by D. A. Young
“My goth wasn’t that bad,” she automatically contradicted him.
“Nope. It didn’t do you justice,” he argued, vehemently. “I couldn’t see the real you, darlin’.”
“What do you mean the real me?”
His hand palmed her throat, tipping her head back, giving Holt access to run his nose along the column of satiny skin. Kat’s nails dug into his back, and she shuddered helplessly, her lips pressing against Holt’s ear, then biting his lobe. His hands slid up her ribcage to palm her breasts, thumbs lightly brushing over her rigid nipples, seeking his immediate attention.
“No one was meant to shine more than you, Katerina. I’ve had the honor of a lifetime watchin’ you evolve. Shame on the fools who call you a princess. You’re not a fuckin’ princess, baby. The woman who comes into her own greatness and embraces it as her birthright is a fuckin’ queen. Greatness is born from the grit of strength, courage, and determination to overcome adversity. Straight no chaser, Katerina. That’s who you are and always will be. Equal parts champagne and whiskey. A steel backboned beauty with a no-bullshit attitude. Don’t forget that or allow anyone to ever try and define you again.”
Holt’s words had the same effect as whiskey, burning truth throughout Kat’s body and inebriating her on their potency. His teeth sank into her throat, biting with a hunger that had Kat clutching at him and emitting a sweet purr. His tongue swept over her hypersensitive flesh while his fingers simultaneously pinched her nipples. They were pulled and twisted in a deliciously addicting pattern, setting a trail of firecrackers off down Kat’s spine, leaving her sex pulsing, hungry, and conditioned for more of the bliss that was her private gateway between heaven and hell. He lifted his head, and Holt’s heavy-lidded eyes blazed with absolute veracity.
“In our past life, this life, and in the next, you will always be, min drottning. My queen. Until the end of time.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Swear you’ll keep this shit between us,” Holt growled. “I want it in writing.”
A laughing Kat reached up to kiss his petulance away. The action was meant to be quick, but why hurry with the one you love? The one who set your heart on fire and the thought of being apart, was like a direct bullet to that vital organ? She deliberately took her sweet time, cherishing the tender pressure of Holt’s mouth under hers, insatiable for the taste of him.
“That was almost worth the humiliation I’d endure if anyone ever found out about this,” he admitted when she lifted her head.
Kat’s lips trembled from holding in her laughter and Holt’s eyes drilled in on her suspiciously. “Honestly, babe, who am I going to tell?”
“I mean it, darlin’. I have a reputation to uphold! If this even gets out, Pip will never let me live it down.”
“Awww! I think you look adorable.”
“Nah, woman!” Holt balked, exasperated by her description. “Bunnies, puppies, and kittens are adorable! You are stinkin’ adorable. I, on the other hand, am hardcore, titanium! A motherfucker’s worst nightmare! Hardwired to go the distance! Have I mentioned my Viking ancestors??? I can split a man in two with one blow of my axe, Katerina! There is nothin’ adorable about me!”
Kat crinkled her nose at him. “Methinks you doth protest too much.” She plucked at his sleeve and grinned, pressing her face to his chest to hide her mirth. “As for having a low level of adorability, sorry, Holton, but this says otherwise.”
“Where did you even get one in my size?”
“I custom ordered it, duh.”
The garment in question was a red onesie, patterned with reindeer in hot-pink tutus, lined up doing the cancan. Holt balked when he saw it, but after some major wheedling on Kat’s part, she’d convinced him to put it on and they now matched. With his hearty, delicious dinner consumed, they were spending the evening on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree. With the snow swirling heavily outside, and the fire crackling hearthside, Holt and Kat finished off the Glögg and cookies Vivienne packed them. She was now laying on top of him, cocooned between his legs, her head against his chest and his virile heartbeat pulling Kat in like gravity, lulling her to sleep.
They were supposed to be watching “Elf”, but Kat’s eyes kept drifting back to the festively decorated tree, the string lights sparkling hypnotically. Frequently, Holt’s chest rumbled with laughter at Will Ferrell’s antics, making Kat smile sleepily as he played with her curls, occasionally kissing the top of her head. She felt the perfection of his deep laugh in her bones and was practically melting into him. His other hand was splayed proprietarily on the concave dip above her ass.
