Babies for Nikki (10 page)

Laurie nodded and stepped out into the hallway. She looked back at her, barely able to contain the concern she had for her best friend. “I love you, Nikki,” she whispered as she pulled open the door and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind her.

Nikki took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Laurie, I love you dearly, but you are certifiably insane!” she whispered to the empty room.

Butler looked at Alexander with concern. His triad partner was in bad shape. Emotionally, he was at the end of his ability to hold it together. Physically, his hand was definitely broken, and the skin across the knuckles was torn open. He placed his hand on his partner’s forearm and squeezed gently.

“Alex, we need to tell Jace we can’t hold our positions anymore,” Butler told him seriously. “I’m right behind you in losing control. We’re a danger to the pack now.”

Alex looked up and faced Butler, his eyes wild. “Take me out of here, Butler,” he growled. “I need to shift.”

Butler nodded and turned them both to head down the hallway to leave the family lodge when he saw Laurie leaving their suite. They both stopped when they saw how upset she was as she rushed by them. All concern for themselves fled as fear gripped them. They could think of nothing except Nikki. They needed to see if she was all right. Nothing else mattered.

As one, they moved to the doorway of their suite, opening the door quickly and stepping inside to make their way through the living area to the bedroom. What they saw made them freeze in terror. Nikki was on her knees beside the bed, her face was buried in the sheets, and her hands were clenched into fists as she clutched at the comforter. They made their way to her immediately, kneeling on either side of her and wrapping their arms around her.

“Nikki,” Alex whispered against the side of her face. “Please.”

Nikki’s moan was muffled against the bed, but instead of pulling away she leaned into their embrace. She felt better feeling their bodies pressed tightly against hers, and she knew that even though what Laurie had told her scared the living daylights out of her, it didn’t stop her from feeling the pure contentment that rushed through her the moment the men surrounded her.

“We need to get you onto the bed,” Butler whispered, kissing her temple gently as his arms surrounded her waist.

Alex reached for her with his left hand, his broken and torn hand useless. He was careful not to use the injured hand since he didn’t want to get his blood all over their mate. He would deal with his injury later. Her comfort was what was important right then.

They helped her to slowly stand then carefully turned her and eased her onto the bed until she was sitting. They knelt before her and waited until her breathing evened out. The pain she was in was obvious. Her face was strained with tension, and she held her body stiffly.

“We need to massage you with the oils Martha brought us,” Butler told her quietly, searching her face for acceptance.

“Please,” Nikki whispered. “Help me. It hurts.”

“Oh, darlin’, we’ll do all that we can,” Alex promised, reaching up to touch her face, but pulling back suddenly when he realized he had almost touched her with his injured hand.

Nikki saw his torn and broken hand at that moment and reached out to grab his wrist immediately. “What happened?” she demanded, looking down at the injury, touching it gently to assess the damage.

“He had an argument with the wall outside our room,” Butler told her dryly.

Nikki’s attention snapped up to Alex’s face. She saw the flush of embarrassment that quickly filled his face, and he looked away from her, ashamed.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, his deep voice sincere. “I’ll be leaving shortly so I can’t do any more damage to this home or our pack. Before I go, Butler and I need to see to it that you’re taken care of.”

When he attempted to stand, Nikki stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Both men looked at her and waited. They didn’t know what she was going to say, but neither had any hope that she was going to accept them.

“Laurie told me that all of you are wolf shifters,” she said quietly. She waited for their answer but neither man spoke. They just nodded and remained silent. “She also said that you can heal quickly if you shift into your wolf form.” Again they nodded, not speaking. Nikki looked down at Alexander’s broken and bloody hand. “Then I want you to shift right now and heal yourself,” she told him firmly.

“I don’t want to frighten you,” Alex barely whispered. He looked to Butler for help, but his friend was just as stunned by Nikki’s demand as he was.

“I won’t be afraid,” Nikki told him calmly. “I just want you to be healed. Please, Alexander. I don’t want you to hurt.”

