Part 9 (1/2)
”Fine, I'll come back here to go to work. Happy now?” He bent over and tucked his shoulder into her mid-section, then straightened, lifting her squiggling body in the air.
She squealed a high-pitched laugh as he toted her down the hall to the bathroom. ”Put me down! I have to pee.”
”As you command.” He dropped her to her feet on the plush rug in front of the sink. ”Wash up, get dressed, and then come down. I'm going to start the French toast.”
Hailey grasped his arm, stopping his departure from the room. ”Be sure to use cinnamon. No plain toast, okay?”
He huffed out a breath. ”Fine. Fancy French toast for everyone this morning.”
Her giggles followed him as he trotted down to the kitchen. The aroma of brewing coffee filled the air as he walked through the doorway. ”Good, you found everything.”
She turned from looking out the window into the back yard and gave him a slow smile. ”Right where you said it would be.”
Moving across the room, he rested his hands on the counter on either side of her body. He leaned in and possessed her velvety soft lips with a searing, stolen kiss. He s.h.i.+fted and held her cheeks between his hands and kissed his way over her mouth, and her jaw, and her brow, until he'd kissed every part of her face. She rested her palms on his chest, and stared into his eyes as he pulled back. Her smile was gentle.
Little footsteps pounded down the stairs. Thomas jumped away from Nia. He reached for a pan from the hanging rack as Hailey skittered into the room.
The girl skidded to a stop in front of Nia. ”Good morning, Ms. Nia.” Good, she'd put on her company manners along with the stretchy leggings and T-s.h.i.+rt. She wore two different colored socks on her feet.
”Good morning, Hailey. Thanks again for inviting me to breakfast.”
”Uncle Thomas told me you didn't get to eat dinner last night on account of my being upset. I wanted to make it up to you.” Hailey patted Nia's arms, as if to soothe her.
Thomas noted Nia tucking her hands to hidden pockets on her skirt. It bothered him a little that she seemed to shy away from contact with his niece. Based on his own experience, Nia was a tactile person. His body still throbbed with the memory of her hands exploring every inch of him. Upon viewing the engaging grin she offered Hailey, he shrugged the thought away.
Eyes alight with curiosity and a gentle smile on her face, Nia asked, ”Are you feeling better this morning?”
Aside from the non-contact thing, Thomas knew Nia had a genuine interest in whether Hailey had recovered from her meltdown the night before.
”Yes, thank you,” Hailey replied, putting her hands behind her back and stepping a respectful distance away from Nia. But judging by the expression on her face, it didn't bother Hailey that Nia didn't seem inclined to coddle her.
”Then I don't mind missing dinner with your uncle at all.” Nia shot him a sultry look then rubbed her belly. ”But I've been looking forward to breakfast with you.”
Hailey opened the dishwasher and pulled out a clean cup, then handed it to Nia. ”For your coffee. Do you need cream or sugar?” His little Hailey...the consummate hostess. ”Uncle Thomas takes his manly.”
Coughing a little, Nia covered her mouth, as if to hide a laugh. ”I guess I drink mine manly as well.”
Thomas cracked an egg and dumped it into the bowl with a half dozen others. He splashed in milk then whipped the contents with a whisk, the wire clattering against the ceramic bowl. The coffee maker beeped, signaling the brewing was complete.
Hailey plucked a bottle from a slide-out drawer next to the stove and handed it to him. ”I told Uncle Thomas to be sure to add cinnamon and vanilla. The toast is yummier that way.”
After pouring rich, dark coffee into her mug, Nia grabbed another cup from the open shelf over the machine. She poured Thomas a steaming portion, and then handed it to him. Heat shot up his arms at the brush of her fingers as he accepted the coffee. Her eyes flared wide, signaling him that she'd felt it as well. The pleasant warmth lodged under his solar plexus, heating him in a most erotic way. Willing his d.i.c.k to calm down, he walked past her to place the griddle on the gas burner. The stove clicked as he ignited a flame of a different sort.
Tipping her head to the side, Nia asked Hailey a question. ”Is that his secret recipe?”
”Sillyhead. If I told you it wouldn't be secret anymore. Then you could make your own and you'd never come here again to eat breakfast with us.” Hailey opened a drawer, and then retrieved silverware. ”This way, Uncle Thomas has to make magic happen in the kitchen for you.”
Dull heat flushed into his face. He was pretty sure he'd already done that for Nia. Although the magic they'd made hadn't been in this exact room. But if she were interested he'd be willing to experiment. Fighting to control his body's reaction, he stored the idea in the deepest recesses of his mind.
He caught Hailey's eye. ”Munchkin, remember, we've discussed this. There is no such thing as magic. It's all illusion.”
