Page 73 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Oh, you think so?” I teased, wanting to find peace and happiness in the witty banter we had, instead of the feeling that kept swirling in the pit of my stomach.

“Yeah, I do. The question is, are you up for an adventure?” His eyes narrowed on mine, a glint of mischief and mayhem playing in those sapphire depths.

“You bet your ass, I am.” I met his gaze with one of my own, ready and willing to go anywhere he was willing to take me. Anything to get out of this damn house.

“Good. Go change your clothes and meet me back down here. We’ll go on an adventure.” There was a twinkle in his eye, a sense of mischief that had my excitement rising to a fever pitch.

“Change my clothes?” I asked, looking down at the simple dress I was currently wearing. “Into what?”

“You’re going to need pants, socks, shoes, and something you don’t mind getting dirty,” he said with a smirk. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I nodded, bolting from my seat and racing to my room to change. Whatever he had planned sounded a hell of a lot more exciting than sitting around this bachelor pad for yet another afternoon.

It only took me about ten minutes to get back down to his office, ready to go. It would have taken me even less time, but my hair would not cooperate. I tried to braid it twice, and the curls just would not listen to me. The frizz on humid days like this was just unavoidable, so a simple ponytail had to suffice.

Niko was bent over in front of his desk, shoving some items into two large backpacks.

“What are those for?” I asked, nearly skipping into the room in my excitement.

“For our trip.”

“Wait, trip? We’re leaving the property?! Really!!??” I squealed, jumping up and down. “Where are we going?”

“Slow your roll, Rambo. We aren’t leaving the property.” Immediately, my excitement waned, my shoulders slumping as I pouted.

“But you said—”

“I know what I said. And yes, we are going on a trip.”

“If we’re going on a trip that requires packing, that means leaving the property, Niko.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Any drive we’d take on the property would take minutes. So what the hell?”

“Who said we were driving?” He zipped up both backpacks, not uttering another word as he helped me sling one of them over my shoulders, spinning me to snap the buckle across my chest and hips to help distribute weight.

“Wait, what?” I sputtered. He simply laughed, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the office and straight out of the house. It wasn’t until then that I noticed he had changed clothes, too.

Gone were the traditional slacks and button-ups he wore. Instead, he was wearing a pair of black cargo shorts and a polo. I’d never seen him in such casual clothing. Honestly, I think the man could have worn a burlap sack and looked good, but perhaps I was biased. After all, I knew what lay beneath the clothing he wore. That sleek, tattooed body could work magic more potent than any Voodoo priest could have ever imagined.

We made our way out into the yard, heading towards the treeline.

“Are you really not going to tell me where we are going?” I huffed.

“Nope.”

“And we’re walking there?”

“Yup.”

“Are you capable of giving more than a one-word answer?”

“Yup.”

The fucking dick.

I resigned myself — begrudgingly — to whatever fateNiko had decided for me today. It couldn’t be worse than doing absolutely nothing.

I followed him as we reached the treeline at the edge of the yard that surrounded the house. What I hadn’t noticed before was the entrance to a small dirt path between the thick, densely packed trees that lined the property on three sides. Niko headed down the path without hesitation, obviously confident in where he was going. I followed him closely, albeit a bit more cautiously.

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