“Stop!” she gasped, grabbing his face and holding it away from her. She tried to put on an angry face but couldn't stop smiling.
He grinned mischievously, and she shook her head. “If you wanted kisses, all you had to do was ask,” she murmured.
He growled and pressed his lips to hers, silencing her. “Woman, you're mine. I don't have to ask,” he grumbled, laying his head on her shoulder.
“Since when?!” mocked Faye in indignation, slapping his chest with her hand even as she pulled the blanket tighter around them.
“Since the moment I met you,” he said, satisfied. “You just didn't know it yet.”
“Sap,” she grumbled, squishing his cheeks together. “Lucky you're cute.”
His eyes flashed gold. “I am not cute. I am fierce and manly. A strong warrior.”
“Whatever let's you sleep at night, babe.” She smirked and thumped his chest.
He thumped her back with a grin as she pouted up at him.
“Kiss,” she demanded.
He chuckled before obliging her, and they snuggled down to sleep with her leg thrown over his and her hand on his chest.
“My back is going to be killing me tomorrow,” Faye murmured sleepily.
Colin grunted and hauled her up so she could sleep draped over his chest. She blinked up at him and wiggled to get comfortable, a pleased smile on her lips. “Oh,” she mused. “This is nice.”
He stroked her hair gently as she laid her head down on his shoulder. A few moments later, her even breathing let him know she was sound asleep. Wolfie peeked out at his tiny little female alpha from behind gold eyes and kissed her tenderly before laying back with a sigh.
Tomorrow would come, and they would need to take on the world per usual. The child would need to be told the truth, and the next few days, Colin knew, would be difficult for all of them.
But, together, they could do it. Of that, he was sure.
CHAPTER thirty-one
“Nikolai!” A female voice broke through the foggy haze of sleep surrounding him, and he smirked, recognizing the bearer of the voice immediately as the front door opened.
“Ah, the love of my life.” He smiled as he sprang to his feet from the couch in front of the fireplace. He blinked away the sleep from his eyes and headed towards her outstretched arms.
“Put some clothes on!” shrieked Faye, averting her eyes.
He pouted, pausing for a moment with an injured look on his face. “But I'm so wonderfully happy to see you again, my queen.” He sank to the floor on his knees and wiggled his eyebrows at her for added dramatic effect.
He smirked again as Colin growled quietly behind her, his hands tightening into fists and wondering about the best way to filet a man's undercarriage. Nikolai was seriously getting on his nerves. Colin gritted his teeth. Faye stared at the dimwit kneeling on her floor as if he were seriously screwed up in the head.
“Nikolai?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Get some clothes on your naked ass and get out of my sight.”
“Ma'am, yes ma'am.”
He stood, stretching exaggeratedly with his arms above his head and muscled torso on full display. Faye slammed the front door closed behind her and Colin, grumbling under her breath as she set down her carry-on bag. She was out of breath from the chilly air outside. It was utterly freezing still.
“You're lucky we didn't have the kid with us,” she scolded Nikolai.
“Kid?” questioned Nikolai, raising his eyebrows playfully as he headed for her old bedroom. “Two weeks and you've already got a kid? That fast?”
“No, no goats,” assured Colin, a little confused. “My brother and his daughter though.”
Nikolai exchanged an amused glance with Faye. She sighed dramatically and pinched the bridge of her nose before saying sweetly, “Colin, let's go get the suitcases in. Maybe, by the time we get back, Niko-loser will have found his pants.”
“I heard that,” shouted Nikolai from the bedroom.
“You were meant to.” Colin smirked.
“Why is everything so purple in here?” Nikolai wailed.
“Because I was thirteen not too many years ago,” snapped Faye, “unlike you two old men.”
“I am not old,” growled Colin, smacking her butt as she walked out of the door, her boots crunching through the freshly fallen snow. She yelped comically, turning to glare at him over her shoulder where he stood basking in the glow of the porch light.
“Hey, watch it,” she warned.
“Or what?” he asked smugly.
