So after sequestering himself behind his closed bedroom door for the rest of the night, he'd come up with a plan to win Nika over. He'd go to the pub each day, as he'd originally planned, but he'd also make sure Nika knew exactly why he was there—for her. He'd lay on the charm and batter her defenses until she finally admitted she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And she did want him. Her scent didn't lie, no matter what she said to his face.
Stretching, Garrick felt the heaviness of his cock. His erection tented the sheet covering him from the waist down. He'd pretty much been in a constant state of arousal since meeting Nika. He closed his eyes and reached under the sheet to take hold of his cock. He stroked his hand up and down his shaft, bringing the image of Nika and her intoxicating scent to the forefront of his mind. Biting back a moan, he pumped his hand a little faster. He imagined Nika stroking him, and the fantasy made him even harder.
After a few more strokes, Garrick released his cock and got out of bed. Naked, he walked to his en suite bathroom. He turned on the shower, stepped in, and resumed stroking himself until he found his release. The orgasm took off the edge, but he wasn't going to fool himself into thinking he wouldn't be raring to go again once he saw Nika.
He quickly finished his shower, dressed, and headed downstairs. At this time of day, the others were more than likely up and about. He headed for the kitchen to see who would be there. Garrick decided he wouldn't get anything to eat. He intended to order food at the pub.
The one only there was Lexi. She sat on one of the kitchen chairs with one hand resting on her distended belly while she sipped on a bottle of water. At almost nine months pregnant, she didn't have long before she added a new addition to their
"family."
"Where is everyone?" he asked as he moved farther into the room.
Lexi looked up from the parenting magazine she read and smiled. "About time you got up. Brand is out, doing whatever he normally does when he leaves. Raed, Algar and Kamryn have gone to pick up the groceries we needed. As for Wulfric and Dolf, they're in the living room getting ready for the football game to come on. Why? What's up?"
"Nothing," he said. "I'm going out, and I more than likely won't be back until it's time to hunt."
"Yeah, you don't want to miss tonight," Lexi said with a chuckle. "With the full moon, Wulfric and Dolf are already betting on who can take out the most prey."
On the first night of the full moon, newly turned werewolves shifted for the very first time. One bite from one of Fenris' get was all it took to turn them, and there was no cure. Only death. Unlike Garrick and his brother-in-arms, Fenris' werewolves lived for the kill. It didn't matter what the mortal was like before being bitten, once turned, they couldn't control their craving for human flesh and blood. It was Garrick and the other warriors' job to put them down, and they had been doing so since the early 600s.
He snorted. "Of course they are. They've done that during every full moon for over a thousand years. You would think they would stop their competitiveness since their bets usually end up in a fistfight."
Lexi laughed. "I think the fistfight is part of the thrill for them too. They pound on each other, then once it's over they're the best of friends again."
"Yeah, true. Wulfric and Dolf are nothing but a pair of blockheads."
"You'd better not say that around them," Lexi said. "They will more than likely turn on you."
"As if I couldn't take them both, but I'm not in the mood to put them in their place."
Lexi shook her head. "Before this goes any further into Garrick bragging territory, I thought you were leaving."
He smiled. "I can take the hint. Tell Raed I'll be back this evening."
Raed was Lexi's mate, and their leader. Before they took their vows to fight for the Anglo-Saxon God, Tiw, Raed had been king of East Anglia. Even though he no longer wore a crown, Garrick and the rest of the warriors still thought of him as their king.
"I will." Lexi assured him.
After giving her a nod, Garrick left the kitchen and headed out of the house. On his way by the living room, he heard the sound of a football game blaring on the tele, while Wulfric and Dolf yelled at the players. Garrick liked a game of footie, but those two were hardcore fans.
Outside, he went to the large, detached garage and got into his silver Audi R8
Sypder sports car. The two-seater had enough power under its hood to satisfy his craving for fast things. There was nothing like it, opening it up, shifting gears quickly to get up to speed. Fast sports cars were one modern invention Garrick liked. It beat riding on the back of a horse, even a warhorse, any day.
