Checkmate

by Annmarie McKenna

“Eli, good to see you again.”

  Eli bent at the waist, giving a small bow, and Nikki clung to his shoulders to keep from falling on her ass.

  “Tieran. Damn that’s a big baby.”

  Tieran gasped and slapped at his shoulder.

  Moron. “Jesus, Eli, can you be a bigger idiot?” Nikki wiggled out of his hold, planting her feet on the ground and shrugging Eli off. He relented only slightly, keeping one arm wrapped around her middle in an almost protective hold. She cleared her throat and lifted her good arm.

  “I’m Nikki.”

  “Tieran.”

  Eyeing each other up, they shook hands. Tieran didn’t look like the type of woman to cause trouble, but…

  “Did you really think Eli had killed all those girls?”

  Foot in mouth. Had to be the drugs talking. Eli’s arm squeezed her belly, jarring her arm and therefore her shoulder, making her groan. Tieran’s face turned all shades of red before she lifted her chin and pulled Nikki’s hand into the crook of her elbow.

  Tieran gasped and something in her eyes sparkled when she looked at Eli. A second later she went into a trance. That’s the only word to describe what happened. Her eyes glazed over and she stiffened up. Tieran’s fingers crushed Nikki’s hand in a painful grip.

  “Oh, Christ. Now look what you’ve done,” Eli murmured.

  “What? What did I do?”

  Tieran let out a gush of air and focused on Nikki. Her face was pale where it had been flushed a minute ago, and her whole body positively vibrated.

  Tieran swallowed audibly. “It was dark and small. An enclosed area.” She looked to Eli, a question in her eyes.

  Eli simply nodded once, his jaw jumping with the force he was putting on it.

  “What’s she talking—”

  “My own. What are you doing out here?” Caelan asked in a tender tone, cutting Nikki off.

  “Stuff it,” Tieran groaned. All traces of her weirding out were, poof, gone. “While you were out playing chauffeur, I’ve been sitting in this house suffocating. Now you’re back and I’m outside.” Tieran smiled sweetly at her husband and Nikki had to laugh. It appeared Caelan was just as big an oaf as Eli. Should have known it, coming from identical twins.

  “What happened to the back of the car, Caelan?” Tieran asked, trying to tug Nikki out of Eli’s grasp.

  He wasn’t having any part of letting her go.

  “Oh. Nikki was shot at at the hospital. We narrowly escaped with her life, and here we are.”

  Tieran gasped. Her jaw dropped open and she pinned him with the evil eye. “So not funny.”

  Eli sighed. “No, not funny, but true.” He stepped forward, forcing the three of them into the doorway since they were all still connected.

  How Eli thought all of them were going to fit was beyond her. A dance ensued. In a bizarre The Three Stooges way, they shimmied through the doorway until, like a cork popping out of a champagne bottle, they came unstuck and spilled into the foyer.

  Tieran kept hold of Nikki’s arm. Eli had to let go or fall on them. He latched onto the doorframe to keep from stumbling, only to get bumped from behind by his brother.

  “Damn, Tieran, I don’t know what it is with you and doors, but don’t be bringing that shit into this house,” Caelan grumbled.

  She did let go of Nikki this time, to swat at her husband.

  “I didn’t do it, he did.”

  Living here was going to be like living in a kindergarten classroom. Nikki hung her head, weariness doing its best to take over. And she still wanted to know what Tieran had meant about a dark closet. No, not a closet. She’d said enclosed space. Why had she suddenly blurted that out anyway?

  Caelan grabbed the back of his wife’s neck and hauled her closer, attracting Nikki’s attention. He proceeded to kiss his wife senseless. Nikki’s entire being thrummed just watching the two of them. Feeling like a voyeur, she turned away. Eli’s formidable body got in the way.

  Before she knew what was happening, Eli crushed his mouth to hers. She melted into him. His arms surrounded her, pinning her to him. One hand wandered lower and lower until he cupped her bottom and urged her closer still.