“Or Wolfie will be sleeping in front of the fire tonight,” she threatened.
The sound of a soft whine reached her ears, and she clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. “Suitcases, Colin. Suitcases. I need a shower.”
***
Several hours later, Colin sat frowning on the bed in nothing but a pair of plaid sleep pants. “So?”
“He's staying the night.” Faye sighed as she walked back into the bedroom and locked the door behind her.
Colin grunted his disapproval as Faye shed her shirt and pants, opting for her warm and cozy flannel pajamas. “It's a good thing Justin and Emma stayed at that hotel tonight,” he muttered gruffly.
“Yeah,” said Faye distractedly, trying to keep her eyes off of the massive amount of male chest demanding her attention. “Having Nikolai sleep in my childhood bedroom is weird.”
She crawled up on the bed beside him and grabbed the brush off of the bedside table, intending to do something about Colin's messy hair. “Turn around,” she whispered, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.
He grinned mischievously at her, his hands grabbing her hips. “No,” he growled, pulling her into his lap and situating her so he was on eye level with her chest as he leaned back against the pillows.
“Pervert,” she muttered.
“Your pervert.” He grinned cheekily.
“That shouldn't have been adorable.”
“I am not adorable.” Colin frowned.
“I know,” cooed Faye. “Wolfie is.”
At the mention of his name, his eyes blazed gold, and she pressed a soft kiss to his eager mouth.
“Hello, my love,” she said softly, staring into his beautiful eyes with a small smile on her lips.
He buried his face in her neck as she gently finger-combed his soft honey hair and dropped the brush. She pulled away from him, silencing the heartbreaking whine he let out as she pressed her lips to his. He was so cuddly as he pressed her tightly to his chest and hugged her fiercely. His mouth touched hers again and again even when she meant to pull away. She couldn't. He nipped at her bottom lip playfully and then stroked his tongue over the sting before pressing his lips to her neck. He smiled when she laughed because his beard tickled. With a smile, he picked her up and deposited her on the bed, shrugging out of his clothes and swiftly kneeling down on the floor. A few cracking bones later and Wolfie bounded up on the bed beside her, causing Faye to laugh in delight. He buried his nose in her chest, whining happily before letting out a series of happy barks.
“Shhh, you goober.” Faye giggled and hugged him tightly.
Right on cue, the wall next to the bed shook as a series of bangs resounded on the wood. “I don't even want to know what you two are doing in there, but can you make the dog shut up?”
Nikolai's insult raised the fur on the back of Wolfie's neck, and he growled menacingly, crouching low over Faye protectively.
She chuckled. “Shut up and go to sleep, Nikolai,” she hollered. “It's my house! I can do whatever the hell I want.”
Wolfie licked her cheek appreciatively and settled down beside her on the bed with a heavy sigh. His gold eyes, heavy with adoration, made her heart flip as she kissed his nose. She gently tugged on his ear as she turned off the lamp and snuggled underneath the covers. They lay there, cuddling happily. It was already midnight when Faye looked up at the clock with a yawn.
“You gonna switch back?” she asked sleepily, stari
ng at the midnight black wolf currently taking up half her bed.
The wolf stood and shook out his pretty black fur, giving her cheek a little lick before he hopped off the bed. Bones cracked in the silence. A few moments later, the bedcovers lifted and two long male legs tangled with her softer smaller ones. His feet were cold, per usual. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, tugging her so close that she was almost draped across his chest. She didn't mind. Not at all.
“Goodnight, my love,” she whispered.
All she received was an answering snore and she laughed.
CHAPTER thirty-two
“Rub-a-dub-dub,” Faye sang. “Scrub, scrub, scrub!”
Emma's childish voice giggled at her as Faye dropped the washcloth into the bathtub with a smile, her knees cracking ominously as she rose from her kneeling position, wisps of hair escaping out of the bun she had hastily thrown it in.
“Are my singing skills that funny?” Faye joked .
“They're horrendous.” A voice sounded from behind her. Justin smiled down at them as he sipped his coffee.
