Truth was, she was his mama now, for better or worse, and she couldn’t love the little guy any more if she had been the one giving birth to him. In a way she had been right there, after all. Even though she had been miles away at the time, she had felt Fiona’s labor pains as though it was her giving birth. Not entirely unusual, considering they were twins. Not identical ones, but sometimes they sensed each other’s emotions. Kenny’s birth had been one of those occasions, and the night Fiona had been killed had been another one.
Macey hadn’t been able to make sense of the rising panic in her gut at the time and, busy at work, the feeling had passed until those police officers had walked in, and she’d known instantly.
“Go wash your hands now, and if you want to, you can watch some telly until these are ready, then, go ahead,” she said, and smiled at Kenny’s enthusiastic whoop in answer. Moments like these she forgot her worries and the niggling sense of unease, because he was just like any other three-year-old boy.
He dashed from the room and she heard the toilet flush and then the sound of water running for ages. No doubt she’d have to mop the floor again. Seconds later, Fireman Sam came on far too loudly and she shook her head. It seemed the adventures of this particular children’s character had usurped Thomas the Tank, and she made a mental note to get him some Sam-themed pjs next. The rate he was going through them, he’d need new ones anyway. If only it was a case of him simply outgrowing them rather than leave them behind in a shredded mess.
Macey had to somehow get to the bottom of his unusual behavior, and unbidden images of his tall, dark, and dangerous-looking rescuer from last night swam in front of her. If he was Kenny’s father, then he would surely have the answers to her questions, but dare she ask that question? And how did you go about bringing that subject up, anyway? Sure he could have been in Scotland around the time Kenny was conceived, but Cumbria was clearly Sasha’s home, so maybe she was just seeing things.
Besides, did she want to open that particular can of worms? Kenny’s biological father would have a much stronger claim on the little boy than Macey ever had, and if he chose to take him away from her…
The plate she was holding slipped out of her hand and smashed into smithereens on the stone tiles of her kitchen. Macey swore under her breath and gingerly stepped over the mess to collect the broom and dustpan. She was half expecting Kenny to turn up and see what the commotion was about. That little boy could hear a pin drop from miles away, she was sure, but he was singing along to the TV program and hadn’t seemed to notice.
By the time she’d picked up the last shard, the floor shook with the vibrations created by a large number of noisy engines congregating in front of her cottage. With the kitchen being at the back of the house overlooking open fields with the fells in the background, Macey had no idea what was going on, and her heart leapt to her throat when Kenny called out, “Wow, a truck, and motor bikes.”
A cold draft swept through the house as Kenny opened the front door, and Macey took off after him. Dammit, she’d forgotten to lock it again after she’d taken the rubbish out this morning, and of course the little monkey could climb to reach the handle.
She skidded to a halt inside her open door and her mouth fell open at the sight that greeted her. Her usually so shy nephew sat on top of one of the Harleys that seemed to belong to some form of motor cycle club which had descended onto her property. The burly-looking guy holding him winked up at her as he revved the engine and Kenny shrieked in delight.
Two other guys wearing leather jackets inscribed with The Mongrels were in the process of taking a clearly-brand-new front door out the back of the beat-up truck that sat behind her Friedolin, and she had to swallow hard when another guy approached her, clip board in hand.
“Hello there, miss. You’re Macey Laine, right?”
At her incongruous nod, he flashed his teeth at her, leaned down ever so slightly and sniffed. Sniffed, for fuck’s sake, as though she was…well, Macey didn’t know what exactly, but her throat went dry when this guy’s eyes briefly changed color before he stepped back and nodded.
“Yeah, you’re her, all right. Never thought I’d see the day.”
Kenny shrieked again, and that sound galvanized her into action and she pushed past the smirking hunk. Really, what did they put in the water around here? Every one of these bikers had to be over six feet tall and build like the proverbial outhouses, as her Gran used to say. An expression that fit these guys well, being how tall and strong they were. It was enough to make a woman swoon, if you liked the rough-and-ready bad-boy look, and of course she didn’t. Oh no, she was so not going there. The unsettling dreams she’d had about Sasha last night had been bad enough. He had to be behind all this. After all, he’d insisted she’d need a new front door.
