Chapter 14.1 - Teasing Nick - part 2

Nick smirked. “Says the pot to the kettle! It wasn’t me checking you out while you were dressing, remember? As for adventures, I had one or two, nothing more. I had to run for my life, not much time to stop and go steady with a girl, you know?”

Aniya returned to the mirror and took a small box of makeup from the top drawer of her vanity table, saying as she applied eyeliner, “I had more than you, then. I never had much luck with men ever since I was a teenager because they were all after my family’s money, and not me. So, I stopped searching for a relationship and indulged myself every time I felt like it.”

Nick approached and hugged her from behind, leaning his head on her left shoulder. As he looked at the mirror, he noticed the faint yellow shine around them and smiled. “Judging by the way we shine when we are together, it seems we are a perfect match for a happy relationship. What do you say? Do you want to try it and see what happens?”

Aniya felt a shiver run down her body. Every time Nick was near her, her entire body reacted to his presence, and it was as if even her soul felt complete. She leaned her head to the right, leaving an opening for her earlobe, which Nick gently kissed and bit, making her squeeze the edge of the vanity fair with her free hand while the other was dropping the eyeliner over the small box. She closed her eyes and moved her head in his direction, searching for his lips.
Nick complied with her hint, and his lips went in search of Aniya’s softness. Waves of energy travelled from one to another, from anywhere their bodies were touching each other. Skin, lips, tongue. Exponential surges of energy were accompanied by an increase in the surrounding light that became so bright that even with their eyelids closed, they both thought the sun was near them.

As Nick’s lips parted from hers, Aniya slowly half-opened her eyes, protecting them from the still powerful light around them, and spoke in a soft voice, “The Force is strong with us, my Padawan!”

Nick burst into laughter. “Ahahah! Really? Now I am the Padawan and you are the mighty Jedi? Very well, Master, I shall now retire to the kitchen to prepare our breakfast!”

Aniya pointed to the lower drawer on the left side of the closet. “Try the slippers inside. I never used them, but Lisa thought it would be funny, so she bought them for me.”

Nick opened the drawer and grabbed the slippers, smiling at the yellow and dark tiger claws, still wrapped in transparent plastic. As he was putting them on, he spoke without facing Aniya, “You know, you never answered me if you wanted to give us a chance or not.”

Aniya smiled as she took a lipstick from the small box. “I think I just did, considering I don’t kiss random guys everywhere I go. I like tea and toast with a bit of butter. Not too much butter, because I am on a strict diet. Unless you like chubby women, that is.”

“I don’t mind some meat to grab and bite, so if you gain any weight, I won’t complain.”

Aniya made a slight smile and put the lipstick in the small box again, and answered while checking on the mirror if she needed to put some base or not, “You might very well be better in a relationship than me, considering you know all the exact words. Not too shabby, my dear Nick, not at all.”

He left with a smirk and raised his nose, leaving behind a laughing Aniya who saw what he did.
…

When Aniya arrived at the kitchen, the smell of freshly cooked eggs and toast filled the air. She put the jacket she was carrying on the hanger near the door and sat at the table, muffling laughter at the sight of Nick in front of the stove, checking the last fried egg and slices of bacon with the tight clothes he was wearing and the tiger-foot slippers.

Nick heard her snorting and asked, without even looking back, “Saw something funny, you brat? A guy cooks breakfast for you, a powerful Alpha Werewolf such as me, and you mock him? Really?”

“Sorry, I can’t help it. You look darn funny in my clothes and those slippers. The only thing missing is a pink apron. Now that would make an amazing photo.”

Nick put the egg on the plate he had in his hand and turned off the stove. As he sat in front of her, he smirked, “I could put one pretty and frilly apron, if you had any. Considering you never cooked in this house, I guess you never needed to buy one, huh?”

“Who told you I never cooked here? I may not come here that often, but-“

Nick shook his index finger with a grin and said, “No, no, pretty Aniya, no lying to me. The gas for the stove was disconnected when I arrived here yesterday, with the gas company’s approval seal on the tap. There are over there on that counter to your right some flyers of takeout restaurants, with some dishes marked with a red circle. It seems you like Thai and Chinese food a lot.”

“My, my, how observant you are. Anything else you noticed while you were snooping around?”

Nick put a tiny bit of butter on the toast that he handed over to Aniya. He poured tea on her cup and answered, as he was grabbing a toast for himself, “Well, I saw nothing that led me to believe that anyone besides you ever came here. This is really your refuge like you said. Are you sure you don’t have any second thoughts about me staying here?”

“I told you, no one knows I have this place. Besides, I kind of prefer having you here and knowing that you are safe, rather than wondering if the Hunters caught you or not. At least, until we find more Werewolves that can help in case of danger.”

As he was taking a bite of his toast, Nick answered, “Tonight is the last night for our change, at least until next month. You are coming here after work, right? Because you can’t go to your parents and risk them finding out about you.”

