by Meg Ripley
He didn’t hesitate to go along with her plan, burying himself inside her to the hilt.
Nikki sighed with relief and pleasure. Just being near him was enough to settle her inner bear and make her feel at peace. There was a comfort in knowing he wanted her the same way she wanted him. She loved the foreplay, but the truth was that she didn’t even need it. Drake could make her come without even trying.
He pulsed against her, kissing the side of her neck and holding her tightly in his arms. “I love you, Nikki.”
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, focusing on the way the two of them fit together. It was like the universe had made them for each other, and they were lucky to have actually found one another. The way he filled her, the way he cupped her backside, even just the way he breathed was enough to send a thrill sparking through her body. Nikki ran her hands across the sculpted muscles of his back as she felt the first spasms start in her core. “I love you, too,” she whispered as her body beckoned him further inside.
Drake grunted his pleasure as he quickened his pace, his own reactions feeding off of hers. She felt him expand inside her as he emptied himself, and she bit her lower lip with joy. He was all hers, just as he should be.
They fell together, panting. Drake’s arms kept her close to his chest, his warm breath stirring her hair.
After a minute, she rolled up on her elbow to look at him. “Drake, I want to talk to you about something.”
“Anything you’d like.” His gaze raked down, still appreciating her naked body.
“I know you’re part of the clan now, and you’ve stayed by my side as I’ve picked up the pieces of my life. You’ve helped me with the house, you’ve helped organize Piper’s funeral, and you’ve just been there for me as I’ve recovered from that horrible ordeal. But I want to know how long you plan to stay.”
Concern crossed his face for a brief moment. “How long do you want me to stay?”
Nikki didn’t like sounding vulnerable, and she’d done enough of that while she was under that damn spell. But if she couldn’t be real with Drake, then she couldn’t be honest with anyone. “Forever. We’re fated for each other, and I don’t want to live without you.”
He rubbed his lips together as his eyes trailed off the wall. “Well, then I’m glad we’re talking about this. You see, Lindy really seems to be taking to the area and to the clan. She loves having so many other shifters around her, and of course she doesn’t mind the pool at the clubhouse. She really likes you, which means a lot to me as well.”
Nikki flushed with pleasure. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Drake reached out and took her hand, his fingertips caressing her as he looked into her eyes once again. “What all of that means to me is that there’s no place in the world I want to be other than by your side. I want to live out the rest of my life with you. I was going to save this for later, for some romantic time, but will you marry me?”
Unable to help herself, Nikki giggled. She was a strong woman, but he could turn her into a schoolgirl sometimes. She pulled herself forward and kissed him thoroughly, knowing it couldn’t be more right. “Absolutely.”
Fake Mate For The Soldier Lion
Special Ops Shifters
1
“You feeling okay?”
Leona Kirk tried not to roll her eyes as her brother pulled into the driveway of their parents’ house. It was the same question she’d heard about a thousand times since it’d all happened, and she was tired of answering it. The question wasn’t really enough to cover everything she felt, and there was no answer that could possibly be sufficient, either. “I’m fine.”
Steve shut off the engine but made no move to get out of the car. He turned his deep brown eyes to hers, searching. He had no idea just what it’d been like for her or what it was like for her now, but he was going to push the issue anyway. “Are you sure? I mean, you’ve been through a lot. Everyone would understand if you don’t want to do this.”
She flicked her hand impatiently in the air, not wanting him to look at her like that anymore, like she was some sort of invalid. Steve had never been like that. He’d always treated her like the pain-in-the-ass little sister that she was to him, punching her in the arm when she got sassy and teasing her that he was going to throw her in a dumpster. But that was how things were when they were kids, and they definitely weren’t kids anymore. Too much had changed.
“I said I’m fine,” she snapped, then sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just testy. This is a lot to deal with, but I’m tired of thinking about it constantly. It’s hard enough as it is. And getting this little family reunion over with will be a huge load off my shoulders.” She opened the car door and swung her legs out. It was difficult not to just bound to her feet, and the pain that still shot up her left calf on occasion served as a continual reminder of everything that had happened in Iraq. Leona blinked back the memories of that terrible day that constantly replayed like a video behind her eyes. Her body would heal, but her mind was something else.
“I’ll give you a little warning,” Steve said as he came around the passenger side to assist her. “Mom has been a holy mess ever since she got the news. I can’t tell you how many times she’s called me, fussing and worrying and carrying on.”
Leona frowned as she waved away his assistance. She didn’t want anyone helping her. She didn’t need it, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to walk into that house using her big brother as a crutch. “I guess I can’t really blame her, given what she must’ve gone through with Dad.”
“Yeah, and that was awful, but you’re the baby. She’s been desperate to get her arms around you, and it’s all I could do to keep her from packing up and flying out to Baghdad herself.”
She had to laugh a little at that. Her father had been a military man through-and-through. Nothing fazed him, no matter how crazy or difficult. If there was anything that gave him the slightest bit of worry, it showed as little more than a slight crease between his eyebrows. He’d charge forward and just deal with it, until that last insurrection had dealt with him instead.
