Seth's Cravings: An Endless Series: Book 2 (45 page)

    
“Are you finally awake now?” Issy asked eyeing
me with eagerness.

     “Yep.” I worked my way into a sitting position. 

     Issy jumped on the couch after I made room for her.
“It’s so cool that you got to do a sleepover. Luka’s had a couple of his
friends spend the night before, but that was forever ago. He said they are too
horn-dogish to spend the night now…whatever that means.”

     I knew what that meant and I thoroughly agreed with
Luka. Placing teenage boys in Nadia’s vicinity would be like putting their
hormones on crack. A quick scan of the room had me wondering where she’d gotten
to.

     “Is your sister still in bed?” Had she slipped into her
room during the middle of the night?

     Issy reached for the television remote shaking her
head. “No, she must have gone out for her run. She jogs every morning.”

     I sat up a little straighter looking up at the clock.
It was a little before eight right now, but if she went for runs during the
week she probably hit the pavement earlier than that. “Did Luka go with her?”

     Issy shook her head. “No, he’s still in bed.”

     “But he normally goes with her, right?” Ease my mind
here, Issy.

     “Sometimes on the weekends.” Issy’s gaze was glued to
the cartoon playing on the television as she answered my question.   

     My jaw clenched. I was going to tan that girl’s hide
when she got back. She should not be out running by herself so early in the
morning, maybe not by herself at all depending on where she ran. My head fell
back on the couch and I mumbled under my breath about headstrong, independent
woman and all the trouble they brought upon themselves.

     “Nadia always tells me I need to speak more clearly
when I do that.”

     I grinned at Issy’s correction and turned my head to see
her looking at me with an inquisitive frown. “She’s right. Mumbling is bad
manners. Sorry.” I straightened. “Hey, did you eat yet? Do you want me to make
you something?”

     Issy’s face lit up with interest. “Ooh, do you know how
to make waffles…with strawberries…and sausage?”

     This was a girl who knew what she liked, and it
coincided with what I liked. “If you have the ingredients than I can make it.”

     Issy jumped up and skipped into the kitchen. “I’m
pretty sure we have everything.” I stood and followed her. She pulled out a package
of sausage and a carton of strawberries from the refrigerator. I took them from
her, and noticed something odd in the refrigerator.

     “Issy, why is there a glass containing an empty granola
wrapper and banana peel in the refrigerator.”

     “Nadia probably left it in there.” Issy moved on to the
cupboards like nothing was amiss with empty items and trash in the
refrigerator. “Nadia usually makes waffle mix from scratch…” I grimaced hoping
Issy wasn’t expecting that from me. “But we do have a box of mix for when she
doesn’t feel like it, or runs out of ingredients.” She pulled out a ready to
make box.

     I looked down giving her my best helpless look. “You’re
going to help me, aren’t you?”

     Issy rolled her eyes grinning. Seems she knew my ploy. “I’ll
cut up the strawberries.”

     She grabbed me a bowl for the mix and unearthed the
waffle machine before setting up a cutting board next to the sink for the
strawberries. “So Issy, why is your sister leaving things that belong in the
trash in the refrigerator?” 

     “She does that a lot. She’s a little out of it in the
mornings, or whenever she first wakes up from sleep.” Issy threw me a grin.
“She leaves bowls, glasses, wrappers, all kinds of stuff, even her purse a few
times.”

     I found myself grinning as well, but then it fell away.
Nadia was leaving random items in the refrigerator because she was half asleep in
the mornings, and then she went out running. Talk about a recipe for disaster.
I was definitely going to smack her ass.

     I was working on the last waffle when Nadia finally
came strolling into the house; sweaty, disheveled, and looking impossibly sexy
in tight black shorts and a tight running top. My mouth started drooling for
more than breakfast.

     Nadia looked up from taking off her shoes and our eyes
connected. Her face already held a flush from running but I could swear that it
turned even rosier at the sight of me.

     “
Dobroye utro
, everyone.” She called out
huskily.

     Issy was already at the table eating and she looked up
in with a mouth full of food, grinning. “Look what Seth made, Nadia; waffles
with strawberries and sausage.”

