“Are you all right, Bunny?” he asked, walking over to her.

“Yep, let’s go!” She raced out of the room and down the hallway.

“Bunny, stop!”

She froze at the top of the stairs and glanced over her shoulder at him warily.

“You know better than to run off, especially down the stairs,” he scolded.

He took her hand and led her down them.

“But, Papa, you know it’s boring to walk all the time. I just want to slide down the banister. I thought you knew how to have fun.”

He paused and for a moment she thought she was about to get thrown over the banister and have her butt spanked.

Then he picked her up and holding her by the waist, he placed her butt on the banister and helped her slide down . . . while keeping hold of her the entire time.

Still, it was fun!

“Whee!” she cried. “Again! Again!”

He set her on her feet, and moved his arm across her waist, then bending her slightly he gave her several whacks on her ass.

“Ow! Hey! What was that for?” She stared up at him with a pout.

“For trying to manipulate Papa into giving you what you want.”

Well. Sheesh.

But at least she’d still gotten what she wanted. But she kept that tidbit to herself.

Alexei stareddown at the squares she’d drawn on the concrete.

“What did you say this was called?”

She glanced over at him, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“Are you feeling all right?” he demanded.

“Yes, why?”

“You’re all flushed.”

“That’s because I’m dressed up like a polar explorer,” she complained, pulling at her clothes. “I’m going to overheat.”

Hmm, he might have gone a bit overboard. Moving to her, he removed her scarf and one coat.

“Thank you. Now, this is Hopscotch. And you get a pebble and throw it in a square like this. Then you hop in the other squares or jump in them and avoid that square.”

“How do you win?” he asked.

“Um, you don’t.”

Seemed pointless. When it was his turn, the stone landed perfectly in the square that was the furthest away.

As expected, he was acing this game.

But when it came time to hop and jump, then he struggled.