  His lips cajoled, his tongue plundered, taking what it wanted and accepting nothing less. She opened to him and allowed it to happen. In fact, couldn’t stop it from happening. Nikki gave as good as she got. Her tongue slid over his, learning his mouth. He had the sharpest teeth…

  The thick length of his cock pressed into her belly and made her wonder how it would feel against her skin. Or better yet, in her mouth.

  Eli devoured her, making her lose all semblance of reality. Only when a shooting pain seized her shoulder did she break apart, yelping.

  “Shit. I’m sorry.” He grabbed for her and hugged her gently to him, kissing the top of her head. By the time she’d caught her breath and looked back up, Caelan and Tieran had disappeared, leaving them standing alone inside the still open front door.

  Her knees shook. Not from the pain, but from sheer exhaustion. If she didn’t get to a bed soon, she’d end up on the floor.

  “Uh-uh. Not on my watch.” Eli read her mind again and scooped her back into his arms.

  She sagged in his hold. If he wanted to carry around her dead weight, who was she to stop him?

  “How come you’ve never brought me here?” she asked, yawning.

  She walked her fingers over one of his pecs, giggling when his nipple beaded beneath the taut fabric of his shirt. Nikki traced it with her fingernail and laughed when Eli stumbled with a grunt. His arms tightened around her, squeezing the breath from her lungs.

  “Squished here.”

  “Tempted here.”

  “Tempted?” Nikki lifted her head to better see his face.

  His eyebrows slanted together as if he were in pain.

  “Yes, you little minx. Don’t even pretend to not know what you do to me.” His footsteps slowed when they reached a closed door, and he propped her against the wall to turn the knob. He pushed the door in with his toe and after they’d entered, kicked it closed with his heel.

  She batted her eyelashes, ready to play with him. “Why, Eli, whatever are you talking about?”

  His chest vibrated along her rib cage.

  “If you weren’t hurt, I’d have you naked and spread out on our bed in about two point three seconds.”

  Nikki’s breath caught. Her pussy flooded in want. Need. She needed him like a drowning man needed air.

  Part of her felt like if she didn’t have him soon, she’d die.

  She was addled. It had to be the drugs. Yes, for the last couple of years she’d ogled him behind his back, yearned to be with him, but lately her body, and her heart, had been craving him.

  Eli slowly lowered her to the biggest bed she’d ever seen. The worn, frayed quilt looked as though it had been stitched by hand a century ago. She ran a hand over the multicolored pattern, feeling its softness. It obviously wasn’t made for the bed since it barely came to the edge.

  “This must mean something to you.”

  He shrugged. “My great-grandmother made it a long time ago. It’s comfy.”

  She had to laugh. “What a manly thing to say, E.” Nikki glanced at him. For a second he stared back, his nostrils flaring.

  “When you’re ready for manly, I’ll show you manly.” He traced a path down her cheek and cupped her chin with a rough palm. “Damn you’re beautiful.”

  Nikki cocked her head. “What makes you say these things now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’ve known each other for years, E. You never talked to me before the way you are now.”

  His thumb grazed her jawline, giving her shivers. “I say them now because I wasn’t ready to say them before.”

  “Why?”

  “There are things you don’t know about me, Nikki. Things I tell very few people that you might not understand.” His thumb tracked to her ear and flicked lightly at the lobe.

  Her stomach flutt
ered in uneasiness. Could what Derek said at the hospital be true? Was Eli really a…werewolf? Was it even possible?

  She had to know. “Are you a—”

  “Shhh.” Eli silenced her with a long finger across her lips. His eyes glittered with desire, making her clit tingle in even more awareness. “I’ll answer all your questions, sweetheart. Later. You need to sleep right now.”

  Her brain scrambled, turning foggy as if he’d put a spell on her. That was about as likely as him turning into a big dog. “But I—”

  He shook his head. “Later.”

  Eli stood before her, close enough she could smell him. She loved the way he smelled. Had stolen one of his shirts a few years back so she could smell him whenever she wanted to. He was all male. Made her want to sink to her knees in front of him. That would shock the hell out of him for sure.

  Nikki smiled. What would he say? What would he do? Push her away? Unzip?

  Probably laugh his ass off.