“You were right, Holton.”
“About what, baby?”
Kat lifted her head and smiled up at him, content simply to be lost in the magic they’d created in the cabin.
“It is a really good tree.”
An hour later, Holt secured the house and carried a sleeping Kat upstairs to their bedroom. As he walked over the threshold, it struck him that aside from his mama, she was the only woman to ever make it to the second floor of his house and into his private sanctuary. Everything was exactly how it should be. Holt couldn’t stop looking at her. Even if he was blind, he knew he’d look for Katerina.
She was his sun.
His warmth, comfort, and solace.
Always.
Holt pulled the down comforter and sheets back to place her underneath them. She didn’t stir as he covered her. Holt brushed his teeth before getting into bed, careful to keep his distance. He was surprised when Kat rolled over and sought him out. As he pulled her close to him, her head nestling perfectly in the crook of his neck, Holt chuckled at the message Alexei had passed via his daughter.
“I almost forgot! Papa wanted me to tell you something.” Kat’s lips tilted with amusement, but she managed to deliver the message in the serious tone her father would have. “He wanted me to remind you that the wolf hides in plain sight, watching and waiting to do what he does best.”
***
Kat opened her eyes, blinking in confusion at the sunlight pouring into the room despite the dark-tinted windows. The bed wasn’t hers. It was firmer yet conformed to Kat’s shape perfectly. Gradually, her bleary eyes focused on the un-obscured view in front of her.
“Wow!”
She lifted up slightly on her elbows to admire it and was weighed down around her midsection. Everything came flooding back to her as the arm thrown around her waist suddenly snatched her back against a warm brick wall.
“God morgon, darlin’,” Holt murmured, kissing the side of her neck.
“God morgon, my love.” Kat turned to him and found Holt’s eyes still closed. She wiggled away and reluctantly, he let her go so she could sit up cross-legged. Shoving the tumble of curls out of her face, Kat blinked at the sun dappling the snow-capped mountain range and trees, dazzling her with their sparkled brilliance. “Babe, this view is incredible! I can’t believe you get to awaken to this every morning!”
“Me neither.” A catch in his sleepy voice made Kat glance over her shoulder to find him staring at her unabashedly instead of the mountains. “But that’s been my game plan all along. To wake up to this glorious vision for the rest of my life, min drottning.”
Kat tilted her head slightly and appraised him. Life was so unfair. Even in the silly onesie, Holt was drool-worthy, smoldering enough to be on the front cover of romance covers and People’s Sexiest Man Alive. With a muscular arm thrown over his head, the messy hair, and slumberous eyes, he screamed sex appeal first thing in the damn morning. How, Sway? He gave her a lopsided grin and rubbed the sleep away from his face with his other hand.
“What’s up, darlin’?”
Positive she was shiny-faced and bed-headed with sleep-crust thickened eyes, instead of answering, Kat scrambled from the bed, her mouth covered. “Be right back!”
She dove into her overnight bag, snatched her toiletry bag from it, and ran to the bathroom. Kat washed her face then simultaneously used the bathroom an
d brushed her teeth. She didn’t even allow her washed hands to dry before diving back into bed. Holt caught her mid-fly and their lips collided. Kat immediately drew back at his minty-fresh taste with disgust.
“Seriously?! Even your breath is flawless first thing in the morning?”
“Hallway bathroom,” was all he said before rolling her underneath him and giving Kat the proper good morning kiss, she’d been visualizing. Holt explored her mouth thoroughly, reveling in the agonizing torture of Kat’s lips and trembling slightly at the way her soft body molded to his. He raised her arms over her head and kept them there, twining their fingers as he made love to her mouth. The action pressed her ample breasts against his chest. Kat anchored her body to his by cradling him between her thighs and curling her legs around Holt’s muscular calves, running her toes along them. His heavy, aching manhood clamored for freedom from the goddamn onesie.
