by Nikki Drost
Jamie
“If you’re drinking this early you must be in the dog house,” Adam says as he struts into my bedroom. The wolf dives onto my bed and makes himself comfortable next to me.
“I’m just killing time until Kelsey’s classes get over with.”
When we had made it back to the cabin last night I had expected DEFCON 1, I deserved nothing less for putting her in danger yet again. So you can imagine my surprise when Kelsey suggested we clean up and go to bed. The shower turned X-rated before either of us was clean. Then she fell asleep with her head on my chest.
“I hear you,” he sighs, “I’m bored all day while Andy’s at work and by the time she gets home I’m heading out to hunt. This opposite schedule bullshit is killing me.”
“Yeah, I bet it’s really cutting into your baby making time.”
The bastard doesn’t even try to deny it.
“Heard about that, did you?” His goofy smile is so wide you’d think he slept with a coat hanger in his mouth. “It’s been tough, but we make the time for each other.”
I can’t help but laugh, those two have been mating like a pair of rabbits since they got hitched. I’m actually surprised he hasn’t knocked her up already. I honestly can’t wait for that day to happen. Adam is over the top protective of his wife and I bet he’ll take it to a whole new level once she is carrying his pup. The poor woman will probably be forced to quit her job, and be confined to this house for the entire pregnancy. Man, I can’t wait to see how Andy will talk her way out of that one.
“What’s so funny?”
“You are. Do you realize how psychotic you’re going to get? You cause hurricane force winds when Andy gets a paper cut, heaven help this town if your kid ever scrapes his knee.”
All kidding aside that pup couldn’t ask for a better father. Adam is patient and even tempered, he’d never raise his voice or his hand. He will lead by example and challenge his pups to be the best that they can be. He’ll support them. Spend time with them and no matter what, he’ll protect them at all costs. If I were being honest with myself, I’d admit that if I ever had a child that is the type of father I would strive to be.
“Oh please, like you don’t overreact when Kelsey gets hurt.”
Okay, so he has a point. “Touché, fucker, but we aren’t talking about me.”
“No, but maybe we should be. Between the hit squads, exploding drug labs, and time traveling prophets, that doesn’t leave you much time to romance your mate properly. Have you even taken her on a date yet?”
God love him, but his concern is not only misplaced but it’s seriously pissing me off.
“Like you said we’ve been busy.”
It’s not as if I wouldn’t like to take Kelsey somewhere nice, but it’s just not safe for her to be seen with me, last night was a terrifying reminder of why Enforcers normally remain single. The right thing to do would be to end our relationship and stay far away from her, the problem is my wolf doesn’t care about what’s right or wrong. He wants her, all of her and he is beginning to grow restless with my snail like pace.
“She’s human, James, which means she has certain expectations like fancy dinners and grand romantic gestures. Singing to her was a start, but it would have helped if she had known the meaning behind it.”
Adam exhales deeply before turning toward me. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but either you step up your game and tell the girl that you are in love with her or find a way to show her because the clock is ticking. Women need to feel loved and desired James and great sex will only get you so far.”
Christ, he makes it sound so easy and maybe for most people it is, but I’m not like most people. It’s not about being insecure or any of that bullshit because I know Kelsey cares for me, I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at me. I feel our soul deep connection every time we make love.
The truth is, love can either be used for strength or as a weakness, and it can either lift you up or tear you down. My enemies know this all too well, it’s why they go after our families and loved ones first. My job leaves little room for errors, when I am out hunting my head needs to be clear. Distractions can get a man killed and right now, Kelsey is my biggest distraction.
I’m not saying loving Kelsey hasn’t made me stronger because it has. Whether she knows it or not she has helped me start to deal with my past in ways that I never thought I could. Slowly I have begun to accept that just because my father had been a bastard that doesn’t mean that I will necessarily end up like him. The fear of this reality is still there of course, but it’s grip on me isn’t as strong as it used to be.
She has also brought out a gentler side of my wolf that I hadn’t known was possible. The snarling beast is calmed by her presence alone. Before I had met Kelsey, my wolf and I had been in a constant battle for control. Our wants and desires conflicted on a daily basis, until now. Now I find myself longing for a future I had never wanted and that scares me to the depths of my soul.
“I’m way ahead of you.” I open the drawer of my nightstand and pull out a small round leather box.
“No freaking way!” Adam says as he swipes the box from my hand. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Open it up and find out.”
When the day comes for me to pop the question, I only hope Kelsey shows the same amount of enthusiasm as my best friend is in this moment.
Adam pops the ring box open and lets out a whistle. “Jesus, do you think it’s big enough?”
Okay, so I may have gone overboard with the size, but I wanted a ring that screamed “Taken” and nothing says unavailable like a rare African 14 carat blue moonstone cradled in a platinum and rose gold patterned cup encrusted with custom cut sapphire cabochons set in elaborate three rows of micro pave mounting.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, turn the damn thing over.”
Adam carefully pulls the ring from its velvet cradle, the second he tilts the ring his jaw drops open.
