Nicolas: Love me Harder - Alien Paranormal Romance (3 page)

She blinked her eyes real fast. She hated this time of year. The dust was everywhere, attacking eyes and throats, clogging them up.

The ringing of the phone disrupted the sadness she was falling into. He answered the phone making her smile. “Nicolas.”

He agreed several times with whoever was on the other end before hanging up.

“Janis, would you mind if I made a detour to my brother’s house first? He needs to see me.”

“Will he be ok if I tag along?”

“It will be fine.”

“Ok.”

She watched as they made a slight change in direction. He kept the car on the outskirts of the city until the area became as rural as his area.

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Five.”

“Do you all live in rural areas?”

“Yes, we like both the silence and the space.”

“I guess it’s hard not letting people know you’re aliens.”

“Not really. Actually several do people know. We just make sure they are the right people.”

“Who would be the right people?”

“People like you.”

Janis sat back and closed her eyes. The image of Nicolas leaning over to kiss her blazed through her mind. Her lips tingled at the contact and her nipples hardened as she thought of him. She began to squirm in the seat at the thought of his mouth on her hardened nipple. The desire to reach out and run her hand over his hard thigh was making her fingers shake as she curled them tightly into her palm.

“We’re here.” His voice pulled her out of her thoughts as exited the car in front of Aran’s house.

He took her hand and led her to the porch. A shiver traveled through her body caused by his touch

“Shouldn’t you knock?” They walked into the house without letting his brother they were there.

“He’s expecting me.”

They stood in a wide foyer. On the left side of it was a huge room filled with a multitude of loveseats, one of which was occupied by a male and a female. The male was huge, looking to be around the same height as Nicolas but much bulkier. It was the woman who grabbed her attention. She had a figure that could only be described with the word Rubenesque. She was beautiful, something about her reached out and grabbed you. She was possessed with beautiful brown skin and gorgeous eyes. No wonder the male sitting by her side didn’t seem to want to let her go.

“Janis, this is my brother Aran, and his mate Rena. She’s the one who gave you the clothes. Aran is the eldest brother and also the first one to find his mate. Rena is the sister I never had.”

Aran met Rena when they were beginning to lose hope of ever meeting the female who would be their mate. Meeting Rena also triggered the knowledge they were being stalked by another one of their kind. Their stalker tried to kill Rena. Aran, Nicolas and the rest of their brothers worked together to save her.

Rena gave Nicolas a smile full of love. Janis had to smile as she watched the three of them; something about their relationship spoke to her making her ache with a deep longing.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet both of you.” She gave them both a smile. “Thank you for the clothes, Rena. I truly appreciate them. They’re wonderful.”

“Glad you liked them. Let me know whenever you want to hit the mall. I’m game.”

Aran rolled his eyes. “I thought we agreed you would stay away from the mall until after the baby?”

“No, you agreed. I just listened.” She started pushing herself up.

Aran jumped up and helped her get to her feet.

“Your mouth is gaping open Janis. It’s ok.”

“I thought Aran was Nicolas’s brother?”

“He is and yeah I’m human. Yes, the Created and humans can procreate. Nicolas is here to take a look at the baby to make sure everything is ok.”

Janis’s eyes flashed to Nicolas to see the heated stare he was giving her. Heat rushed to her face as her body tingled with excitement. The look of desire in his eyes made her flustered.

“Don’t you need a doctor for that?” Janis asked with a stammer.

“Did I forget to mention I was a doctor?” Nicolas said. “Wait, I’m a doctor who believes you, if that helps any.” Nicolas spent the last couple of centuries practicing medicine. He was the best doctor several galaxies had to offer.

She opened her mouth and shut it several times. What did you say to the male who saved your life?

“You did say you wanted adventure that didn’t involve you being burned.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” she laughed. She might as well enjoy the adventure while she could.

“Janis, what are you waiting for? Come with us,” Rena called out.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense, the room will be filled to overflowing before it’s over. You might as well come and claim a comfy spot now.”

