Pack Mates (Were Chronicles) (9 page)

He opened his eyes and pulled her close. “I drew their mate in cat form on each other’s chest. Zach’s lion over Casey’s heart and Casey’s bobcat over Zach’s. They were the most important pieces I ever did.”

“That’s wonderful,” she told him, running her hand over his throat to grab his chin. “I love it.”

He nodded, glad she understood. “That’s what I want to offer. That tattoo kept Casey sane while we were searching for Zach. He had his love with him in some way.”

“He won’t get away with it,” she promised then kissed him.

RJ let her control the kiss and just enjoyed having her close. When she broke off to snuggle into his chest, he held her close.

Justin pulled up in front of RJ’s shop and it was both too soon and not soon enough. There were several people outside in the street and on the sidewalk beside the tape the sheriff department had put up. The windows were all busted up and the door smashed.

“Hey,” Nikki said softly, blocking his view. “We will rebuild. We will fix it, I promise.”

RJ knew they could, but this hit deep. It was the only thing he’d wanted when the unit had decided to retire.

“I’ll be here with you,” she promised and kissed him one more time.

And that was the best thing he’d ever heard. He’d already gained so much more than he had thought. He had a new home, his brothers back, loyal friends and Nikki. He wouldn’t have even imagined finding her. He hadn’t been looking. But his future mate sat in the back of an old SUV, worrying and upset, because he was.

“I love you Nikki Stratton,” he declared quietly, staring in her eyes.

She blinked. Opened and closed her mouth several times. “Holy hell!” she whispered. “I love you too.” She seemed shocked by her own admission and it was enough to convince him.

“We’ll do this together.”

She nodded and slid out of the vehicle behind him.

Chapter Ten

Nikki watched as Mike broke away from the other spectators on the sidewalk and embraced RJ.

She was beyond pissed off that this had happened to the man she loved.

And wasn’t that a kick in the ass. Somehow she had fallen for RJ Cross. She hadn’t even seen it coming. RJ turned and held out a hand, and she quickly clasped it and let him pull her close.

“I don’t want you going anywhere without me or Mike with you,” he said once she was close.

“Excuse me?” She looked up at him. Where the hell had that come from?

“Just listen.” He turned and cupped her face. “This is a direct attack on me. Add in that your brother has switched sides, and Samson’s words earlier… I don’t want you alone.”

“RJ, this is my hometown. Everyone knows me and I have been on my own a long time. I have been in more hostile places than this. I can take care of myself.”

“Just wait until after the ceremony,” he pleaded. “If something happened to you…I wouldn’t be able to hold in my wolf. I need to make sure you are protected.”

She opened her mouth again to protest when Justin interrupted, “I agree. You’re a target now. All of us are. You shouldn’t be alone either, Ben,” Justin added.

Ben frowned. “Now wait!”

“Enough!” Mike growled. “It goes for everyone in both families. No one from either family will be alone. Double up and figure it out.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Dylan offered as he and Brandon joined them. “In fact, Brandon and I just spoke about the same thing in the car on the way over.”

Nikki shook her head but she knew she was beaten. She might have been able to fight against RJ and Justin, but just the look on Brandon’s face told her he was in full protective mode. “Fine.”

Everyone else agreed and Brandon put a hand on RJ’s shoulder. “I’ll take you inside to look around but don’t touch anything yet.”

He nodded and glanced at her. “Come with me?”

She offered him the best smile she could manage. “Of course.”

“I’ll take Mike and get some wood to cover the windows and door,” Dylan told them. “Ben, you and Justin hang out here and watch everyone who is out here. Samson might not be here, but I doubt he wouldn’t have eyes and ears out to let him know what is going on.”

Nikki kept a hold of RJ’s hand as Brandon led them inside. On top of the windows and door glass being smashed, all of the furniture was upended. The leather couches and chairs were shredded. Ink was spilled over the counters, floors and walls. RJ’s instruments had been broken and tossed around the shop.

“Son of a bitch,” RJ grumbled. “Damn it!”

Nikki rubbed his arm with her free hand as he took in the mess.

“You have insurance?” Brandon asked from the door.

RJ nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a copy of the report as soon as I can.”

RJ turned and Nikki saw the rage on his face.

“Listen, man,” Brandon said holding his hands up. “This sucks. This is a violation and a challenge but we need to handle this legally. Also, I promise we will fix this. Everyone in this town will help get this place up and back open as soon as possible. But think before you react.”

RJ spun around and stomped off, letting go of her hand. Nikki stayed where she was and let him pace.

“He’ll pay for this,” RJ snapped.

“He will. Let me handle this, RJ. It’s what I do and I am damn good at my job. But what we
can’t
do is let this distract us, let him separate us and what we are planning to do about mingling the Pack.”

RJ growled and picked up one of the chairs before hefting it across the room.

“Feel better?” Brandon asked sarcastically.

“Bran!” Nikki complained.

But RJ started to laugh. “Actually, I do.”

Nikki looked between the two of them as they both chuckled. She threw her hands up. “Men!”

RJ wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I hate to admit it, but Brandon’s right. This is just a distraction. We’ll get it cleaned up.”

Nikki resisted the urge to remind him she’d said it first. Instead, she just moved up to her toes and kissed his cheek. “Bet your ass, and we will replace that furniture right away.”

“Furniture?” he asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

“So we can break it in properly.”

“Nicole!” Brandon objected as RJ grinned.

She laughed and started for the door. “The sooner we get this place boarded up, the quicker we can start…practising.”

