The Manx Cat Guardians Boxed Set

by J P Sayle

  Nick continued when Brody waved him on. “Aaden mentioned something earlier to you about his difference. I could see by your face you knew what he was talking about. It would seem that somewhere out there in the universe there are things that though they don’t seem conceivable to some, they are to others who live with them.”

  Nick stopped, puffing out his lips when Brody interrupted, his face a mask of disbelief.

  “Yeah, yeah. I remember your fascination with the X-files as a kid. You’re not trying to tell me that shit is real, are you?”

  Brody’s incredulous laughter filled the room. The harsh sound had Nick biting his tongue to stop the sarcastic retort. Instead, he counted to ten, letting his heart rate settle before he continued.

  “Regardless of what you believe, what I’m going to tell you is the truth, and as you can see with your own eyes, I’m not lying.”

  Nick waved his unbroken leg at Brody. The laughter died from his eyes as they grew serious.

  “When I was about eleven-ish, I was in the forest by our home when I first met Christina. I knew there was something different about her. I just had no idea at the time what it was. Over the years, I had several, for want of a better word, ‘run-ins’ with her. After the first couple, she revealed that she was a witch.” Nick’s hand shot up when Brody opened his mouth. “No, let me finish. Then you can laugh or do whatever you want. But just let me get this out.”

  Nick saw the internal battle cloud Brody’s narrowed grey-green eyes. His mouth pinched tight as he nodded.

  Nick settled back against the spindles of the chair, ignoring how uncomfortable it was as he let his mind drift to the past.

  “I would, seem to be having some sort of calamity in my life, and there she would be as bright as a beacon guiding me to her. The thing was, she’d had one end goal: to take over my soul.” Nick avoided looking at Aaden when he growled, continuing before he lost his courage to spit it all out. “I never got this to start with because she would try and use some form of magic on me. Trying to bend my will and do as she bid. But for some reason, I was able to feel the magic and somehow resist. It would seem her past conquests hadn’t been as lucky. Anyway, after not seeing her for years, I thought she’d decided I wasn’t worth the effort anymore until she surprised the hell out of me, turning up in Aaden’s kitchen the morning after you arrived, Brody.”

  Nick licked his lips, giving Aaden a reassuring smile he didn’t feel when he scowled at the room.

  “When Greg spilt the beans about how it all connected, it kind of made sense why she’d hooked into me.” Nick shrugged his tense shoulders. “What with her wanting to be close to Max and all.”

  Nick carried on, pretending not to see the growing incredulity on Brody’s face. He wondered how much more Brody’s eyes could stretch, when he gave an abbreviated version of how Max and Christina were connected. Not sure how much more he should share, he finished with laying out what had happened with his foot. “So as you can see, I’m either a very good liar and can fool an X-ray, or I’m telling the truth.”

  Nick got up when Brody fired a sceptical look at Aaden as if needing his confirmation that he was telling the truth. Incensed, Nick felt his temper snap. He found himself nose to nose with Brody.

  “If you have a question, you look at me, not Aaden. I’m not gonna be ignored,” he ground out through clenched teeth as he snarled in Brody’s face.

  He didn’t move when he heard the sound of feet being dragged out of the kitchen followed by Greg’s petulant whine about “wanting to watch the fireworks.” He kept his gaze locked on Brody’s darkening eyes.

  The only noise in the now silent room was his breath gushing past his lips as if he’d been working out in Brad’s gym.

  Nick braced when Brody moved until his warm nose touched his. He felt the warmth of Brody’s breath move across his skin. Nick flicked his tongue out as if to capture a taste of the air as he moistened his lips. The sharp-sounding inhale had his eyes locking with Brody’s, not realising he’d looked down at his firm lips.

  Nick thought he’d seen every colour Brody’s eyes could change to, but he’d been mistaken. He was captivated as the green bled to full grey, making them sparkle like polished silver. As he chewed his lip, he considered what this colour meant. The fact that his pulse lept crazily under Brody’s skin convinced him he already knew the answer: desire.