Their mother was a completely different person. She had plenty of anxiety, and she didn’t hesitate to express it. She’d certainly voiced her opinion when Leona had decided to join the Army. Leona had been somewhat protected from that by all the time she’d spent away from home as she completed one training program after another and advanced through the ranks, finally achieving her dream of becoming a Green Beret. But even then, the letters she’d received from her mother had been full of concern, wondering if she was safe and if she was still certain that military life was for her. Leona could easily imagine how difficult it would’ve been for those who surrounded her mother when she’d gotten the news that yet another member of her family had been injured in the name of war.
“Now she doesn’t have to fly out there. She can see for herself that I’m completely whole and fine.” Leona paused at the bottom of the porch steps and looked up at her family home. It was just the same as she remembered it, yet it looked completely different now. The bright red front door framed by white siding and a covered porch were the epitome of American living, especially with the stars-and-stripes flapping noisily in the breeze from the pole her father had installed proudly in the front yard. Some of the flowers in the beds that flanked the porch had been swapped out for different plants, young ones that hadn’t yet grown full and bushy. Leona loved the place, but it was like coming home to a dream, something she only vaguely remembered and couldn’t be sure she was still a part of.
That red front door burst open before Leona had a chance to think about it any longer. A large woman with her graying hair pulled back in a tight bun shot through the opening and down the stairs far faster than anyone her age should’ve been able to do, her arms wrapping tightly around her daughter.
“Mom!” Leona said, both choking and laughing. “You’re going to suffocate me!”
“Then at least I’d know right where you were!” Mrs. Kirk admon
ished. “Come on in and sit. Steven, help your sister!”
Her brother gave her a look, and Leona understood. They both knew she didn’t really need help, but it would make their mother feel better if they could put on a show. She put a hand on her brother’s elbow and went inside, but she was careful not to lean any of her weight on him.
“Hey, there she is!”
“Welcome home, Leona!”
“We missed you!”
Her eyes had barely adjusted to the interior lighting before she was being hugged, kissed, and patted on the back by everyone packed into the living room. Leona could hardly move through the sea of friends, family, and neighbors. She hadn’t seen some of them in years, but they were all people she loved. It moved her in a way she hadn’t expected, and she was too overwhelmed to do much beyond nodding and smiling. And of course, there were plenty more questions about how she was feeling. These were all answered with her now-standard issue answer of, “I’m fine.”
“I tried to warn you,” Steve whispered in her ear.
“Just shut up,” she said with a forced smile.
The truth was that Leona had dreaded nothing more than coming home. She didn’t want the fuss and the mini ticker-tape parade that she knew her mother would insist on. But if nothing else, she was a good and loyal daughter. She would do this and get it done, and then she would go on with her own life.
But there was something both surreal and lovely about seeing so many people she knew and understanding that they cared about her. She quickly blinked to interrupt the beginnings of tears that burned at the backs of her eyes. “This is really great,” she managed to murmur.
“Leona!” A pair of slim arms grabbed her from behind.
She patted her sister’s shoulder, happy to see that Tracy had been able to make it up from D.C. “Hey, Trace! How are you?”
Her sister held her at arm’s length. “Looks like the Army treated you better than the letter indicated. Now we’re just going to have to go shopping and do something about those clothes. You look like you’ve dressed yourself from of Steve’s hamper.”
“Aw, come on! What’s wrong with this?” Leona looked down at the jeans and t-shirt she’d chosen to wear instead of her uniform. It was comfortable and functional, unlike the tailored blouse and pencil skirt her sister wore.
“Tracy, you can bug her about that later. Come sit down, Leona! Steve, get her a pillow!” Her mother had her elbow now, and she guided her to the recliner that had been her father’s. “Honey, I’ve waited far too long to see that beautiful face of yours, and now I want to hear it all from your own lips. Tell us just what happened. Don’t leave out a single detail, now. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
Leona sat, but her heart rose up in her throat. She knew this part would be coming. There was no getting out of it. It didn’t matter that she’d already recited it all to every doctor and officer who needed it for their paperwork on her way home. It didn’t matter that it was the most terrifying thing to ever happen in her life. They wanted to know. It was part of their story now. She knew they would need to hear it, and at least if she recited it now for everyone to hear, she’d only have to do it once.
But as she looked around to see all those expectant faces, her tongue froze to the roof of her mouth. Leona could easily see it all once again right before her eyes. She could give them every tiny gruesome detail, from the almost inaudible click that told her she’d made a life-altering mistake to the deafening roar of the IED as it shoved against gravity. There was even that unmistakable blackness as she’d been thrown several yards away, the ringing in her ears, the way the soldiers around her were hustling with alarm even though Leona hadn’t quite figured out what had happened. She’d been stunned and confused, watching the action passively for a long moment while she’d tried to understand what the problem was. After that, of course, was when the pain and shock had begun rippling through her body, torturing her even as the medics rushed to the scene. She could still see their faces, their brows wrinkled as they worked on her.
