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watched her, they cooled considerably before she looked away from him and out the window.
    Look at me. She ignored his mental command, opting instead to enjoy her snack. Nikolas couldn’t take his eyes off the way her teeth pulled the bites off the fork; it was as if she didn’t want her lips to touch the food nor her teeth to touch the prongs. Her teeth were straight and brilliant white against her dark skin. To calm down, he reached for his coffee, refusing to look away from her on the chance he may miss something.
    Each bite, each suck on the fork went straight from her mouth to his groin. Every swipe of her tongue across her full kissable lips made him long to forget it wasn’t proper to carry her off over his shoulder. If cake put that look on her face, he wondered what a night of making love would do. He wanted to hear her voice. He wanted to touch her, smell the scent of her skin, and more.
    So much more.
    A low growl erupted from him as a worker stopped beside her to talk. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could definitely see her smile. Even from across the room, her expression filled him with a feeling he’d never had before. Completion. Closing his eyes with a groan, he rubbed his temples. It was an innocent interaction, but he was filled with jealousy at the thought of her smile going to someone else, especially when he didn’t even know her name.
    You’d think, after all this time, I’d have it all figured out on how to approach her. I’ve been waiting for her for so long. And, I’m sitting here like an untried warrior before his first battle.
    What are you just sitting around for, Nikolas Andreyevich? A feminine voice broke into his thoughts, and it was familiar, even though it’d been centuries since he’d heard it. I thought you’d give anything for a love like Kit and Marcus shared. So, why are you sitting here? Perhaps you don’t want your woman. Shall I take back the gift I’ve given?
    His eyes ripped open as a glower settled across his face. One that turned more severe when he noticed there was no beautiful woman eating cake in his line of sight. In fact, she wasn’t even in the building. Nikolas shoved back from the table and stood in a single motion as he searched desperately for any sign of her.
    Amused laughter filled his head, and he rippled with anger and resentment. Pushing the voice to the bottom of his list of what’s important, Nik picked up his jacket and slipped it on, relaxing a bit as the familiar weight of the wool settled across his shoulders.
    I will find you, again. I’ve found you, and I’ll be damned if I lose you, now.
    “Sir? Mr. Andreyevich?” a male questioned from beside him.
    Nikolas looked down into the blue eyes of the proprietor’s son. “ Da, Yuri? What can I do for you?”
    “She headed to the museum. I overheard her telling Pavel that was her next stop.”
    Nik smiled. It was kismet, her going where he was ultimately ending up, as well. “ Spasibo, Yuri. Tell your papa I said hello.”
    With a wave as the young man picked up his dishes, Nikolas headed for the door and stepped out into the increasingly cold evening. Turning up the collar of his charcoal double-breasted, knee-length wool pea coat, he waited for the traffic to clear before he hurried across the street to the museum.
    Before long, he was striding across the smooth tile floor, his heavy boots surprisingly quiet given they were wet from the snow. He nodded greetings to the museum staff, but nothing was going to deter him from finding and speaking to his woman. His demeanor must have given off the vibe of “leave me alone” for no one attempted to stop him.
    His confident stride faltered as his gaze landed upon her. She stood by herself, contemplating intently at the Russo-Japanese War exhibit. He remained behind her, opting to descry and take in the sight she presented. As it had in the bakery, his body responded almost violently to seeing her. His palms sweated, and his heart