  Not sure if he wanted to run or strip bare and lay across the table as an offering, Nick eased back a fraction, only to find himself jerked forward and his mouth crushed in an earth-shattering kiss. The disbelief he’d seen on Brody’s face moments earlier was forgotten under the onslaught of sensations when his mouth drove him to distraction.

  Brody’s firm lips forced his mouth to open, allowing him to suck on Nick’s tongue. It elicited a loud moan to escape from Nick’s throat. The sound seemed to drive Brody to demand more as he devoured Nick, one kiss after another with no reprieve. He attempted to pull back when his lungs screamed for oxygen. Only to find his own tongue duelling with Brody’s, ignoring his body’s demand for air.

  His hands crept around Brody’s neck, and his fingers wound their way into the silky soft hair at his nape, holding tight. His body worked on getting what it wanted. His legs straddled Brody’s lap. He bent at the waist as he was pulled even closer. His compact chest rested against Brody’s large frame. He wiggled his butt when his jeans constricted his movement, stopping him from getting any closer.

  Nick rumbled low in his throat when he was lifted bodily to sit sideways with his legs nestled over the left side of the chair. He twisted a little so he could angle his body a little better, and he didn’t have to stop kissing. Although the new position offered him free access to Brody’s mouth, it left his throbbing cock with no friction as it pulsed and bucked, trying to escape his silk underwear.

  Nick’s clouded mind tried to come up with a solution, but with Brody eating him alive, he couldn’t think beyond the tongue that was currently working to make sure it tasted every part of his mouth. The kisses seemed endless, one merging into another. The feel of hard firm lips consumed him.

  A loud wolf whistle penetrated past the haze of lust. It brought Nick back to the present with a bang. He pulled back, struggling to catch his breath when Brody finally released his swollen mouth. His chest heaved. His breath sawed in and out. Nick wasn’t sure how long they’d been attacking each other.

  He swiped at his damp lips with his tongue, pulling in the remaining flavour of Brody’s kiss into his mouth without thinking. He whimpered. His mind struggled to function past the desire destroying his thought process.

  His hands released Brody, moving of their own accord to cover his mouth when his tongue felt how swollen his lips were. He composed himself before looking wearily over his shoulder to the door to see who’d whistled at them.

  Unrepentant pale blue eyes sparked with mischief when Greg strolled back into the kitchen, smiling. Nick resisted the urge to hide his flaming face in Brody’s solid chest. As he shifted, he felt Brody’s arousal push into his backside. Realising he was about to grind down on it, he lept off Brody’s lap faster than a swarm of angry bees could chase a person stupid enough to rattle their hive.

  Not making eye contact with anyone, he all but ran to the door. Planning on escaping, he pulled up short when Aaden appeared in front of him. The searching look he gave him before he glared at Brody over his shoulder had Nick cringing when he felt his face drain of colour.

  “So did you two sort out your… issues?” The question seemed far too loaded to answer, so Nick left Brody to respond.

  He fidgeted. It appeared that his still throbbing cock was not the least bit bothered that his big brother was standing only two feet away glaring at the person who’d caused the problem.

  A whiney voice butted in, reminding him none too gently. “That same person, who in the past had also been up close and personal with your brother’s tonsils.”

  The thought took root, digging into his subc
onsciousness before he could yank it out. Images of the night so long ago sprung into his mind, dampening his ardour.

  Nick gritted his teeth, snarling at his brother. He stomped out of the room, pretending not to see the look of confusion Aaden cast his way. Or the look of worry that Greg wore, when escape was the only thing he could think about.

  He ran for the stairs, knowing if he made it to his room, he could at least lock everyone out and calm the fuck down. It wasn’t Aaden’s fault that Nick had feelings for Brody since forever, or that Brody had been more interested in men who all resembled Aaden in stature.

  No, it wasn’t Aaden’s fault. It was bloody Brody’s for not seeing what was right under his nose: me.

  Nick sagged against the door as he turned the key in the lock. He rubbed at his temples when his head throbbed, making his eyes ache. He laid his head against the cold wood hoping it would help.

  He glanced at the door warily when he heard the loud thumping and handle rattling. He eyed the wood as he pulled back as if snakes had started to crawl from the grain.