  No. On second thought, he wouldn’t. He’d unzip and cradle her head in his hands and guide her mouth to him.

  God, she had to stop thinking like this.

  He smoothed his hands down her arms, raising the hairs on her skin and leaving a tingle everywhere his fingers touched. She sat there like a bump on a log, her heart pounding, stomach twirling. If only he’d touch her breasts. Just once. Surely that would put out the fire burning at her nipples. Without looking, she knew the hardened tips were protruding through her shirt.

  He’d have to be a complete idiot not to see it. When she looked into his eyes, she knew he wasn’t an idiot. His gaze was riveted on said nipples and his jaw ticked. One finger wandered from its spot on her upper arm and slowly traversed her chest, following the contours of her breast to circle the nipple there. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

  A moan filled the silence. Nikki closed her eyes on the exquisite feeling of his touch and dropped her head back.

  The caress disappeared, leaving her feeling empty somehow. A second later, Eli tugged at the hem of her shirt.

  Her moment of insanity fled and she jerked upright. “What…what are you doing?”

  He smiled. “Helping you get your shirt off over your shoulder.”

  “Oh.” Oh. The cad didn’t seem at all affected by their little interlude. Of course he was helping. That’s what friends do. They help.

  But friends don’t play with a friend’s nipples, she chided herself. Enough with the “woe is me”. If the man didn’t want you, he wouldn’t be here now and his eyes wouldn’t be glowing with desire. He wanted her, plain and simple. She didn’t think there’d be any more hiding from Eli Graham.

  Somehow with his help, which involved more touches than were actually needed, they managed to get her shirt off with minimal duress.

  “Beautiful,” he said again.

  Had her back arched? Suddenly self-conscious, Nikki covered herself with her arms.

  “Uh-uh. Do not cover yourself with me. Mine.” He lifted her arms away and held them without hurting her.

  Why, oh why, did her pussy clench whenever he said that word? There was something raw and possessive in his eyes as he devoured every bare inch of her skin with his gaze. Her cheeks flushed under his intense perusal.

  Eli dropped to his knees. Nikki jumped with the action. The position put him at eye level with her breasts. Her nipples betrayed her by puckering into even tighter points.

  As if in slow motion, he lowered his head to her chest, stopping a mere inch from the almost painfully full tip. His lip curled back to reveal long white teeth. Teeth that seemed longer and sharper than any she’d ever seen. Her breath snagged in her throat and she shook her head. It couldn’t be.

  Oblivious to her thoughts, Eli zeroed in on his target and wrapped his lips around one areola. Nikki hummed in satisfaction.

  Yes. Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times yes.

  His tongue rasped over the sensitive nipple and her toes curled. Again and again he sucked at her, drawing her deep into his mouth. Nikki twisted her arms in his hands, trying to draw away from him, and when she finally succeeded, she slapped at his shoulders in time to his rhythmic pulls. Her heels dug into the bedframe.

  Eli spread her knees further with little effort and settled more comfortably between her thighs like he belonged there. And he did, no question.

  She wanted more.

  He moved to the other breast, lavishing it with the same attention as the first. Nikki jabbed her fingers into his thickly muscled upper arms and held on. Each tug to her breast replicated itself in her pussy. Even she could smell herself.

  With a flick of his wrist, Eli undid the tie of her pants and slid his hand inside. His fingers tangled in the curls shielding her pussy before finding and laying claim to the tight bundle of nerves at the top.

  Nikki tilted her hips, leaning back and hissing at the twinge in her shoulder when she propped herself up with it. She shook it off. The position gave him better access and no way would she impede his magic. Never before had a man made her feel this way. Every inch of her body sang praises to the god with his hand down her pants.

  Eli’s hand slid lower, cupping her mound and gliding through her slippery folds. And still he kept up the powerful suction at her breast. The twin sensations threatened to shatter her. A long finger penetrated her while his palm rubbed her clit.

  Just a little more and she’d come. She groaned and grunted with each pass that brought her nearer. Almost…there. Almost…

  Throwing her head back, Nikki gasped at the sudden sharp pain at the top of her breast and screamed with her simultaneous orgasm. Eli pumped his finger in and out, carrying her over the crest and beyond until her heartbeat settled.

