by King, Thayer
Some of what he was thinking must have shown in his eyes as Nikita watched him warily as she settled into the seat next to him. But even better, her nipples became hard little points as they pressed against her shirt. The white cotton was thin and he could practically make out the chocolate circles of her areolas. She had beautiful breasts, full and high. He could imagine pouring pancake syrup over them and feasting on her nipples.
Nikita glared at him as she added sugar to her coffee and buttered her toast. “My eyes are up here,” she said, tapping her temple.
Ronan grinned. “Do you have any plans today? I was thinking we could go to Walmart and fill your fridge.”
“There’s a Walmart in this small town? Where are you hiding it?”
He laughed. “No. It’s in the next county, about a twenty minute drive. What do you say?”
“No matter what’s in the fridge, I’m not making you breakfast.”
“That’s fine. I’ll make you breakfast next time.” He wished he’d asked her over to his place for breakfast this morning. He thought fondly of his syrup fantasy.
“Ronan, you have to be the most tenacious man I’ve ever met. Last night was it.”
“I’d be heartbroken if I believed that.” He held her gaze until she looked away. He needed her to know that he was serious about her, about their relationship. But he didn’t want to push her too hard so he decided to let the topic drop. “So, shopping? I need a few things myself.”
“Yes. I think I’m overfeeding Minx. She’s almost out of food.”
He finished his toast and drained his coffee cup. “I’m going home for a shower and a change of clothes.” And to have a second breakfast, he added silently. He had a big appetite and toast wasn’t going to cut it. “I’ll be back in about an hour.”
Chapter Eight
Nikita opened a carton of eggs. Two were cracked around the middle and another was crushed at the top. It was a bad day for eggs. This was the third carton she’d checked and each one contained damaged eggs. Scowling, she reached for a fourth container. A fifth imperfect dozen had her on the verge of swearing. In the end, she swapped broken eggs for whole ones to make a perfect dozen.
“Hey, aren’t you the young lady I saw with my cousin last night?”
She looked up at a rather handsome guy with thinning dirty blonde hair. His blue eyes were blood shot and watery. “I don’t know. Who’s your cousin?”
“Ronan McKinley.” He stuck out his hand and smiled. “I’m Brian McKinley.”
She shook his hand. An elderly lady was trying to get to the eggs so she moved along and Brian followed.
“I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself last night. Frankly, I was rather surprised to see you with my cousin. He usually likes his ladies taller. More like that blonde I saw him dancing with.”
“And from this, I should infer that your cousin’s dalliance with me is only temporary?”
He stopped in his tracks, his mouth agape. With a few long legged strides, he caught up to her. “Um. I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant at all… Hey, I didn’t catch your name.”
“I didn’t give it. Let me guess, you and Ronan don’t get along?”
“You could say that. You’re a sassy little thing.” He chuckled.
Nikita halted so swiftly that he would have barreled right into her if she hadn’t flung out a hand. “What? Just because I’m from the south, I’m supposed to be full of manners and charm.”
“Whoa. I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
All right, so she was being a bitch. But Ronan didn’t like this guy. Despite being a witch, Ronan was a decent man. If she were completely honest with herself, she could admit that he was the nicest man she’d ever met. And she respected his opinion. She got the feeling that Brian had approached her with the intent to stir up trouble for his cousin. She didn’t appreciate someone trying to use her as a pawn for their own personal agenda. And she wasn’t going to stand here and exchange pleasantries with him. Even under the best circumstances, she had no patience for social niceties.
She steered her cart down an aisle that was relatively empty. A mother with a crying baby was at the other end. Nikita turned to Brian. “Listen, I don’t know what your problem with Ronan is, but I’m not going to be in town much longer, so there’s no need to drag me into the middle of it.”
