Sassy Ever After: Sassy and a little Bad-Assy (Kindle Worlds Novella) (7 page)

Chapter Seven

Two weeks later…

If he had superpowers, Cruz probably would have burned a hole through the door to the front of the bar as he stood there, waiting. Nikki was supposed to be there any minute, and he couldn’t wait to see her again. Somehow, he had sweet talked her into spending time with him every day, even if it was only for thirty minutes. That might not seem like long enough to other people trying to start a relationship with someone, but he was so grateful to have those thirty minutes that he couldn’t care less.

The bell over the door jingled as it opened, and the aroma of lavender and vanilla hit him. Rushing forward, he grabbed the door to hold it open so she could walk through with no problem. She was still in that hideous green cast that her youngest brother liked to call her Hulk foot, plus using crutches.

Giving him a sweet smile, Nikki mouthed the words “
thank you
” as she came through the door. Then Cruz led her to a tall table over in the corner where he could stand there with her while he still stood guard, doing his job as a bouncer.

Wrapping his hands around her waist, he picked her up and placed her in the chair, not wanting her to hurt herself trying to do it herself. Then he propped her crutches against the table next to her.

Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “I’ll get you something to drink, pretty girl.” He kissed her on the forehead before walking over to the bar.

It was hard not to let his lips linger on her skin. They had been taking things slowly, so Cruz had spent fourteen days getting to know his mate and hadn’t even kissed her yet. That was okay. The more he got to know Nikki, the more he saw that she was worth waiting for.

As he ordered her a Shirley Temple with extra cherries, he stood and watched her while she scanned the patrons of The Thirsty Wolfe. There was a big smile on her face, and she seemed happy to be out of the house. Cruz had learned that his mate was always taking care of someone else: her grandfather due to Alzheimer’s, her little brother Ivar with his spina bifida, doing the laundry for entire family, plus cooking their meals and such. What it all boiled down to was Nikki’s family needed her, and she had stepped up to help them. In the process, she took on the role of caring for everyone else, but sometimes, they forgot that Nikki needed to be taken care of, too. The woman was selfless. Possibly one of the most giving people he had met in his entire life.

Both the man and the wolf in him wanted to be the one to take care of her. He understood her need to take care of her family, but he hoped she would allow him to return the favor.

The bartender set her drink by his hand, and Cruz took it over to her table, setting it down in front of her.

“How was your day?”

She snorted. “Papa Ái decided today that Ivar should go on a raid with him. It took me half an hour to convince him that the realtor showing the house next to us and her prospective buyers weren’t Saxons invading. It got a little hairy when he slipped out of the house when I was in the kitchen, but at least he didn’t find where my parents hid the sword or Thor’s hammer this time. All he had was his wooden shield. Gave the people over there quite the fright, but I don’t think they’re going to press charges. Thank God.”

He ran a hand over her hair, doing what he could to soothe her frazzled nerves. “You sure you don’t want some alcohol in that drink?” he joked.

“If I start drinking now, I may never stop. Enough about me. How was your day?”

Cruz kept half his attention on the bar, always on guard, and not just because it was his job. His mate was here now, and the need to protect her was … Well, the word
strong
didn’t seem to do it justice. “I’m just glad I get to see you today, pretty girl.”

Nikki nudged him with her shoulder. “You’re one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met, you know that?”

He couldn’t help barking a laugh at that statement. “Somehow, I never imagined you would say that after the way we met,” he teased.

Giving him a big grin, she replied, “I guess first impressions aren’t always the most important. Besides, everyone has their faults. Mine is that I’m related to an entire tribe of crazy people, and I love every minute of it. Besides the first day, I haven’t been able to figure out what your faults are. Help a girl out? You can’t possibly be perfect at everything.”

Although he knew she was teasing, Cruz couldn’t help flinching at her words. He was far from perfect. The powers that be knew he still blamed himself half the time for Lindsey’s and Laura’s deaths. It had made him feel as if he couldn’t protect his family. Would Nikki think that of him if she knew the truth of his past?

“Hey.” His mate smoothed her hand down the side of his face. “What’s wrong, Cruz? Did I say something to upset you?”

Looking around, he took in the many people surrounding them. This hadn’t exactly been how he wanted to tell his mate about the family he had lost, but it seemed as though fate once again had different plans.

