by Audrey Noire
She gave him a suspicious look and then prodded her fork into the odd morning concoction before taking a bite. A surprisingly good explosion of flavor danced over her tongue and she swallowed her mouthful before begrudgingly nodding at him.
“It's good. But I have, for the record, never ever heard of anyone putting Doritos on a waffle. That's weird. I don't care who you are, that is really weird.” She used her fork to shovel another bite into her face – sex with Nicolai could be a little enthusiastic given his high-speed ability, and he'd damn near wore her out the night before. Her stomach was demanding sustenance, even as strange a mix of taste and texture as he'd whipped up for her.
She had to admit it though, it was good. Weird as hell, but good. That seemed to sum up Nicolai though, she thought as she munched her way through her breakfast. The man in question was sprawling out across the bed, hands under his head as he watched her eat, like he was waiting for something. She got down to the last piece of avocado, chasing it around on her plate with her fork before he spoke.
“Rykov is calling us in today,” his tone was casual, but she could see a slight shadow in his eyes. It was their day off, their only day off together, and Rykov was calling them in? The woman quietly approved of their relationship together, and had done her best to leave them be on the scant time they had alone.
“What? Are you kidding?” Disappointment settled over Daria like a wet blanket and she put her fork down on her plate. “She texted you? Why didn't my phone go off...” She swapped her empty plate for her phone and scrolled through her notifications. Nothing from Rykov.
Nicolai shrugged a shoulder, but she could tell he was grumpy. When they weren't on missions, they were training in combat and espionage techniques but didn't have too much time together... he had a special program due to being an Augmented, and she was just a junior operative and needed a lot of supplementary training just to keep up with his powered self. That meant a lot of time at work, and barely any of that together.
Really she should have been grateful that she was being kept on as Nicolai's semi-regular partner, because his augmentation made him more senior than her. He should have been paired with someone like Balfour, who may have been fully un-augmented but was a very senior agent and a force to be reckoned with in hand-to-hand combat. He also mixed a great martini, she'd found out when she'd gone over to his place a week back for a rooftop party.
“Well that fucking sucks,” Daria muttered under her breath. Nicolai made a noise of agreement and then sat up, snaking his arm around her waist like a firm metal band as he tugged her into his body. A shiver ran down her spine and she let him, sprawling across his chest with a sigh. He was electric, every inch of him, like his augmentation was literally humming under the surface of his skin, and it just made her hungry for his touch. She tucked her head under his chest and listened to his heartbeat, the rapid pace of it had startled her the first time she’d heard it, but she'd gotten used to it. Just another one of the marks that being an Augmented had left on him. Still, she'd never want him to change.
“I think, Mila, we have at least a few minutes to enjoy the day,” he said into the top of her head, his words warm and comforting. His fingers skimmed down her bare back, anything but comforting as they lit up a path of sparks that went straight between her thighs. Her mouth fell open in a soft gasp as his thumb stroked along the curve of her ass, and she rocked into him, up on her knees. God, yes, he did it to her every time. It only took a few touches, him calling her his darling, and she was falling apart for him, scrambling to grip onto sanity or reality or anything really.
“You're a distraction, Nico,” she huffed out. He just chuckled and lay her back, gently, slowly, which she knew had to be killing him, he loved fast, so fast, but he'd take her slow just to torment her. He drew the sheet down her naked body, his blue eyes lighting up as he drank her in with his hungry gaze. She'd never felt so attractive with any of her past boyfriends as with Nicolai, and it'd given her the confidence to just lay and be looked at, to be admired.
“I think I do not agree,” he said after several moments of tracing whorls up and down her bare arms, his eyes never leaving her figure. Her breath caught in her throat when he bent down, mouth finding the peak of one breast, lips brushing over the nipple until it went tight under his touch. “It is you, every time, every minute, that distracts me. You are a menace, Daria Griffin.” He looked up at her from her torso, eyes glowing with heat and she pressed her thighs together tight to stop the pulse of need that was growing there. “But I have never been so happy to be distracted.”
He bent down again to lave his tongue over her skin, when both their phones beeped and chimed in unison, interrupting the moment. With a groan he hauled himself off of her, and grabbed his mobile in a blur of movement, answering it.
“Novik,” he said curtly. Daria grumbled and reached for her own phone. No call, but a message from Balfour. She flicked the screen and opened it, just as she heard Nico growl unhappily behind her. She turned to look at him, her own phone forgotten. His jaw was clenched. “Yes. Thank you. We will leave now.”
He ended the call and glared down at his phone.
“Wanna clue me in there, Man O'War?” Daria asked, not sure if she should reach out to pet at his arm for comfort, or what. He could be, at times grumpy and more than a little volatile. He shook his head and got off the bed. In a beat he was at his closet door, yanking out his work clothes, a thin specially designed track suit that would withstand his fast movements and resisted friction wear. Ignoring the dissipating heat between her own thighs (speaking of friction), she got out of bed and fumbled around for her work skirt and a blouse.
“There is another operation, that is why we were being called in,” he said as she got dressed. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, looking serious and a bit broody. It was a handsome, if concerning, expression on him.
“Alright, that sucks, but it is what it is. That can't be everything. What's got you so pissed?” She pulled her hair back in a no-nonsense bun and his eyes flicked to her fingers. She knew he hated it when her hair was up, but work was work, and he had to just deal. His next words were like a punch to the gut.
“They are putting us with different partners. Rykov was calling us in early to tell us. The higher ups have been made aware of...” Nicolai motioned to the bed, and to her. Daria felt her stomach drop. Fuck. Well. She swallowed and then looked down at her phone, swiping across the screen and opening up the message from Balfour.
Hey kid. Bad news. Nic's with Rykov for the foreseeable future. I tried to get you, but it's a no go. I'll introduce you to your new partner when you get in. - FB
She exhaled a slow breath and looked up to where Nico had been standing. He was already gone, and she heard the door downstairs opening and then closing. Dammit. Him and his short fuse and super-speed and-
“Nico-” she nearly tripped over his jeans on the floor as she ran down the stairs, grabbing her ballet flats and shoving her feet into them inelegantly. He'd be waiting for her out front, would pull the car around, right? They'd get to ARC HQ and sort it out with Rykov and Balfour and everything would be fine. As she took the elevator down to the lobby, her gut curled tensely in on itself as apprehension took hold of her. Somehow, she couldn't convince herself that this would work out, and she walked outside with a pit of dread that was growing in her stomach by the minute. Somehow, she knew that this operation could mean the end of her budding relationship with Nicolai, both on and off the field.
~*~
COMING SOON IN 2016
This Spring:
TAKING SIDES
by Audrey Noire
Book Two of the ARC Operatives Romance Series
A super-powered human romance.
This Summer:
TAKING CHANCES
by Audrey Noire
Book Three of the Arc Operatives Romance Series
A super-powered human romance.
HIDDEN RIVER HIGH
by Audrey Noire
Book One of the Hidden River Series
A full-length New Adult romance.
This Winter:
HIDDEN RIVER'S EDGE
by Audrey Noire
Book Two of the Hidden River Series
A full-length New Adult romance.