     Nadia smiled. “I see, and I also see the food in your
mouth.”

     Issy kept her grin; it was just a closed grin this
time. “Sorry.” She mumbled.

     Nadia sauntered into the kitchen grabbing a glass out
of the cupboard. Taking it to the sink she filled it with water and then
brought it to her mouth, drinking it down. Taking the waffle out of the machine
I unplugged it and moved in next to her. She stared at me over the glass.

     “So, you run every morning, do you?” I became
transfixed on the beads of sweat rolling down her heaving chest.

     She brought the glass down and I raised my gaze to her
face. “Just about.”

     Moving in closer I ran my finger through those beads
while still holding her gaze. Her aquamarine eyes were vivid from the physical
exertion and she was giving off a slight odor that in no way offended me. It
was in fact stirring my senses. “I found your left over breakfast in the
refrigerator this morning.”

     She frowned but then the corner of her mouth quirked
up. “Yeah, I have a small idiosyncrasy when I’m tired.”

     “Do you really think you should be out running when you
aren’t completely awake?” I was pleased I was able to keep my tone neutral.

     “That’s why I go running; otherwise it would take me
forever to wake up. I’m what you would call a ‘non-morning person’. If I don’t
run than it takes me till about noon to wake up completely.” Nadia brought the
glass up to finish her water.

     “And what time do you do this during the week?”

     Her eyes narrowed. “Around seven o’clock.”

     I breathed
a little
easier knowing it was light
out when she ran. “Do you run alone?”

     Further narrowing of her eyes. “I run in the park
across the street, and there are actually a few morning runners at that time,
the same as me. It’s lit up nice and bright with no hidden areas allowing some
homicidal maniac to jump out and murder me when my back is turned. And if
someone did surprise me…” She reached behind her back and pulled her knife from
under her shirt. “I have this to even the odds.”

     Where the hell did she pull that from? I felt up her
back discovering some kind of contraption strapped there. I looked at her in
incredulity. “Where did you get this thing?”

     Nadia smirked. “You friendly neighborhood ‘how to
thwart your everyday homicidal manic’ store.”

     The scowl I gave her was fierce. “Your wit is not
appreciated right now. I was really worried about you, and it only increased
when I found out you do this everyday.”

     Her smirk fell away and she sighed. “How many times do
I have to tell you not to worry about me? I can take care of myself.”

     I pulled her close into me.

    “Seth! I’m sweaty and stinky.” She exclaimed trying to
wiggle away.

     I wasn’t going to let her go anywhere though. Gripping
her chin I held her still. “Nadia, would you agree that we are a couple now?”

     Her lips pursed and I received more narrowing of the eyes.
She actually vacillated before answering me which had me wanting to shake her. “
Da
.”
She finally replied.

     I expelled a frustrated sigh. “And as your boyfriend it
becomes my right to worry about you, to make sure you aren’t doing anything
dangerous.”

     Nadia’s expression tightened. “Just because…”

     I interrupted her. “No.” I voiced firmly causing her
mouth to drop in shocked indignation. I took a deep breath controlling my
irritation at her stubbornness. “Nadia, I know you’ve been taking care of
yourself, Luka, and Issy for years, but does that preclude other people from
caring and worrying as well. Let me tell you, I care, and not only do I care
about you, but I care what would happen to Luka and Issy if something happened
to you.”

     Sagging in my arms she huffed. “Out of all the things
you could have said.”  

     Yeah, I knew she held Luka and Issy’s welfare higher
than her own. In a way I found that tremendously inspiring, but I wished she would
think of herself more often then she did…wish she would show more concern for
herself.

     Nadia gave me a look of disgruntlement. “I need to run,
Seth. It gets me through my day.”

     Under that disgruntled expression I could see supplication.
I wondered if Nadia needed to run for more than just waking up in the mornings.
Did she need it as some sort of tension reliever? Could I allow her to run by
herself knowing she might be in danger? Damn, could I be any more controlling? I
hadn’t been like this with Melissa, and never in a million years would I have
thought I would be acting like this on account of a woman.

     But she was Nadia. And she was my woman.

