Nicodemis

by Cooper McKenzie

  

  Kinky Saints MC 1

  Nicodemis

  All Cara Michaels wanted was a picnic ham to appease a craving. She ended up getting a date with a hot, sexy man. A man she could see herself calling Daddy. The next day when tragedy leaves her homeless, jobless, and alone, she finds herself rescued by the man she was supposed to be cooking for.

  Having been raised by his grandparents in the Kinky Saints MC with his cousins, veterinarian Nico Santi has always had a soft spot for women in need. Taking Cara home allowed him to indulge his Daddy Dom side as he helped the woman get back on her feet.

  Will Cara be able to give her Little girl submission to the younger man? Will Nico be able to convince her that they really are perfect for one another? Will they ever get to enjoy the ham dinner that brought them together?

  Genres: BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 20,594

  NICODEMIS

  Kinky Saints MC 1

  Cooper McKenzie

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Nicodemis

  Copyright © 2019 by Cooper McKenzie

  ISBN: 978-1-64243-794-2

  First Publication: May 2019

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2019 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at legal@sirenbookstrand.com

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  For Pepper North and Jessica Coulter Smith, who encouraged me to try something new and different.

  And for you, my readers.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Cooper McKenzie always thought she had been born a hundred years too late, though she appreciates air conditioning, computers, and other conveniences of modern-day life. She lives in central Texas with her mixed breed companion, Honey, the Princess Fuzzybutt.

  For all titles by Cooper McKenzie, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/cooper-mckenzie

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  NICODEMIS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  NICODEMIS

  Kinky Saints MC 1

  COOPER MCKENZIE

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter One

  In the busyness of the store, the woman’s stillness caught Nico Santi’s attention. She stood looking more than a little lost as she stared into the grocery store’s freezer bin full of spiral-cut hams. Nico tossed the packages of hamburger patties into the cart he was pushing before he slowly approached her. Something about her reached out to his heart, and his cock, making both squeeze with the need to help her. And maybe more.

  He continued to watch as she picked up one foil-wrapped ham. She looked at the tag before putting it back. She then repeated the action with three others before heaving a sigh. When a tear appeared and rolled down her cheek, Nico knew he had to step in. Something was wrong, and if he had the ability to fix it, he would. His grandparents had raised him and his cousins to be gentlemen, even if they did prefer to wear denim and leather instead of business suits.

  “Having a problem, sweetheart?” he asked as he sidled up next to her, keeping a one-foot distance between them instead of pulling her into his arms to comfort her like he wanted.

  The woman jumped, and swiped at the tears that were appearing at more frequent intervals. Her cheeks pinked up as she turned to look at his chin. “I’m sorry, I’ll get out of your way,” she whispered, sounding miserable.

  He grabbed her arm as she turned away. “Whoa there, little one. You’re not in my way. I was just wondering if I could help. You look a little lost.”

  The woman froze at his touch, then slowly turned just her head to look at him. At six and a half feet tall, his size often made most people hesitate, but he hoped she would at least give him a chance. Lifting the arm he still held, he checked for and saw no ring marking her as someone else’s.

  His heart howled in his chest as his cock twitched with anticipation of making the pretty little lady theirs.

  “Um…well…I…” she said before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and visibly relaxing her body. “I wanted to buy a spiral-cut ham because they taste so good, and it’s been such a long time since I’ve had any, but they’re all so big. The little ham slices just don’t taste the same.”

  Nico smiled at her flustered speech. He then took a moment to study the woman a little closer. He had first thought that like him, she was in her mid-thirties. Now, he wasn’t so sure. The silver strands in her shoulder-length chestnut-brown hair were subtle but there, and the lines around her eyes and mouth made him revise her age upward, though he wasn’t sure by how much. Still, she had an air of innocence about her that pulled at his heart, and his body.

  She was at least a foot shorter than he was, but her jeans and T-shirt skimmed a curvy body that had Nico licking his lips. Looking into her sky-blue eyes, he saw pain and loneliness that made him want to pick up a sword and shield to defend her against any and all who might cause her harm. Once he slayed all her dragons, he would be more than happy to take her home and dirty her up with some serious sexy fun that would continue until they were both boneless and satisfied.

  He looked over the hams in the refrigerator case, finding a smaller one tucked in the back under several others. “I think this one is about as small as they come,” he said, pulling it out and offering it to her.

  “Thank you. I guess I’ll be eating ham for the next month then,” she said with a small smile that had Nico’s cock twitching in reaction. “I just hope my freezer will hold all the leftovers.”

  “I’d be happy to come over and eat ham,” he said with a smile that he hoped wasn’t too threatening. “I’ll even bring dessert. How does a cherry cheesecake sound?”

