Nicolas: Love me Harder - Alien Paranormal Romance (23 page)

***

“A cookout?” She looked at him and laughed.

He’d woken her this morning, saying they were all getting together at Aran’s house for a cookout. In addition to their family, Dante and all his brothers would be there also.

She’d gotten up and started making potato salad. That was the dish she’d decided to make after several calls with everyone, before Rena said forget this and hooked them all up via computers and phones.

Now they were getting out of the jeep, with Nicolas carry the largest bowl she could find, filled with potato salad into the house.

“Janis!” Happy voices greeted her when she entered.

“Looking good, girl,” Rena’s voice rang out.

“We’re going outside. The males are out back or in the kitchen bickering with one another. Come on out. Our jobs are done, now it’s up to the males.”

Janis followed them out of the house to find a comfortable seating arrangement and an outdoor kitchen. Aran and Sergey were manning the grill.

“You have to tell us what it was like to be held captive by the evil one and to have two Crux wanting you.” Lorali put her hand over her heart and made faces that had them laughing.

Dee gave them a small smile and they stopped joking around. Dee found it hard to even joke about being kidnapped.

“Are you alright, Janis?” Dee asked.

“He was so focused on our males, he never touched me or Theresa. I just hope she will be ok.”

“I talked to her, Janis. She’s doing fine. She’s in the safe house with the rest of the victims. Dante spoke with her, she won’t remember what or who the Created are. I think that’s best for her,” Lorali said, reassuring her.

Janis nodded.

“Hotdogs, hamburgers, and steaks. Come and get it,” the males shouted over to the women, with smiles on their faces.

Janis stood and looked around. She could never have imagined a family she could interact with and be herself. Her world changed and she loved it. A hotdog had her name written on it. She walked towards Nicolas joining in on the fun.

Back Matter

I hope you enjoyed Nicolas and Janis’s story. I loved writing this story and finding out who they are.

Please leave a review at the site you purchased this e-book letting others know what you thought of it.

How to find me

You can find me at my
website

I’m also on twitter at @serena789books

I can also be found on my
author central page

Hale – Book 5 Excerpt
Coming Soon
Chapter One

Tori looked around her office and slumped in her chair. She’d given everything to her dying business, but nothing worked. She guessed it really didn’t matter now. In two weeks, the banks would foreclose and she would be left with nothing.

Dragging her tired body out of the chair, she started straightening up. A few minutes later, she decided it was time to call it a day. She would go home and rest while she had the chance. The sound of loud voices in the hallway caught her attention, making her smile for a moment. It would be so nice if they would knock on her door.

The smile turned into a frown. That wasn’t going to happen. Her best friend, well her former best friend, had gone out of her way to ruin Tori. Ta da! She managed to do it in record time.

Why? Over a guy of course. Tori may have even understood, if she were interested in the guy, but she wouldn’t touch that creep with a ten foot pole. Would her friend listen? No, she believed every word out of that liar’s mouth and moved to destroy Tori. It was easier for her ex-friend to destroy her than to acknowledge Tori was correct.

She was putting up the last of the paperwork when the footsteps and the loud laughter stopped in front of her door. Taking a deep breath, she eavesdropped on the conversation in the hall.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” A deep male voice asked.

“I’m telling you, this is where Dante said to come.” A female voice replied.

“I don’t understand why the two of you couldn’t go on your own. Why did Dante have to drag me into it?” The sound of the second man’s voice was enough to make Tori want to snatch the door open. She loved voices like his, so deep every nerve ending in her body stood up and took notice.

“You agreed to be my best man.” The first male voice spoke again.

“I thought all I needed to do was hand you the ring. That’s what Lorali told me.”

“I’m sure I said more than that Hale. Can we stop hanging out around the door and go in? I’m sure the occupant of the office is wondering what’s going on out here.”

There was a knock on the door. Tori stood behind the desk, trying to look casual and not like she wasn’t paying attention to every word they’d said.

“Come in,” She planted a smile on her face.

A man and a women walked in. They were holding hands. They had the look of a couple who were truly in love, and if the rock on her finger meant anything, they were engaged to be married.

She thought the woman was beautiful and the man was devastatingly handsome, but she couldn’t look away from the third person long enough to be sure. ‘Help me, please’ she murmured to herself.

When did they start making men like him? He was incredibly tall with platinum hair. She wanted to run her hands through it to see if it was as silky as it looked. Could that be his real hair color? What about his eyes? She had never seen anything like them before. They seemed almost clear, like the rarest of diamonds.

When they all stood and simply looked at her, she realized she was staring and yes lusting after the Greek god who just walked into her office. She closed her mouth and discreetly wiped off the drool from the corner of it.

She pasted on an even brighter smile before gathering her courage to speak. “Welcome to Weddings by Tori. How can I help you with your wedding needs?”

She wondered how long it would take before they apologized and fled. Surely they were looking for Grand weddings by Rita, her ex best friend.

“I told you we were in the right place.” The woman threw both men a smug look.

“Hi, I’m Lorali and this is Sergey.” She indicated the man standing on her right. “We’re engaged to be married.” She gave Tori the dreamy smile of a woman in love.

Tori stopped responding to that smile ages ago, but Lorali’s smile managed to take her by surprise and Tori gave her a genuine smile in return.

“Hi, I’m Tori it’s nice to meet you both. It is also nice to meet you.” Tori turned and acknowledged the other man in the room.

