The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three)

by R. E. Butler

  The kiss deepened, and a moan caught in her throat as he kneaded her back through her coat. She suddenly wished they weren’t in an SUV with a console between them, in a restaurant parking lot.

  The kiss gentled between them, and they parted, both breathing hard.

  “We will.”

  “Will what?” He blinked at her in confusion. She thought it was adorable.

  “Move in with you.”

  The confusion swept away quickly and he pressed his lips to hers once more. “I won’t ever let you down, Nila. You and Jack will be safe with me, and we’ll take our time getting to know each other until you’re ready to move forward.”

  His concern for her feelings made her stomach flutter.

  “You’re amazing.”

  “I’m lucky to have you; I don’t want to screw it up.”

  She didn’t want to screw it up either. As he kissed her once more and then turned off the engine, she was reminded of her current married status. There had to be a way to divorce Damien and keep him away from Jack, too. For now, she shoved the thoughts of Damien into the far corners of her mind and watched Malachi as he opened her door and helped her out. The scent of grilled meat filled the air, and her stomach growled.

  “Hungry, sweetheart?” Malachi chuckled.

  “Starving.”

  * * * * *

  By the time Saturday rolled around, Nila had moved in with Malachi and they were in the final stages of clearing out her home. He could have had every omega in the pack at her house, packing and cleaning, but he wanted to be part of the process as well. He asked Jeremiah and Adam to help with the heavy lifting, since they were both strong in their human forms. Although Jeremiah couldn’t shift, Adam could, but he was an omega because he’d been badly burned when he was young and it had damaged him enough to make his wolf form weak. Nila wanted to help out, but Kammie brought Diane over to visit so Mal left her at the house.

  Mia had volunteered to help with the cleaning, so she and several omegas were currently in the bedroom, making sure it was spotless so Nila could get back her security deposit.

  The house had come furnished, but Nila had bought a few small pieces of furniture which were currently in the truck, and Jack’s baby toys had filled up two large boxes.

  Mia came out of the bedroom with a spray bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towels under her arms. “That’s the last window cleaned. I’m going to clean out the kitchen cabinets since they’re empty of dishes now.”

  “Thanks, Mia.”

  She smiled. “You’re welcome, Mal. I like her and Jack a lot, and I want them to be with you where it’s safe.”

  He picked up a floor lamp and wrapped the cord around the base. “I suppose I owe you dinner for this?”

  “You’d suppose right, although I am partial to pretty, sparkly jewelry.”

  He shook his head at his sister with a smile and carried the lamp out to the truck. “This is the last of it,” he told Adam.

  “Okay. I’ll follow you.”

  Jeremiah stayed to oversee the clean up, and Malachi got into his SUV, which was full of Nila’s things, and drove home. He couldn’t help but smile as he drove. Nila was there with Jack, waiting for him. He’d never imagined that something as simple as going home would fill him with so much joy. His wolf was practically doing cartwheels in his head.

  Since Jack’s crib had been destroyed, he had bought a replacement which was now in the bedroom down the hall from the master. She’d noticed the pale blue walls and the new navy carpeting when he’d given her an official tour of the home. The other bedroom was set up as an office for him. When he and Nila had kids of their own, he’d add on to the house to make sure they had plenty of room.

  He stopped in front of his house and carried a large box of dishes up the front walk. He noticed that Kammie’s car was gone. Nila, with Jack on her hip, opened the door before he could shift the box to one arm and open it.

  “Hey,” she said, smiling at him.

  “Hey yourself,” he said as she opened the door wide and stepped aside. She greeted Adam as he followed behind Mal with more boxes. Malachi directed him to put the boxes in whatever room they were labeled with.

  “Ready to unpack some more things, sweetheart?” he called over his shoulder as he carried the box into the kitchen and set it down on the counter.

  “Yep.”

  She put Jack in the highchair that was next to the kitchen table, placed a few toys on the tray, and joined Malachi at the counter. He hugged her and she rested her cheek on his chest with a sigh.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “You did all that security stuff for me at the house and now it’s all wasted time and money.”

  He tipped her chin until she looked at him. “None of it was wasted time or money; it helped to keep you safe. And besides, this morning I removed all the hardware, and can use it on another job.”

  “Oh, I guess that’s okay then.” Her eyes glittered as she smiled at him, and he lowered his head to kiss her. Their lips met for just a bare moment before Jack banged a plastic toy on the tray and broke the mood.

  They smiled at each other and she left his arms. He immediately felt the loss of her warmth. It had taken a while for her to warm up to him. The first few weeks that he’d known her, he wasn’t sure she would ever give him the time of day, but now she was living in his home and trusted him with her and Jack’s safety. It was a heady feeling, but the weight of the situation still sat heavily on his shoulders. She was technically married, although he supposed humans would consider them ‘separated,’ since they were no longer living together. The strangest thing to him was that she bore no marks on her neck. A wolf who would marry a woman but not mark her must really have a screw loose. Malachi would have marked her immediately. A marriage could be dissolved by divorce, but the markings that bound a couple together in a mating lasted forever. Once Mal’s wolf had scented Nila as his mate, he had wanted no one else, and could think of nothing but marking her and keeping her forever.