Grabbing her hand with his own, he pulled it from his face and placed it on the table in front of them. Then he smoothed his thumb over her knuckles, memorizing the satin feel of her skin as he built up the courage he needed to bare his soul.

“No one is perfect, baby. I’m far from it. I don’t know if you would say I have a fault, but I do have a past, one that I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you about.”

“You’re starting to scare me, Cruz.”

Taking another quick look around the bar, seeing everything was fine, he brought his face closer to Nikki’s and lowered his voice so only she would hear what he had to say. “I was mated once before.”

Nikki gasped in surprise, and her eyes widened in pure shock. “But I thought you told me you only got one mate!” Her voice was almost shrill with worry, and Cruz cringed at her outrage.

Holding his finger up to her lips to stop her, he continued, “I told you that shifters only get one true mate. Lindsey wasn’t my true mate. We grew up together, and she was my childhood sweetheart. We loved each other so much that we decided we wanted to get mated without looking for our true mates. It was pretty unconventional for our pack, but our families supported us.”

His mate’s lips moved against his finger as she asked the question he dreaded most, “Where is Lindsey now, Cruz?”

That familiar knife of pain slashed through his heart. This time, though, it didn’t make him want to curl up and die. It hurt like hell, but it was the sort of pain he finally felt he could survive, all because of the beautiful woman in front of him and the second chance she meant to his life.

Not knowing how to tell her the truth without just giving it to her straight, Cruz explained the best he could. “She was in a car accident with our little girl Laura. A semi-truck hit them, and they both died instantly. At least, that’s what the medics told me. They promised me the girls didn’t feel any pain at all. It was quick.”

It was hard to say the words … to see the way Nikki’s eyes clouded over with pain for him. She had to be the first person he wasn’t mad at for feeling sorry for him, but that didn’t mean he liked it, either.

“You lost a child and a wife?” Her whispered words sounded tortured.

Feeling a huge lump of emotion choking him, Cruz nodded, unable to answer with words.

“How long ago, Cruz?”

It took him a minute or so to force the words out. “Five years.”

He braced himself for her pity, tried to steel himself so he wouldn’t resent her for the common reaction to someone finding out what had happened to his family. Only, it didn’t come. Instead, the words she spoke next battered down every emotional steel wall he had just tried to put up.

“How you must hate me …”

Shocked by her response, Cruz’s attention snapped back to her face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him with her fingers over his lips.

“No, don’t say anything. I just need a second, and I’ll go, but how you must hate me. I’m so sorry, Cruz. There you were, moving on with your life, and then I come along and kicked in these instincts you can’t help feeling because I’m your true mate, probably making you feel emotions you never wanted to feel again after … after losing your family. All because some sort of supernatural chemistry tells your wolf we’re meant to be together. I would hate someone, too, if they made me feel things like that when I didn’t want to feel them.” Nikki’s eyes glassed over, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I hope you know I would never hurt you like that intentionally. I can leave tonight, and if you never come to see me again, Cruz, I swear I understand. I don’t want to try to replace your mate and child, so I’ll just go now.”

Nikki tried to frantically slip off her chair while grabbing her crutches, but she stumbled in her haste and fell into him. That was fine with Cruz.

As he wrapped his arms around her small frame, the wolf in him was desperately trying to claw its way out, needing to make an appearance and do something to show their mate that he wasn’t sorry he had met her at all. She was everything to them now. They would always love Lindsey and Laura, but Nikki was his breath of life.

His entire body trembled as he held his wolf back while refusing to let her go. She struggled a bit in his embrace, trying to push away, but he wouldn’t let her go. Somehow, he had to make her understand that she was what he wanted now more than ever.

Sliding both of his hands up to her face, he grabbed her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. She seemed startled by whatever look was on his face. Cruz was sure he looked savage. He certainly felt that way.

Here and now, both the man and wolf were determined to do one thing: show their mate how much he wanted her and her alone.

“You’re not leaving me.” His voice was gravelly with his wolf so close to the surface.

Nikki didn’t say anything, so he shook her a little to make sure she was paying attention to him.

“Promise me you won’t leave me! I can’t lose you.”

Understanding and something else, perhaps a bit of awe, melted the scared look off her face. Sure, there was some uncertainty still there, but she seemed to be getting what he was trying to convey.