It didn't take Garrick long to arrive at The Old Sow and find a parking space. Not that he had to look hard for an open space. There was only one other car parked in the lot, and he had a feeling it belonged to Lee. It was a Saturday afternoon; there should have been a good crowd in the pub at this time of day.
Stepping inside, it was as he'd expected. He was the only customer. He didn't see Nika, but he heard her and Lee's voices coming from inside the kitchen. Instead of taking a table at the back of the room as he'd done the night before, Garrick sat on one of the stools in front of the bar. When Nika didn't appear to have heard his arrival, he loudly rapped his knuckles on the bar's wooden surface.
When Nika walked out of the kitchen and saw him, the smile she wore slipped a bit. She froze in place and didn't start moving again until the swinging door she'd just let go swung back and hit her on the arse.
He looked her hungrily up and down, not trying to hide what seeing her did to him. She came to stand on the other side of the bar directly in front of him. Garrick gave her a smile that had lured more than one woman to him and said, "Hello, Nika. Did you miss me?"
Nika had to tear her gaze off the bone-melting, toe-curling, sexy smile Garrick had sent her way. A smile that just enhanced his killer good looks and made her traitorous body crave something she'd decided she'd do without. But that didn't stop her pussy from clenching as she drank Garrick in.
To keep from doing something stupid—like reaching out and tracing the hard line of his jaw with her fingers—Nika crossed her arms over her chest. "Hello, Garrick. I can't say that I did." Her reply had his smile shifting to a lopsided grin, which she found even more of a turn-on.
He blatantly looked her up and down again. "I find that hard to believe. I know I missed you. Dreaming about you last night just wasn't the same as seeing you in person."
Oh, shit. That had to be one of the stupidest pick-up lines, but Nika's libido decided it liked it, a lot. The idea of Garrick dreaming about her—more than likely doing the wicked things that lurked in his eyes—caused her nipples to tighten beneath her long-sleeved T-shirt. Luckily, the way she had her arms crossed, they hid them from Garrick's view.
Not wanting him to know what kind of affect he was having over her, Nika forced herself to roll her eyes. "So me telling you I'm not interested in your dreams prompted you to come back to the pub so I can tell you to your face again."
"Who says you rejected me?" he asked huskily. "No, you definitely didn't seem uninterested. In fact, you let me take you over and over again while you screamed my name."
An ache built between her legs, and wetness pooled in her pussy. Somehow, she managed to keep her breaths even and steady, even though her heart raced. She had to end this before she let on how he was truly affecting her. If she broke, Garrick would only use her weakness to his advantage.
In what she hoped was a bored-sounding tone, she said, "Yeah, that had to be a dream, since I don't plan on making that a reality for you. What do you want, Garrick?"
When he opened his mouth, she quickly added, "And don't say me."
He chuckled. "All right. You win, for now. I came here to eat. What do you suggest?"
"Everything is good. Lee's an excellent cook. I'll give you a menu, and you can decide from that." She went to the end of the bar and reached under it to the stack of menus she kept there. With one in hand, s
he went back to Garrick and put it front of him. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide."
In a cowardly move, Nika went back inside the kitchen. She didn't care. She had to get away from Garrick to get a grip on herself. The man practically oozed testosterone and had a body she wanted to lick and kiss; she had to be very careful around him.
"Was it a customer?" Lee stood near the stove, stirring a batch of his special recipe cream of leek soup.
"Yes. He's going to be ordering some food. I'm just giving him time to decide."
"So you came in here to hide?"
"I'm not hiding," she said, trying to dredge up some indignation.
"And who is the customer? I still say your hiding, because you don't normally come in here until you've taken the order."
With a huff, she said, "If you must know, it's Garrick, the guy from last night."