  His gums tingled as he thought about marking her lovely, untouched neck, but he shoved the thought away. For now they were taking things slow physically, and that meant the fangs needed to stay where they were.

  By the time his SUV and Adam’s truck were emptied, and Jeremiah had called to say Nila’s former home was empty, clean, and the keys returned to the landlord, Nila and Jack had become permanent fixtures in his home. He hoped like hell that she would want to stay with him forever. While they’d eaten dinner, taking turns encouraging Jack to eat the cut up hot dogs and cooked carrots that he seemed to love so much, Mal found himself falling in love with her. He’d cared about her from the beginning, from the moment he’d laid eyes on her in the storage room, but it had been a superficial affection based on his wolf’s instincts. But now, after getting to know her over the last few weeks and seeing her strength and warmth, he’d come to covet her smiles and admire her courage.

  He very badly wanted to take her to bed and make love to her for a few days straight to get their relationship started off right, but he knew that wouldn’t happen. Slow meant no serious touching, even though his fingers itched to see how soft her skin was, and his mouth watered at the thought of tasting more than her sweet kisses.

  * * * * *

  Nila dried Jack off after his bath, rubbing a towel through his tawny hair and dressing him in a pair of footy jammies. She found herself thinking often of Malachi, who was cleaning the kitchen up after their meal.

  “Ready for bed, Jack?” she whispered as she sat down in the rocking chair from her old house, which Malachi had set in the corner of Jack’s bedroom. And it definitely was Jack’s bedroom. She could see that Malachi had made the room up for Jack. The walls were freshly painted and the carpeting was new, and it had been empty of furniture, as if he were waiting for them. The new crib Malachi bought looked wonderful in the room next to his dresser and the rocking chair.

  “Mama,” Jack said as he snuggled closer,
his face pressing into her neck. His breath skirted across her skin and the sweet smell of him made her heart ache. She rocked slowly, humming a children’s song about teddy bears and picnics, but in her mind she always switched them to baby wolves.

  She hummed and listened to him drift off to sleep, letting her mind slip to thoughts of the male in the kitchen. She didn’t know what it meant to be a true mate to a wolf. Damien had made sure that she was totally clueless about pack dealings, and had led her to believe that their marriage meant something. She could see now that it had been a way to control her. Pregnant after a few months of dating, she had felt he was an honorable guy because he proposed right away. She didn’t want to be a single mom, so she said yes, trusting that he would take care of her and Jack. By the time she was ready to give birth, Damien had become verbally abusive, seeming to enjoy making her cry. He wasn’t even there when Jack was born, and sent his mom to pick her and Jack up from the hospital. She should have left him right then, but she’d persevered, thinking being a father would make him a better husband. All it really did, though, was make him feel trapped. The verbal barbs he slung at her were slowly replaced with physical abuse. The first time she tried to leave, he told her he would kill Jack, so she’d stayed. She only confided in Diane, who helped her leave when Jack was one. Damien found her right away. He tried to drag her back home and threatened to kill both her and Jack, but Diane called the police and Damien disappeared. She’d never been truly free of him, and she still wasn’t, not as long as their marriage was intact.

  She stood slowly with Jack in her arms, her sleepy sweetie softly snoring as she moved to the crib and lowered him gently. She tucked his favorite stuffed wolf against his side, blew him a kiss, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

  She could hear the sound of a fire crackling, and smelled burning wood as she walked down the hallway to the family room. Malachi was sitting on the couch facing the fireplace, one arm slung over the back. He seemed to be staring into the fire. She walked around the couch and his gaze snapped to hers.

  “Is Jack all tucked in?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I know you don’t drink wine, so I poured you a glass of Pepsi,” he said, leaning forward and lifting a wine glass for her. She took it and sat down next to him.

  “In a wine glass?”

  “I’m all about class, baby.”

  He lifted his glass to her and she said, “What should we toast to?”

  “How about perfect days?” She raised a brow and he added, “Today was perfect. It deserves to be toasted.”

  “Was it perfect? Adam gouged your wall when he carried the rocker in, and I may have broken a coffee mug when I was putting my dishes away.”

  “Gouges can be fixed with spackle, and I already know you broke a coffee mug.” He wiggled his brows and she laughed.

  “To perfect days,” she said, touching the rim of her glass to his.

  “Perfect.”

  * * * * *

  The orange and yellows of the flames flickered over Nila’s beautiful face and made his heart ache. Damn, he was falling hard for her. But that was okay, because he hadn’t ever fallen for anyone before, and he was glad his first, and only, was his mate.

  She took his wine glass and set it on the coffee table next to hers. Her hands trembled. If he hadn’t been watching her closely he might have missed it, but since he considered himself her personal non-creepy stalker, he caught it.

  He’d opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, when she turned to face him, her hands cupping his face as she drew close to him. They’d kissed. A lot. She was addictive as hell. But tonight felt different. Their lips touched and he slipped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Tongues touched and teased, dancing together as he tried to reason with his body that Nila was still in no-touch-land, and they shouldn’t try to dry hump her on the couch.

