by Kim Fox
“When will be a good time?” he asked. “I can send a guy to Montana for me to take care of the assignment but I always come myself to try and see you.”
Mikki swallowed hard. “Maybe you should send the other guy next time.”
She heard him sigh on the other end of the line. “Okay,” he said. “Good luck with your work thing. What is it that you’re doing?”
Mikki rolled her eyes. “It’s just a thing. I gotta go, Dad. I’m driving.”
“Okay,” he said. “Drive carefully. I lov-”
She hung up and tossed her phone onto the passenger’s seat. “Fuck him!” she said, slapping the steering wheel. After all of this time, after everything that he put her through, he thinks he could just walk back into her life. Fuck that! I won’t let him.
She turned off the radio and drove the rest of the way home in silence as her headache came raging on.
four
Hannibal paced around the kitchen as he glanced out of the window like he had been doing all morning.
“What’s the matter with you?” Julius asked from behind the stove. “First, you beg me for blueberry pancakes and now you’re running around the kitchen like Usain Bolt on speed. Will you sit down? You’re making me nervous.”
Hannibal couldn’t. He was freaking out. This had to work perfectly or he would be out twenty grand and the barrage of horrible dates and pressure would continue. “I have someone coming for breakfast.”
“Oooh,” Bailey said, looking up from her bowl of cereal. “Did the date go well last night?”
“If the date went well he’d be waiting for her to come down the hallway, not up the driveway,” Elena said.
“Hey!” Hannibal said, pointing at her. “Be nice. I’m only in this situation because of you.”
“No,” Alexander said, butting his big nose in. “You’re only in this situation because you waited so long to find a mate.”
“Well, I did, okay?” Hannibal said as he continued his pacing.
“What?” Ava asked, lowering the newspaper in her hands. “Tell us everything.”
Hannibal froze with his breath caught in his throat as a blue car turned off the main road and drove up the dirt road that led to the house. He narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through the windshield to see if it was Mikki or just another crazed girl trying to get a payday.
He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the car come to a stop and the door open. “Nice!” he yelled, sprinting out of the kitchen. She actually showed up! He had been nervous all morning that Mikki was going to bail on him.
He flew out the front door and ran up to her car in his socks. “Thank you so much for coming,” he said as he greeted her.
“You’re thanking me?” Mikki asked in shock. “I’m getting paid twenty grand for this. Of course I was going to show up.”
“Still,” he said, looking her up and down as she glanced up at the window of the kitchen. She looked even better than she did last night. Her hair was wavy with curls and she had tight jeans on that showed off her many curves. Her shirt was loose and she was showing off some cleavage. Hannibal’s bear purred lightly as he looked at her breasts. His eyes darted up to her face but she hadn’t heard his inner brown bear, or if she did she had ignored it.
“Looks like we have an audience,” she said, looking up at the window and waving.
Hannibal followed her eyes and groaned. All three of his brothers and their mates were watching with their hands and noses plastered against the window. His nephew Liam had his lips on the glass, showing the inside of his mouth.
“That’s what I’ve been telling you about,” he said. “It’s a constant audience.”
She smiled at him as she wrapped her arm around his. “Then let’s give them a show.” Her breasts pressed against his forearm as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Hannibal felt his nerve endings tingle and his mouth became moist. He stood up a little straighter and looked at the door while his cheeks started to burn red.
“Come my little love bear,” she said, pulling him to the front door. He swallowed hard as he followed her into the house. This was going to go well. He hoped.
His family came rushing to the front door to meet Mikki. She was a natural, hugging everyone and acting so excited to meet each of them.
“Don’t you work at the bar?” Khan asked. His oldest brother used to always spend time at the bar drinking his nights away before his mate, Bailey, came back into his life. Now he hardly ever drank anymore. But he would still go to the bar with Hannibal and the two other brothers to see Jack and play pool once in a while.
“I do,” she said, smiling wide. “That’s where I met the love of my life.” Mikki walked back over to Hannibal and hooked her arm around his, brushing the side of her round breast against his arm. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder and a rush of her perfume filled his nose, making him stir with desire.
Everyone was looking at him like they were impressed. Ava gave him a subtle thumbs up as she nodded her head. Hannibal smiled, relaxing a little and wrapped his arm around Mikki’s thick waist.
“Mmm,” he moaned. It felt good. It better. It’s costing you twenty K.
“Are those blueberry pancakes that I smell?” Mikki asked, raising her head back up.
“Good nose,” Julius said, pointing the spatula at her. “That reminds me.” He turned and sprinted back into the kitchen.
“I like your hair,” Liam said, walking up to Mikki. “It’s blue like Hannibal’s balls.”
“What?!?” Bailey said, gently smacking the back of her four-year-old’s head. “Where did you learn that?”
Liam looked up at her in shock as he rubbed the back of his tiny head. “Daddy and uncle Julius said that Hannibal must have blue balls because he never goes on dates.”
Khan and Alexander tried to hold in a laugh as Bailey apologized to Mikki for her son’s words. Bailey gave Khan a dirty look as she pushed their son into the kitchen. “It appears that I have two children,” she said with a frown.
