Elemental (8 page)

“Chill
out,
Nic
, she wasn’t insinuating that anything was
going on between us,” Jonathan huffed, rolling his eyes at his brother’s
obvious jealousy. “Mandy, dear, I’m the
one
who told
you my brother would love you, so why would I find this awkward? I’m a man,
sweetheart, we enjoy being right.”

Now
it was Mandy’s turn to roll her eyes, and she was pleased to see Anna join her.
“These two are going to be a handful,” Mandy announced.

“No
doubt,” Anna agreed, giving Jonathan a sappy smile, “But I think they’ll be
worth it.”

Chapter Six

Almost
an hour later, Mandy let loose a jaw-splitting yawn and Nicolas’ eyes warmed.
“Let’s get you to bed, princess.”

At
his little endearment, she giggled. “I’m not the princess, she is,” she
replied, pointing vaguely in Anna’s direction, before promptly passing out in
his arms.

Jonathan
snickered and Anna looked worried.

“She
wasn’t kidding when she said she doesn’t drink, Nicolas. When you combine the
jet lag, and everything else together with the three glasses of wine she’s had,
it’s a wonder she remained upright this long.”

Lifting
her slender frame into his arms, Nicolas couldn’t say he minded a bit. Holding
her felt right, so right, in fact, he decided to keep on holding her as she
slept. Sure, she might be furious with him in the morning, but he was willing
to risk it.

He
took the stairs to the second floor slowly, not wanting to disturb her in any
way.
 
She looked so peaceful with her
head resting on his shoulder.

Settling
her on the bed, he quickly, yet gently, removed her slippers and covered her
with the blankets before building a fire. Once he had the flames roaring in the
fireplace, he removed his shirt and jeans, draping them over a chair, and
crawled into the bed beside her, clad in nothing but his boxers.

Unable
to resist having his hands on her in some way, Nicolas smoothed her fiery curls
back from her cheek, enabling him to see her profile in the firelight. As he
grazed the backs of his fingers over her cheek, he smiled. She was so perfect.

She
was stunningly beautiful, with bewitching green eyes that could trap you in
their glow, and her full pink lips were just begging to be kissed. Her lush
curves were hidden by the clothes she wore, but not enough to completely hide
their presence, and he loved that she’d stayed in his flannel shirt, only
adding a pair of her jeans and some slippers to keep her feet warm.

Murmuring
in her sleep, Mandy turned into him and curled up against his side, and he
wondered if her subconscious mind recognized him as her soul mate. Just the
feel of her slender body pressed up against his was enough to leave him feeling
all soft and warm in his chest…but hot and hard in his shorts. It would no
doubt be a very long night.

While
sending up a silent prayer that she didn’t wake, Nicolas ordered his wayward
dick to behave. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be mortified to
find him sporting wood while lying next to her while she was unconscious. For
crying out loud, he’d not known the woman a full twenty-four hours yet, so
there was no way he’d be attempting to seduce her…yet.

Oh,
Nicolas fully intended to seduce Mandy, but he wanted her to feel cherished and
loved, not as if she was a quick weekend tryst. No, Mandy was a woman to be
savored, one that needed to be loved slowly and thoroughly. He wasn’t sure how
she would even feel about becoming intimate with him given the fact she was
still a virgin, but he would do everything in his power to gently coax her into
a more intimate relationship, and hopefully into being his,
 
forever.

A
virgin, yeah, that little tidbit of information still had him reeling every
time he looked at her incredible body. The woman was built for sex. She seduced
him with every graceful movement of her body and was completely ignorant of the
power she already held over him.

Thank
God!

For
now, he would just take things slowly. Get to know her better, and allow her to
grow acquainted with him. He would bring about a slow seduction, with nothing
but his touch that would have her craving him as much as he craved her. Or so
he hoped.

His
plan in place, Nicolas again traced the satiny soft skin of her cheek, down to
her throat, before leaning in to place a light kiss to her lips. Much to his
delight, she sighed faintly in her sleep and snuggled her trim little body even
closer to his.

Nicolas
continued to stare at his beautiful mate, until he finally allowed himself to
drift off to sleep with Mandy held closely to his side and a satisfied smile on
his face. Tomorrow his seduction would begin, and he was very much looking
forward to it.

*
* * *

Mandy
awoke warm and comfortable. She’d slept well, and felt great, despite the
rhythmic thumping sound in her ear. Feeling herself being lulled by the
soothing beat, she began to sit up until a strong arm tightened around her
shoulder and held her in place.

Eyes
flying open, Mandy took in the sight of Nicolas still sleeping next to her, the
strange thumping having been his heart as she’d been using his chest as her own
personal pillow.

His
bare chest!

Dear
Lord, had she thrown herself at the man last night? The though sent a furious
blush to her cheeks.

A
quick check revealed she still had all of her clothing on, while a quick peek
under the blankets revealed that he was clad only in a pair of light blue
boxers. Those boxers gave way to an impressive pair of muscular thighs and
calves. Bringing her eyes back up, Mandy allowed herself to just enjoy the
sight of the gorgeous man before her.

Nicolas
Mondragon and his brother may have been identical in looks, but she was finding
it easier to note the differences between them with every passing minute.

Jonathan
had dark eyes and a playful, carefree attitude towards most things, while
Nicolas had light, clear blue eyes and a serious disposition which was very
much
like her own
. His body, however… wow. Just wow!

Strong
arms, broad chest and shoulders and a torso completely devoid of any flab. This
was a man who definitely kept himself in shape, and her hormones really
appreciated that fact. Oh, the naughty thoughts dancing around in her head.
Thoughts of her trailing kisses along those chiseled abs and lust-filled
fantasies of those big, strong arms holding her tight as he kissed her
senseless. Visions of those flimsy boxers rising along with his passion…

Wait
a
minute, that
was actually happening!

