Checkmate Read online

  “Nikki. Raine.” The sensual, steely command in his voice compelled her to look at him.

  His eyes seemed to glow beneath the incredible eyelashes she’d always envied. Eli was, quite possibly, the most yummy man alive. More so even than his twin whom she’d only met a few times. There was something extra about Eli that made her want him in the most elemental way. No man had ever been able to fill the void like she knew he could. In the past, sex had simply been a way to distract her attention from the man more apt to give her a noogie than a mind-blowing orgasm.

  Nikki’s clit tingled to the point she had to clench her thighs together. She silently damned him again. Lifting her chin, she hissed, “What?”

  The bastard smiled. She itched to slap it off his face. He wasn’t allowed to be happy in light of her emotional turmoil.

  “You and I will talk later.”

  “What, you afraid big brother might hear you?” Caelan asked.

  “Big brother, my ass,” Eli muttered, turning his gaze on Caelan.

  Caelan laughed. “As your Prime—”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  “What’d I say?”

  “I’m not ready to tell her yet,” Eli ground out beneath his breath. “It’s not like this is the best of places to talk about it.”

  Nikki looked from one brother to the other. She felt like she was watching tennis.

  “Well, you’ve got to tell her sometime, and you probably shouldn’t do it the way I told Tieran. It got kind of messy.”

  “Yeah, fucking your mate for the first time on the countertop can get that way. I think I can handle it, thanks.”

  “Boys!”

  Silence, finally. Arguing over…what exactly? She had no clue. They may as well have been speaking German for all she could understand.

  “Do you guys hear yourselves? Bickering like five-year-olds. Caelan”—Nikki eyed him in the rearview mirror—“what the hell is a Prime? And, Eli, if you’ve got something to tell me, spit it out. Don’t go all pansy-assed on me.”

  Neither one spoke and silence reigned yet again. At least both of them had the decency to look contrite. She sighed, knowing from past experiences that Eli wouldn’t talk until he was damn good and ready. Hardheaded…beast.

  “Where are we?” Changing the subject seemed a good thing to do. “Nothing looks familiar.”

  “We’re going home,” he growled.

  Good to know his surly attitude had dissipated. “Hey, if you don’t want me around, by all means, drop me off.” Please God, don’t drop me off.

  Eli jerked around. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” he snarled.

  Her heart thumped at his behavior before settling back into a more normal rhythm. She wouldn’t let him scare her. Even if the tone did remind her of… Christ, don’t go there, Nikki. Eli was nothing like those men.

  Swallowing, Nikki tried for a nonchalant approach. “You certainly don’t sound like you want me around,” she muttered. Great. Now who sounds like a five-year-old? Why don’t you sniffle while you’re at it?

  “You’re pushin’ it, Nikki-Raine. Don’t make me come back there and spank your ass, ‘cause I’ll do it, bullet wound or not.”

  Her breath lodged in her throat and she had to close her eyes. Imagining his hands anywhere on her body made the folds between her legs slick. If only he’d said shit like this sooner. They could have gotten together before he left on his trip. At least then she’d know where she stood right now. Not that he wasn’t making it abundantly clear where he’d like them to be.

  “Do you have any idea what kind of mess you’re in, baby?”

  Oh, God, please don’t call me that.

  Besides, she knew exactly the kind of shit she was in. She’d seen her friends, seen the carnage and waste of life. The image would forever be burned in her mind. Nikki doubted anything would ever make it go away. Just as nothing had made the incident from eight months ago go away. If anybody wanted to catch this sick bastard, it was her for not being able to do anything to help her friends.

  “He’s shot at you twice now, Nikki, I won’t underestimate him again. If I have to lock you in our bedroom until he’s caught to keep you safe, I will.”

  A bed sounded wonderful. Her boxers, a tank top, nice soft sheets. She’d sleep for a week. If she ever got to sleep again, anyway. Damn. Nikki ground her palms over her eyes, fighting back the tears threatening to take over.