Lee chuckled. "I know."
"What do you mean, you know? If you do, why did you bother asking me?"
"I took a peek out in the taproom after I saw the kitchen door smack you in the arse. And I asked, because I wanted to see whether you would try to tell me it was somebody else. He got to you last night, didn't he?"
Nika quickly shook her head. "Garrick? No, he didn't. He's not my type."
"I would say yonder muscle-bound man is your type. You were practically drooling over him last night."
She gave Lee a scowl. "I was not. I don't go for the brawny, six and a half foot, sexy, gorgeous type." At his snicker, she groaned. "All right, I'll admit that I find him attractive, but that doesn't mean it will go beyond that point."
"Why not? That rotter, David, isn't coming back. You're young enough that you shouldn't be wasting away in this pub."
"I'm hardly wasting away, as you put it. I'm just not ready yet. Plus, running the pub doesn't give me much free time to pursue a social life."
"You're using that as an excuse."
"So what would you like me to do? Go back out there, throw myself at Garrick, and have hot monkey sex with him right there on top the bar?"
"If it will make you happy, I won't stop you." Lee's lips twitched. "It's your pub.
You can do whatever you want in it."
They both burst out laughing at the same time. "If I did that," Nika said through giggles, "it would be the fastest way to get the pub shut down."
At that precise moment, the kitchen door swung open, and Garrick walked in. "I don't know about you, but I'd be willing to risk it if it meant you did have hot monkey sex with me."
Nika's face grew hot, no doubt turning a bright shade of red. She wished she could crawl into a deep, dark hole, while Lee laughed his head off like a fool.
Chapter Three
Garrick had heard the entire conversation between Nika and Lee. The door that divided the taproom from the kitchen didn't present much of a barrier for his werewolf-sensitive hearing. When Nika had made the crack about throwing herself at him to have hot monkey sex—in his case it would be hot wolf sex—he'd found the idea not half bad.
He also couldn't pass up the chance to throw Nika's words back at her.
Seeing the lovely shade of red coloring her cheeks, he wanted to drag her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Listening to her banter with Lee, Garrick knew she was the type of woman he needed to have as his mate. One who would be able to give as good as she got. A woman who could be just as outlandish in speech as he could when the mood struck.
"What . . . what are you doing in here?" Nika asked with a stammer.
"Well, since it seemed to be taking you awhile to come back for my food order, I decided to come in here and tell Lee what I wanted. It isn't as if there is anyone else out there."
Nika opened her mouth to say something in return, but Lee beat her to the punch. "Then what would you like, Garrick?" he asked.
"I'll have the bangers and mash."
"Will do."
Once Lee turned to start cooking his food, Garrick took Nika by the elbow and led her back out to the empty taproom. He walked her around to the opposite side of the bar and positioned her to stand between two stools facing him. He crowded her, not leaving much space between their bodies, and placed his hands on the bar to cage her in with his arms.
"So," he said. "How about that hot sex you were talking about?"
She looked at him as her face went white. "I-I was only joking."
"Are you sure? You did call me sexy and gorgeous. And you said you find me attractive."
"What were you doing? Listening at the kitchen door?"
"No. I just have exceptional hearing, especially when my name is mentioned in a conversation."
"Didn't you ever learn it's rude to listen to other people's conversation? Get out of the way, Garrick."
She put a hand on his chest and gave him a shove, but didn't exert enough effort to move him. He captured her hand to hold it in place before she pulled it away. "You can touch me, Nika. I want to feel your hands on me." When she didn't make a move, he skimmed her hand across his chest and slowly down his abs, glorying in the sensation of her fingers gliding over him through his clothes. Reaching the top of his jeans, he said huskily, "Don't you want to see what being this close to you does to me?"
He pushed her hand slowly lower. Just as it came to rest on the bulge in his pants, Nika sucked in a breath. The scent of her arousal bloomed around them. It was too much for Garrick. Using his other hand to hold the back of her head, he brought his lips down to hers as she gently palmed his cock.