Aniya took a sip of her tea and nodded. “I know that. I am also going to bring my friend Lisa in the afternoon, considering that tonight is the last change for her as well. Maybe I can also make her gain a conscience. If not, we have to keep her inside the panic room and wait for the morning. You could be a dear and clean the glass on my bedroom floor from those bulbs I broke. I pushed them to one corner and put a towel over the pile. Inside the panic room, there is a faucet connected to a water container, and there is a drain underneath. You could clean the blood in there, or the smell will be atrocious in no time.”

“Anything more you need your humble servant to do, Milady? You are too used to bossing people around, aren’t you?”

Aniya pretended to be angry while making a funny face. “Shut up and pay attention, you fool! Behind you, in that drawer, is a cell phone and a charger. Near it, there is also a notebook with the numbers of grocery stores that have delivery services. The address of this house is also in that notebook. You don’t need to go outside. They are used to placing the package on the porch and leaving. I don’t want any of the delivery guys to see my face, or yours. When you order everything for tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast, ask what the total price is and leave the money in an envelope under the vase near the one where I hide the key for the front door.”

Nick nodded as he was munching a piece of bacon. “I think I need more money if I have to cook for three.”

Aniya grabbed the purse that she had on the empty chair at her left and took from there a pack of bills held by a golden pin and delivered the entire pack to Nick, who wide opened his eyes and said, “What the… did you rob a bank or what? I don’t need all this for groceries!”

“Consider this payment for the house chores you did yesterday and for the ones that you have today if you like. I think there is enough money for a few days, so you don’t need to leave this house and take any chances. Fill the pantry, because Lisa’s parents are helping me find more Werewolves, and I want to make this house a meeting point, so we will need food, water, and wine as well.”

Nick stopped munching, and he almost choked, taking a big gulp of tea to push down the bacon. “Her parents are helping you? You told them?”

“They already knew Lisa was one of us, and they could help us find the Werewolves that I won’t be able to, without raising too many suspicions. I need to go because I am sure I have tonnes of missed calls, considering I turned off my cell phone the moment I left Lisa’s house to come here. Can you grab the phone in the drawer and call an Uber for me while I finish eating? “

Nick stretched his arm, and as he was turning on the phone and frowning at the starting picture, he wondered, “You really thought about everything, I see. Even the cell phone provider is the smallest in the country.”

As he was accessing the Uber app, Aniya grinned, “Me smart! Me no dumb blond! Nick hit jackpot with Aniya!”

“I sure did, pretty Aniya, I sure did. I don’t like to brag about myself like you do, but I am not that bad of a catch, you know? I learned some skills over the years that might prove useful in case of need.”

Aniya took a sip of her tea while staring at him, using the cup to hide her mocking smile. “Like being a house gifted Luna, you mean? Cooking, washing dishes, cleaning and such? Yes, that is indeed useful…”

“I can also give knockout kisses, remember? I wonder what will happen next time I catch you alone in your bedroom… Or in the shower.”

Aniya took another sip of tea, feeling her cheeks hot under the scrutiny of those gorgeous green eyes that were staring at her, watching her reaction. She felt a tingling between her legs and fought with all her strength the sudden urge to jump over the table and kiss those soft lips that were semi-open in a slight smile. She saw the surrounding light changing and noticed that they were again enveloped in a faint white light, as if it was reacting to her increased feelings. Nick noticed as well, and slowly got up and approached her.

Gently, Nick took the cup from Aniya’s lips, kneeled, gave her a slight peck on the lips, and asked in a soft voice, making her heart pump like crazy, “While you are out, I will take care of the chores, but when I finish, is there anything around here that I can get myself occupied with? Like perhaps, cutting some wood at the back of the house for the fireplace in the living room, sweating so much from the effort that I had to be half-naked, showing off this amazing body of mine that you enjoyed so much watching while I was getting dressed?”

“If I recall correctly, you were the one checking me out first when the sun was rising. And again, when we were in the shower.”

Nick approached his lips a bit more, and his breath tickled her nose as he answered, “I think I also recall you showing off your body as you were leaving the shower. Or was it my imagination?”

Aniya gently bumped her forehead against his and pretended to be offended, “Such a nerve, young man! As if a lady like myself would ever do something like that! Out of my way, I have work to do, and so do you!”

As she suddenly got up, she hit Nick’s face with her voluptuous chest, and he smiled, “Well, that I wasn’t expecting! A lady, slapping my face with her breasts! The nerve of women nowadays is outrageous!”

Aniya dragged him up by gently grabbing both his ears and said, “If you are so worried about what to do when you finish what I asked, perhaps you can clean the dust and sweep the floor. There are some books that you can read in the living room. You know how to read, don’t you?”

When Nick was already standing and about to kiss her, they heard a car horn outside, and Aniya quickly escaped, leaving Nick behind to look at her poking out her butt as she left the house.