It was all there, and still just as clear as if it’d happened a moment ago, but she couldn’t say it. It was too much. Instead, Leona forced a smile. “Maybe a little later, Mom? I’m pretty tired from my flight.”
“Of course, darling! Steve, get her some coffee! Do you want some cake? We got you a beautiful cake.” Mrs. Kirk gestured at the coffee table.
Leona recognized the confection as coming from Larry’s Cake Castle, the local bakery and her mother’s destination for weddings, funerals, baby showers, and birthdays. The frothy buttercream frosting looked disgustingly sweet, and it made her stomach churn, but even that was better than regurgitating all the particulars of her incident. “Is it chocolate?”
“I wouldn’t think to order anything else! Steve, cut the cake!” Her mother bustled forward to find the cake knife and fuss over whether the paper plates she’d bought were sturdy enough.
The next half an hour was a blur of noise and happy faces. Leona did her best to appease her mother, knowing just how important this was for her, but it was all too much. It was when she saw her uncle’s solemn face at the back of the room, the subtle gesture with his head toward the hallway, that she finally saw her chance for escape.
“Excuse me for just a minute,” she murmured as her mother blabbed on to her second cousin about all the medals Leona had earned. She slipped from the chair—with no assistance from Steve this time—and down the hall, spotting her uncle’s form just as it disappeared through the door to the study.
She followed him inside and shut the door behind them, grateful for the peace and quiet. She breathed in the scent of her father’s study, which had remained unchanged for as long as she could remember. The brown shag carpeting and wood paneling were leftovers from a trend that had died out long ago, but her father had used it to his advantage. He’d filled the room with overstuffed leather furniture, sports and military memorabilia, and even a mounted deer head that his father had killed during a hunting trip.
“Looks like someone’s still keeping the liquor cabinet full.” Her uncle was rooting around in the solid wood cabinet in the corner behind the heavy oak desk where her father used to sit and pay the bills every month.
“Mom said she does it because she wants to honor his memory, but I think she really just likes to throw back a shot of whiskey every now and then.” She sank down onto the couch, the leather cool against her heated skin.
“Can’t say I blame her. Want some?” He rose with a bottle in one hand and his eyebrow arched.
“Damn right I do.” She gladly accepted the glass of amber liquid he handed her a moment later, trying to remember the last time she’d taken a drink. “I haven’t done this in forever. I didn’t want it to interfere with my military ambitions. I guess that’s down the drain now.”
Her uncle perched on the edge of the desk with his own glass and gave her that same somber look he always had. Like her father, nothing ruffled him. “You taking it all in okay?”
That was at least a different version of what everyone else was constantly asking her, and she knew that her uncle at least partially understood. He’d served ten years before retiring after his older brother’s death. “Well, Sarge, that’s yet to be seen. I have a lot to figure out, and having a house full of people doesn’t make it much easier.”
He watched the whiskey in his glass for a moment. “You should be glad this is all it is. Gena was going to rent out the community hall and invite the whole damned town. Your mother thought you deserved a hero’s welcome.”
“That would’ve gone over well,” Leona sighed as she rubbed the leg that shouldn’t be there. It hadn’t been there just a couple of weeks ago when she’d taken that one wrong step. It was only by taking on her lion form that she’d been able to heal, but of course the general population wouldn’t understand how she could’ve magically grown her leg back. It would’ve been more than awkward to explain. The new skin was still pink and tender, the bones still
figuring out how to support her, but that was a battle that only someone like herself would understand.
“You can’t really blame her. You know she was never happy about your dream of following in your father’s footsteps. She thought all that was over with, but no. You gave her several more years’ worth of sleepless nights.” Sarge knocked back his drink and poured himself another.
“And if I had it my way, there would be many more years of them.” Leona loved her mother with all her heart, but she wasn’t going to let anyone tell her what to do. Except, of course, for the Army. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s my life, and I was made for the service.”
“You going to try to get a desk job?” her uncle asked. “I’m sure there are plenty of them.”
Leona sighed and ran one hand through her hair. She still had her blonde locks pulled tightly back into a low bun. Her honorable discharge meant she could wear it any way she wanted now, but old habits would be hard to break. “Hell no. I can’t just sit around. That’s not me.”
“It never has been,” Sarge agreed with a smile. “I remember when I had to get you down from that tree in the back yard. Or when you joined so many after-school activities that you were almost never home for dinner. Or when you wanted to save that old tree at the park—”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’ve always been a pain in the ass,” Leona laughed.
“Yes, but you’re one of my favorite pains in the ass,” he joked back. “Really, though. What are you going to do now?”
Leona looked down resentfully at her leg. If she’d been human, it wouldn’t have been there. The IED would’ve gotten rid of it, and the doctors would’ve sewn her up, fitted her with a prosthetic, and sent her home. But she wasn’t, and neither was the medic who’d attended to her in the field. He was a shifter as well, and he’d forged her way back home. No one was going to understand how a leg that hadn’t been there could suddenly be there again, and so she couldn’t do anything but lie about it.