Here Kitty, Kitty! (15 page)

Nik shook his head slowly, “No.”

She frowned, then nodded in understanding.  “I see.  You don’t want me.”

“Sugar, you must be kidding.”  He grabbed her hand and wrapped it around his cock, the blanket the only thing between them.  “Feel that?  You did that.  You
keep
doin’ that to me.”

“Oh.”  She stared down at where her hand connected with his body.  Then those beautiful brown eyes snapped up to his.  “So what’s the problem?”

“There will be no banging out anything.”  He stepped even closer to her.  “When we do this…and we will do this…I don’t plan to rush a goddamn thing.  We’re not something to ‘get over with.’ ”

She stared up at him, brown eyes wide, “We’re not?”

Since she seemed quite content to keep a healthy hold on his growing erection, he moved his hand back up to her cheek.  He brushed the smooth skin with the tips of his fingers…and she let him.

“Nope.  We’re not.  We’re going to take this slow and easy, Sugar.”

“We are?”

He pressed his body against hers, her hand caught between them.  “Oh, yeah.  We are.”

“Why?”

And she meant it.  She had no idea why he wouldn’t just throw her down on the bed, come, and go on about his day.  But he had no intention of rushing anything where Angelina Santiago was concerned.  This was a woman you savored.  Enjoyed.  Fucked.  Hard, long, and as often as possible.

No.  She’d have to forget about “banging out” anything.

He had other plans.  Bigger plans.  And they all involved her coming all over him.

“Because, Sugar… you make me purr.”

***

She had men say many things to her over the years.  Some nice.  Some sweet.  Some thoroughly disgusting.  But no one had ever told her she made them purr.  And she never knew it would have the kind of effect on her it did.

Angie wrapped her hand tight around his cock and squeezed.  Nik closed his eyes, leaning down until his forehead rested against hers.

“Damn, darlin’.  That was just mean.”

“I don’t like to wait, Hillbilly.”  She really wanted to beg.  She wanted to scream “Please don’t make me wait!”

But, dammit, a girl had her pride.  Didn’t she?

He smiled, even though she got the feeling she might be killing him.  “But you’re gonna wait.”  And it was an order.  A delicious order she felt all the way to her toes.  “You’ll wait for me.”

In the big scheme of things, it wasn’t like she really had a choice.

“Damn cat.”

He chuckled, his free hand playing along the bottom edge of her T-shirt.  The air changed around them.  Going from playful to serious in a heartbeat.  He tugged on the shirt.

“Pull your shirt up.”

Normally, she’d ask what the fuck for.  But they both knew that wasn’t going to happen now.

Unwilling to release his cock anytime soon, she gripped the end of her shirt with her free hand and brought it up over her breasts.  She never had time to fix her bra, so they were bare, the nipples hard.

Nik tucked the blanket he wore into itself, so that it stayed on his hips.  Then he took both his hands and ran them up her ribcage, his fingers gliding along her flesh.  The thumping became more desperate.  Like a dog banging his tail, waiting for a treat.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump…

Nik’s big fingers circled her breasts and they both let out a shuddering breath.  She no longer found his hands on her annoying.  Not in the least.  She had the distinct feeling she could easily get used to this.  Used to him touching her, fondling her, making her squirm.

He gripped each of her nipples between thumb and forefinger.  Her squirming intensified, the ball of her right foot, pushing into the floor.

He rubbed his lips against hers, but he didn’t kiss her.  She wondered if he was afraid to.  Afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop.

With a deep sigh, he released her breasts, grabbing hold of her bra.  Gently, he re-hooked the lace over her, took the T-shirt from her hand and pulled it back down.  He still had his forehead against hers and she watched him struggle with his decision to pull away.

Finally, and with obvious reluctance, he stepped back, unwrapping her fingers from his hard cock.

“We’re not doin’ this now.”  He brought her hand to his mouth, turned it over and kissed the inside of her wrist, right below her palm.  He ran his tongue along the veins.  Once he had her squirming again, he stopped.

“Slow and easy, Sugar.  That’s what the South is all about.”

“I’m beginning to hate the South.”

Jesus Christ, who knew a girl could get so wet?  Her panties must be sopping.  She’d have to change them before she went anywhere or she’d catch her death of cold.

“You need to go, Sugar.  My momma’s waitin’ downstairs for you.”

“You must be kidding.”

He shook his head, his black hair falling in front of his gold eyes.  “Nope.  And it must be important for her to come traipsin’ on to my territory.  So, don’t keep her waitin’ long.”

He let her hand go and stepped away from her.

“Where are you going?”

“The lake.  I need to go to my lake… it’s cold water.  Nice and cold.”

He backed up to the door, his eyes never leaving hers.  The thick blanket around his waist unable to hide the hard-on pointing out at her, he grasped the handle as soon as he reached it and opened the door.

He stared at her for a moment.  His eyes sweeping down and back up her entire body.  When he returned to her face, he shook his head, “Damn, girl.”

Then he was gone.  The door quietly closing behind him.

Angie went to sit on the bed, but crash landed on the floor instead.

She didn’t even feel it.

Chapter Nine

One more shower and a fresh round of underwear and clothes later, Angelina walked in to Nik’s kitchen to find his mother sitting at the table reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.  Her long legs were crossed and she had the paper open to the business section.

Without looking up, “I certainly hope I didn’t embarrass you too much, my dear.”

“No, no,” Angie lied.  “Not at all.”  She reached into one of the cabinets, grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“I received a rather interesting call this morning.”

Angie debated whether she should repaint her toenails.  Something not so dark.  “Oh?”

“From Vicki Löwe.”