  “Open up, Squirt. You aren’t going to hide like last night. I’m fed up of you running away. If you don’t open the door, you’re gonna find yourself fixing it when I break it down.”

  The angry growl had tiny shivers skitter over Nick’s body, his earlier arousal firing back to life. The threat he sensed was real enough. With shaky fingers he turned the key, unlocking the door. He opened it, his gaze automatically roving up Brody’s tense body until he reached those gorgeous grey-green eyes. Eyes which had bled to full green, firing warning sparks directly at Nick.

  Nick shivered but stood his ground. Brody’s large frame seemed to vibrate with unreleased energy. He stood towering over Nick, a battle of wills ensuing. Nick huffed, finally stepping back and letting him pass when Brody didn’t back down.

  Nick forced himself to stand still and not back away any further, when the fierceness Brody wore caused his cock to plump, leaving Nick wanting to strip naked and beg for mercy.

  Stop that!

  He willed his body to behave. His fingernails dug into his palms as he prayed for patience and willpower to allow him to do what he needed to do. For all their sakes.

  He reminded himself for the umpteenth time Brody wasn’t single, and as much as he wanted him to be, Nick had a firm rule: no cheating. He’d had boyfriends cheat on him in the past, and he’d sworn he’d never do that to someone else knowingly. The hurt was not something he wanted to inflict on someone else, no matter how much he craved this man.

  He let that knowledge take root, guiding him. Nick stepped to the door and shut it. All the while he tried to forget about his silly infatuation. The self-deprecating voice shouting “it was not a silly infatuation” was firmly shut out as he turned to face Brody.

  Brody

  Brody brooded. He sat silently watching the scene unfold before him. The air felt charged with excitement as Stuart bent down on one knee and confessed his undying love to Joe. The reason for Stuart’s earlier nervousness when they’d arrived at Martin and Brad’s for Christmas lunch was now very apparent.

  He tried to appear interested when his attention wavered back to Nick. He looked under his lashes at Nick. He saw he moved to sit as far away from him as possible on the large comfy, deep green sofa on the opposite side of the room, perched next to Greg.

  The rapt attention on Nick’s beautiful face had Brody shift. A feeling of regret at how their earlier conversation ended made him want to sigh out loud.

  “Squirt, do you want to tell me why the hell you keep running from me? We need to sort through the shit you were talking about downstairs and how it’s connected to me. Because I’m telling you right now, I can’t see how it is. Never mind that I’m struggling to digest and process all that you said. I mean fuck, witches, telepathic cats, ancient souls, and God knows what else. Seriously, it’s like being in the twilight zone only without the benefits of knowing if it’s not real.”

  Brody pulled up short at the angry growl that had his cock twitch.

  “I don’t give two flying shits whether you believe me or not. It’s the fucking truth. And yes, it’s hard to swallow. I’ve lived with this crap for years, and I still find it a hard pill to swallow. All the stuff with Aaden and Greg just added to the pot of crazy that is my life. Nevertheless it’s the truth. So if I were you, I’d go and put that in your fucking disbelieving pipe and smoke it. Maybe that would help you, Bro.”

  Nick’s frustrated foot stomp as he faced off with him had his lips twitching as he struggled to contain the grin that wanted to spread across his face. Nick’s white-blond hair flowed over his shoulders, haloing his face. The grey daylight coming from the window cast shadows over his stunning face, though it didn’t hide the fire sparking in the depth of Nick’s cerulean eyes.

  Brody choked back a chuckle when Nick’s face turned beet-red.

  “It’s not a fucking laughing matter, you dick. And anyway, you need to stop trying to force your tongue down my throat. What the hell is that all about? You have a boyfriend, for fuck’s sake. Or have you forgotten that little bit of information? I’m not a cheater.”

  Brody froze as Nick’s words sunk in. Crap, he’d heard me talking to Aaden about Luke.

  Unsure how to respond to Nick’s accusation, Brody dropped his gaze to the bare varnished floorboards, avoiding the hurt he could see in his expression. His stomach heaved. His recent breakfast not liking the sudden ride, it decided to push its way up his throat. Struggling not to vomit on the floor, Brody moved unsteadily to the unmade bed to sit.