  A strange mewling sound filled the car. She realized a second later she’d made the sound. Safe. That’s all she really wanted. To feel safe for the first time in all these months. Nikki had a hunch only one man could do that for her. Eli. She reached for the scratch on her cheek again. He was right. If anyone could protect her, he could. Her lips still tingled from his earlier kiss. The kiss that had left her lips swollen and wanting more. A kiss that hadn’t been a dream. The one that made her belly flip-flop like no other man had ever done.

  Wait a minute. Suddenly she was thrust back into reality. Had he said…?

  “What do you mean, our room?” She winced at the huskiness in her voice.

  Eli shifted around again so she stared at the back of his head.

  “I’m done staying away from you, Nikki-Raine. You’re mine.” This time he growled. Growled. That’s the only way she could describe it.

  Her heart returned to pounding. At this rate she’d have a heart attack and die before they even made it home. She shook her head. His house, not home, his house.

  An ache grew in her clit, stretching through her abdomen and licking down her legs. She couldn’t have been more shocked by his possessive declaration than if he had shouted, “I’m going to fuck you all night long when we get there.”

  Nikki fought the urge to cover her ears from her own thoughts.

  “Where are we going?” she asked again. She’d never been to his house before, not in all the years Derek and he had been friends. Nikki had always just believed it was due to his private nature.

  “I told you, home.”

  “Which is where, exactly?” she said between her teeth. Damn stubborn, mule-headed…pig. If he wanted to be sharp with her, she’d return the favor. She certainly hadn’t asked to be here.

  “The ranch. We’re almost there.”

  Yeah, that helped.

  Her scent was driving him insane. Eli had to get out of the car before he did something stupid. Like jump in the back and sink his rock-hard cock into what he knew would be her hot, wet pussy. Either that or he’d shift right in front her. That would go over well. One minute a man, the next an animal. Talk about fainting.

  Eli gritted his lengthening teeth and willed them back to human. He would not show her this in the confines of the car. He smiled. Or show up in her bed as a wolf after their first mating. Not like Caelan had done with his mate.

  It didn’t help that she was being so damn feisty and argumentative. He loved sparring with her, always had, but he would not give in when it came to her life.

  As a shifter, protecting his mate was his duty, an honor, and so far he’d done a piss-poor job of it.

  Fuck.

  He should have done more, hired someone to watch her while he was gone.

  “Eli, I don’t want to put your family in any danger.”

  Caelan snorted next to him.

  “Take me to a hotel.”

  Like hell. Put his mate in some no-good hotel? Never. “You do remember that Caelan and I own a security business, right?” he asked, mocking her. She knew damn well what he did for a living.

  “Don’t patronize me, Eli. I’m talking about your parents, and isn’t Caelan’s wife expecting a baby soon? I thought they lived with you.”

  “Cael and Tieran live there, yes, but Mom and Dad have their own place.”

  “Trust me, Nikki,” Caelan added, “I will never let anything happen to my ma…wife.”

  Eli glanced at his brother. Asshole had almost let the cat out of the bag. Again. Eli wasn’t ready for that discussion yet
.

  “You’ll be safer at the ranch where I can keep a better eye on you,” he muttered, still looking at his brother. He turned to her. Her face was a mixture of glaring daggers, fear and hunger. Hunger for him. Her nipples were hard and the succulent scent of her arousal permeated the car. Good thing Caelan was immune to anything but his own mate, or they’d both be panting right now. Every minute that went by made Eli more and more possessive of Nikki.

  They stared at each other for long, heated seconds. Over the whistling of wind from the hole in the back window, he heard Nikki’s heart pounding. He saw the blood coursing through the vein along the smooth skin of her long, slender throat. She licked her lips, her gaze dropping to his mouth. Damn but she made it really hard to stay in the front seat and keep his hands off her.