The front door opened as others began to arrive.

“Hey girl, we were just in the neighborhood and thought we would stop by.” Dee said giving her a big smile.

Dee looked like a model in hiding. She was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses that went well with her outfit. The top emphasized her chest while flowing over her flat stomach. The pants she wore showed of the smallness of her waist. She would stop traffic and probably did. If she didn’t, the huge male standing protectively behind her would. Her skin was a creamy chocolate.

“Janis, that’s my best friend Dee, and Niko, her mate. There’s no reason for her to be in this neighborhood unless she’s coming here. I do believe she wants to get a look at baby Aran,” Rena said in a false whisper, while trying to keep the laughter out of her voice. Rena and Dee had both been stalked by the tainted one. They had also been terrorized by him.

“Pay her no mind, Janis. It’s the pregnancy hormones speaking.”

“Janis, Niko is also my brother. There are six of us all together. We own a security company, Dare Securities, Niko and Dee deal with the accounting. Aran and Sergey my other brother are the official owners of the company and do highly specialized security work. Hale does the computer work and Ash, my youngest brother, runs the traditional side of our company.”

They all finished the walk up the stairs while Nicolas shooed them out of the room until he had everything setup.

“Janis,” Dee said, stopping to stand in front of her with Niko. “Meet Niko.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Janis.”

“Hang on tight. We are about to be bombarded,” Dee told her with a smile. The door opened, letting another couple into the room. They were followed by several males. Dee took the time to introduce Janis to everyone.

Finally, Nicolas called them in. They crowded around the bed to get a good look at the sonogram.

“You’re having a healthy baby, Rena. Here are the little fingers and here is the head.”

“The baby is perfect. Can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl, Nicolas?” Rena asked.

He moved the wand around, looking at different parts of the baby before finally answering.

“I know what the baby’s gender is.” He gave her a big smile

“What is the baby?” Aran growled, needing to know

“You’re having a boy. A son.”

The room got ghostly quiet as the males were struck speechless.

“A boy? Are you certain?” Rena asked. She was totally quiet, then she burst out with a whoop followed by Dee.

“I’m having a boy, Dee! Just like I always said I would have!”

“I’m so happy for you, Rena!” Dee’s voice was thick with happy tears.

“The room was suddenly ablaze with sound as congratulations went through it.

“I’m so happy for you. For all of you.” Janis gave them big smiles.

She used to dream one day she would be cured enough to be able to have children. Seeing another so happy made her heart happy for Rena and sad for herself. What didn’t kill you made you stronger. It became her personal motto, maybe it was time for her to act like it.

Nicolas cleaned up and stored all of the equipment away while keeping an eye on Janis. He knew the minute he laid his eyes on her that she was his mate. If he hadn’t known, her scent — the one he memorized before he lost her the first time —would have told him. He pulled himself together to give Rena directions on taking care of herself and the baby.

“I need to get Janis back to her car so she can go shopping,” Nicolas said, turning to head out the door.

Dante walked into the room carrying a large bouquet of flowers with a huge balloon wrapped around them that read, ‘Congratulations on your baby boy.’

“I hear someone’s having a boy.”

“Dante!” Rena and Dee said at the same time.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

“Not come and miss the excitement? Never!” He gave Rena a big smile.

He turned to focus on Janis. She felt something walk down her spine. Confused, she shivered; it felt like an odd sense of excitement, the kind she thought you might have when you were waiting for a rollercoaster to go down a big hill.

“Hi, Janis. I am Dante.”

“Hi, nice to meet you.”

Dante turned to walk towards the door, while Janis continued to stare at him.

“Nicolas.” He stopped in the entrance. “Remember fire and glass mean nothing. Just keep your head down.”

“What did he mean?”

“Dante doesn’t talk to hear himself. I have no idea what it means, but it must be important,” Dee told her with a smile.