“I haven’t forgotten him.” Lorali smiled at him before adding. “Tori, this is Hale. He’s one of Sergey’s brothers. There are six of them all together. They are all as tall and as broad as these two and don’t get me started on their friends. Which brings me to the reason we’re here.”

“Why don’t you all sit first? Then you can tell me what I can help you with.”

Tori did a bit of rearranging with the chairs until she was sure they would be seated comfortably. She sat at her desk and motioned for Lorali to continue.

“I’m going to need a large private venue. It will need to have both indoor and outdoor space, preferably someplace with a pond or a lake. I’ll also need…”

The loud crash in the hallway drew their attention.

“Tori, are you in there? Did you do this to me?” There was a loud banging on the door and a women walked in, looking like she’d been caught in the rain.

“I’m tired of your tricks, Tori. You keep trying to steal my business, but it won’t work this time.”

Tori looked at Rita. She was everything Tori thought she wanted to be, Rita including a perfect size three. Tori had always envied her, even as children. Tori on the other hand felt she was just average. Rita had beautiful blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She was an angel. A fallen angel.

Tori sat back and decided she might as well enjoy the show. Rita was well versed in the theatrics of the poor victim. It never mattered in the past how much Tori protested. Every client believed Rita, although she never stooped this low before.

“Sorry to disappoint you folks, but Weddings by Tori is just a sham. She will take your money, then pull up roots and move on. I have a very nice office just down the hallway and many successful weddings under my belt.”

Rita stopped to give them a sad smile, as she gave Tori a quick look. “I tried to help her, but she doesn’t want help, just a fast buck.”

“If you will follow me?”

“No.” Lorali’s voice was soft and sweet. The males on either side of her tensed up.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Rita asked, a look of disbelief sliding across her face.

“I said no. We won’t follow you.”

“You can’t want to stay here with this cheat and this swindler. She’ll take your money and provide you with a bad wedding reception. Believe me, she has nothing over what I can do.”

“I thought she was going to take our money and disappear. At least now I know we’ll get a reception.”

“Listen lady.” Rita’s sweet as pie veneer was fading.

Tori sat up swinging her head from Lorali to Rita. This was better than any tennis game she ever watched. Now, if only she could figure out why Lorali hadn’t fallen for Rita’s game when so many women before her had.

“You listen. Did you think I couldn’t hear you slide down the hallway like a snake to stop in front of this door? You pressed your ear against it to hear what I was saying and when you were sure I was actually interested in contracting Tori’s services, you doused yourself with water. I’m sure the cup is sitting beside the door. Then, you busted in here with your indignant act. I guess there is a possibility such a childish act might work with some.” Lorali’s voice held a disgusted edge to it.

Hale got up and went to the door, bending down to retrieve the cup in question. “You may need this.” He tossed the cup at her like it offended him.

“Tori, would it be possible for us to go somewhere else to discuss my needs?” Lorali asked.

“Sure. We could grab a cup of coffee somewhere?”

“Actually, I have a friend who has a great restaurant. I have a feeling he’s expecting us.” Lorali said.

Tori shook her head as she tried to calculate if she had enough money in her bank account to eat. She was sure the answer was no.

They stood and headed towards the door as Rita looked at them with her mouth hanging open.

“After you.” Hale spoke to Rita, making sure she cleared out before they walked out of the door.

***

Hale sat in the back seat of the jeep, looking out the window to make sure the small car behind them didn’t get lost.

He offered to ride with her, but she flushed a deep red and mumbled she would keep up.

A smile touched his lips. Tori was beautiful. She had shoulder length brown hair that looked like it was spun from pure silk. He ached to stroke it the minute he saw her and that was before she lifted her head and caught him in her chocolate gaze. Her eyes turned up at the corners, and she was blessed with a bow shaped mouth that begged him for a kiss. Her body was petite with an exotic flare. He would have expected to meet her on one of the pleasure planets, charging exorbitant amounts of credits for a chance to talk to her. She could bankrupt a male if he desired more.

‘Mate,’ his inner beast said. He stood stock still as he watched her, almost unable to breath. It felt like a bolt of electricity going through his body as he recognized her as his.

He had a Mate. The very thought made his chest puff up. He was the second youngest of six brothers. He had always stood in the shadow of his four older brothers. When they received Mates, he acknowledged they deserved that honor. However, he never really thought it would happen to him.

Now his mate presented herself. She had a tanned complexion. He would have called it sun kissed, but it was quite obvious she neglected to go outside into the sun.

Now he would have someone to protect and the beast inside of him roared his appreciation. On the world of his beast, a male was not truly a male until he had a mate to protect. A mate meant young and an abode that needed to be cared for and protected. Although Hale already had a place to live, it was simply an empty shell. Having a mate would turn it into a home.

He would have to thank Dante personally for insisting he go with Sergey and Lorali to meet the wedding coordinator.

Serena Simpson’s Books

Love Me Harder Series

Aran Book 1

Niko Book 2

Sergey Book 3

Nicolas Book 4

Hale Book 5 – Coming soon

Stand Alones

Charlies Bad Day

Thea’s Homecoming

Hope

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Copyright

Reviews and where to find me

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Nine

Back Matter

How to find me

Hale – Book 5 Excerpt Coming Soon Chapter One

Serena Simpson’s Books

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