Hands on hips, she looked around the testosterone overload that had disturbed her peace. There was no sight of one tall, heavily-inked and far too cocky dark-haired hunk. Oh, she would give him what-for when he did turn up, but first things first.
“Kenny, get off that bike right now. It’s not safe.”
The long-haired guy holding him frowned at her, and when she glared up at him, he shrugged and slowly uncurled the death grip Kenny had on the handle bars.
“You heard your mum, little fellow. Best get off and do as she says.”
Kenny pouted and shook his head, and Macey took a step back when his eyes changed color. He growled at her—there really was no other word for it—and the air shimmered around him. Macey glanced around at their audience, but none of the bikers seemed to find anything amiss with this behavior, and a curious smile played around the face of the man who was holding her nephew.
“Don’t wanna. This is fun.” Kenny seemed to be speaking through clenched teeth, and even his voice didn’t sound like him. It sent shivers of dread down Macey’s spine. Please, god, not here, in front of all these people.
“Best let him be, miss.” The holder of the clipboard touched her shoulder lightly, and she shook his hand off with a growl of her own as she glared back at him.
“This is none of your business, and I didn’t order a blinking door, so the lot of you can just remove yourself from my property.”
She glanced back at Kenny and firmed her voice. “Kenneth Laine, you get off that motor bike now, and do not talk to me like that.”
Another much more menacing growl was her answer, only drowned out by the sound of an approaching Harley. She didn’t need to look up to know Sasha had just arrived. The way her heart rate sped up and goose bumps broke out on her skin told her the man was near. Sure enough, the engine shut off, and before she could even blink Sasha was stood next to Kenny. Crouching down low, he was talking to her nephew in low, hushed, urgent tones that she couldn’t quite catch, but at long last, the dreadful shimmering stopped and Kenny jumped into Sasha’s arms.
Macey was well aware that her mouth had fallen open in surprise, and her insides churned as the truth hit her straight in the face. There could be no doubt that Sasha was indeed Kenny’s father. This close to each other, the resemblance was unmistakable, and the trusting way Kenny leaned his head on this man’s shoulder tore a hole in her heart.
Macey knew she ought to be pleased for Kenny. The little guy desperately needed a decent father figure in his life, but was this Sasha going to be that, and where did that leave her? The way Kenny sniffed against Sasha’s neck was surreal. What the hell was going on here?
Sasha approached her and, nudging Kenny, smiled at her. The smile didn’t reach his eyes, however, and he seemed wary of her, as well he should be. Macey had to resist the urge to slap the infuriating male. Well, that or kiss him, and she was so not going there—not ever.
“Haven’t you got something to say to Macey, little man?” Sasha’s deep voice wrapped itself around Macey’s senses, and she inwardly groaned at her body’s pathetic reaction to this man. She was angry at him, for goodness sakes. He was a high-handed, chauvinistic bastard who hadn’t listened to a word she�
��d said to him last night, and he’d brought all these blasted men onto her land, and what’s more, Kenny seemed putty in his hands. It just wasn’t fair, and she didn’t need or want this complication in her life.
“Sorry, Mama Macey.”
Kenny’s plaintive little voice brought her attention back to him, and when she held her hands out, the little guy scooted into her arms and clung on like a monkey. Macey blinked away tears and buried her head in his soft curls, inhaling deeply. Just like it always did, holding him in her arms soothed her worries and made her more determined to protect him at all costs.
“I probably owe you an apology, too. They were only supposed to deliver your door, not descend upon you en masse. I hope the boys behaved themselves.” Sasha’s deep voice held a distinctive edge, and when she glanced up at him surprise, she was utterly unable to look away. The quiet intensity in his penetrating gaze was breathtaking, but before she could respond, a deep growl from behind her made her swing round.