Needing more of her, he angled his mouth over hers and swept his tongue along the seam. With a sigh, Nika opened for him. He pushed inside, the taste of her filling his senses. Her tongue met his, holding nothing back. Her fingers molded to his hardness, learning the length and thickness of him. His cock jerked, and Nika softly moaned.
Kissing her with hungry need, Garrick rocked his hips against her hand, pushing his cock tighter into her grip. His wolf tried to rise to the surface, but he ruthlessly shoved it back. It whimpered, wanting to claim his mate as much as the man did.
The sound of the pub's entrance door opening had them breaking apart. Garrick gazed at Nika to find her lips swollen from his kisses, giving her the look of a woman who had been thoroughly plundered. Her eyes appeared dazed. He brushed his thumb along her plumb lower lip, then went and sat on one of the stools.
Nika seemed to pull herself together, and just in time. An older couple walked through the door and took a seat at one of the tables. Garrick watched Nika become all business, easily chatting with the couple as she took their drink order. She didn't look at him when she returned behind the bar to pour them their beverages and retrieve a couple of menus, which she then brought to the couple's table.
After dropping off the menus, Nika walked back past him and into the kitchen without acknowledging his presence. Garrick bit back a chuckle. She could pretend the kiss they shared hadn't happened, but he had no intention of letting her get away that easily. They were good together. His cock was still rock-hard and throbbing. Only with Nika had his wolf tried to join with him while he held a woman in his arms. She had to be his mate. Now, it was just a question of how fast to proceed. Not only did he have to convince her he was the man meant for her, but he had to tell her about him being an immortal werewolf warrior.
Then there was the small matter of when they had sex for the first time. Not only would his eyes go wolf and his claws come out when he reached climax, but his cock would swell to lock them together. He'd continue to come inside her for a lot longer than would be normal as well. That was something Nika was bound to notice.
He had two choices—he could sleep with her and hope she didn't freak on him, or he could tell her what he was first, then sleep with her. Both Raed and Algar did the former. Garrick was leaning more toward following their example, but he'd let it play out whichever way came about first. Getting Nika to admit she wanted him would be the first hurdle he'd have to clear before any of that became an issue.
* * *
She was hiding again. At least this time, Lee wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. Nika went to the small, walk-in fridge and pretended to take stock of the food inside it. The coldness helped to cool her heated body. Man, Garrick knew how to kiss a woman silly. With his lips moving over hers, she'd forgotten where they were. Christ, she'd forgotten what day it was, let alone what country they were in. She hadn't even heard the pub door open. If Garrick hadn't ended their kiss then, she would have more than likely done more than palm his cock through his jeans. She'd been seconds away from opening his pants to get a better feel of that hard thickness she'd held. Her pussy had ached to have it buried deep inside it. Garrick was big enough to fill her completely.
"Bangers and mash are up," Lee called.
Nika took a deep breath. She could do this. She'd give Garrick his meal, then take the food order for the couple. That would give her an excuse to come back into the kitchen and stay until their food was ready. If another customer happened to arrive, she'd deal with them, making a point to avoid Garrick. As long as he kept his hands and lips to himself, she'd be okay.
She stepped out of the fridge, closed the door, and picked up the plate of food under the warming lamps. Steeling herself to be in Garrick's presence again, Nika walked out to the taproom, plunked the plate in front of him, then hurried over to the table where the couple sat. She wrote down their order and made a beeline for the kitchen door.
She'd almost made it, but just as she'd put her hand on the swinging door to push it open, Garrick called her name. Squaring her shoulders, Nika turned to him and went to stand behind the bar a little away from where he sat.
"Yes?" she asked while she kept her gaze on the plate in front of him.
"I'd like an ale to go with my food."
Without saying a word, she pulled him a pint and placed it next to his plate.
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