     However, I couldn’t control her; there was no way she’d
stand for it. Expelling a huge sigh I leaned my forehead to hers. “Please, just
take precautions. Don’t run when it’s dark out, make sure there are other
people around, and wear that knife every single time…for your safety as well as
to fuel my wet dreams.”

     Angling backwards she slapped at my chest trying to
look offended. “
Izvrashchenets
.”

     I smiled. “I bet I could guess what that meant.”
Something along the lines of douche bag or pervert.

     She huffed. “Probably because you’ve heard it in every
language.”

     “You give me too much credit; only three of four languages.”

     She rolled eyes that sparkled merrily. “I need to go
take a shower and get ready for church. You go eat some of that breakfast you
made.”

     I pulled her closer and bent down to growl in her ear.
“I’d rather take a shower with you…eat you.”

     Face flaming she put her ear to mine, whispering softly.
“I can see it now; both of us wet and soapy, I would slide my hands down your slick
chest, across your abdomen, and down to your…” Nadia leaned back giving me a
wicked grin. “But then Issy would pound on the door interrupting the whole
thing.”

     The wicked grin told me she knew she’d gotten me all
worked up with her soapy naked flesh talk. Suddenly, I received a poke in the
side and I reflexively released her at the sharp pain. That had hurt and I gave
her a ‘what the hell’ look, but she only grinned. 

     “I told you I could get you to let me go if I wanted.”
She said smartly before walking away.

     Of course I had to smile…from her actions, her words,
and from the sight of her bare legs and that amazing ass in those tight shorts.
I mean, damn!

     I grabbed the plate containing the rest of the waffles
and sat at the table across from Issy. As I was dishing up some food Luka
walked out of his bedroom door. “Cool, waffles.” He gave me a narrowed eyed
look that was a bit too similar to Nadia’s as he walked by to get his own
plate. 

     “Seth had a sleep over last night, Luka. Isn’t that
cool?” Issy’s smile flashed back and forth between the two of us.

     “Beyond cool.” Luka responded rather testily as he sat
down.

     “Just fell asleep on the couch, Luka. No big deal.” I
gave him a raised brow.

     He shrugged and I wasn’t certain how to take that. He
seemed okay last night, but less inclined to like me this morning.

     “Seth, are you and Nadia boyfriend and girlfriend?”

     I swiveled my head back in Issy’s direction. “Uhm…yes.”
Simple question, simple answer.

     “Are you going to get married?”

     I stared at her smiling face feeling a bit on the
frozen side. Surprisingly, I wasn’t completely horrified by the question. Luka
was choking on either his sausage or waffle next to me and I broke eye contact
with her in relief to turn and thwack him on the back. I found out he wasn’t
choking on food, but laughter. I thwacked him harder.

     “You okay there,
son
?” I asked with a wide
smile.

     He gave me an evil eye.

     Turning back to Issy I kept the smile in place. “Issy,
marriage is a pretty serious responsibility. It can take a long time for two
people to figure out if they can live their whole lives together.”

     “How long?”

     I rolled my eyes inwardly. Wasn’t she past the years
where she questioned everything? “The timing is different for every couple.
Some people can take years to decide.” I figured that answer gave me a lot of
leeway.

     “Good answer.” Luka mumbled around a bite of food.

     I dug into my own plate of food hoping the questions
were at an end.

     Issy didn’t look as satisfied with my answer as I was. “That’s
a long time. I think I would know right away.”

     “Have you liked anyone yet at school?” I asked
curiously.

     Her nose wrinkled. “Ehw, no.”

     I grinned at her response. “Do you know anyone that
likes someone else?”

     She frowned. “I know that a lot of my classmates have
crushes on the boys in
One
Direction
.”

     I laughed. “How about anyone they know personally?”

     “Jennifer has a crush on Johnny. I don’t know why
because he’s a dork.” She shook her body in a grossed out way.

     Luka laughed this time while I just grinned.

     “Well, when you are young you normally go through a lot
of crushes, and when you get older you need to give yourself time to figure out
if what you are feeling is a crush or real love, because a crush will go away,
but real love lasts forever.”