  She made a soft sound in her throat and slipped one hand around to grip his neck, her fingernails digging into his flesh lightly. She nipped his bottom lip as their mouths parted, and he was panting as he stared into her dark eyes.

  Because he had no blood left in his brain, he wasn’t able to stop himself from saying, “I want you in the worst way, Nila.”

  Her nails dug into his neck a little more and she smiled softly. “I want you, too, Mal.”

  He mentally shook himself, trying to get rid of the fog in his head that being around her always seemed to cause. She leaned forward and kissed his neck, right over his pulse.

  “You smell so good,” she whispered huskily.

  He gripped her waist with his hands, his fingers kneading lightly. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a soft growl.

  She chuckled against his neck, and then opened her mouth over his flesh and bit down. Her blunt teeth didn’t do any damage; he only felt pressure and heat. But his wolf took notice, and his gums and fingertips tingled as he suddenly found himself needing to push his wolf away so he didn’t scare Nila. The last thing he wanted to do was make her afraid of him.

  She released his neck and licked the mark she’d made. It wasn’t permanent, which he didn’t like, but maybe she’d be willing to bite him every night.

  No, damn it, he growled at himself. She was theirs, but she was emotionally vulnerable and he wouldn’t take advantage of her.

  She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath skirting over the mark. “I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, Mal; I want you to be the last male who ever touches me, because I want to be yours for real.”

  He blinked in surprise, the sexy haze in his head dissipating as he absorbed her words.

  Pushing her gently to arm’s length, he looked at her. She was smiling, almost shyly. He brushed the hair off her shoulder and hooked his hand behind her neck, letting his thumb rest on her pulse. He could feel the thrum of her pounding heart as he stroked her throat, envisioning his permanent mating marks there.

  He’d wanted to let her take the lead in their relationship. He was bossy by nature, but with Nila he never wanted her to feel like she was forced into anything. She was his, but he’d been content to wait until she was ready. The last few weeks had been hell, but she was here and he wasn’t going to push her away.

  “I want to be the last male who ever touches you, too, sweetheart. Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure, Mal.”

  He cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers, a hungry growl lodged in his throat. She was his and that was all that mattered.

  Her nails scraped against his skin as she tugged on the bottom of his shirt. He pulled away from the kiss to tug it over his head, and his breath caught in his throat as she undid the buttons of the pink top she wore. He didn’t want to blink for fear he’d miss her baring her body. He helped her push the top off her shoulders, and then he let his fingers slip down the soft curve of her lush breasts. She wiggled a bit until her bra came undone, and he helped pull it off and toss it aside.

  Her hands landed on his chest, her cool fingertips tracing his muscles. He kissed her again, delving his tongue into her mouth, her sweet taste making his head spin. Her breasts pressed against him as he pulled her closer, the tight tips of her nipples abrading his chest. Tipping her backward, he settled her gently on the couch and released her mouth, kissing down her chin, the column of her throat, and her collarbone, until his lips found one nipple and he covered it with his lips, sucking gently.

  Her hands fisted his hair, and she groaned his name.

  He couldn’t believe how soft her skin was. It felt like heaven under his fingers, as he slipped one hand from her back and cupped her other breast. He gazed at the tight nipple, watching it harden further. Glancing at Nila, he found her chewing her bottom lip, her eyes hooded with pleasure.

  He worshipped her breasts, sucking and licking the tight buds until she writhed under him, panting for breath and fisting his hair so tightly he was surprised he actually had any left.

  He kissed down her stomach, his chin bump
ing the unforgiving material of her faded jeans. She smelled amazing, even muted through the fabric. Hot and sweet and wet, and all his.

  Undoing the button and zipper of her jeans, he spread the material, looking at the waistband of her panties. He kissed the space just over her panties, and her stomach twitched.

  He sat up, and she untangled her fingers from his hair. Her hips lifted in silent invitation, and he hooked his fingers into the waistbands of both her jeans and panties and tugged. He moved out of the way to divest her of the clothes that prevented him from seeing every inch of her.

  He tossed her jeans behind him as she pressed her feet into the couch and her legs spread slightly at the knees, baring just a hint of her to his hungry gaze. He touched her knees and urged them apart further, and she opened herself to him fully. The sweet scent of her arousal surrounded him, making his gums tingle again and his heart pound. His cock scraped the inside of his jeans as it hardened further.

  He glanced up her body to see her smiling softly at him. His fingers tightened on her knees and he said, “We could go to the bedroom.”

  Her soft smile spread into a wide grin. “That’ll be round two.”

  He growled at her playful tone. Bending forward, he inhaled slowly, letting her scent saturate his senses. He would never forget the way she smelled when she was turned on, like wildflowers heated by the sun — warm, sweet…his.

  Her pussy was free of hair. He nuzzled the juncture of her thigh and she giggled. Smoothing his hands down the inside of her thighs, he felt her tremble as he lifted his head and kissed the top of her pussy. He pushed her thighs open further, making room for his shoulders before pressing his lips against her hot flesh and touching her clit with his tongue. She arched under him, and he slipped his hands under her hips and lifted her lower body off the couch. His brain fizzled out as the first, heady taste of her exploded on his tongue. He groaned, and she echoed the sound.