Faye mock-glared up at him. “What are you doing in here?” She gasped dramatically, listening to Emma's giggles fill the bathroom. “Girl's only! We have to get ready for the party! Out! Shoo!”
Heidi and Reggie were cooking dinner after work and had invited Faye over, telling her they wanted to meet her family. Those two words made a big smile bloom on her face. Her family.
Justin left them to it and wandered into the living room where Colin was adding another log to the fire.
“Brother.” Colin smiled.
It was a good day. A good start to a week. Reggie and Heidi were good people, and Colin wanted the small semblance of a family Faye had had before him to get to know the new and improved version. Nikolai's lap-dog had showed up the previous day to collect him. Apparently, the new Head Council wished to meet all the alphas. Nikolai had instantly returned to business and absconded with half of the cookies Faye had baked for the party. Rosalie was a terrifying woman.
Faye had only met her once, and she was even intimidated by her 'badassery' as she called it. She saw a mountain of pain in the other woman's eyes; a burden she constantly carried and had to live with.
Secretly, Faye hoped maybe Justin or Nikolai would be her Promise. Rosalie needed someone to love and look after. Justin and her clearly weren't meant for each other, so that left her hopes on Nikolai. Then again, she was basically Head Alpha reigning over all over alphas and Nikolai's arrogance and playfulness would get on her nerves. Rosalie would probably murder him within the first twenty minutes of their meeting. Faye laughed in glee at just thinking about Nikolai's ego getting knocked down a few pegs.
“Woman,” called Colin warningly, “we are going to be late.”
“Don't you 'woman' me,” screeched Faye from the bedroom.
Justin grinned. “It's not worth it,” he advised. “She'll be ready whenever she's ready.”
Colin leaned against the door and shook his head ruefully. “I suppose I had better get used to it,” he commented, a happy glint in his eyes, not looking bothered by the notion in the least.
***
Faye knocked on Reggie and Heidi's front door about an hour later, a covered dish of baked salmon in her gloved hands. Colin held what was left of the cookies that Nikolai hadn't eaten or stolen. And Justin had his arms full with a sleeping little girl in a pale pink tutu and sparkly blouse. A blanket draped over her back shielded her from the numbing cold.
“Faye!” The door was flung open, and Heidi beamed at them, her eyes immediately locking on Emma with delight shining in her gaze.
Faye had filled her in on most of the story, leaving out the supernatural elements and doctoring the tale to make it seem a bit more realistic. Justin and Emma were welcomed with open arms.
Reggie appeared out of the kitchen, his 'Kiss the Cook' apron making Faye giggle as she set the salmon on the table and shed her jacket. She listened to Heidi talk ninety miles an hour, barely taking time to breath in between sentences.
Pleasantries were exchanged as they huddled in front of the fire to get warm from their short baptism in the cold outdoors. Emma woke, blinking her beautiful eyes open and peering shyly at everyone. It didn't take long before she was in the kitchen, helping Reggie mash the potatoes.
Hot coffee and chocolate were distributed as they lounged comfortably in the living room, the crackling fire barely audible over the loud chatter and laughs echoing in the night.
***
As they lay in bed later that night, Faye nudged Colin with her elbow and whispered, “Hey, you asleep?”
She watched in the dim light as one of his eyebrows raised. One eye popped open to glare at her. “I was.”
She rolled her eyes and turned onto her stomach, propping herself up on her arms as she asked, “Did you have fun tonight?”
He draped his arm over her back, snuggling into her side, a breathy sigh caressing the bare skin of her shoulder and giving her goosebumps.
“Yes,” he answered simply.
She waited for a beat of silence before nudging him again. “That's it?” she asked. “You have nothing more to say?”
“Faye,” growled Colin. “I'm trying to sleep.”
She huffed. “But I'm not sleepy.”
“Well, you shouldn't have downed that hot chocolate like you were taking shots,” he murmured tiredly.
“It was a contest,” she defended. “I wasn't about to let Heidi win.”