The man holding the clipboard seemed to have grown an inch, and the answering growl that erupted from Sasha’s big chest made her scramble back into the relative safety of her hallway. Jeez, what the hell was going on now? Kenny tensed in her arms and watched the two men staring each other down in a seeming silent battle of wills with wide eyes. Macey should probably take him inside and away from this pissing contest, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the spectacle in front of her, either.
She couldn’t hear what clipboard guy was saying to Sasha over the roaring in her ears as her heart pumped blood through her veins ten to the dozen, but whatever it was seemed to make Sasha furious. He punched the other guy in the gut and Kenny whimpered and hid his face in her shoulder. Macey swore and, slamming the front door shut, took her precious little bundle inside. That was it. She was going to kill that Sasha. How dare he fight in front of Kenny?
* * * *
Sasha’s panther itched to come out and tear a strip of this wolf’s hide, but he couldn’t shift here and now and, besides, he was outnumbered. He got another satisfying punch in against the other guy’s chin this time before three of the Mongrels pulled him off their Alpha and held him down. The retaliatory punch to his midriff hurt like a fucking bitch, and Sasha braced himself for more. The loud bang of the front door being slammed shut seemed to bring them all to their senses, and Hunter Hastings spat out blood and flipped Sasha the finger.
“I swear, cat, if your mate and son weren’t in there, I’d have your guts for that. We’re trying to do you a favor here, so keep your territorial bullshit to yourself.”
Sasha snarled at him and shook the other men off him. Spinning around to glare at them, he found them laughing at him, and Hunter’s grim expression, too, broke into a smirk.
“We had to come and see if it was true. Pussy-chasing Sasha found himself a mate, and a son, no less. Guess, it’s time you grew up, eh?”
Taking a deep breath in to calm his beast, Sasha ignored the Alpha of their resident wolf pack and Motorcycle Club and glanced up at the cottage instead. He could sense Macey’s fury directed at him, and he swallowed a groan.
A friendly punch to the shoulder brought his attention back to Hunter Hastings. The descendant of the great Henry Hastings smirked.
“Hey, I get it. The fates like to play tricks, we all know that. After all, my father’s cousin fell afoul of them, too, but to quote Mrs. H, all’s well that ends well. Good luck with taming her, and if you need help, you’ll only have to ask.”
Hunter and his pack laughed as one at Sasha’s inner animal’s predictable snarl in answer.
“We’ll be around. The boys are patrolling as I speak. You sure you don’t want help hanging that door? Not like you to get your hands dirty, after all, cat.”
“I’m perfectly capable of hanging a fucking door for my woman, so fuck off and keep your hands off what’s mine, wolf.”
Hunter laughed and, shaking his head, got back in the cab of his truck.
“Well, looks like Ronan was right. You have got it bad.”
Sasha flipped him the finger. He stood until the dust settled after their departing convoy, and approached the shut front door with some trepidation. He wouldn’t be welcome, he sensed that much, and perhaps he ought to let Macey calm down, but damn it, his boy was in there, and he needed his father.
To see his little fellow struggle on the verge of shifting had torn a hole in his gut, and when Kenny had responded instinctively, his inner beast recognizing the bond between them, the force of his feelings had brought Sasha to his emotional knees. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his son, and fury coursed through his veins at the years he’d missed already. Come hell or high water, he would make those lost years up to his son, and nothing and no one would stop him. Not even the woman he was bonded to.
She would never forgive him if he took Kenny away from her, and that was the last of his intentions, but he would bloody well make her see sense and accept the help he offered. Sasha smirked as he raised his hand and pounded on the door. The old thing shook and he saw red again. He really ought to put Macey over his knee for putting herself at risk like that. It was clear that she had done no research whatsoever before she had bought this place. While part of him was glad that she hadn’t, because it meant that she was now on his territory and he could look after her, the other part wanted to shake her senseless, or was that shake some sense into her?