“You’re staring at 1.41 carats of natural blue sapphires and two hundred thirty two single cut white diamonds nestled in 18k rose gold.”
“Damn, and here I thought Andy’s engagement ring was over the top. Do I even what to know what this little bauble set you back?”
He probably doesn’t. Since the ring is one of a kind, I bought it for the bargain price of thirty-four grand and it will be worth every damn penny if she says yes.
“You can’t put a price tag on love isn’t that what people say?”
“If you say so,” he chuckles, “when are you going to ask her?”
That’s a good question. “I have no freaking clue. I keep waiting for the right moment, but something always seems to get in the way.”
Like an SUV’s full of enraged cougars.
“In our line of work perfect moments are few and far between. The details aren’t important, the only thing that matters is how you feel about each other the rest will work itself out.”
“Say’s the man who proposed in a parking lot covered in the blood of his enemy.”
“Hey,” Adam laughs, “she still said yes didn’t she?”
“That she did, brother,” I say joining in on his laughter. I’ve missed this, but with everything that has been going on, I haven’t had time just to chill with my best friend.
“I got a text message from Xander this morning,” Adam says changing the subject. “He said Micah was able to extract some info from that Alpha we captured. Savchenko and Balakin are still somewhere in the motherland, but McIntyre’s shipment is coming in next month.”
I knew Mike would be the one to crack that bastard wide open. My brother has no problem tapping into his dark side. It’s the main reason why he was my father’s favorite for so long.
“It looks like we’ll have some free time on our hands.”
And I know just how I want to spend it.
***
“What are you doing here?” Kelsey asks, as she frantically smooth’s her hair out of her face.<
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“We need to talk about last night and I figured this place was as good as any.” I push myself away from the wall and walk the short distance to my mate.
The smile she gives me takes my breath away. “Don’t you mean you wanted a public place with witnesses so I wouldn’t cause a scene?”
“Something like that,” I smirk, I may be a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. “I had no idea that you could dance like that, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”
Of course, the booty shorts and crop top she’s wearing might have something to do with that as well.
Her cheeks turn pink with my compliment. “Thanks, some people think it’s a silly waste of my time.”
Kelsey is referring to her parents. She told me how they weren’t exactly thrilled with her new career choice. The more I find out about these people the less impressed I am with them.
“Then those people are idiots. Landon told me what you do here and I think it’s incredible, you’re incredible,” I say as I run my thumb across her bottom lip, the urge to lean down and seal her lips with my own is overwhelming.
The pull of the impending full moon tonight has every one of my senses on overdrive. Being near my half-naked mate isn’t helping matters. Sex and violence are the only things on a shifters mind the day of a full moon. Normally I cure those impulses with a bottle of jack and a punching bag but not this time. Kelsey deserves an explanation.
Her rich vanilla scent is wreaking havoc with my self-control. I need to put some distance between us before I take her against the wall of her dance studio.
“I’m sorry about what happened last night,” I say as I take a couple of steps away from her. “I should have told you about the farmhouse, but it’s not like I lied to you, I just left out a few minor details.”
“You call pissing off an international terrorist organization a few minor details!” she whispers loudly. “And what about Alaric, when were you going to tell me about him?”
When she says it out loud like that it sounds bad, but honestly, I’ve dealt with worse threats. And as far as Alaric is concerned, it never occurred to me that they would ever meet each other.
“What do you want me to say, Kelsey? I was trying to protect you.”
“And who’s going to protect you!” she shouts while pacing back and forth. “Dammit, Jamie, you could have been killed last night.”
And there it is. Finally, we get to the heart of the problem. This was never about my lies of omission it’s about the reality that one day I won’t return home to her.
“Kelsey there are no guarantees in life, all we can do is enjoy whatever time we have together. Death is inevitable, princess, even for immortals.”
“You’re right,” she sighs heavily, “I shouldn’t worry myself with what ifs. I should focus on the here and now.”
Her words and body language may project acceptance, but it’s a total lie, her scent gives her away. My wolf instantly reacts to the overly sweet aroma of her fear. He wants to hunt down and destroy whatever has caused our mate distress the only problem is I’m to blame.
If I don’t find a way to calm my wolf down soon I’m liable to start punching walls and throwing shit around. Fucking full moons and their goddamn urges are the worst part of being a shifter.
“Just so you know, bullets won’t kill me even the silver ones, they just hurt like hell. And if someone gets close enough to remove my head, then I deserve to lose it. The only sure fire way to put me in the ground would be to run a silver knife through my heart.”
Last night was a close call, but that is entirely besides the point. The point is I was trained by the leader of the Immortal Knights, the first of the original seven. Although according to the prophet, the same man who taught me how to fight also tried to have me killed.
“You knew my world was dangerous when you signed up to be with me so why is it bothering you now?”
“I don’t know!” she cries, her eyes pool with unshed tears. “I woke up this morning feeling like everything was falling apart. People seem to be working overtime to kill you and then there are people like Gia and Dallas who are just waiting in the wings to undermine our relationship.”