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed. What had just happened?

  A warm tongue licked at her breast, soothing where she’d felt the pinch of his teeth. He’d bitten her.

  If him biting her had led her to that colossal pinnacle of release, he could bite her anytime he wanted to.

  Unable to sit any longer, Nikki collapsed onto her back and stared at the ceiling. The action pulled Eli’s finger from her drenched pussy, firing off sensations throughout her slit. She bucked upward, ignoring the pulling at her shoulder, and bit her lip.

  When she finally got her breathing under control, Nikki tilted her chin and gazed at Eli, still kneeling between her thighs. He looked like a damned Cheshire cat who’d gotten the cream.

  He had. And while she watched, he slowly lifted his fingers to his mouth and licked them clean.

  Chapter Eight

  “In local news, there was a shooting at St. Mary’s hospital at four o’clock this afternoon. A gunshot was fired from a fourth floor window in a part of the hospital currently under reconstruction. The victim, an unidentified, adult female, was shot through the head and killed. Police tell us tonight that the woman was a witness in a recent murder investigation. They sight this as probable cause for the shooting. The woman was being escorted at the time by two bodyguards who drove off when the shooting started, but were unable to save the woman’s life. She died en route to another hospital. Police aren’t releasing any further information, pending further investigation.”

  He hit the mute button and slid the remote across the polished surface of the coffee table. Smiling, he picked up his tumbler and sank back into the buttery soft leather of his couch.

  Luck had been with him after all.

  He swirled the amber-colored whiskey, sniffing in appreciation, before taking a swig. The liquor burned a sweet path to his stomach. Closing his eyes, he inhaled.

  “Here’s to a job well done.” He saluted the air and propped his feet on the table.

  He’d been on edge the entire afternoon, waiting for the news. This news. The fucking cops had been tightlipped at the hospital earlier, and speculation had run rampant about what had happened. Immediately following the incident, in fact, he hadn’t even made it back to the ER, they’d been shoved into lockdown. No one in or out.
/>   Everyone had been questioned, including him.

  “No, officer, I didn’t see anything.” He chuckled. They weren’t ever going to figure anything out. Not about him.

  But hey, he’d made the news tonight at least. Not all of his murders were picked up. Sometimes there were just too many other things happening and he got skipped.

  He gripped the crystal in his fist, squeezing hard enough he thought the glass might shatter. Easing his hold, he lowered the drink to his knee.

  It stung, those times when he didn’t make the news. Made him feel like he wasn’t doing a good enough job.

  Idly, he traced the rim of the glass with his thumb and sucked in his bottom lip. His mother had never thought he was good enough.

  With a gut-wrenching yell, he threw the delicate crystal across the room. It shattered with a satisfying crash against the wall, each piece tinkling to the hardwood floor. The whiskey sluiced down the pale wallpaper, discoloring it.

  The bitch. Once again, his mother had won. Made him think about her and their shitheap of a life. Made him destroy something that was beautiful. Why did she make him do it? Why did she still have a fucking hold on him after all these years?

  He rubbed his eyes until they ached and his breathing slowed, and forced himself to remember the fitting way he’d released himself from her physically demoralizing clutches. She would never again grind him under the heel of her whore shoes.

  Sitting upright, he stared at the scattering of Polaroid’s on the table. Each one as precious to him as the next. Each one a reminder of how powerful he really was. He fingered them, spreading them out and visualizing each woman in his mind. Whores, all of them. He figured a woman was only good for one thing—sex. They sure as shit hadn’t been put on Earth for their brains. Just like his mother, they were more a bane on society than not. Always mouthy and trying to tell men how things should be done. Once they’d spread their legs and served their purpose, it was time to liberate them from life.

  Something he was getting quite good at.

  He smiled. Even those who tried to cross him were no match for his superior ability.

  He sighed and stretched out on the couch, pillowing his head with his hands laced together. Plenty of time later to put his women away. The night was still young, but he had to go in early tomorrow, so now he’d sleep. Like a baby, knowing his problem was solved.