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Oh God.
Oh God.
My brain gasped with realization.
He wasn’t talking to me.
My neck heated with mortification.
Was there a hole nearby that I could crawl into? Perhaps a cliff to punt myself off?
You moron.
He winked at me and very obviously held in a laugh, like he knew exactly what happened.
Too embarrassed to speak, I bit the tip of my tongue and held my breath for a full minute to stop the deranged shriek that threatened to escape me.
Vik moved to sit at the table with Lidiya in his lap, and she was happy to sit there, peering up at him with a sweet, toothy smile. I joined the rest of them, parking myself at the opposite end of the table, far, far away from the man who turned me into a simpleton with nothing more than a greeting.
While Sasha got into conversation with Vik, I picked up one of my muffins and nibbled at it. Lev reached for one, and I smacked his hand, shooting him a glare. He glared right back, and after a short standoff, I reluctantly handed him one. He peeled off the wrapper and shoved the entire thing in his mouth. As he chewed slowly, trying not to choke, I took another bite and garbled out an amused, “Oink, oink.”
Crumbs flew out of my mouth as I spoke, and I covered my lips, chuckling.
Lev narrowed his eyes at me but softened the admonishment with a twitch of his lips. Mina heard me and rushed to her husband’s defense. She stood behind him and hugged him close, cradling his head awkwardly to her small bosom. “Don’t listen to her, sweetie. I like the way you eat. Go ahead and finish your muffin.”
Lev’s hand came up to caress her shoulder, and they really did make me sick sometimes. It was unnatural to be as cute as they were.
My gaze was slowly being drawn to the tall, built man currently pretending to eat my niece’s round fist, and it took everything I had to feign boredom, when really my ovaries were throbbing. At this point, distraction was a good call.
I took an empty muffin wrapper and threw it at the couple across from me. Lev caught it without trying, and Mina poked her tongue out at me. I flipped her the bird, and Lev lightly smacked my hand with a frown. “I don’t like that, Nas.”
Mina laughed damn near hysterically at the death stare I was lobbing at my brother. Her laugh turned into a scared giggle when I leaned forward and got into my brother’s face.
My eye twitched. “You don’t like that?”
“No,” he insisted. “I don’t.”
Okay. All right.
My hand came out slowly. With my thumb holding my middle finger, he stared at my fingers as they came closer and closer. He flinched mildly when I flicked his nose. “What about that? Did you like that?”
Mina snorted, and the hands at Lev’s shoulders shook.
But Lev wasn’t amused. He glowered at me, rubbing his nose. “Not at all.”
“And yet—” I grinned. “—it didn’t stop me from doing it, did it?”
Lev’s lips thinned. “No. I suppose it didn’t.”
I slapped a hand to his knee good-naturedly. “Pick the battles you can win, moy brat.”
“Surprisingly good advice,” uttered Sasha from the other side of the table.
My nose bunched at the surprise in his tone. “I do have a brain, you know.”
“Then it stands to wonder why you rarely use it” was the smartass response I got from my eldest brother.
Lev snuffled while Mina barked out a laugh so hard she wheezed. Vik coughed to cover his mirth, turning away so I couldn’t see his face.
My eyes narrowed dangerously. A slight smile lit Sasha’s mouth. I didn’t want to find it funny, but it was, and when my lip twitched, his brow rose in victory.
“Kakashka” was all I managed to say, because he really was a piece of shit sometimes.
The mood was light and breezy… until it wasn’t.
Sasha’s phone rang, and when he saw who was calling, he answered right away. “Hello.” Then, “Yes, I’m home.” He sat up straighter. “Look. Not that it’s any of your business, but he came to m—” He glared down at his phone. “Fuck.” Sasha cleared his throat. “We’re about to have company.”
Sasha stood, bracing, and the vibe around us changed dramatically. A few minutes passed, and my heart stuttered as Philippe Neige, my ex-fiancé, strode into the back yard. I sat up taller at his unexpected entrance.
His dark-blond hair was no longer set in unruly, surfer waves that you wished to run your hands through but cut short in a business do. His green eyes always seemed to smile, but they were hard as stone at present. His nose was crooked, but it hadn’t always been.
Oh no. Vik helped with that.
From the looks of things, Philippe had a bone to pick, and it was with my brother.