Mandy’s
eyes shot up only to find Nicolas staring back with a sleepy grin on his
handsome face.

“Sorry
about that,” his husky voice sent a shiver down her spine. “In my defense, it
is morning and I have a beautiful woman checking me out.”

Mortified,
face flaming, Mandy began to scramble for the side of the bed.

Nicolas
chuckled and grabbed her wrist. “You stay. This is your room. I just wanted to
hold you while you slept. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I’ll go get
showered and meet you downstairs for breakfast.”

“That’s
alright,” she murmured. “I’m sorry for ogling you while you slept. I can assure
you I don’t make a habit of doing things like that.”

“Don’t
worry about it. I like the way you look at me, Mandy. It tells me that you like
what you see.” When all she did was nod shyly, Nicolas tucked his finger under
her chin until she was looking back into the clear blue depths of his eyes.
“I’ll
admit,
that I stayed up quite late last night
just watching you sleep. So you see
,
I very much like
looking at you as well.” His smile was so
charming,
Mandy couldn’t help but sigh, like some bubble-headed twit.

How
embarrassing.

She
watched as he rose from the bed—completely comfortable in his semi-nude
state—and made his way over to the chair where his clothes were. With his back
to her, he slid his jeans on before returning to her side. After placing a
tender kiss on her cheek, he whispered, “I’ll see you downstairs,” and walked
out.

Sitting
there on her bed, Mandy took the time to ponder her current situation. Here was
a wonderfully sweet and considerate man, who was convinced they were meant to
be together. Could she be so lucky that her best friend was the brother of her
soul mate?

Not
to mention the fact there were some major sparks flying between them. Sheesh,
the chemistry she felt was unbelievable! Mandy could only imagine what it would
be like to actually become intimate with him.
 
Would it be like in the romance novels, with burning passion and souls
melding as one for all eternity?

She
intended to find out!

*
* * *

Two
days had passed with only two more to go before Christmas day, and Mandy and
Anna had yet to visit the village. Both women were excited, there hadn’t been
any further attacks from the werewolf, and Garrett was willing to take them. So
what was the problem?

The
brothers left the castle each day to check the area for any signs of the
werewolf and found nothing. It appeared as though the creature had moved on,
but both men were reluctant to believe that.

Today,
however, both women had finally had enough. They’d explored the castle, helped
Garrett with the baking, harassed the brothers with questions of what they
thought a good gift for the other would be, and now they wanted to go and do
their shopping.

“It’s
daylight out, so we should be fine,” Anna argued. “You said yourself he’s never
attacked in the daylight.”

“That’s
true, but we have no idea what he looks like in human form,” Jonathan had
explained this point many times, but the women had a point of their own to make…

“You
can’t keep us prisoner here forever, guys,” Mandy put in. “Hell, I’ve never
even stayed cooped up in my apartment for this long. I need to get out. I want
to explore the village shops and make as many memories as I can. I’ve never had
a real vacation before,” she shrugged. “I guess I just want the chance to do
the whole tourist thing.”

Nicolas’
struggle was easy to see. Mandy knew he feared for their safety, but she was
beginning to feel a bit stifled. In fact, she was desperately in need of a
private talk with Anna as well, but had yet to accomplish that due to the
constant presence of the men.

“As
much as I hate to admit it, they do have a point,” Nicolas conceded. “We’ll
make arrangements for Garrett to take you ladies down with him tomorrow. I only
ask that you stick together and return before dark.”

Mandy
smiled as his arms encircled her waist from behind, a delicious shiver chasing
up her spine at his touch. And he loved to touch…and thus her need for a
woman-to-woman talk. “I think we can manage that. It’s not like we’re trying to
run into the wolf again,” she shuddered at the thought.

“That’s
exactly what we’re trying to avoid. You ladies are more precious to us than you
realize,” Nicolas replied softly, his breath fanning over her neck.

Before
she could respond, he gave her a little squeeze, a peck on the cheek and he and
Jonathan went to check the grounds again before dinner.

“Do
they ever sleep?” Mandy grumbled, and then noted the deep blush on Anna’s
cheeks. “Well, then, I guess you and Jonathan are getting along fine?” At her
knowing look Anna’s lips turned up in a naughty little grin.

“Our
situation is a little different from yours,” Anna began. She grabbed Mandy’s
arm and tugged her into the dining room. “Let’s have a glass of wine and chat
before they come back in.”

“Alright.”

Garrett
poked his head through the kitchen door, “Can I get you ladies something to
tide you over until dinner?”

“A
glass of wine would be lovely, thank you, Garrett,” Anna answered. “He’s such a
sweet man. Did you know that Garrett’s a hybrid?”

“A
what?”

“A
hybrid is when two different Supernatural beings have a child. Garrett is half
Fey and half shifter. He is an immortal, but due to his sweet and submissive
nature, he was not meshing well with the shifter clan.” Anna leaned in close
and confided, “He has been with the brothers since the day they were born. He
is the closest thing to family they have left.”

“He
survived the poisoning? I thought the brothers were the only ones who escaped
unharmed.”

“Oh,
no, he ingested the poison just like everyone else, but with his shifter genes
he was able to identify the poison before he ate too much. Of course by then it
was too late for everyone else,” Anna’s eyes were sad as she relayed the tragic
details of that long-ago day. “The servants were always the last ones to eat,
waiting until all of the guests had been served. By that time the first of the
Elementals had fallen to the poison.”