Right now, being a serial killer was preferable to being a man of his word, Holt thought sourly. He wanted to smother his face in Kat’s bosom and kiss his way down to her pussy, letting her flood his tongue with her arousal. His grip on her fingers tightened and she winced. Instantly, Holt released her hands and lessened the pressure of his demanding mouth.
Kat tore her lips away on a breathless groan combined with frustration and amusement that echoed in Holt. “These freakin’ onesies are better than birth control, aren’t they?”
“You ain’t never lied, darlin’.” He flung himself next to her, and Kat sat up and faced him, trying to keep her eyes averted from the rigid length lying against his stomach. She’d felt its power and was addicted to it already. Kat’s mouth flooded with saliva thinking of stroking Holt with her hands and tongue. Would he enjoy it? She already knew that she would. How could she not when the anticipation of giving him a blow job had her ready to have the big ‘O’?
“Why don’t we get ready for the day and hit the slopes at Miramar? We can have breakfast there?” he suggested.
“Sounds good to me, but I thought you had to go into the shop today for a little bit?”
“After you left yesterday, I headed back to the shop and took care of everythin’.” Holt bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m all yours for the next two days, love.”
Kat grabbed her pillow and hit him directly in the face with it, squealing as she rolled away, evading his grasp. “Let’s do it then!”
***
Why was her man such a total badass?
From her comfy armchair in the Miramar chalet-style lounge, Kat watched ‘ski-bae’ shredding on his snowboard as if he was born on the slopes. Holt’s powerful body gracefully maneuvered every way he dictated his leans, leaving sprays of fresh powder in his wake. Dressed in all gunmetal gray with polarized goggles and a neck warmer covering most of his face, the man was pure sex on a snowboard, maneuvering around obstacles effortlessly as his speed ramped up and he shot down the hill. A complete beast in his habitat.
Le sigh.
Holt loved the snow. Before they got together, if he wasn’t working or kicking it with his friends, in the wintertime, he was hitting the slopes. Kat occasionally accompanied him, but usually encouraged him to go because he loved it so much. Today, he’d humored Kat for a while by taking the lift to the top of the easiest slope in the park and patiently cruising down with her. She could tell he was itching to hit the more advanced Alpine slope yet wouldn’t leave her behind despite her doggedness. Eventually, Kat took one for the team and faked a wipeout just to sit and watch Holt do his thing.
Her phone rang and Kat fished it out of her pocket, checked the ID, and answered it with a smile. “Hey, Noelle! What’s going on?”
“Hey, sis! Jack told me about Holt, and I just wanted to check on you.”
A couple of years ago, Kat would never have imagined that her life could be better than what it was with wonderful parents and big brothers that she was bonkers over. Never had she been more ecstatic to be proven wrong. She now had “sisters-in-love” who provided friendship, advice, love, and laughter in Kat’s life. Not only was the childhood best friend trio of Noelle, Avery, and Sidra absolute squad goals, they beyond adored Kat’s brothers and had readily welcomed her into their fold with open arms.
“Thanks, girly. I don’t like it or the horrifying circumstances surrounding it. Holt says he’ll be back soon enough.”
He was still adamant despite Kat’s misgivings.
Noelle clucked sympathetically. “I feel so sorry for Holt and his family. I can’t imagine the monster that would commit such a heinous act. Jack and I thought it would be a great idea for you to come by for dinner sometime next week. What do you say?”
“I would love to come over and hang. It’ll take my mind off things.”
“FYI, I heard an earful about your consolation prize for him leaving. How goes it at Casa de Brammer?” Noelle lowered her voice so drastically that Kat imagined her hiding in the pantry or some other inconspicuous spot in the farmhouse where the kiddos and Jack couldn’t find or hear her.
“Oh, dear. What did you hear?”
“Your brothers raising holy hell with your father on a four-way conference call last night. I want you to know that Avery, Sidra, and I had to resort to drastic measures to keep our men from kicking an unsuspecting Holt’s door down. What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?”
Kat’s shout of laughter earned her curious looks that she ignored. “First of all, we’re the same age! Secondly, all of y’all horny bishes are welcome! Drastic measures, my ass! Normally, this is the part where I’d be like ‘dish and leave no stone unturned’ except, they’re my brothers and that’s just…wrong on every level,” she shuddered at the thought. “Ewwww!”
