Ava could not help but smile at his effort to clean the kitchen. Honestly, she believed that he was doing a better job than her. She could see that the table looked spotlessly cleaned in such a short time.
However, her eyes could not stop themselves from following him around, watching how his arm muscles flexed every time he wiped the counter. He was moving so smoothly and swiftly. She believed he could do anything with those hands.
She wanted to look away, afraid that he might notice her, but he seemed busy with his task. So, she did not see the harm in observing his movement.
Then when he turned his back on her, she could see the rippling of his back muscles through his tight shirt as he tried to reach a cabinet to put the remaining utensils in it.
Oh! How could she ever forget about them? Now that all she could think about was touching them, feeling those firm muscles as her fingers traced those patterns.
"Aren't the two of you done yet?" Kiev stood by the door, with his hands firmly planted on both sides of his hips, looking like a general about to whip them for making him wait.
She suddenly woke up from her daze, realizing that she had been ogling him for far too long. She hurriedly turned away, afraid that he might think she was attracted to him.
The little boy walked further inside the room, watching them intensely as if he was studying them. But she could see the impatience growing in his expression.
"I am almost through here." Finally, Adam responded to the boy, turning a hundred eighty degrees to face them. "Why don't you wait outside, and we will be there in a few minutes?"
Adam sounded convincing, but Kiev seemed too intolerant to wait for another few minutes or even a minute longer as he started tapping his feet on the floor. Then, he started moving toward the big man.
"Uncle Adam, come on. You promise to tell me more about your encounter with that wild animal." Kiev eagerly insisted, tagging on his hands, making him nod his head in his direction.
The little boy was persistent. She would give him credit for that, not stopping until he got his attention. But would he give in to this little boy's demand? She could only wait for what will ensue next.
"Fine. Done, anyway." Adam finally threw the rag on the side of the sink and walked toward her. "Shall we go?" He offered his other hand to her while letting Kiev dangle on his other one.
She believed she had no choice since the boy was watching them. She could not show Kiev that she had some animosity toward the man. Although she did not, she still could not trust him. But she could play friendly toward this stranger for the little boy.
When she accompanied the two out of the kitchen into the backdoor, she realized the siblings had transferred to a new location.
They walked further down the path where Jace was arranging some wood for what appeared to be a bonfire while Cathy placed the seats around in a circle.
She suddenly felt excited by the new scene, not having experienced anything like that before. She decided it was the perfect time to learn how to light a fire in the wild.
"Can I help?" She offered, standing near Jace, watching his every move.
The woods were all set as Jace stood straight and started clapping his hands to remove the debris left on his skin. All that was left was for him to make a fire.
"You can reach over there on the side of that table. Then, hand me the match," Jace suggested as he bent over again to put some sawdust on top of the logs.
That was anti-climatic, she thought as she reached for the match. She knew now how to use those damn things, but she would not have those firing sticks if she had been alone in the forest at night.
But she guessed she had to learn it another way as she watched Jace light the woods with the small stick. Eventually, the small fire became bigger, creating a bright light surrounding them.
And just like promised, Adam started telling his tale, using the shadows created by the fire to amaze the little child. Of course, at some point, she was also fascinated with him. Not because of his story, but how he moved his body.
"Uncle Adam, why did you not kill that wild animal?" Adam asked curiously. "I am sure you could have easily killed that beast if you wanted to." The boy insisted, watching him intensely in the glowing fire surrounding him. Then, his eyes gazed at hers.
She swore his eyes were glowing from their original green color to a blazing red. But it could be the fire reflecting in them, dismissing the idea that his eyes could be on fire.
Then, when he stepped a bit further away from the fire, his eyes returned to normal. "Because it was not yet his time to die." He only said as if he was not talking about the animal anymore.
"Oh well. I am also happy that you did not kill the animal. Maybe it is not that bad, just hungry." Kiev uttered, slightly disappointed but contented with the story. "But I wish he would return my gift, though." The little boy added, making them all laugh.
Eventually, the night had deepened, and after a few bottles of beer, they slowly retired to their quarters. Kiev and Cathy were the first to leave, followed by her, leaving Adam and Jace to finish their bottles.
She could still hear them a few minutes after settling on her bed, but eventually, the noise died down as sleep took over her consciousness.
"Do you like her?" It was the last word she heard, but she was too dizzy to decipher who had asked that question between the two remaining men sitting not far from her room.
She would look in her window if she could, but the alcohol and the tiredness must have already taken over her body. She would have liked to hear the answer, but she was now far gone.
She had no more control over herself as her inner wolf seemed to begin taking over and playing in her dreams.