Mikki turned and grinned at Hannibal, holding in a giggle as she followed everyone into the kitchen.
“Shut up,” Hannibal whispered. “You’re supposed to be nice to me. That was the deal.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I have to pretend that we’re getting married. Being nice was never part of the deal. That will cost you extra.” She winked at him as she turned back and stepped into the kitchen. “Oh my goodness,” she said enthusiastically. “It smells delicious in here!”
Hannibal stood in the doorway and smiled as he watched her walk around the kitchen, complimenting Julius’ cooking and then telling each girl how pretty they looked. She’s good.
“Show me where you normally sit, my love,” she said with a wide smile. “I want to sit next to you.”
Hannibal gulped as he walked over to his empty seat. Had she been this hot at the bar last night? He didn’t think so. Maybe it was seeing her around his family, or the way her breast kept touching his arm, or the dizzying scent of her perfume but he was starting to see her in a different way.
He sat down in his chair and his heart started to pound as she walked over and sat down next to him. “Best seat in the house,” she said, placing her hand on his and rubbing little circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. His bear purred. Surely she heard that.
Julius turned away from the stove about to say a comment and Hannibal gave him a fierce look while subtly shaking his head. This wasn’t the time or place to break it to her that he was a shifter. His brothers probably assumed that she already knew since they were engaged to be married but Hannibal had left that part out. This was a business relationship and she didn’t need to know all of the details of his personal life, even though right now he wanted to tell her everything.
“You’re not the one who I talked to on the phone,” Bailey said. “So how did you guys meet?”
Mikki slid her fingers through Hannibal’s and leaned into him, smiling. “She never show
ed up, lucky me.”
A flood of warmth began warming Hannibal up as she stroked his hand with her soft fingers. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as she held everyone’s attention, telling them how it must have been fate that they were both there on the same night, in the same bar, both alone and looking for love.
“It was perfect,” she said, turning and gazing into his eyes. She had the most stunning brown eyes. He was shocked that he had never noticed them before. “We walked out into the empty streets under the beautiful full moon and he lowered down onto one knee and asked me to marry him. It was the most romantic moment of my life.”
Hannibal gulped as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. He didn’t know what came over him but he turned his chin at the last second and kissed her lips.
She smiled tightly at him as she squeezed his hand to the point of pain. Uh oh. That’s going to cost me. I’ll add on another five grand.
Hannibal didn’t care. That awkward, tense kiss had been worth it. He licked her sweet taste off his lips as his heart raced. Worth every penny.
“That’s a nice story,” Khan said, looking at her hand. “But where’s the engagement ring?”
Mikki postured up in her seat with another beautiful smile on her face. “My little love bun promised to get me one after breakfast. Right, smootchie Mc bootchie?”
“That’s right,” Hannibal said with a gulp. She was going to clean him dry after that kiss.
Julius dropped a huge platter of tall blueberry pancakes onto the table and everyone dived in. Hannibal smiled as Mikki pounced on them as well, throwing elbows to get the largest piece. He always wanted a girl who could hang in there with his rough brothers and she was definitely doing that.
“Security,” Julius said, pointing at the window. “We got incoming.”
Khan grunted as he stood up from the table and looked out the huge windows that showed a spectacular view of the Vega Ranch with the stunning snow-capped mountains in the background. “Hmph,” he grunted as he saw a green car pull up. “These guys aren’t getting Mr. Nice Khan, interrupting me during breakfast like this.”
“Who is that?” Mikki asked as Khan grabbed two pancakes, rolled them up and stuffed them into his pockets.
“Those are suitors for Hannibal,” Julius said.
“A suitor is a male,” Hannibal corrected.
“Suitesses?” Julius asked, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “Suitcases?”
“Oh, my fiancee is so popular with the ladies,” Mikki said, running her fingers through Hannibal’s hair. He closed his eyes and moaned as she massaged his head. “Lucky old me got him first.”
“Of course,” Hannibal said, feeling his shorts start to move. “We’re fated mates.”
They all turned and looked out the window as Khan barreled up the driveway like an angry bull. He pointed at the main road and said something that they couldn’t hear through the thick glass. When the car didn’t move Khan marched to the front of the vehicle and bent over, grabbing the car from under the bumper. He lifted the front two wheels off the ground and walked in a half circle, dropping it when the car was facing the road.
Khan stepped out of the way and it peeled off, covering him in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared he was facing the window while eating a rolled up pancake and giving everyone the thumbs up.
“I married a caveman,” Bailey said, shaking her head and looking embarrassed.
Hannibal’s head was swimming as they finished their breakfast. Mikki’s presence was really having an unanticipated effect on him. What is going on?
“We’ll clear the dishes,” Ava said, smiling at them. “You two love birds can go wander off.”
“Thank you,” Mikki said, flashing her a big smile. “Come my little lovey-dovey.” She hooked her arm around Hannibal’s and pulled him out of the kitchen. Hannibal held his breath the whole way outside.
Mikki sighed when she let go of his arm on the side of the house. Hannibal looked at her in awe. “That was impressive,” he said, clapping.
