Page 26 of It’s A Little Bit Bunny (Fangs on Ice #4)

Twenty-five

Jules

I gaped at Nikolai as if I had never seen him before.

I hadn’t. Not like this.

“I’m ready to dig in the earth. I’m a little scared of the worms, but thankfully, I’ve got you to protect me.”

He put his hands on his hips, head cocked. I was tempted to do something recklessly stupid.

Nikolai wore tight shorts. On a smaller man they might have reached the top of the knee but on him they barely covered half of his thick thighs. He had paired it with a short top that ended at the bottom of his rib cage, exposing his midriff and heavily corded arms. A yellow and blue mountain lion head sat on his chest.

When he whipped off his hat that read ‘RAWR’ in yellow on blue, I noticed for the first time how much his hair had grown in the weeks since I met him.

Nikolai extracted a blue hair tie from his pocket and used it to pile the longer strands into a high bun on top of his head.

“Ready when you are. I found this in our merch shop. A bit much?” He’d noticed me staring and pulled his top down, trying and failing to get it to cover more of his body.

“No. I like it.”

Too much, in fact.

“Yeah?”

“You look very nice, Bunny.”

Edible.

His lips pursed.

“Thank you, Jules. You look very nice, too.”

I wore trousers made from handwoven fabric and a matching loose-fitting tunic. My forest provided almost everything I needed—nettles to make fabric, animals, roots, and fruits to feed me and Barnabas— and a feeling of freedom. We kept each other alive.

“Thank you.” My cheeks warmed. “Do you want to get started? I spent the last couple of days building a new garden bed for you.”

“Seriously, Jules?” Nikolai’s lips stretched into a smile that warmed my heart.

“Yes.” I led the way over to the high bed I’d made from pinewood. “I thought you might like to have your own bed in my garden.”

What are you saying?!

Bunny’s smile turned radiant.

“I love that. Thank you. But you’ll help me plant it, right? I don’t want to mess up.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t mess anything up, Nikolai. But if you want me to, I will help you. Of course I will.”

I might even charm the seedlings and make them grow faster for you.

“Thank you, Jules.” He reached out and squeezed my forearm. “Tell me what to do.”

“First of all, don’t be scared of the critters. They will not hurt you.”

His laugh made me feel so alive I very nearly cried with joy.

Everything about this beautiful human filled my days with so much happiness. Every moment spent with Nikolai was a ray of sunlight illuminating the darkness I’d experienced in all my centuries alone.

I showed him how to prepare the soil for the seeds, mesmerised by his intense energy and focus.

He plunged his hands into the earth and felt it. Watching him let the black earth fall through his fingers made me sure he found it as healing as I did.

“Hey, little friend. Here, let’s get you back on the ground.” He set a wriggling worm on the earth, watching it disappear from view. “Not as scary as I thought,” he said, raising his eyes and finding me staring at him. His tongue darted over his bottom lip, and he swallowed. “Am I doing this right?”

“Yes,” I breathed, mesmerised by his beauty all over again.

I got to my feet and retreated. There had to be more distance between us or I would do something exceptionally stupid.

Nikolai mirrored me. He walked around the raised bed.

“Is everything okay?”

I nodded. Nikolai took another step towards me.

“You’re an excellent teacher, Jules.” His minty breath brushed over my mouth.

He’s so close.

“I’m still a little scared of the critters but way less than last time.” Nikolai’s tongue swiped over his lips again. “I’m sure that worm bit me, though.”

Please don’t kiss me while we’re talking about worms and bugs.

“I’m glad,” I gasped, taking half a step back and stumbling over my feet. I hated myself when he retreated out of my personal space.

No, don’t leave. I didn’t mean it. You can kiss me if you want.

“I’m ready to cool off.” He walked backwards. “You said you swam in the pond when it was warm enough.”

“Yes, I…”

Nikolai turned and ran. He pulled his tiny crop top off and threw it carelessly to the side. Water splashed everywhere as he threw himself into the pond. He dove in, and I ran after him.

What if he drowns?

Then his head breached the surface, sending more droplets flying. They cascaded down his bare chest. Where the sun hit them right, they looked like tiny crystals.

Bunny shook his hair and laughed at the top of his lungs. I looked and looked until my heart threatened to burst from the feelings that flooded me at the sight of this carefree, beautiful human.

“Aren’t you coming, too? It’s great!”

“Yes, sure.” With shaking hands, I took off my trousers. His gaze never left me until he seemed to realise how nervous it made me to have a pair of inquisitive eyes on me. Of course it unsettles you. The last time I undressed in front of another person had been with Friedrich three hundred years ago.

Nikolai floated on his back, looking up at the skies above us.

“This is so fucking perfect, Jules.”

“It is,” I agreed as I joined him in the blissfully cool pond. Being here with him was as close to perfection as I had ever experienced.

We stayed in the pond, not speaking much but enjoying the water on our skins until gooseflesh spread on Nikolai’s chest.

He left the pond before me. For a moment, I found his backside level with my face. The shorts were plastered to his glutes.

Oh, by my trees.

I averted my eyes. There was no need for me to embarrass myself.

“I will get us towels from my bathroom. Maybe you would like to lie in the sun for a bit to warm up?”

“Excellent idea.” He beamed at me, looking prettier than ever before.

“Good. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I quickly changed into dry undergarments and a fresh pair of trousers and fetched a large towel and snack for him. When I returned, I found Nikolai sitting on the edge of the pond.

Barnabas had his little head on his thigh. Bunny stroked and talked to him under his breath.

“Oh, thanks, Jules.” He accepted the towel from me. “You got us a snack? Awesome, I’m starving. Gardening makes you hungry, doesn’t it?”

Gardening or you in those shorts, one of the two.

“It does. I thought you could do with some sustenance.”

“Sorry, Barney,” he apologised to my pet when he dislodged his little antlered head as he wrapped the towel around his shoulders.

I poured a glass of elderberry juice for him. I had diluted it with water from my spring, making it ice cold and refreshing. Nikolai popped a cherry tomato into his mouth. Some of its juice dribbled down his chin. He wiped it away with a chuckle.

“Thank you, Jules. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun.”

“Me either, Bunny.”