“You don’t hate me for coming into your life like this, Cruz? I would understand—”

He shook his head fiercely. “No. You don’t understand at all. I could never hate you. If anything, you probably saved me, Nikki. Don’t you see? I’m getting a second chance with you, pretty girl. Now that I know what losing someone I love is like, I’ll never take a second with you for granted. All you have to do is stay with me and give this a chance.”

She brought her shaking hands up to cup his face. “I would love nothing more than for you and me to take a chance on us. You’re quickly becoming one of my favorite things about the day, Cruz. Just seeing you, it’s all I look forward to now.”

Feeling too much and unable to express how much she meant to him already, he did what he had waited two long weeks to do. Cruz kissed her. It was hungry at first, desperate for the taste and feel for her, needing her sweetness on his lips and the feel of her imprinted on him.

As the haze of primitive need receded, allowing the catcalls and whistles around them to filter into his brain, he slowed the kiss down. He made it soft and sweet like her, lingering on the touch of her tongue, craving to feel like this with her always.

They were both out of breath when he finally pulled back, but that didn’t stop him from finding just enough air to tell her the one word she needed to know for now and ever more: “Mine.”

Chapter Eight

One month later…

“Read ’em and weep, hot stuff. I’ve got a full house. Now take that shirt off.”

Nikki had to stop herself from all but bouncing with glee in the armchair she was sitting on in Cruz’s apartment. While she and Cruz were two grown adults who liked good doses of heavy petting and making out in those rare moments she was able to sneak away to his place, they had yet to take that next step of sleeping together. She was hoping to change that tonight, starting with a game of strip poker.

He gave her a smoldering look as he peeled off his shirt. She couldn’t wait to see that look while he was inside of her. There was a good chance she might spontaneously combust with an orgasm.

After he threw his shirt to the side, Nikki took in all the gorgeous tanned flesh now revealed. His sculpted chest, six pack abs, and strong shoulders made her squirm in her seat. The sight alone made her want to climb all over him to taste every inch.

He was sitting on his couch, which was catty-corner from her chair. He looked so scrumptious with his black messy hair, kissable firm lips, and those gorgeous brown eyes of his. She might have loved that he was taking off his shirt, but now Nikki could see that she might have a hard time concentrating on the game. Temptation itself was sitting across from her, just waiting to be licked.

Picking the cards up from the small table he had put between them, Cruz shuffled then dealt again.

This time, Nikki wasn’t as lucky. Or perhaps she had just been that damn distracted. Either way, she lost to his royal flush. Was she really losing at all if she was getting naked in the same room as the man she was coming to adore beyond reason?

“Your turn.” His voice was that low growl that made her panties wet. She wondered what it would feel like if he growled like that against her intimate parts.

Biting her bottom lip, Nikki slowly unbuttoned one button after another on her plaid, long-sleeved shirt, anticipating what look Cruz would wear when he saw that she was wearing nothing underneath. It didn’t take her long to find out.

He hissed as if in pain, and she saw him grip the table so hard he almost broke a piece off.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, pretty girl.”

“How so?” she whispered back.

Scooting forward until he sat on the edge of his seat, he leaned over the little table and growled, “I’m like a loaded gun, baby, and you’re about to pull my trigger and make me go off.”

Nikki was still wearing a cast, so she couldn’t exactly tackle him onto the couch like she wanted to, but she did what she felt was the next best thing. She gave Cruz a dose of his own corny pickup lines.

“How about you come over here so I can see if you’re cocked and loaded?” She said the words with a straight face but then burst out laughing at the way Cruz purposely crossed his eyes.

Pushing the table out of the way, he knelt between her legs and finished unbuttoning her shirt so he could take it off her. “I don’t know whether to be turned on that you want to check my load or wallow in self-pity because you’re never going to let me live my pickup lines down.”

Nikki leaned forward and playfully bit his bottom lip. “My vote is to check your load. I’ve heard rumors about shifters, you know.”

“Yeah?” he growled before giving her a quick kiss. “What exactly have you heard?”

