Page 52 of A Seed Of Peril

“Forget it,” he said with a straight face, cracking an amused smile the moment I started laughing. He took me into his arms, staring lovingly at me. My arms slid around his torso.

“Do you think she’ll like this?” A part of me worried that Katrina wouldn’t be happy with the decorations or even all her presents. It was silly, but I wanted nothing less than for today to be one of the happiest days of her life.Would she play well with the other children? Would she like them?I didn’t realize I was thinking out loud until Dominic put his finger to my lips.

“She’ll love it.”

Those words and his simple touch—they put my worries at ease.

He slid his fingers under my chin, holding my gaze. “You worry too much.”

“This is true, yes.”

We shared a chuckle.

“What do you think’s going to happen? She’ll get here, see everything, and run for the hills?”

“Add in some screaming for dramatic effect.”

Dominic shook his head amusingly, placing his hand on my belly. “Does he need more blood?”

“Not right now.” I brought my left hand to the back of Dominic’s head at its base and squeezed his hair between my fingers, bringing him face to face for a kiss. “But I’ll needyou,” I spoke low against his mouth, “later tonight.”

A low, titillating growl escaped him, and then, he reclaimed my mouth, making a noise of frustration as he put his finger to his earpiece, pausing our kissing session to listen.

“Is she here?” I asked him. He nodded as he lowered his arm and pulled away. “To be continued,” I said seductively, squeezing his hair between my fingers once more, my nails grazing his skin.

Heading for the door, I looked around one more time, nodding in approval. She would love this. She deserved nothing less. Walking outside, I spotted the Escalade pulling into the parking lot. As soon as the vehicle stopped moving, the back right door flew open, and Katrina jumped out of the SUV and ran toward me.

“Lulu!” She held Mr. Cat under her arm. Her dress was adorable. In a pink lemonade shade, it flared at the waist, its floral brocade pattern a perfect touch.

I held out my arms, embracing her in a hug.

“How’s it goin’ in there?” Dino asked.

Letting go of Katrina, I looked up to see both Dino and Bianca standing a few feet away. “Just waiting for everyone to show up.” I hugged them, telling Bianca it was good to see her.

Bianca pulled back, motherly love shining in her gaze. “It’s good to see you, too.” She smiled. Walking alongside her, all of us headed toward the venue.

Katrina ran ahead of us.

“Wait!” Dino called out, walking faster, taking longer strides to catch up with her. He held her hand, saying, “Stay with us.”

I couldn’t fault her for being excited, and I understood Dino’s perspective. We all shared it. With Nico on the loose, we had to be extra cautious. Keep our heads on swivels.

“Hold on,” I told Katrina as I got close. She looked back and forth between me and the door, antsy. I wanted to see her reaction.

When I gestured for Dino to go ahead and open the Pavilion hall’s front door, Katrina made a mad dash to get inside, stopping just feet away from the threshold. I made my way past my brother and Bianca to see Katrina marveling wide-eyed at the space, her smile wider.

Everyone greeted her with, “Happy birthday!”

I bent over and gripped her shoulders. “This is all for you, sweetheart. Happy birthday.”

She spun around and clung to me, her hug strong. “Thank you, Auntie! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

* * *

Everything went off without a hitch.Katrina got along well with the other children. I managednotto make an ass of myself around the other families, and to everyone’s shock and surprise, Dominic pulled Katrina aside after she opened her presents and told her she could have a cat. The catch—it had to be kept in her room, or if she took it anywhere else in the house, it had to be on a leash. That was fair because who wanted to search high and low in this mansion to find it? With all its nooks and crannies!? Dominic told me to help her figure out what breed she wanted and to let him know.

It was all she talked about until we got home.

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