Nikki’s concern for him sent feelings of warmth racing through his chest. He knew that Butler could feel it, too, when he saw the way his triad partner touched his hand to his own chest. Standing slowly, Alex reached up to pull his black T-shirt from his body. He smiled at the way Nikki watched him, scenting her arousal immediately. He slowly unbuckled his belt with clumsy fingers as the stiffness of his broken hand made it difficult to have good dexterity. He stepped back and toed off his boots, unzipping his jeans and pushing them, along with his black boxer briefs, down his thickly muscled legs and stepping out of them.

Nikki’s mouth dropped open despite her attempt to remain aloof, but how often did a hunk of a man undress in front of you? And a gloriously tanned and muscled one at that! Taking in the size of his flaccid member she swallowed nervously. If that was the size of him now, what the hell would he be like when he was fully aroused?

Oh, man!
She couldn’t imagine how he would ever fit inside of her. And then to add Butler inside of her at the same time?
No way!

Alex was truly amazing. His body was sculpted with muscle. Each muscle was well defined and developed, showing her just how well-trained he was for his job as pack enforcer. She could tell that he was more than capable of protecting every single one of them. Even though Butler was fully clothed, she could tell he was in just as good a shape. They lived their lives to protect their pack, and she could tell they took their job seriously.

A swirl of blue energy surrounded Alexander then a black wolf of massive proportions stood in his place. The wolf whined as if crying, sitting on his haunches as he watched Nikki calmly, waiting patiently for her to make the next move.

Nikki’s heart was pounding against her chest. She hadn’t really thought he would actually shift into a wolf. The sight before her was truly a miracle. She was surprised to find that she wasn’t afraid. Reaching out, she gently touched the wolf, smiling as he leaned in and nuzzled against her thigh. She buried her hands in the soft fur of his neck and drew him toward her until she was inches from his face.

“You are beautiful,” she whispered in awe.

Alex nudged her chin with the top of his head, making her smile. Rubbing her cheek against his forehead, she scratched him behind his ears. His soft growl made her smile grow wider, and she looked up and saw the soft golden glow of his eyes before they returned to the silver gray color that was uniquely Alex’s. She turned to face Butler and saw that he was watching her intently.

“I want to see your wolf, too,” she told him quietly. “Will you show me?”

Butler smiled and nodded, glad that he scented no fear from her. He stood beside the bed and pulled his own black T-shirt from his body. He flexed his shoulders nervously, watching Nikki closely as he stood before her. Seeing the desire that filled her eyes, he couldn’t help but mirror her feelings as he quickly toed off his boots, unbuckled his belt, and pushed his jeans and navy boxer briefs from his body. He breathed in the scent of Nikki’s arousal and smiled down at her. The want that rushed through her was felt by both him and Alex, and he knew a joy so deep that their mate desired them.

Nikki watched with rapt attention as Butler revealed his body to her. Just as she had imagined, he was tanned, toned, and muscled. The strength both men contained was obvious. Looking at his partially hardened cock, she swallowed nervously. He was just as long and thick as Alex, and she couldn’t imagine how they would ever fit inside her together. It didn’t stop her from desiring exactly that, though.

The blue swirl of energy that surrounded Butler pulled her erotic thoughts under control. She watched in astonishment as Butler transformed into a massive white wolf with the same coloring as his hair in human form. Without hesitation, the wolf nudged her hand and was rewarded when she sunk her left hand into his rich fur to pet him lovingly.

Keeping her hands on both wolves, she caressed them slowly. Her mind was a riot of thoughts and emotions. Their wolf forms were beautiful, and she actually loved the feel of their silky pelts under her hands. Could she accept this unbelievable side to them? Could she truly be their third in this triad mate thing as Laurie had explained it to her? Maybe she should give them a chance. She wouldn’t commit to anything, but maybe they could explore what this relationship might be. Maybe these men would be truthful with her and really want her to be with them because they would care about her and the family they might create—not because of the money she possessed.