Brian held up his hands. “I don’t have any problem with him. You’re a beautiful girl.” His eyes flashed over her from head to toe while he ran his tongue over his dry, cracked bottom lip. Nikita barely managed to suppress a shudder at his lascivious expression. “I just thought I’d warn you so you wouldn’t waste your time.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But, hey, if you want to bury your head in the sand…. Nice meeting you.”
Nikita watched him saunter off through narrowed eyes. The man had a dissolute appearance about him. It was hard to imagine that that creature was related to Ronan. Other than the love of plaid, they didn’t seem to have anything in common.
Ronan caught up with her as she was surfing the cereal aisle. He dropped a kiss on her forehead as he placed a box of brass hinges and a can of varnish in her cart. She wanted to scowl but the kiss made her insides feel like warm melted chocolate. She hadn’t really had a chance to sort through her emotions about what had happened between them.
It was inconceivable, but since sleeping with him, she felt closer to him. Not in the usual closeness after sex way. She’d never really gotten that. Detaching emotions from sex had never been an issue for her. Not that she slept around. Many of the men that she attracted wanted to coddle and protect her because of her small stature. When they figured out that not only did she not need their protection, she could probably whoop their asses, they viewed her as a threat to their masculinity. But then, she’d never dated anyone as large as Ronan. Ronan would never feel emasculated by her. The man had to duck to get through doorways. He drew looks wherever he went. Spotting him in a crowded room was a breeze.
No, this wasn’t the usual mush she’d heard women say they felt after sex. It was a low key hum. Before he’d kissed her, it was almost as though she’d sensed him approaching her, as though their bodies were in tune. Damn.
He couldn’t be right. She could not be this man’s soul mate. Nature would not be that cruel.
“What are you hunting for?” he asked after she’d frozen in place in front of a box of rice cereal.
She took a deep breath and ignored the panicked drumbeat of her heart. “I can’t recall the name. Listen, I met your cousin.”
“Brian?” He did a full circle. “Where?”
“He’s probably gone. Told me I wasn’t your type.”
Ronan grunted. “So you’re different. We already know that every girl before you was a practice run. You’re my little ray of sunshine,” he said with a grin that was only slightly sarcastic.
“Ha, ha.” She left the aisle without picking up any cereal and headed for the meat section. Ronan began browsing the steaks. “So what’s the cause of the friction with you and Brian?”
He arched a brow and tossed a package of steaks in the cart. “Wasn’t it obvious?”
“Well, of course, he’s an ass, but with family, one tends to overlook that.”
Ronan pivoted away from the assortment of meats to look at her. He growled, “Did he say something to offend you?”
“Down boy. If anything I was more offensive to him than he was to me, but I do love to put up a good offense.” She grinned and patted him on the ass. “Good boy.” She liked how he’d immediately wanted to jump to her defense. And that was a nice firm ass. Ronan filled out his jeans to a drool-worthy effect.
He grunted. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Who says I’m having dinner with you?”
“I’m cooking.”
She was getting tired of her own specialty—canned soup. “Fine, but don’t expect any favors after.” Ronan’s grin was distinctively wicked as he strode away from her toward the seafood. “I me
an it,” she called after him. “I mean it,” she said again for herself, but she still had difficulty tearing her eyes off his thick muscled thighs and legs. And what that man did for plaid and red hair was just sinful.
On the way home, Ronan received a business call, but he assured her he would be back in time to prepare dinner. Mama Skye called soon after she arrived and said that Mrs. Williams would be home by the first of the next week. Nikita spent the afternoon cleaning. She wasn’t a slob but still thought the bathroom and kitchen areas could use some freshening. She dusted the guestroom she had been using. When she finished, Minx was meowing at the door. Minx was an indoor and outdoor cat. While she retired indoors at night, she made several sojourns out during the day.
Nikita opened the door and followed the cat outside. It was only five but the sky was already growing dark. Minx bounded down the steps and circled the porch. She was out of sight in seconds. Nikita leaned against the railing to await her return.