  The SUV slowed to make a sharp turn, bumping over the irregular gravel road that led to their home. The land called to him, as it always did, urging him to shift and run. Now more than ever since he’d been gone for so long.

  Eli broke the connection between him and Nikki and faced the front, looking around to see any changes he might have missed. Everything looked pretty much the same, with the exception of some new fencing along the pasture to his right. A few horses dotted the land, lazily chewing and mulling about.

  God, but he had missed this place. He wasn’t ever taking on another assignment like the one he’d just left. Of course, he wouldn’t have to now that he had a mate. Nikki would come first and foremost from now on. And if he’d acknowledged her eight months ago, maybe none of this would have happened. He’d have been here to protect her. Or at the very least, help her get through the tragedy.

  “How far away is it?” Nikki’s soft but urgent voice broke through his musings.

  “Not far.”

  “Okay, ‘cause I gotta go.”

  Eli barked out in laughter. There was the little spitfire he knew and loved.

  “Stupid men,” she muttered, drawing out another round of laughter from both he and Caelan.

  “I fail to see what’s funny.”

  “Nothing, sweetheart.”

  She scowled at him. “I’m not your sweetheart.”

  Her words sobered him. “You will always be my sweetheart.” He couldn’t prevent the glow he knew took over his eyes and heard the gasp she made when it happened. Her eyes widened and she shrank back in her seat. Then her lids narrowed as if inspecting him, trying to decide if what she saw was real or not.

  The SUV rocked through another series of potholes and Nikki grimaced as her shoulder bounced against the door.

  “Jesus, Caelan, fix the road, why don’t you?” It killed him to see Nikki hurting, especially because of something as simple as the road.

  “Oh, right, it’s my fault there’s bumps in the same road you’ve bumped over since the day you were born,” Caelan snarled.

  “Then let’s get the damn thing paved,” Eli growled back. “It’s not like we can’t afford it!”

  “Did you forget why it’s not paved?” Caelan hissed.

  “Yoohoo, boys. Hello, five-year-olds again. Get over it, Eli, I’m fine.”

  Eli’s breath practically heaved from his chest. He needed to run. Confined for hours of plane rides and then being on the go since landing hadn’t done him a bit of good. There was a reason they didn’t pave their roads, a selfish one, but hey. They didn’t like the way the pavement felt beneath their paws. Everyone in his pack preferred natural to manmade so, aside from the fences to keep their horses from scattering, most of the land was kept as wild as possible.

  “Oh my God, is that your house? It’s huge.”

  “I told you it wouldn’t be a problem,” Eli agreed.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Despite the ugliness of what had brought her to his home, he heard the sincerity in her voice and his pride lifted. Caelan brought the SUV to a stop on the gravel drive and the three of them sat, seemingly suspended in time. Eli was the first to break the strange moment.

  “All right then. Let’s get out of the car, shall we?” He went around the hood, jumping out of the way to avoid the driver’s door his brother threw open.

  Nikki still sat, looking out the front window at the house, when he opened the door to help her out. He bent in to see what she saw.

  “It’s a house, Nikki-Raine,” he whispered, tickling her ear with his lips. She smelled so good. It was all he could do to keep from burying his head in the crook of her shoulder and laying her across the seat to have his way with her.

  She squirmed to dislodge his mouth from her earlobe. “It’s big.”

  Eli shrugged. “Yeah, well, we planned on having lots of runts running around one day.”

  Her gaze flew to his. “Runts? We? You’re both going to…stay here? Together? With families?”

  “Breathe.” He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, soothing her with his thumb along her rapid pulse point.

  “I’m just shocked I guess.”

  “Why? You live with your brother, why does it shock you that I choose to live with mine?”

  “I wouldn’t live with my brother if I didn’t have to, and you are talking about raising your families together, not sharing an apartment.”