  He swallowed twice before he felt his throat release enough to allow him to talk. He let his eyes take in Nick’s rigid stance. This time the sigh escaped.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not a cheater either. But this sudden thing between us…” Brody halted, uncertain how to continue when Nick’s expression turned expectant. His blond brows rose as if encouraging him to go on. Brody sucked his upper lip into his mouth when the word attraction sat on the tip of his tongue. Is this attraction, or is it something more?

  Opening his eyes after that weird turn in the kitchen, it felt as if he was really seeing Nick for the first time. The intense feelings barraging him, mixed with these new emotions swirling in his bloodstream, said it was something deeper, stronger than just plain attraction. But he didn’t know how to say that when Luke sat there firmly between them. Never mind his past with Aaden or all this other hocus-pocus Nick had spoken about.

  Brody exhaled.

  “This thing between us, I’m not sure where it sprung from. And you’re right, I shouldn’t have been sticking my tongue anywhere near you.” He tried to lighten the moment, but whatever he’d said, only seemed to set Nick off again as his face darkened with temper. His lips thinned as his eyes drilled holes into Brody.

  “No, you shouldn’t have, and you won’t be doing it again. So if we’ve quite finished having this heart to heart, I think it’s time you left. I have to sort myself to get ready for the Christmas lunch at Brad and Martin’s.”

  The finality in Nick’s voice had him lifting up off the bed. Not sure how things had gone downhill so fast, he found himself on the other side of Nick’s bedroom door, watching it shut in his face before he could think of something to rectify the situation. “Well, fuck.”

  Brody clamped his lips together, restraining himself from muttering out loud. He brought his gaze unwillingly back to the two men now embracing on the bright red rug in front of him.

  What would it feel like to be loved with such devotion?

  His eyes moved back to Nick of their own accord. A little voice told him he could have all of that if he just opened himself to it. He shut out the voice, berating himself.

  I don’t need someone ruling my life, disrupting my routine.

  His jaw ached.

  Everyone could go fuck themselves with their loving relationships.

  Brody ignored the bitterness that coated his mouth at the hollow feeling inside his che
st. He implored to whatever Gods there were that he’d be able to get through the day and not fuck up any more than he had already.

  He felt the weight of Aaden’s inflexible stare. Brody avoided looking at him, knowing all he’d see were the questions he couldn’t answer. Questions Aaden had fired at him the moment he’d gone back downstairs after speaking with Nick. His internal struggle not to punch Aaden’s lights out when he wouldn’t back down had Greg intervening.

  When Greg had stepped between them, it was tantamount to a declaration of war as far as Aaden was concerned. He knew Aaden would do anything to protect his redheaded beauty. So Brody backed off when Aaden physically lifted Greg out of the way, much to Greg’s disgust. But it had been enough of a wake-up call for Brody to collect himself. Instead he’d advised Aaden to shove his questions up where the sun doesn’t shine, stalking back to his bedroom to calm his arse down before he did something he’d regret. And okay, he was sorry for the tension it caused between them all, but couldn’t Aaden see he was just as disconcerted by this change of events as he was?

  How was he supposed to just act like everything was normal with Nick’s explanation, when it was the exact opposite? Yes, he’d witnessed Aaden’s zone-outs and subsequent knowledge about things he shouldn’t have known. He’d put those episodes down to intuition. And okay, he’d tried not to think too hard about what Aaden couldn’t possibly know. Point in question, Sunday night, when the boys had gone off on one and wouldn’t answer their phones, Aaden had some sort of episode where he went into a trance, then bam, he knew where they were. That shit had been happening for years. So why haven’t I questioned it before?

  Have I been hiding from the truth?

  The harder he thought about everything, the more he worried about what it meant.

  No closer to sorting out his head, Brody was relieved when everyone started to open Christmas gifts after Stuart and Joe finished kissing the face off each other.

  The afternoon slipped into evening as everyone lounged on the comfy sofas and chairs around Brad and Martin’s fire.