasing Henri soothed what was left of the hurt from his polite way of shooting me down. “Thanks for making me your sacrifice?” he muttered, but there was a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth while he did.
“You’re welcome,” I told him sweetly, relieved we’d worked our way back to this point.
His lips twitched a little more. “You’re a real brat, you know that?”
“Only around you, I guess.”
He huffed, and it made me smile.
Not two seconds later, the familiar sound of his phone ringing filled the night. His “Blackrock” was sharp.
That was my sign to sit up. I was brushing off my back when Duncan climbed into my lap as Henri spoke to whoever was on the other line, the frustration on his face evident when I peeked over.
I poked Duncan, who looked up at me with those brilliant red eyes, and I tipped my head toward the man on the phone. Hunching over him, I cupped his ear and whispered, “Tell him he’s it.” We had already played, the three of us, but another quick game wouldn’t hurt.
My donut’s red eyes were bright. “Yes,” he confirmed.
I smiled and pet a long line down his back, noticing that he hadn’t just gotten taller but there was definitely more spine to touch now too.
Henri said something sharp, rolling up into a sitting position. He ran a hand through his hair aggressively, meeting my gaze quickly. Reaching out, I set my palm over his trapezius and kneaded the muscle there for a second before pulling back.
If he ever made a face at my affection… I’d keep my hands to myself at that point.
His gaze stayed on me as he wrapped up his call, then slid his phone back into his pocket.
“You okay? Do you need to go to work?”
“It’s all good.” His nostrils flared softly. “Just an administrative call that could’ve waited until tomorrow.”
I nodded and discreetly poked at Duncan. My brilliant genius didn’t miss a beat. He stood up, stretched his front legs out, going into downward dog, and real casual-like, trotted over to Henri.
The normally serious man watched him closely, even smiling a little when the puppy stopped right beside his knee.
I got my legs under me, and I caught Agnes getting up slowly too. She must have recognized the signs. Or eavesdropped.
Duncan stared up at Henri for a moment, that incredible tail a candle in the darkness.
Very gently, my donut set a single paw on the man’s kneecap. His head was high, his tail as straight as any pointer’s. Everything after that happened really quickly. Dunky barked, sharp and sudden, and in the next blink, he took off running.
Agnes sprinted in the opposite direction.
And I crouched there, smiled at His Royal Fluffiness and said, “That was him tagging you, if you didn’t get that.”
He blinked, and I watched his smile start at one corner of his mouth and stretch to the other side. “I got that,” he confirmed.
I hopped up. “Just making sure.” I grinned at him before walking off in another direction from where the kids had gone. We both knew he wasn’t going to go after me first.
I’d only managed to make it a few feet when I heard “You’re still a brat” over my shoulder.
I might be a brat, and he might not be interested in me enough to marry me, but at least I’d helped make him smile.
That was something.
And it would have to be enough.
Chapter
Sixteen
For the record, I’d genuinely believed that Henri had been messing with me the night before. “I bet it’ll be worse tomorrow” had seemed like a joke.
So, the next morning, when I’d been heading downstairs with Duncan, and I’d asked him, “What do you think, my little donut? Are there going to be a bunch of guys in the kitchen today trying to sign up to marry me?” I’d said it with a cackle. And from the way his tail had slowly swayed and he’d nudged my ankle so sweetly when he said, “yes,” I thought he’d been playing along too.