A lone tear trickles down her flushed cheeks. “I feel like everyone is out to get us.” She swipes angrily at her tears with the back of her hand.
Without hesitation, I reach for her pulling her into my waiting embrace. I’m going to fucking kill Dallas for this. He warned me a while back that if I ever found a woman I couldn’t live without, he’d make sure he’d be there to take her from me. The only thing that stopped me from beating the shit out of him last night was the fact that his plan to lure Kelsey from my bed hadn’t worked. His pettiness will cost him dearly.
“I was chosen for this life, Kelsey, I can’t do anything to change that, and as far as Dallas is concerned he just signed his own death warrant.”
Unfortunately, I’m going to have to postpone our face to face until tomorrow. Micah would have my ass on a chopping block if I laid one hand on Dallas before a full moon.
“And I thought we had moved past all that bullshit with, Gia. Why does it still bother you so much that I slept with her?”
Truth is I get it. Just thinking about Kelsey with anyone other than me makes me see red. But men and women are built differently so it’s safe to say our mutual possessiveness would be for different reasons.
I cringe as a surge of anger and envy bursts from her body into mine. It’s worse than I thought. She places her hands on my chest and uses them to push herself out of my arms. Her expression is passive, but really, she isn’t fooling anybody.
Fine if that’s how she wants it, two can play that game. I cross my arms over my chest and wait patiently for her to respond. It’s just too bad that I’m not a patient man.
“You have my full attention, princess, and I want to know why you’ve got your panties in a twist over Gia and not one of my other conquests.”
Kelsey throws her arms up in exasperation. “Because I hate her! I know you think she’s let you go, but trust me, she is just biding her time until you get bored with me.”
Bored with her, is she nuts?
“Look at me, princess.” I cup both of her cheeks with my hands, forcing her to see the sincerity in my eyes. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on with you today, but you’re acting crazy. You should know how I feel about you, but it seems you need a little reminder.”
Without saying another word, I grab her hand and lead her out of the room and into the main hall of the community center. The place is bustling with noise coming from the open doors of the gymnasium. A youth basketball game is underway occupying most of the staff’s attention. We pass by several open doors leading to various types of rooms, some are classrooms set up with desks and blackboards, a computer lab, and there’s even an art studio.
At the end of the hall we come to a closed door, the gold plaque attached indicates it’s used as a boardroom. Bingo. The windowless room itself is pretty-standard, floor to ceiling mirrors make up the four walls, a five-foot rectangle fold out table set in the middle of the room takes up most of the carpeted space. Once inside I lock the door behind us then proceed to stalk my mate.
“What are we doing in here?” she asks, her voice quivers as her eyes dart around the small enclosed room.
“You’re a smart girl,” I say as I tug my T-shirt over my head, “figure it out.”
“Oh no,” she holds her hands out in front of her, like that’s going to stop me.
“We can’t do this here, someone will hear us.”
The scent of her desire fills the small space, causing my rapidly hardening dick to pulsate against the zipper of my jeans. I inhale her sweet scent until my lungs are full.
For every step I take, she takes one-step back until her perfect little ass is pressed up against the edge of the laminated table. She searches wildly for an escape route, but we both know it’s futile. The more she fights me and my advances, th
e more agitated my wolf becomes.
This is one reason why shifters should refrain from having contact with humans the day of a full moon. Once our primal sides take over, it’s almost impossible to hold them at bay. Kelsey is in no real danger, but our impending coupling is going to be the most intense experience either of us has ever had.
“You’re playing a dangerous game right now, princess, one you have no possibility of winning.” I smirk, Kelsey is my prey, my prize, and I will claim her.
Just like a deer caught in a set of headlights, her eyes widen her pupils dilate and gloss over with a combination of fear and uncertainty, but there is something else there as well. The closer I get the headier the aroma becomes. Despite her apprehension she wants this, wants me, she is enjoying our little game. My wolf snarls in anticipation for what is to come.
“Take off your clothes, princess. I want to see what you’ve got hidden underneath,” I growl the same words I said to her the first time we made love.
Taking a step back, I wait for her to comply. My gaze rakes over her curvy little body from head to toe. No way am I missing out on one inch of her delectable figure.
“What if I told you I wasn’t wearing anything underneath my clothing?”
Her green eyes sparkle with mischief while the tip of her tongue snakes out to wet her bottom lip. Christ, she is so fucking hot.
“I’d say you’ve got about two seconds to show me, before I rip the flimsy material from your body.”
My cock swells to a painful degree just thinking about tearing the scraps of cotton to shreds. I force myself to remain a distance away as my hands clench into fists to stop myself from reaching out to caress her silky-smooth skin. This female is a temptress on a good day, but in this moment, she is a freaking goddess.
Kelsey reaches behind her, pulling her shirt over her head. Her fingertips graze along the tops of her toned thighs tugging the thin material of her shorts with the movement.
I can’t take my eyes off of her. Her slow seductive pace is driving me fucking mad. After what feels like hours, her clothing is removed and Kelsey stands before me gloriously naked.