“Really?”  Although, pink didn’t look too good against her skin.  So, maybe she should stick with the dark reds.  And she really needed to check on Sara’s party plans.  Just because she’d been kidnapped and Miki attacked on campus, didn’t mean that Sara’s goddamn birthday party wouldn’t go off without a hitch.

“She thought maybe I had information on the past, but I really don’t because that would require me to care.”

So the question became, did she want to go with closed toe or open-toed shoes for the party?

“I don’t like worrying myself with everybody else’s crap.”

Angie finally turned and looked at Nik’s mother.  Nik really did look like her.  “Is that right?”

“Yup.  I have enough things to worry about.  And back then I spent most of my time avoiding Boris.  But I do know someone who understands that knowledge is power.  And the woman does like power.”

Angie sipped her coffee.  She really didn’t feel like getting dressed.  Again.  But this truce idea had her intrigued.  What if she could get Sara and Löwe together for a truce?  Would that make Miki’s baby any safer?  Maybe calm Sara the fuck down a bit.  Really, it was worth looking at a little more.

She still sighed out her answer, though.  “Fine.  I’ll go.”

“Now, darlin’.  I know I’m pulling you away from playing grab ass with my oldest boy on his nice hardwood floor…”  Angie barely stopped herself from spitting out her mouthful of coffee.  “But if he’s anything like his daddy, trust me, he’ll still be here when you get back.”

***

Nik pulled on his T-shirt as he checked Angie’s room.  Nope.  She wasn’t there either.  His mother and her Jeep were gone.  So where exactly did his little hellcat go?

It wasn’t until he looked around the entire kitchen that he found her note tacked to the refrigerator.

“Off with your mother.  I’m looking forward to bear-skin rug stories.  –Angie”

The smile spread across his face as he stared at her note. 
She is such a cutie
.

***

Angie stared at the shack Nik’s grandmother, Broyna Vorislav, lived in.  “My God, he lets her live here?”

“She won’t move.  Trust me, Nik’s tried.”

After a moment, Angie understood why.  She could feel it sliding through her feet and up through her legs.  This was a place of power.

“She lives on a burial ground.”  She shuddered at the thought.  Her grandmother, a witch of some power, would never desecrate a place of the dead.  But she’d told Angie lots of stories about many who would.

Seemed Nik’s grandmother was one of those.

Natalia looked at her in surprise, “How did you know that?”

“God, woman.  Can’t you feel it?”

“Not really.”

The screen door opened and what had to be, Angie guessed, the oldest living woman on the planet limped out onto the porch.

“What you want,” she glared at Nik’s mother like she carried the plague.

“
I’ve brought someone to see you
,” Natalia yelled.

“I ain’t deaf.”

“
Of course you’re not
,” she continued to yell.  And Angie knew immediately Natalia was fucking with the woman.  “
Now this young lady has a few questions for you
!”

The old woman let loose a roar that shook the surrounding woods.

“I think she wants me to leave, Angelina.  Will you be all right?”

Angie looked at the older woman.  She had a small hump on her back, gnarled hands, and a black patch over one eye. 
Good God. 
That’s why Natalia kept calling her O-E-G
.  One-Eyed Grandma.

Sara’s furry ass really better be worth this bullshit.

“Sure.  I’ll be fine.”

“Great.  I’ll come back for you in a bit.”  She looked back at the old woman.  “
Talk to you soon, mother Vorislav!”

She turned away, giving Angie a big wink, and left her alone with the scariest being she’d ever met.

Angie looked up at the woman.  The big cat stared at her for several long seconds, then she nodded toward her shack.

“Well, you might as well come in.”

***

Since his mother must have taken her shopping in town, like either of those women needed more clothes, he decided to get some work done.  He grabbed his laptop, his cell phone, and sat out on his porch with a pitcher of sweet tea Kisa left for him.  He answered messages, sent out emails, bought an apartment building in Paris and a resort in the Cayman Islands.  He was just contemplating a nap or some fresh elk, when his phone rang.

“This is Nik.”

“It’s Zach.”

“Who?”

“Zach Sheridan.”  Nik searched his brain for who this was, but he’d always been lousy with names of people he didn’t give a damn about.  “You have our female and our families almost killed each other at my sister’s college graduation.”

“Oh.” 
The dog. 
“Hey.”

Nik felt his entire body clench.  They couldn’t be coming for her this soon, could they?  The thought of giving her up to anyone put him into an almost full-blown rage.

“How is she?”

“She’s great.  She’s with my mother.”

“Your mother?  What’s next?  Thanksgiving dinner at your house?”

“Why are you calling?”

The wolf chuckled, “Christ, she’s right.”

“Whose right?  About what?”

“I got a call from my sister last night.  She seems to think I should leave Angie with you as long as I can manage.”

Alek.  What his fascination with this man’s she-wolf sister may be, he would never understand.  But damn if he didn’t appreciate it at the moment.

“And how long is that?”

“Three days, tops, redneck.  To be honest, we could use the extra time.  But my female has stopped speaking to anyone, including the psychopath.  Which is making us all very nervous.”

He bit his flip remark back about dogs not being able to control their bitches.  As tempted as he was to mess with the pooch, he couldn’t afford pissing him off.  Not when he was giving him exactly what he wanted.  More time with Angie.

“So, you’ve got three days… but on one condition.”

“Which is?”

“Keep your hillbilly brother away from my sister.”

If Alek wanted her, he’d have her.  No matter what Nik did or didn’t do.  But he wasn’t above lying to a dog.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“You do that, hick.”

***

Exactly how the old crone roped her into helping her cook dinner was beyond her.  In less than ten minutes of entering her house, the woman had her seated at her kitchen table and working.  She snapped the green beans while Broyna fried up a shitload of chicken and rolled out some biscuits.  Clearly she expected more company or she really thought Angie could pack it away.