Page 70 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

In a flash, his hand shot up, capturing my wrist in his firm grasp as he growled low in his chest, lowering my hand off his face.

“Careful, princess,” he muttered quietly, under his breath so that no one would hear, though I doubt very much that they were unaware of our little exchange.

“Fine…” I sighed, rolling my eyes. But his grip only tightened.

“Princess,” he warned, low and deep in his throat. My eyes lifted to his, seeing the seriousness in his dark blue gaze. He meant business. And I was dangerously close to crossing a line.

“Yes, Sir,” I whispered, as softly as possible. Immediately, his scowl changed to a big, almost goofy grin before he pulled me in for a kiss.

“Ew, get a room!” Jax called, throwing a torn piece of bread at us.

“We have two, thank you very much,” Niko chuckled as Sully brought the food to the table, setting the steaming casserole dish on a trivet.

“And having rooms isn’t the problem with these two,” Deacon reminded. “After what we heard today—”

“And the other night,” Jax added.

“And the night before that,” Sully joined in, making Niko roll his eyes and drop his head down into his hands with exasperation. I simply sat back and giggled at their antics. They were a funny lot, not at all what I thought they’d be when I’d first arrived.

No, this motley crew was full of wit, sass, and a strong desire todo right. They were good men. Really good men.

As Sully dished out the food — a delicious Moussaka, as he explained in great detail — I sat back, realizing that I wasn’t sure I’d ever met truly good men before.

But these men? These were just plain, good men, doing hard, good work.

“Jesus Christ, Sully,” Jax groaned after shoving the first bite into his mouth — and making a spectacle when he realized it was stillfartoo hot to consume.

“Yes, Jax?” Sully asked, taking his seat at the table andbatting his eyelashes at the man, waiting for his due praise.

“This is…” he trailed off, shoving another bite into his mouth just as the rest of us took our first bites. Groans rang out around the table. Sully, much to my delight, clapped his hands together with a smile on his face so wide it showed off dimples I hadn’t even realized he had.

“You know who would love this?” Deacon asked, taking a sip of his drink before speaking.

“Carrick!” The rest of them called out, laughing together.

“You guys keep mentioning this Carrick guy. What’s the story with him?” I asked, stabbing my fork into another piece of the delicious Greek casserole.

“That’s a long story,” Niko answered after swallowing his own bite with a guttural, almost sexual moan.

“And one possibly not best suited for the dinner table,” Deacon added with a short-lived chuckle.

“So… does he live with you guys, too?” I asked, turning my curiosity to a question that might give me better answers.

“He does,” Niko answered, still using clipped sentences in between stuffing his face with food. I had to admit, it was hard to put my fork down long enough to carry on a real conversation. Sully sure as fuck could cook.

“So why isn’t he here? I mean, I know you guys said he was working, but I’ve been here for a few weeks now, and haven’t seen him around once. What the fuck is up with that?” I asked, my eyes scanning the table as each of themen stared at their own plates, not meeting my eyes for a moment. “What, is it a secret or something?”

After a long pause, Niko cleared his throat. “Carrick is away on a job.”

“You’ve said as much before,” I reminded him, taking another bite of food. Christ, I was going to be as large as a house by the time I left here, with the way Sully kept me fed. Granted, I was burning off most of the calories with the way Niko kept me well fucked. I made a mental note to make time for a run one of these days, all the same. It had been far too long since I’d done anyrealexercise, excluding bedroom activities.

“That’s all we reallycansay,” Jax said carefully between bites.

“Well, when is he coming back?” I asked curiously. Niko’s hand snuck under the table, his large palm encircling the top of my thigh and squeezing gently. It was such a simple gesture, just a little thing to tell me he was right there with me still. And yet, that very tiny, small thing took my breath away.

“We aren’t ever really sure about Carrick. He kind of comes and goes as he pleases. He keeps us somewhat informed, but most of the time it’s a guessing game, and we don’t know when he’s coming back until he just appears one day.” Sully’s answer was simple and to the point, and yet I had to wrack my brain to remember the question I had even asked. I was so caught up in the little moment beneath the table with Niko.

“What’s he like?” I managed to ask, finding my voice once again and trying my hardest not to focus on Niko’s hand beneath the table where it stayed gripped aroundmy thigh, like he was claiming me. And something about that did things to me. Wild, almost feral things.

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