All was quiet over at Ronan’s house. The lights were out and she hadn’t heard the roar of his truck’s engine. In a matter of days, he would no longer be a problem. No more trying to convince him that she wasn’t his mate. He wouldn’t be pestering her with excuses to get into her house to see her. She wouldn’t have to be awakened by his mowing his lawn and Mrs. Williams’ lawn shirtless despite the fact that she knew it had to burn his skin. Or maybe he had some witch spell to protect himself? That would explain it.
She took a deep breath. Yeah, she could do without that. And she could stand a few days of not staring up into his beautiful blue-green eyes and his ridiculously handsome face. Yep, she would take a mini-vacation and then go back to life as usual. Working at the family bakery occasionally, but mostly anticipating the next call of suspicious activity. Spending her nights and weekends alone with the exception of an occasional short-lived relationship.
Nikita swallowed. The thought of being with another man sickened her. She pressed her fingers to her brow. What had Ronan done to her?
A sudden loud yowl drew her attention to the front lawn. Minx was a dark silhouette sitting in the middle of the yard. Nikita frowned at Minx. “Here, kitty,” she said, moving to the stairs. Instead of coming, Minx lifted a paw and cleaned it casually. Nikita sighed. She couldn’t leave Minx outside at night. There were a few feral cats and some loose dogs in town.
As she was approaching, she caught sight of movement at the corner of the porch. She turned and saw it was Minx. By this point, she was only a few steps away from the Minx look-a-like. Now that she was closer, she could see that the other cat was slightly larger with longer fur. Also, its eyes were green instead of gold. Minx bared her fangs and hissed at the interloper. With one last lick of its paw, the trespasser loped off at a leisurely pace.
Nikita shook her head. “Cats.” It was odd that the stray didn’t run off when she approached. Scooping up Minx, she returned indoors. No sooner had the screen door closed behind her than she heard a truck pull up in Ronan’s driveway. She peeped out the window. It was a small truck. The color was dark but indistinguishable in the evening light.
“Good grief,” Nikita muttered to herself, “I’m turning into my grandmother. Sitting around on porches, peeping out of windows to see what’s going on in my neighbor’s yard.” Minx wriggled in her arms and she allowed her to go free. When she straightened she realized that her black turtleneck was covered in white cat hair from Minx’s belly. “Ugh.”
She tugged the furry shirt over her head on the way up the stairs. She’d already packed many of her clothes when she was cleaning earlier, but she found an eggplant fuzzy sweater near the top of her suitcase. The sweater had a cowl neck and short sleeves. She pulled it over her head and then grabbed up her hair brush. For tonight, she’d left her hair loose and it fell in waves well below her shoulders. She usually kept it braided because it could become a nuisance and a liability when she was kicking ass.
She was running her brush through her mane for the last time when she heard the doorbell ring. She still hadn’t heard the distinctive roar of Ronan’s truck turning into his driveway. Minx sat in front of the door. Nikita was sure that Minx must have been a dog in a previous life.
Ronan’s cousin Brian stood on the other side of the screen door, his face and hands pressed up against the glass. He grinned when he spotted her. She crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want?”
“Is my cousin in there? He’s not over at his place.”
“No. He’s working.”
Brian opened the door. “Oh. I really need to talk to him. Do you mind if I wait here for him?” He started to cross the threshold then stopped. His face paled and then reddened as he doubled over coughing. “What the hell?”
Nikita made no move to help him. She knew he wasn’t a witch because he hadn’t asked permission before attempting to enter. But that he’d planned to come in uninvited kept her rooted to the spot. There was something off about Brian. He made the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention.
Brian was making deep, chest rattling coughs that made Nikita fear he was going to cough up a lung. Finally, he stepped back and the coughing eased before ceasing altogether. “Could you-could you bring me a glass of water?”
“Sure.” She raced off to the kitchen and filled a glass from the sink. He still held the door open and she held the glass out to him. But when he tried to cross the threshold, his features twisted in pain.
Brian released the door and moved to the railing. He inhaled loudly. “Could you bring the glass out to me?”