“Please shift back,” she told them quietly.

In an instant, blue energy swirled around the wolves and Alexander’s and Butler’s human forms knelt before her. She reached down and took Alex’s injured hand in hers and inspected it. To her astonishment, his hand was totally healed. She held his large hand between her smaller ones, petting him without realizing it. The soft growls that escaped him at her gentle touch made her smile as she looked up at him.

“Does it hurt?” she asked worriedly.

He shook his head, unable to trust his voice as emotion welled up in his throat. Her genuine concern and caring for him made him happy and settled something inside him that he knew only she could heal.

Lifting his hand to her mouth, she gently kissed his knuckles and then held it against her chest tightly. “Please be careful in the future,” she told him sternly.

Butler leaned forward and kissed her cheek gently, drawing her attention to him. “You’ve made us both very happy, Nikki,” he told her sincerely. “Our wolves didn’t scare you, did they?”

Nikki was shocked to realize that she hadn’t even thought about it. “I guess I was more concerned about Alex’s hand,” she told him honestly. Before she could say another word, Alex leaned forward and took her lips in the most tender, exquisite kiss she had ever received. She breathed against his lips as he backed up a bit, hovering near her mouth and licking at the fullness of her bottom lip lightly.

A light knock on the bedroom door interrupted them. Alex and Butler both growled at the constant interruptions. Nikki laughed and ran her fingers through their hair, loving the soft rumbles that escaped them as she soothed them.

“You boys need to cover yourselves,” she told them sternly. “I’d rather not let anyone else see you naked.”

Butler laughed and pulled the comforter across his lap as he sat against the headboard of the bed. “We’ll be naked for you all the time, sweetness,” he told her, leaning forward to kiss her lips quickly.

“And we expect you’ll do the same for us,” Alex added, taking his place against the headboard and carefully pulling Nikki toward them until she was settled securely between them. He couldn’t prevent the smile that crossed his face when Nikki pulled the edge of the comforter across his lap and gave him a look of exasperation. He was going to love teasing her for the rest of their lives.

“Come in,” Nikki called, shushing both men as they settled comfortably against her.

The door opened and Jace and Jackson walked in with two police officers. “Nikki, I hope you’re feeling better,” Jace told her sincerely, stepping to the side of the bed to look down at her in concern. “If you’re not up to this right now, we can have Clay and Hunter come back another time.”

“No, it’s okay,” Nikki assured him. “Let’s get this over with so Patrick can’t hurt Laurie anymore.”

Jace looked down at Laurie’s friend, smiling at her strength. He knew she was a good friend to Laurie. She would be a strong mate for his lieutenants. He nodded once and turned to introduce the two officers.

“This is Clayton Forest and Hunter Stewart,” he told her, indicating the two men who stood at the foot of the bed. “They’re police officers for the local town, but they’re also members of our ranch community. You can talk to them freely. They’ll make sure that you’re protected.”

Nikki nodded to them, amazed that every single man in this ranch community was well over six feet tall and built of muscle. Maybe it was something in the mountain air. She smiled at her own joke, knowing Alex and Butler fell under the same category of delicious men.

Looking toward them both briefly, she couldn’t stop the blush that crossed her face when she realized that both men sat beside her totally naked, and they didn’t seem to be bothered by that fact! Turning to face the officers, she did her best to concentrate on them instead of the two deliciously naked men who sat protectively holding her against them.

“We’ll try to make this brief, Ms. Sinclair,” Officer Forest spoke softly. “We just need your statement as to what happened at the mall yesterday.”

“I don’t have much to tell you,” Nikki explained quietly. “Patrick Anderson, Laurie’s ex-husband, confronted us outside the lingerie store. He said some rude things to Laurie then stepped forward and ripped her bag from her hand. He reached out to grab her, and I put myself between them. He pushed me against the store wall. I was knocked unconscious.”