“The least I can do is report that we are keeping them happy and extremely satisfied on the home front.”
“It’s disturbing how you opened your mouth and Guy poured out.”
“Yeah, I heard it as soon as I said it. I’m not proud of it.” Noelle cleared her throat delicately. “Anyway, I’m sure that you are aware that I’m also calling because, as you know, your brothers are wondering—”
“OMG! Please tell them that my virgin meter is still intact. Also tell them, that if they even think about not being on their best behavior, I will ply their children with enough sugar to—”
“Hey! Some of those kids are mine, and I did nothing to warrant your ruthless side! I’m completely innocent here!” Noelle protested. “Jack and I are almost outnumbered, and you want to throw sugar into the equation?! What a heartless wench you are!”
“Bwahaha! Hashtag sorry, not sorry,” Kat cackled. “War spares no one, boo.”
“I feel it prudent to remind you before you make me a casualty in your quest for victory against my poor, unsuspecting hubby that I’m the one who feeds you.”
That smugly delivered fact gave Kat pause. “Huh. Point taken. Guess I didn’t factor that into my quest for dominance. Carry on then.”
“Thought you’d see it my way,” Noelle answered dryly. “Welcome back from the dark side.”
***
Holt tugged his gloves off with his teeth and answered his phone. “What do you have for me, Magnus?”
“I’m afraid nothing good, mate. Nothing suspicious on any of the camera systems.”
Shit. Holt closed his eyes and squeezed his phone until the holder cracked. “Are you sure?”
“I verified it ten times! I also sent it to your other mate, Graham Carlton, and he confirmed that wasn’t the case. There are no suspicious digital footprints anywhere.”
Holt hesitated, hating to think where his mind was going with anything. Fuck it. The last time he’d done so, Moira Sullivan had been killed. “Do me a favor and track Otto’s shit. I want to know everything he’s been up to for the past five years.”
Since Ivar had put him in his current position of power.
“I’m on it.”
“I’m boarding a plane in thirty-six hours.”
“You’ll hav
e it by the time you set foot on the tarmac.”
Holt disconnected the call and placed another to Graham Carlton.
“Speak on it.”
“Magnus tells me that nothing suspicious was found.”
Like Graham, Magnus knew logistics. He just didn’t know the street and covert operations like the older man did.
“That’s correct. I’ll keep at it on my end.”
“Appreciate it, Graham.”
“Nothin’ to it, homie. Aye, one other thing, real quick.”
“Yeah?”
“This cat, Bojku? He’s crossed paths with a woman named Geneva Blom.” Graham paused. “You and her have—”
“No need to refresh my memory. I was there. Thanks, man.”
Holt headed back up the hill, his mind plagued with probabilities. He didn’t want to make the call. Preferred not to. Even considered reaching out to Otto, except he couldn’t be trusted not to fuck shit up or piss Geneva off further. Holt stared up at the lodge where Katerina waited for him and debated his options. Screw it. Like Cruz said, they’d started with less before. Involving Geneva would only invite the kind of trouble Holt didn’t need into his increasingly complicated life. A wet splat upside his head derailed his thoughts. It was followed by the diabolical laugh of a woman in desperate need of a spanking and another snowball directly to his face.
“Katerina!” he bellowed.
Shaking his face free of the icy slush, Holt searched for his culprit. She was ten feet away and hard to miss in her sun-colored snowsuit with six more snowballs piled in her gloved hand. “What do you intend to do with those, love?”
The silky warning in his question and the dangerous flash in the depths of Holt’s endless gaze warned Kat to tread cautiously as he advanced.
“Well, I obviously can’t let them go to waste…” she answered with false bravado.
He charged and Kat squealed, firing off her arsenal as she retreated. Holt caught her around the waist, and they went tumbling down the slope. His body cushioned Kat as they rolled, laughing their asses off the entire way down. She was laughing so hard that she was gasping uncontrollably, unable to catch her breath. Kat rolled off of him and landed on her back. Holt sat up with a groan, watching as still laughing, she moved her limbs languidly, creating a snow angel.