Licking her lips in anticipation, Nikki made the first move by putting her hand on the wall of warm muscled skin that she wanted to explore. Then she ran her fingers down his chest to his abs, and she didn’t stop until she grabbed the waistband of his jeans. “I’ve heard shifter men are packing some extra-large equipment.” Nikki let go of his pants to slide her hand down over the growing bulge in his jeans. “How about you show me so I can find out for myself, wolf?”

Cruz grabbed her face, shocking her with the sudden movement. His eyes glowed that molten color she had seen on a few rare occasions, letting her know his wolf was right there with them.

“I want to give you everything that I am, pretty girl. Whether you like it or not, you already own all of me.”

Nikki’s heart stopped at the beautifully broken words. She knew it must have been hard for him to admit that after everything he had lost in his life.

Bringing her hands up to grip his bare shoulders, she took a deep breath for courage. “Would you think it’s too soon if I told you I love you, Cruz?”

There was the smallest shake of his head. “No. I might ask you what took you so damn long to admit it, though.”

Nikki laughed at his eager answer.

“Are we going to do this, baby? You all in with me here?”

Nikki gave a little gasp at his question. “What’s all in, Cruz?”

“You and me forever, pretty girl. Before you give me that answer, though, I need to be honest with you about one thing. It may change your mind about me.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. What in the world did he think would scare her away?

Cruz smoothed his hands over her hair and then let them stay on the back of her neck as he dropped his forehead to rest on hers. When he touched her like that, Nikki already felt as if they were one, even if they hadn’t officially mated yet. So why was the man she loved suddenly so scared he was all but shaking? What did he possibly think could make her change her mind about him?

Finally, he pulled back a few inches, staring into her eyes as he whispered, “I need you to know that I’m not ready to have another child. I don’t know if I ever will be after losing one.” Cruz took a shuddering breath and barged forward, not giving her a chance to say a word. “I know that’s important to a lot of people, having kids, so if you want to walk away right now, I’ll do my best to respect your decision. But I won’t lie to you. I don’t know if I can handle having another child. I definitely know I can’t handle the loss of another one. Does that change your mind about us?”

A tear escaped her eye and dripped down her cheek. This man … He just didn’t get it yet.

Nikki saw Cruz for who he was, inside and out. Scars, fears, and all. She had figured out weeks ago that he might not want kids again, and that was okay with her. Wasn’t the sign of true love understanding and supporting your soul mate for who they were irrevocably?

She saw Cruz’s body tense at her silence and knew he was assuming the worst. It was what he did. He just couldn’t quite help himself. But that meant it was time for her to let his wolf know she was all in and to lighten up the mood a bit while she did it.

Pasting a big smile on her face, she told him the truth. “Have you seen the circus that is my family? I’m not exactly wanting to pop one in the oven at the moment, Cruz.”

Nikki had hoped that comment would make him laugh, but he didn’t look as if he believed her.

“What about two years from now, baby? Five years from now? What if I’m never ready to have another child? Will you hate me for that?”

She could tell his fear was not only real, but all consuming. Her poor wolf. How he must have worried himself to death with thoughts of what she would say.

It was her turn to put his face in her hands. “You listen to me, Cruz Morales. We can never have children, and I’ll be okay with that. As long as I have you and my family, my life is full of love. Trust me when I say I’m in this to the end. You and me. As long as you can handle my slightly insane family, then I’m the happiest girl in the world.”

Cruz’s smile was so big it was almost blinding, not that she got to see the glorious sight for long.

He slammed his mouth down on hers in a kiss that was overwhelming. Their tongues tangled, savoring the taste of each other. Nikki slid her hands down to grab his waist and deepened the kiss. Tonight, she wanted to give herself to this man, knowing he would be the only man she would be with like this for the rest of her days.

Her wolf-man quickly took control of the situation, pulling his mouth from hers so he could kiss down her neck, licking across her collarbones before he continued to rain kisses down to her belly button. There, he swirled his tongue around her navel as he moved his hands under her full-length black skirt and found her right bare ankle and the cast on her other. Cruz pushed her skirt up her legs as he moved his hands upward until the skirt puddled around her waist. When he growled loudly as he stared down at the juncture of her thighs, she knew he had discovered her other naughty little secret for the night: no panties.

He reluctantly pulled his eyes from her intimate place to look at her with eyes that glowed so brightly they almost shone in the dark. “I want you bare, baby. I haven’t been with anyone in five years. Are you on birth control?”