  Once again, the woman froze. After a long moment, she blinked.

  Then she blinked again. It was as if she had never had a man try to pick her up in the grocery store before. And how sad was that? She was too pretty to have never had a man hit on her in the frozen-foods aisle. Or over a cooler full of spiral-cut hams.

  She blinked again before saying, “I don’t know you.”

  “Nicodemis Santi, DVM,” Nico said with a grin as he offered his hand. “But please, call me Nico. Only my grandmother calls me Nicodemis.”

  * * * *

  Cara wasn’t sure what was going on. All she had wanted was to buy a ham and the fixings for a nice dinner. Now here she was shaking hands with a gorgeous veterinarian who looked as if he had stepped out of one of her naughtier dreams. But after being alone and lonely for the two years she’d lived in Texas, she had just about given up on meeting anyone who affected her like this big, black-haired man did.

  “Cara Michaels, craft-store clerk,�
�� she said, slowly lifting her hand and placing it in his.

  When he gently closed his fingers around her hand, and their palms touched, she gasped at the electric shiver that raced up her arm and through her body to pool in her pussy. All at once her nipples beaded, and her entire body screamed fuck me now.

  Looking up, up, up, she found herself falling into a pair of dark-brown eyes that showed an interest she had not seen in a man’s eyes in longer than she could remember. Her pussy clenched and she had to lock her knees to keep from dropping to the ground and begging him to fuck her over the freezer case until neither of them could move.

  “Excuse me.” An annoyed voice shattered the bubble of interest and arousal that seemed to be encircling them.

  Cara’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as they both stepped out of the way so the older woman could reach the selection of hams. She didn’t study them—she just grabbed one, placed it in her cart, and left.

  “So, Cara Michaels, what do you say? Ham dinner with cherry cheesecake for dessert tomorrow night?” The big man smiled down at her. The glint in his eye said that if she was very lucky, there might be more than ham and dessert on the agenda. All she had to do was say yes.

  After stalling for a few seconds to swallow and look around to see who might be listening, Cara nodded. “Yes, that sounds wonderful.”

  Before Nico could respond further, two other tall, dark, and dangerous-looking men approached. Their arms full of buns and bags of cookies made them appear only slightly less dangerous. “Come on, Nico, Nonna’s gonna hang us out to dry if we don’t get this stuff home and get dinner cooking.”

  “Give me a minute,” Nico said as he pulled out his wallet. In the next instant, he handed Cara a business card. “Text my cell with your address and I’ll see you tomorrow night about six?”

  Cara nodded, still a bit stunned that she’d come in for a ham and was leaving with a date.

  “I’ll see you then, pretty Cara,” Nico said before leaning down and brushing the back of a finger across her cheekbone. As he turned to follow his friends, her gaze dropped to notice the rather sizeable bulge pressing against the zipper of his well-fitting faded jeans. Oh, my.

  He prowled away, looking like a big cat, his jeans molded over one tight ass. Raising her gaze, she noted the black T-shirt he wore fit him like a second skin, showing off muscles that moved and sent her body into an aroused state she had never felt before.

  When a man cleared his throat behind her, she grabbed her cart and hurriedly finished her shopping. She needed to get home and put her groceries away as fast as possible so she could break out her toys. She had a feeling she would be able to get herself off just from the memory of Nico Santi’s body. She only hoped she could dream of the man tonight, which would be a welcome break from the nightmares she had been having of late.

  As soon as she loaded her car and climbed in, she pulled out his business card and her phone. After texting him her address with a formal invitation to dinner, she added his name and number to her contact list. She hoped he wouldn’t be too disappointed to see where she lived. The first floor of the ancient building contained the craft shop where she worked, and a deli. The second floor had two larger apartments, and she lived in one of four smaller apartments on the third floor.

  She had just put her car in gear when her phone dinged with a message. Picking up her phone, she checked it.

  Looking forward to it.

  Cara only hoped she wasn’t setting herself up to be hurt, either physically or emotionally. After all, Nico was a hot, sexy, and viral, and she was, well, not. Though she didn’t know how old he was, she was certain she was older. She was also out of shape, and nearing her dating expiration date. After all, at forty-two, she should be married and well settled into life, not floundering around, trying to make ends meet by working in the craft shop, teaching crafting classes, and making hats and stuffed toys that she sold online and at the monthly market days in town.

  * * * *

  “So what took you so long at the grocery?” Maria Santi asked in her heavy Italian accent as Nico and his two cousins carried the groceries into the kitchen of their grandmother’s house. It was the biggest one on the property, so it was where they gathered for family dinners every week.

  “Sorry, Nonna, Nico was flirting,” Laz, his older-by-ten-months cousin, said with a smirk aimed in Nico’s direction.