”Oh pooh, Unk.” Hailey clapped her hands together. ”You have to believe in the power of abracadabra.”
”Wait a second. Are you telling me Uncle Thomas is a, a...a disbeliever?” Nia's eyebrows rose on her forehead as she teased. ”Say it isn't so.”
”If you can't see it, or touch it, it isn't real.” Thomas's tone was matter-of-fact flat. He dropped a piece of soaked bread onto the griddle, where it sizzled. ”Okay, that sounds over-the-top skeptical. But it would take a ton of effort to convince me something is magical. Like, if you could produce a unicorn, for example.” He smiled at Nia then continued. ”But you can't, so I declare them totally made up. And, therefore, not in the least bit magical.”
”I had a unicorn as a pet once.” Nia squinted at him as she lifted plates from a gla.s.s-fronted cabinet, her gaze intense. She turned away, mumbling under her breath about showing him, and proceeded to set plates on the counter where they'd eat.
”You did?” Hailey's voice rose.
Suddenly, an image popped into his mind of a graceful horse-like creature with a long mane and a s.h.i.+ny metallic horn protruding from its forehead. A large brown spot that looked like the British Isles appeared on the center of the animal's whitish back.
”Let me guess. This unicorn had a coppery horn and a splotch on its fur in the shape of England.” Thomas teased, but as he uttered the words, the image took firmer hold on his imagination.
”Exactly. My pet's name was Amyntas, but I called him Ta.s.sie for short.” She looked at Hailey as she spoke, and then lifted her eyes to him, as if daring him to dispute what she said. When he remained silent, she continued. ”I loved Ta.s.sie so much. He was the best pet ever. Never had to clean up after him and,” she lowered her voice, ”he p.o.o.ped ice cream.”
Hailey giggled, then outright belly-laughed at Nia's silly statement as she laid forks on one side of the ma.s.sive kitchen island where they'd eat. Thomas couldn't keep the grin from his face at the child's sweet laughter. So very different from last night's desolate tears. When she finished, still giggling, she slid into the fan-back barstool on one end of the oversize island.
Nia joined in the laughter, as though it was a big joke on Thomas. She arranged their cups on the pale yellow placemats, and then dropped onto a chair next to Hailey. But as he scooped a piece of toast from the pan to a plate, another image, one of Nia riding the unicorn in a field of wildflowers, popped into the forefront of his brain. An entrancing picture.
He set a plate loaded with fragrant toast in front of Nia and then sat next to her, shaking his head. ”You know, I almost believe you could have had such a pet. I get such a clear picture of you as a child riding a unicorn.”
Nia smirked. ”Is it possible there is magic in your imagination? Maybe you believe in magical inspiration after all.”
”Or, I believe you can tell a wonderful made-up story to make me laugh,” he countered.
Propping her elbow on the quartz surface in front of her, Nia presented her back to him as she spoke to Hailey. ”Young lady, we have our work cut out for us to make him believe.”
Thomas trailed his fingers along her spine, from a spot just south of her shoulder blades, to the curve of her waist. All out of sight of Hailey's young eyes. He believed Nia was magic, charming and enchanting both him and Hailey.
”We most certainly do,” Hailey said around a mouthful of French toast. She chewed, swallowed and smiled around Nia to him. ”But his food is magical.”
Nia forked up a bite. Closed her eyes as she chewed. After she swallowed, she pinned him with a simmering glance and moaned quietly, reminding him of their time in his bedroom. ”Yes, it certainly is. And so is he.”
Chapter 13.
Nia couldn't believe how much she enjoyed breakfast with Hailey and Thomas. How easily they'd welcomed her into their little family. For the first time in all her lives, she could actually see accepting a child as a daughter.
And that scared the c.r.a.p out of her.
She'd be a fool to allow an attachment to the girl. A daughter she'd remember and sorely miss in each successive lifetime. And most especially now, when they all faced an uncertain future. If she failed her challenge, all their worlds would be forever changed. And a failure by her would spell doom for all her sisters. The world would devolve into a colorless sh.e.l.l of its current Technicolor state. A tragic, censored existence for mortals...dictated by Pierus and enforced by his daughters. Nine hideous women bent on revenge.
Even after an incredibly bewitching night spent in his arms, Thomas had proven resistant to her inspirations to embrace magic. So far. But she was just getting started. Hinting at her first beloved pet, Ta.s.sie, had been divine. But he'd stubbornly refused to accept the idea that unicorns had actually lived at one point. Sure, they'd been rare, and restricted as pets to the G.o.ds, but they had been real. In his heart, Thomas had accepted the visions of Ta.s.sie Nia had sent. He'd described the animal with the exact detail of the image she'd planted.
Unfortunately, his a.n.a.lytical, doubtful mind discounted the possibility. And what was she to do about that?