“Mhmm.” His beard tickled her.
“So what do you think of Heidi and Reggie?” she asked, back on topic.
Colin sighed and stared blearily at her. “Have you forgotten that I have already met them? Several times, in fact?”
“What?” Faye frowned in confusion. “When? You haven't ever met them before.”
Colin let his eyes flash gold for a moment. “Woof.”
Faye slapped him on the side of the head. “That doesn't count,” she muttered, chagrined.
“Does so.” He grunted and rolled her over so he could lay his head on her chest. “Now, can I please go to sleep?”
Faye shook her head in amusement, one hand stroking his hair gently, feeling his chest vibrate in contentment. “Are you purring?”
He raised his head indignantly and stared at her. He apparently did not deign her comment worthy of an answer as he lay back down. She chuckled and, a few minutes later, the sound of a soft snore reached her ears.
A moment later, soft footsteps pattered around the kitchen, making her frown. She slipped out from under Colin which was no easy feat with his dead weight. She put on her flannel robe before peeking out her bedroom door.
“Emma?” she whispered and slipped out of her bedroom, eyeing the little miss standing in front of the fire. “What are you doing up?” she asked softly and approached the little girl.
Emma stretched out her arms to be picked up, her Cinderella nightgown trailing the floor. Justin had bought the thing several sizes too big, but Emma refused to wear anything else to sleep. She whispered, “I couldn't sleep. Daddy snores.”
Faye chuckled at her words. She picked her up and sat them down in the recliner. “Oh,” she said. “Well, my daddy snored too. And Uncle Colin does as well.”
Emma wrinkled up her cute little nose even as she cuddled into Faye, tucking her feet up under her. “Icky.”
“I agree,” murmured Faye, absently starting to braid the girl's long brown hair.
“I'm never going to see Amy again,” said Emma softly, staring into the fire.
Faye paused at the sudden change in conversation and asked guardedly, “What do you mean, my love?”
Emma shifted so she could look at Faye. “I heard Daddy talking to the mean lady, but I already knew.”
“How?” asked Faye, perplexed.
“She never came that day,” answered Emma sadly, her eyes filling with tears. “She always comes in the morning, but she never did that day. Daddy came instea
d, and I thought it would be Amy.”
Faye hugged her tightly, sorrow filling her heart at the loss the little girl was experiencing. Emma snuggled closer, her tears wetting Faye's robe. Justin had told her earlier that Rosalie had confirmed the woman was dead. The details Faye hadn't wanted to know.
“I lost my daddy a few years ago,” Faye began quietly. “He went away and never came back too.”
Emma stared up at her and whimpered. “Does it always hurt?”
Faye choked back a sob and pressed a kiss to the child's forehead as she felt her eyes dampen with tears. “Not always,” she whispered. “Not always. Someday, it won't hurt so bad, I promise. Just remember how much Amy loved you, okay? Don't ever forget that.”
Emma nodded, a stubborn glint in her eye. “Never forget,” she echoed.
Faye subtly wiped her eyes as Emma settled down on her lap with a little sigh. “Go to sleep, baby,” she whispered as she stroked the girl's hair.
She pushed the recliner back so they could be in a more comfortable position and covered both of them with several blankets. Emma cuddled into her side, and Faye watched as her eyelids drooped and then finally closed. Her slow even breaths let Faye know she was asleep. She looked like a little angel, mused Faye. Her eyes was buttoned up in sleep and her long brown hair hanged over her shoulder.
“Sweet dreams, baby.”
CHAPTER thirty-three
“So that's just it then?” Faye's voice was shrill and slightly panicked. “We just accept that as fact and move on with our lives?”
Rosalie looked pained and even Nikolai was somber. It was the first time that day that he didn’t crack jokes. Faye felt tears of frustration and hurt well up behind her eyes, but she fought them back. Colin's grip on her hand tightened, and she sank back into the cushions of the small loveseat against the paneled wood wall.
Under An Alaskan Moon: A Shifter Romance Page 13
