Page 99 of Barbi and the Villain

“Barbi!” Nykander calls my name, shaking me from my reverie.

“W-what?” I stumble over my words as I bring my hand to my mouth, wiping it. I’m pretty sure I was drooling. And the devil knows it, going by his smirk.

“Get to work.” He winks at me.

Stooping down, he folds his pants to his knees. He grabs an armful of clothes and places them on the bank next to him before he steps into the river. He visibly shudders at the contact with the cold water, but he wastes no time in starting on his task. The soap is in his right hand while he holds the garments in his left one, scrubbing intently.

I’m still frozen to the spot, unable to look away from him. Minutes pass and the sunlight shines on his skin. Drops of water splash onto his torso, slowly dripping down his hard abs.

I bite my lip.

What I wouldn’t give to be one of those drops. She’s so lucky, damn her!

“Barbi, I am almost done with my first load and you have not even started,” he mentions, once more catching me staring.

My cheeks heat up and I feel like the biggest fool.

“Right. I’ll get to it now,” I mumble.

My dress is long, but I can’t roll it up like Nykander did with his pants. Instead, I knot a corner and make it shorter. Grabbing an armful of clothes, I place them next to me and get to work.

By the time I’m halfway through my load, Nykander is already done with his and moving to the next.

I grumble something under my breath and push myself harder. My competitive side rears its ugly head as I see the ease with which Nykander washes the clothes while I’m out of breath after one scrub and a half.

I narrow my eyes at him.

“You are cheating. You’re using your powers, aren’t you?”

He turns to me, a bored look on his face. He gazes at the load I’ve done so far and sniggers.

“You wanted a competition.”

Then he’s back to work.

My nostrils flare as I think of all the possible ways I can catch up to him. I glance back at the remaining clothes and an idea comes into my mind. Well, it might not be a great idea, but it is an idea.

I unknot my dress and step farther into the river until the water reaches past my knees. I fold the skirt around the corners into a makeshift basin and let water creep inside. Taking all the clothes, I plop them inside my skirt and I add soap, spending a few minutes scrubbing it against the material. The water in my skirt is all soapy and it helps to wash all the clothes at once.

This speeds up my process and my excitement soars as I get my first load done. I quickly go on to the next.

Nykander looks at me, his lips quirking up in amusement.

“You are inventive, I will give you that.”

“Of course,” I huff, scrubbing some more. “I will not lose.”

“I did not realize you had such a competitive streak, Barbi,” he mentions, his eyes twinkling.

The light hits his eyes at the perfect angle to emphasize that beautiful shade of gray.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Damn my treacherous heart! Why does it have to be so weak in front of a pair of beautiful eyes?

“Why enter a competition at all if not to win?” I raise a brow at him as I try to divert my attention from his otherworldly appeal.

“Some might say the journey in itself is worth it.”

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