  Eli sighed and dropped his chin to his chest, thinking about the best way to broach the subject. How easy it would be to just come out and say, That’s the way a pack works. We like to be close to our families, to keep our young within reach and share in the responsibilities of raising the offspring that would one day be an active part of a shifter community.

  Damn it sounded so good in his head. Reality wouldn’t quite work out the same way. At least he’d give her something tangible to be truly shocked about.

  Lifting his face to hers again, he changed the subject. “Over there,” he said pointing to the right side, “is our wing, and that side is Caelan and Tieran’s. There’s a kitchen, living room, dining room and den along the back, but each wing has its own private area for eating or whatever, if you don’t feel like socializing. We made it that way so we still have our privacy when we need it.”

  Chapter Seven

  Our wing? Nikki swallowed. With every word she was getting closer and closer to believing he wanted a relationship with her despite everything that had happened. Not just every word. Every kiss, every look. Simply put, she believed the man wanted her. And she more than wanted him.

  The front door flew open and an obviously way pregnant woman waddled out. Nikki’s stomach churned. This was not a good idea. No matter what Caelan said, she was putting his family in danger. She stared at the pretty woman who rubbed idly at the small of her back. Caelan’s wife. Had to be.

  To her right, a horse whinnied softly, the sound carrying on the breeze. The mixed scents of horse, hay, leather and pine wafted across her nose. Nikki closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. She was home.

  Her eyes flew open. Where in the hell had that come from? A bird called from far away, a testimony to the peaceful silence surrounding her. Eli’s hard chest pressed against her back and she sagged into him.

  “I know you can feel it, Nikki-Raine. Let it all go and relax. Nothing can hurt you here,” Eli whispered against her ear. The words sent a shiver down her spine.

  He was right. Nothing could hurt her here on this land. It would help rid her of her determination to hide from the world because it had gone to shit on her.

  His arm wrapped around her midsection, adding strength and keeping her from sloughing to the floor. How she’d slept most of the way here and now felt tired enough to sleep for days, she didn’t know. She wanted a pillow and a warm blanket and she’d be good to go.

  “You’re wilting, sweetheart. Let’s get you inside.”

  Unable to speak, she nodded. Eli bent behind her and scooped her into his arms. She squeaked in protest but a second later sank into his unyielding hold and laid her hand above his heart. Incredibly she felt his heartbeat stutter.

  “You’re mine,” he growled not for the fi
rst time and she wondered about it.

  For years Nikki had loved him from afar. She’d been getting close to telling him how she really felt when he’d had to leave on his trip, and she hadn’t gotten the chance. Then she’d been attacked, and it had seemed at the time she had no option but to let him go. Not so anymore. He didn’t care about her face being scarred so why should she?

  If being with him now meant losing her heart to him later when he moved on to someone else, she’d take whatever she could get.

  Nikki knew Eli. Knew how many beautiful women flitted in and out of his life. Her hand fisted in his shirt. She didn’t want to know the details of those hags. Eli was hers now and she’d keep him for as long as he let her.

  And then she would slowly die on the inside when he decided he’d had enough.

  “I won’t leave you, Nikki-Raine.”

  She startled in his arms, making him stagger a step. “How did you—”

  He snorted. “Honey, I can read you like an open book. You leave it all out there in the open for everyone to see. Always have. That’s why I’m wondering how you made it eight months without telling anybody all the details about what happened. Me, especially, which, by the way, I’m supremely pissed about.”

  Nikki swallowed as Eli took the steps up to the porch. She didn’t want to have this conversation. She wanted to snuggle deeper into his arms and forget about everything else.

  Tears welled up, threatening to spill. Not in a million years would she be able to forget.

  “I know you told them the basics, but you’ve never talked about what you felt, have you? Told them the raw terror you’ve had all this time. They’ve seen it in you, but you’ve kept the words bottled up inside, haven’t you? No more secrets, Nikki.”

  She started to speak but was interrupted by the woman who’d come out to meet them.