Nikita touched the handle, prepared to push the door open. Pausing, she studied the frame. “No, I don’t think so.”
He coughed a few times but it lacked the intensity of his previous hacking. “Please.”
“Mm. Nope. Not buying it.”
“That’s cold-hearted. I’m your man’s cousin.”
She drained the entire glass in a gulp and sat it on a table next to the door. Expelling an exaggerated sigh, she said, “That really hit the spot.”
Brian scowled. “You can’t stay in there forever.”
She arched a brow. “Are you threatening be, Brian?”
Growling he rushed forward and slammed his palms on the glass separating them. It rattled the frame and Minx jerked, emitting a sound between a bark and a meow. His eyes were hard and filled with rage. For a change, he wasn’t hiding behind a polite façade. “You’re an uppity little piece. You need to learn to respect your betters.”
“You’re lucky I don’t want to get your blood on my sweater. You should leave before I change my mind.”
He scoffed. “My cousin isn’t doing his duty. That shouldn’t surprise me. But I’ll teach you to how to treat a man. Might even let my cousin watch.” He moved his hips in a lewd thrusting gesture then laughed. “Though I’ve got to say, I’m curious to see the two of you together. Must be like fucking porn.”
Nikita was on to his game. He was hoping to make her so angry that she stormed out to confront him. But she hadn’t been lying. She didn’t want to get his blood on her sweater. It was one of her favorites and it was expensive.
“Do me a favor, huh? Film it. Does he spank you? I bet that little brown ass of yours-”
“Hold that thought. I’m going to go change into a t-shirt.” She was halfway up the stairs when she heard the roar of Ronan’s engine.
“Shit,” Brian gritted out. “This isn’t over bitch.” Nikita turned in time enough to see him fleeing the porch and racing across the yard to his vehicle. The weasel managed to get in his truck and disappear down the street while Ronan parked his truck in the garage.
Nikita closed and locked the door behind her. Though from what she’d just seen with Brian, she suspected locking up was redundant. She joined Ronan in his driveway. He greeted her with a kiss to her forehead. “Who was here?”
“Your charming cousin.”
“Why would he come to see me?”
“He claimed that he needed to talk to you,
but he when he suddenly grew ill when he tried to come into the house.” She arched a brow. “You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
He didn’t appear the slightest bit abashed at being caught. “I placed protective wards on the house. No person who means you harm can enter. But I didn’t do it just for you. I did it for Mrs. Williams, too. And it’s a good thing, too.” He pulled her into a hug before she could protect. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why Brian would want to hurt you. Unless he was going to attempt to seduce you away from me. I told him that you were my one.”
“Gah!” Angry, she fought her way out of his arms. “When are you going to accept that that is impossible?”
“Why are you so mad?” he asked, his tone mild.
“Because!” She shoved at him. “It can’t happen. No matter how much you or I want it, won’t make it so!”
He smiled slowly. “Are you saying you want it to be so, Nikita?”
She glared at him. He would focus on that. “Go to hell.”
“You’re so sweet.”
She shook her head. She wasn’t going to have this conversation with him again. “What are you going to do about your cousin? After I’m gone, he’s sure to find another target. He may decide to come after you directly.”
Ronan took her hand and led her into his house. “I doubt it. Brian has proven himself to be a coward by going after you in the first place. You’re an easier target for him. I’m larger and a witch. He wouldn’t stand a chance. I’ll talk to Uncle Hugh and get Brian’s address. I’ll track him down tomorrow morning, but you should probably spend the night with me.”
“Nice try. I don’t need your protection.”
He shrugged. “You may not, but that’s not going to stop me. You’re mine and I protect what’s mine.”
It was a caveman attitude and one she should not encourage. Yet she couldn’t control the blossoming of warmth deep in her heart at the depth of his caring. She couldn’t deny that it felt good to know someone was looking out for her. And then she was remembered. She would be leaving on Monday.