Chapter Four

Janis sat quietly as Nicolas drove her back to Sampson’s.

“Where is your car?”

“It’s the old blue one that should be right there.” She pointed to the parking space that looked like it held a burned out husk of a car.

The urge to scream fought the urge to drop and simply cry. In the end anger won out, she was tired of being a victim. How could her car be burnt beyond recognition? There had to be some law that said she could have one pleasant day without suffering bad consequences. But no, nothing like that applied to her life.

Time to find a way to get away. She needed time to herself and time to devise a plan to fight back. Straightening her shoulders she started walking towards the store. Standing and staring at her burnt out shell of a car wasn’t going to help her.

Nicolas followed behind her silently as they made their way into the store and up to the customer service desk. Janis waited patiently as the two people in front of her were helped. She was careful to give them enough space to move around her when they were done.

“Hi. How can I help you?”

“I would like to see the manager.” She stood tall; this ended now.

“May I ask what this is about? I may be able to help you.”

“My car seems to have burnt to a crisp overnight.”

“Oh dear! I’m so sorry to hear that.” The customer service rep reached out his hands and grabbed her before she was able to move away. The move was so unexpected that her cry of pain was loud and heartfelt as the man held tight. Nicolas stepped in and broke the connection, but not before her hands were red and blistered.

The pain had her retreating behind a wall of isolation again, while she screamed in her head.

“What’s wrong with your hands?” The customer service rep asked. He tried to touch her blisters.

Nicolas reached out and placed Janis behind him. “We need the manager now.”

“Of course. Is there anything I can do for her?”

Nicolas looked him over before addressing his question. “You touched her on purpose, which means you’re a plant. If you touch her again, you will forfeit your life. If you plan to leave this establishment alive, you better have a manager here in three minutes or less. Time starts now.”

The rep picked up a phone and called for a manager. The same man from last night walked up.

“Can I help you?”

The man was short and slightly pudgy with a receding hairline. Nothing had changed since last night, except the eyes. Nicolas would’ve sworn his eyes were blue last night, but today they were definitely green.

“Did I meet you last night?”

“No, this is my first day back from vacation.”

Nicolas nodded his head. “We are here about a car that burned in the lot overnight.”

“Yes, we are looking for the owner.”

“Why?”

“They are responsible for having the car removed. We may also decide to go after them for leaving the car in our lot overnight.”

Nicolas nodded his head. “I’ll have my lawyer meet with you. We will be going after the store for gross negligence. The owner of the car was beaten last night by several teens. I’m sure I’ll be able to get them on the stand to testify. Then she had to be taken away to receive medical care. Her car was left as she was unable to drive it and you allowed it to be destroyed in your care.”

Nicolas turned around and placed a hand on her bare arm to lead her away. He heard the gasps behind him. He never turned around to acknowledge them.

“What am I going to do now?”

“First we are going to go shopping for food, then we’re going to talk about what happened.”

“You can’t go shopping for food.” Janis said ignoring everything else.

“Why not?”

“Guys like you never shop for food. I mean, maybe in Hollywood or something, but never in Pittsburgh.”

“What do you mean guys like me?”

“You know… Hot guys.” She made the sound of something sizzling. “You’re the kind of guy a woman sees on the big screen, not the kind you run into in a grocery store.”

He gave her a smile. “What do guys like me eat when they live in places like Pittsburgh?”

“They don’t live here. They catch the first train out and head to Hollywood.”

“Guess that means I broke the trend. Time to find out what the inside of a grocery store looks like. Will you go with me and keep me safe from all of the women who will get to see me up close and personal?”

She sighed and cast a pitying look his way while trying not to laugh. “It seems that’s my lot in life, protecting others from themselves. I’ll have to carry on and protect you too.”

“Thank you,” he whispered before giving a deep chuckle. He caught her by the hand and they ran the rest of the way to the car.

Janis was breathless when she arrived and laughing harder than she could ever remember. Nicolas was fun in a way she had never been exposed to before.