AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just—just go away.”
“Yeah, that’s not something I’m going to do. Not without getting you off the floor and helping you with whatever’s going on. Even if I can’t solve the problem because I don’t understand it, I could still get you a glass of water, give you a hug, whatever you need. You know I’m like a potato. Extremely versatile.”
That earned him a tiny smile. They’d grown up in a small town in Idaho where everyone’s lives centered around spuds. No wonder he’d lit out of Kartoff as soon as he possibly could.
“That’s nice of you to say, but you’re here to find a wife. You shouldn’t be wasting your time with me.”
Who said it’s wasted?he thought. He didn’t say that out loud but shrugged instead. “I’ve got plenty of time, I’m on vacation. And I won’t be able to enjoy myself if I know there’s a pretty girl crying because she’s sad. So really, it’s your obligation as an employee of this fine establishment to accept my gallant offer of assistance to make me happy.”
“Cybersecurity expert isn’t supposed to be a customer-facing role,” she muttered.
“And yet here you are, facing me. So you really ought to offer me some hospitality.”
Nova looked at him through her thick, dark lashes which were all stuck together with tears.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. And if it’ll make you feel better, how about this? We can make this more interesting by making it a bet. If I don’t find a girl who’s willing to marry me by the end of the week, say you’ll do it.”
Nova balked for a second but then snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”
“So is you saying I’d be wasting my time cheering up an old friend. I say let’s both be ridiculous. Besides, that’s good motivation for you to make use of all your connections here and play matchmaker.”
“Yeah, sure, okay, Linc,” she scoffed, and swiped at her eyes.
“Shake on it,” he encouraged, and held out a hand.
He could swear there was a bolt of electricity that sizzled between their fingers when they touched. And he would know—as a self-taught electrician, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d shocked himself.
Chapter 4
Nova explained that she’d tried to go to the Littles’ Wing to de-stress but changed her mind after seeing how busy the Nursery was. She shared how she loved spending time there but preferred doing so when it wasn’t as chaotic. Since that probably wouldn’t happen until after the New Year holiday, it made her meltdown even worse.
“So what’ll help take your mind off things?” Linc asked, still squatting in front of her. The man’s thighs must be titanium.
What she had really been hoping for was a firm-handed spanking over Nanny J’s lap and a good, cleansing cry, but she was not going to ask Linc forthat. She felt like he’d seen her naked already when he walked in on her crying, and she didn’t want to make it worse by him seeing her literal ass. She’d already used up her lifetime quota of embarrassment where Linc was concerned, thankyouverymuch.
“We could go outside?” she offered.
Linc nodded, looking thoughtful. “Fresh air is almost always good for what ails you, and it looks like there’s plenty of snow on the ground. What kind of stuff do you like to do outside? Hiking? Cross country skiing? Snowshoeing?”
Nova wrinkled her nose. It’s not that those things didn’t sound fun, because they could be, but not at this moment.
She supposed she could just tell Linc what was going through her mind. He was a Daddy; he’d said as much. If he was weird about her being a Little, well, he was leaving in a week and she’d never have to see him again. And if he was a creeper about it, she could just tell Master Derek and Linc’s stay might be even shorter.
Although she wasn’t honestly concerned about Linc being one of those leering goons who would make her uncomfortable. For however much of a punk he’d been, he’d never made her feel unsafe.
“I’m already overwhelmed and those all sound like work right now. I-I guess I’m in more of a Little headspace.”
It was possible that Linc’s dark brown eyes widened, but in a blink-and-you-could-miss-it kind of way, so maybe she was hallucinating. Otherwise, he looked as though she’d said something as innocuous as she preferred sugar cookies to chocolate chip.
His entirely unruffled expression made her feel good about her choice to confide in him. Mostly people around here were cool when others shared their preferences or orientations or identities or whatever. And those who weren’t either wised up or were asked to leave.
After a minute of pondering, Linc’s eyes lit up. “Want to build a snowman?”
Oh, that actually sounded really fun. She hadn’t built a snowman in years, and why not?
“That sounds good. I’ll go get my gear and meet you in the lobby.”