She wasn’t surprised when RJ beat her to the door while Brandon mumbled under his breath, following.

* * * *

RJ groaned at the loud beeping in his ear. He reached over and slapped the alarm off before burying his head back into the pillow.

“It can’t be morning already,” came the complaint from next to him.

RJ lifted his head and grinned at the sight before him. Nikki was wrapped under his bedspread with her head hidden under the pillow. He’d taken her back home with him the night before and they’d spent all night into the early morning hours practising how they would ‘break in’ his new shop furniture.

He chuckled while he scooted closer and edged the top of the blankets down, revealing her naked shoulder. He ran his tongue over her soft skin until she shivered.

“Ugh!” she said before laughing. “You can’t want more already.”

RJ smiled. He actually felt pretty sated but just waking up beside her had all kinds of ideas popping in his head. “Well, if you can’t handle it…” he teased.

The pillow above her head slid off the bed as she burst up. “Can’t handle? Me?”

He chuckled. “Well…”

She pushed herself up and crawled over him, causing him to roll onto his back. She straddled his hips and bent over him, her hair curtaining them. “Well what?”

“Oh, nothing,” he said as innocently as he could manage.

“Hmm,” she murmured as she brushed her lips over his. “Feeling better?”

He smirked and raised his hands over his head. “Feeling pretty damn good.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, as matter of fact…” He gasped when she grasped his cock under the covers.

“You’re right, baby,” she teased. “You do feel pretty damn good.”

He sucked in a breath when she tightened her grip and she rubbed her body down his.

“As a matter of fact, you feel so good I think I’ll have to taste.”

He did his best not to buck when her moist mouth wrapped around his shaft. But damn, did she have a talented mouth and that thing she was doing with her tongue…
Oh damn
!

“Baby…” He buried his hand in her hair. “Damn.”

She looked up at him from between his legs and deep-throated him again.

“Oh sweet Jesus!” he yelled, unable to keep quiet.

She continued to suck and lick until he finally lost control and plunged in and out of her mouth. She urged him on with a hand on his hip.

“So good… Yeah, suck me deep… Oh baby…”

Too soon he could feel the start of his climax. He tightened his hold on her hair and pulled gently. She popped off and grinned.

“Get up here,” he ordered, already pulling on her before she started to move. “I don’t want to come until I’m inside you.”

She moaned, sitting astride his thighs. “Yes.”

He held her around the waist while she positioned herself over him. She sank down slowly, drawing a moan from them both.

“God, you feel me up so good,” she told him, arching her back once he was seated deep inside her.

He couldn’t have agreed more. He held her tight and pushed his hips up. “Come on, baby, ride me.”

She pressed her hand down on his shoulders and lifted up before sliding back down. She took her time, slowly rising and falling, teasing and taunting.

“Please, Nikki,” he begged as she tortured him.

She laughed wickedly.

He slapped her ass playfully. She tightened around his cock and moaned. Oh, now this was interesting. He did it again and was treated to her gasp and her pace picking up.

“Yeah, baby, faster, harder,” he encouraged and gave her another smack.

“RJ,” she cried, tightening even more.

He braced his feet on the bed and thrust up each time she came down on his cock. They moved quickly, with him spanking her every few strokes, until it was just the sound of flesh against flesh filling the room.

RJ lifted up to sit and gripped her hips hard, pulling her down on his shaft deeper. “Come for me, Nikki, come on my cock.”

She did. Crying out his name, she fell over the edge, pulling him over with her.

He dropped back down, keeping his arms around her as he struggled to catch his breath.

She nuzzled his chest and he knew he wanted to wake up like this every morning for the rest of his life.

Pounding on the door broke up the peaceful sated state he had fallen into.

“Come on, you two! Get your asses in the kitchen,” Dylan ordered.

Nikki groaned.

“We’re coming!” RJ called out to his brother.

“God, I hope not!” Dylan shouted back. “I’m surprised you haven’t killed each other yet.”

Nikki squeaked and started to squirm off him.

“He’s just messing with us,” RJ tried to assure her.

“No, I’m not! If you two go at it again, I’m going to make you sleep in separate rooms,” Dylan argued.

“We’ll be down in a minute!” RJ hollered, watching a blushing Nikki dart into the bathroom. His brother’s laughter started to drift away and RJ rubbed his hand over his face. He was going to have to think of a way to get him back and soon.

Chapter Eleven

After a wonderful, if not embarrassing morning, Nikki found herself with Justin and Ben at the Pack clearing, getting ready for the barbeque before the ceremony. She was pleased with the number of volunteers and the progress they were making.

The tables had been covered with red and white cloths, the chairs set up, and six grills were off to the side ready to be fired up.

The teenagers of the Pack had finished setting up the table and chairs and started piling wood in the fire pits for later in the night. She grinned as Sabrina and Max began to load one of the tables with an assortment of desserts. It was all coming together. They just had to get through the day and hopefully by morning they would have a new Alpha and the Pack would be complete. Then she had to figure out what she was going to do.

When she’d made the trip home, she hadn’t known anything about what she had now found herself in the middle of. Finding a mate hadn’t even been on her radar. Now she couldn’t imagine returning to the city without RJ. But she could tell that RJ was home here—with his brothers, with his Pack—and she couldn’t ask him to leave. So where did that leave them?

“Penny for your thoughts,” Ben said softly, coming up behind her.

She turned and smiled at the youngest Cross brother. “Do you think we’ll be able to actually pull this off?”

Okay, that wasn’t what she had actually been thinking, but it was close.