Nikki nodded while whispering a yes.

“We do this tonight, and I’m going to want to seal the deal for good. I’ll sink my teeth into your flesh, giving you my mate bite, and then you’ll be mine forever. Part of you will change. Even if you don’t make the change into a shifter, you’ll have heightened senses and other adjustments to make. No turning back, pretty girl. Still all in?”

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. She didn’t care if she changed into a wolf or didn’t as long as she had Cruz by her side. “I was already yours, wolf, so take me. Bite me, love me, make me irrevocably yours in every way that matters.”

The man didn’t need another invitation. He dipped his head down and ran his tongue up her folds to taste her. Nikki wasn’t sure who moaned louder in that moment: her or Cruz.

“You taste so good, baby.” He gave her another long lick then started circling her clit, driving her mad with the sensation.

Cruz pushed her thighs as far apart as they would go, and in a way, Nikki felt trapped in that chair. It was a decadent sort of torture. Lick by lick, nibble by nibble, she felt as though she were slowly binding herself to this man.

His tongue was everywhere, sliding in and out then over her until a finger slipped inside. She gasped at the sensation, and he hummed against her folds, driving her insane with need. It was as if she were on the edge of a cliff, standing on the edge with shaking legs, staring over at the drop below.

Her orgasm built rapidly, making her back arch into the back of the chair and her head rest on the back. It all felt so good—his tongue and fingers working her—that she knew it was only a matter of minutes before she would fall over into the sweet oblivion.

Her left leg with the cast twitched involuntarily, and she didn’t even feel a twinge of pain. She was completely lost in the rising crescendo of passion that Cruz was building inside of her until she broke, going over that glorious peak, reveling in the overwhelming shatter of release that left her sated and boneless.

Her wolf-man stopped when she started whimpering at the over-stimulation his tongue was causing. Then he pulled back and licked his lips. Pulling his hands from her thighs, he leaned in and kissed her, and Nikki tasted herself on his lips.

When he was done, he moved back and whispered two words: “My turn.”

In a flash, Cruz was on his feet and gently picking Nikki up to cradle her in his arms. Carrying her to the bedroom, he carefully laid her down on the bed, making sure not to hurt her foot. Then he peeled her clothes off with a look as if she had been gift wrapped just for him, and Nikki savored the look. He was fierce, beautiful, and all hers.

Throwing her skirt onto the floor, Cruz then unbuttoned his jeans, undid the zipper, and then pushed them down his thick thighs along with his boxer briefs. Before she knew it, he was standing next to the bed, utterly naked and looking better than any ancient Greek statue could ever hope to look.

Nikki took him in, burning the sight into her brain. Then Cruz bared his teeth, and Nikki saw that his canines had lengthened. His eyes were still that glowing molten gold, so she knew the wolf wanted her as much as the man did.

Holding her hand out to him, she told him, “Make me yours, wolf.”

“Mine,” he growled back as he carefully climbed over her body and settled between her thighs.

“Yours,” she whispered against his lips.

The feel of the head of his cock sliding over her entrance made Nikki shiver. Cruz paused for just a second. Then, bit by bit, he pushed past her folds. It was a slow penetration, as if he was afraid he would hurt her with his size.

It seemed as though the rumors about shifters were very, very true.

Cruz stretched her inner walls wide, filling her up like she had never felt before. It was a pleasure that bordered on pain, and it was exquisite.

Once he seated himself all the way inside her, he stopped. “My mate.”

The look on his face was primal. Nikki might not have seen him shift yet, but she could tell he was probably on the edge with his wolf. Right now, he was man and beast. The thought made her tighten her muscles around him in arousal.

“Your mate,” she agreed.

Using his left arm to hook around her right knee, he brought it up to rest on his hip so he had more freedom to move without hurting her foot. Once he had Nikki positioned where he wanted her, Cruz started rocking in and out with bold, firm strokes that seated him to the hilt. She was not just going to feel this tomorrow; she was going to feel the memory of him being inside her, claiming her, next week.

It was only a dozen or so strokes until Nikki was on the verge of coming again. She gripped Cruz’s shoulders and begged him for more. The feeling of need was overpowering as his thrusts picked up until he was stroking inside of her with quick, short movements, driving her up into a delirium of ecstasy.