She took a little bow and he peeked down her shirt as it dropped down. “Lovey-dovey?” she said. “I wanted to vomit as it was coming out of my mouth.” She laughed and shook her head. “The things we do for money.”
“Yeah,” Hannibal said, rubbing his elbow. How much would it cost to marry me for real?
“So,” he said, feeling his body craving to be touched by her again. “What do you want to do now?”
She grinned at him. “Go get your wallet. I’m hungry for some karats.”
Hannibal laughed. “Alright, Bugs Bunny. Get in the car, we’ll go buy you a ring.”
Mikki squealed in delight and ran to the car. Hannibal watched her go with his heart pounding. Easy there, Pepe Le Pew. This is only business.
At least it was for her.
Mikki skipped into the jewelry store as Hannibal held open the door for her. The breakfast had actually been really fun. She was expecting a stuffy meet and greet with a boring family but the Vega brothers and their wives were a blast. She had shared some genuine laughs and it was actually really fun pretending to be engaged. So far the day was going great.
“Oh, my loving groom,” she said, clasping her hands together and smiling wide. “You know our love has no price tag, right?”
“It does,” Hannibal said with a playful frown. “Twenty thousand dollars.”
“Twenty thousand dollars plus a diamond ring,” she said with a smirk.
“Hello,” the old man who worked at the store said as he shuffled along behind the counter. “You two look over the moon in love.”
Time to get into character. I love this!
“We are!” Mikki said, grabbing Hannibal’s hard bicep and squeezing it. “Right, honey?”
Hannibal gulped. “That’s right.”
“I’m the talker of the couple,” she said, batting her eyelashes at the jeweler. “He just pays.”
The jeweler chuckled as he watched them with dollar signs in his eyes. She couldn’t talk, though, she probably had dollar signs in her eyes too.
“What are you looking for?” the old man asked.
“A ring,” Hannibal said. “Nothing too fancy.”
“Oh, you’re a riot this morning,” Mikki said, waving Hannibal away. “We want something very fancy. Can you show us your most expensive rings?”
The jeweler’s face lit up with a huge smile. “Of course,” he said, rubbing his palms together. “We keep those in the back. I’ll go get them.”
The old man moved behind the curtain faster than he probably had in years.
“Very fancy?” Hannibal asked with a raised eyebrow.
Mikki grinned at him. “You don’t want your fiancee walking around with a tic tac on her ring do you?”
She watched him as his sexy lips curled up into a smile and he shook his head. “You’re going to bankrupt me.”
“That’s what wives do,” she said with a grin. “I’m just playing the part.”
He chuckled. “You do it so well.”
Mikki squeezed his arm as the jeweler returned with a large wooden box. He placed it on the counter and opened it as Mikki skipped over.
“Come look, honey cakes,” she said. “They’re beautiful.”
“I’m sure they are,” Hannibal said, slowly walking over with his shoulders hunched down. “I bet the price tags are stunning.”
“Oooh, I like this one,” she said pointing to a ring with a white gold band and a rock the size of a boulder on it.
“Great choice,” the jeweler said nodding enthusiastically. Of course it is. It’s going to let you retire early.
He picked it up and slid it onto Mikki’s finger. She didn’t get the rush that she was expecting. Instead, she was flooded with a lonely sadness. She looked down at the beautiful ring and sighed. “It’s beautiful but I don’t think so,” she said, slipping it off. She gave it back to the old man and turned away, feeling a pang in her heart.
This was not what she had pictured
when she dreamed about shopping for engagement rings. All of a sudden it felt so fake. So not her.
She wanted to have the guy who bought her an engagement ring excited to buy it for her. This was not it.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to Hannibal. “We can just leave.”
“I have other ones,” the jeweler said, desperate to make a sale. “Gold bands, silver.”
“What’s wrong?” Hannibal asked, looking genuinely concerned. “I was just kidding around. I’m happy to buy you whatever you want. It’s part of the deal.”
“Right,” she said, looking at the tacky green carpet. “Part of the deal. Let’s just get a cubic zirconia and get out of here.”
“A fake?” Hannibal asked, scrunching his nose up. “I thought you wanted a real diamond?”
She shrugged, not feeling so into the whole shopping trip anymore. “A fake diamond for a fake engagement.”
“Sure,” Hannibal answered, looking disappointed. “Get whatever you want.”
“Can you get it?” she asked, suddenly needing some air. “I’m going to wait outside.”
“Okay,” he said, nodding as he looked at her with concern in his eyes.
She walked past him and out the door. “Well, that sucked,” she whispered as she sat down on the bench in front of the store. She took a deep breath of the fresh Montana air and looked up at the spectacular mountains in the distance.
It had been fun pretending but the fun was over. It just made her realize how alone she was. How far from having a family she was.
Pretending was fun.
But she wanted the real thing.
five
“What are you doing now?” Hannibal asked, trying not to sound too eager. “Want to get some lunch?”
Mikki smiled. “Sure, as long as my husband pays.”
Hannibal chuckled. “Of course.”
He was glad that she was smiling again. They were having such a great morning and then she just started acting all weird in the jewelry store, like something had upset her. He went over every word that he had said multiple times but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