He groaned at the mental images of Macey draped over his lap while he spanked her luscious ass, and adjusted his dick again. He would have permanent zipper marks on his cock soon at this rate, and despite having jerked off twice in the shower already today, he was ready to go again. It did nothing to improve his mood, and he pounded on the door again, much more forcefully this time.
Macey yanked it open and Sasha missed her pert little nose by inches, as he swung his fist. Had it not been for his shifter reflexes, he most likely would have hit her, and while his cat itched to mark her fair skin, he didn’t want to do that by giving her a bloody nose.
“Most people would take the hint and bugger off when someone doesn’t open the door to them. Go. Away.” Macey glared up at him and tried to shut the door, but he shoved his booted foot in the way.
“No. I will not. I’m sorry for the violence. Kenny shouldn’t have had to witness that, but I need to make sure he’s okay, and I am fixing this door for you today, whether you like it or not, woman.”
Macey growled in a manner that did nothing to deflate his boner and made him want to pin to her to the wall and kiss her senseless. If his son wasn’t in the house, he would damn well do so, as well. She wouldn’t resist him for long, women never did, and Macey put on a good show, but she was as attracted to him as he was to her.
“I’m not your woman and I never will be.” Macey hissed the words at him in an urgent whisper and put a hand on his chest to push him away. Heat branded him, and she gasped as though she felt it, too. Her pupils dilated in need when he put his large hand over hers and used his other hand to cup her nape and pull her head closer until their breaths mingled. His girl’s breathing sped up and a moan escaped her when he inhaled deeply and pulled her intoxicating scent deep into his lungs.
He pulled back slightly to study her expression, and her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted in a silent invitation for him to plunder the succulent flesh. How he resisted the temptation, he would never know, but instead of claiming her mouth, he pushed in through the door and marched her backward until her back hit the wall. The contact seemed to bring her to her senses, because she yanked her eyes open, glared at him and, pushing him away, shut the front entrance to her house.
“Fine, have it your way. Fix the fucking door and then you can bugger off.”
The words were only loud enough for him to hear, but she glanced across to the living room nonetheless, as though she was worried Kenny would hear her. Following her direction, Sasha could just about see his son curled up in front of the telly. Wrapped in what looked like a well-lo
ved blanket, and clutching a tatty teddy, he seemed engrossed in the program he was watching. He also looked very young and vulnerable, and Sasha had to swallow past the lump in his throat to get his voice to work.
“I should go and see him, and—”
“No, don’t you dare.” The thump to his back carried a heck of a lot of umph, and Sasha allowed himself to be dragged down the hallway into Macey’s kitchen. The most delicious smells hit his nostrils as they entered, and Macey shut the kitchen door with a quiet and determined click.
“That boy has been through enough. Violence scares him, and I’ve just got him calmed down. I don’t want him seeing you to set him off again.”
She bit her lip as though she’d said too much, and when he looked at her with one eyebrow raised, busied herself by opening the oven door, and checking on what looked like chocolate cookies. That explained the delicious smell, then.
“Nonetheless, I need to make sure he’s okay.”
Macey slammed the oven door shut with much more force than was necessary, and the thing bounced back and opened again.
“Fuck it.” Macey’s curse bounced through the kitchen, and all the fight went out of her when he stepped up, closed his hand over hers and gently shut the oven for her.
“No need to be so violent, darling. Gently does it.”
Sasha suppressed a grin when Macey elbowed him in the stomach and glared up at him.
“Says the man who decided to rearrange that guy’s face.”
“He had it coming for looking at what’s mine,” Sasha said and Macey’s mouth fell open.
“Of all the chauvinistic things to say. Get out.” She stomped her foot for good measure, and the slap against his cheek seemed far too loud in the quiet room.
“Temper, temper, Macey.” Sasha winked at her and blocked the next slap aimed at his other cheek. “Enough, girl, or so help me, I’ll put you over my knee to teach you some manners.”
Her Panther Protector [The Protectors 5] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 5