  “Nico, you flirt with woman at the grocery?”

  Nico glared at his cousin before smoothing his expression as he turned to face his grandmother. “I was helping her. She was having trouble picking a ham.”

  “He invited himself to dinner at her house tomorrow night to eat the ham he helped her pick,” Theo, his younger-by-six-months cousin, added with a chuckle.

  “Nicodemis Alberto Santi, you didn’t.” His grandmother looked at him with an expression that was part horror and part accusation.

  “Yes, Nonna, I did,” Nico admitted. “Something about her pulled at my heart.”

  Nico braced himself for a lecture about being a gentleman as his grandmother stalked across the kitchen toward him. He only hoped she wouldn’t hit him with the wooden spoon she held in her hand. Those things hurt, even when wielded by an eighty-year-old woman who stood barely five feet tall. He should know. She had used one often enough on him, and all his cousins, when they were growing up.

  He was shocked when, instead of smacking him with the spoon, she wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him tight. He returned the hug, knowing she would not release him until he did. Once she pulled back, she looked up at him with a smile of approval.

  Though the army had taught him to be a man, and his grandfather had taught him to be a badass biker, it was this woman who taught him what love was, and how to win the heart of a woman. At thirty-five, he had begun to think there was no woman out there who would touch his heart and soul as his grandmother had his grandfather’s.

  He met her probing gaze squarely, still waiting for a lecture. “You bring her to meet your nonna. I want to meet this woman who makes my Nico’s eyes smile.”

  “Yes, Nonna. As soon as I’m certain she’s worthy, I’ll bring her to meet you,” Nico answered as neutrally as he could.

  “Good boy. Now, you take that meat out to your nonno and tell him about this woman you’ve met. Theo and Laz will stay here and help me,” Nonna said as she turned her attention back to the half-dozen side dishes in various stages of preparation.

  Friday evenings had been designated family dinner night just after Nico and his five cousins had come to live with their grandparents when Nico was fourteen. The boys had ranged in age from ten to sixteen, and all were grieving the loss of their parents who had died in a plane crash somewhere in the Italian Alps. They had been flying to northern Italy for a family reunion with the Italian branch of the Santi family.

  Due to Alberto’s hip-replacement surgery a month prior to the trip, he and Maria had stayed home, which had turned out to be a blessing for the six young Santi cousins. In the days following the accident, the cousins were moved from around the country and raised by their grandparents.

  Nonno’s motorcycle club allowed each cousin to prospect the club the day after their high school graduation, but refused to patch them in until the day after their college graduation. Now, the six cousins were all professional men as well as bikers. At eighty-two, Alberto had handed off running the club to Theo, but remained a voice to be listened to whenever club-related decisions were made.

  Nonna had declared that unless they were working, they would be at the compound for dinner on Friday night. The tradition, started twenty years earlier, remained strong, and if they were in the country, all six Santi cousins still showed up for dinner with the grandparents every Friday evening.

  “Yes, Nonna,” Nico said, grabbing the bags, which still held the hot dogs and hamburgers, before heading to the backyard.

  Chapter Two

  Nico frowned as he drove down the street toward Cara’s
apartment. When a police cruiser blocked the road, he turned the corner and parked in the next available space big enough to hold his Harley. Sometimes, driving a motorcycle was a good thing. Unhooking the bungee cord that held the cheesecake to the back seat of his bike, he was pleased to see the ride from the bakery had not messed it up too much.

  Carrying the pastry box in one hand, he tried to look nonthreatening as he eased past the squad car without the cop stopping him. He marched toward the small crowd watching the controlled chaos as the fire department battled a building fire at the other end of the next block.

  Scanning the crowd, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cara standing at the edge of the group, arms linked with two other women. All three looked devastated as they stared at the burning building across the street and farther down the block. As he got closer, he saw tears running down Cara’s cheeks. Tears she was not bothering to wipe away.

  Working his way through the crowd, he did not stop until he stood behind her. He shifted the pastry box to balance on one palm, then laid the other on Cara’s shoulder. At his touch, she jumped several inches, spinning in midair to face him. The two women with her stared at him, as well.

  Her eyes traveled up his body slowly. They widened as she took in the pastry box, and then the black leather vest with his name embroidered over his right pec. Her gaze then rose until she looked into his eyes. She appeared shocked for a moment, then horrified. He wasn’t sure if it was from the way he was dressed, or his sudden appearance at her side.

  “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry I didn’t call to cancel,” she said as more tears filled her eyes and overflowed. “But I don’t have my phone, and I don’t know your number because it’s in my phone, and my phone is now burnt to a crisp with everything else I own. Oh shit, this is all fucked up.”