Babies for Nikki (18 page)

“By the Fates, she is amazing,” Alex whispered reverently.

Butler looked at his triad partner and smiled. “And she’s ours,” Butler told him firmly.

Alex nodded in agreement. “Damn right,” he muttered. “We just have to make sure she knows that she’s destined to be with us.”

“She will,” Butler told him quietly. “You saw the vision we shared. We
will
claim her, and she
will
be carrying our cubs.” He looked at Alex with a tender expression. “She’ll give us two the first time.”

Alex laughed and turned to reach for his discarded clothes, pulling on his jeans and zipping them quickly. “The first time?” he asked, unable to prevent the humor from escaping him. “How many times do you think there will be?”

Butler shrugged as he pulled on his own jeans and then turned to face Alex. “As many as she allows,” he told him quietly. “I hope she realizes that we will love every one of the cubs she gifts us with. We’ll have to make sure that she knows that we’ll love her more with every day that passes.”

Alex smiled as he tugged his black T-shirt over his head and pulled it down to cover his torso. “Did you notice where she was standing in the vision?”

Butler looked at Alex and smiled. “Yes,” he answered, his voice hushed as he looked at him. “I think we should bring her there and see if she loves the spot as much as we do. It’ll be more proof we can give her that she’s destined to be ours when she sees the place we had picked out to build our home with our future mate.”

“We’ll have to talk to Jace about starting the construction,” Alex told him quietly. “If we can judge by the vision, she’ll be pregnant soon, and we’ll need our home to be ready for the cubs.”

Butler stepped toward Alex and reached out to touch his shoulder. There was a hopeful expression in his eyes as he looked at him. “I’m looking forward to being a father.”

Alex nodded, his own eyes hopeful, even though it was a guarded hopefulness. “Me, too,” he admitted. “I’m looking forward to sharing our lives with her. I want to hold her and love her all the time.”

Before Butler could speak, the soft click of the bathroom door pulled their attention to the woman who was destined to be theirs. To their disappointment, she was clothed in one of Alex’s T-shirts. The way the shirt billowed out made the picture of her in an advanced stage of pregnancy flash through Butler’s mind. Alex’s growl of approval made him know that his triad partner had shared his vision. Looking at Nikki, they wondered if she had been a part of the shared vision, but they had no way of knowing. She remained quiet as she looked at them.

“Are you doing okay, darlin’?” Alex asked her as she slowly stepped forward to stand quietly beside them.

Nikki nodded and looked at both men cautiously. The picture that had just flashed in her mind made her unable to speak. She had to stop herself from touching her stomach just to make sure that she really wasn’t about seven months pregnant as the vision she had just seen had suggested.

“Are all the leaking fluids taken care of?” Butler teased her as he leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly.

“Yes,” she answered, looking up at him with exasperation. “You shouldn’t ask me that. That’s personal and private,” she scolded him, more embarrassed than she cared to admit.

“Whatever you say, sweetness,” he told her, laughing then looking at Alex and winking. “But we’re going to be sharing a lot of intimate moments so you’d better get used to it.”

“Oh, really!” Nikki snapped, bristling at the comment.

“Yes, really,” Alex told her, stepping forward and tracing his index finger across her jaw to touch her bottom lip gently. “And after we get back from our little trip outside we’re going to come back here to our bedroom and fill you up with our seed again. Do you have any objections to that, darlin’?”

Nikki melted at the heart stopping smile he gave her. How could she argue with him? She wanted them both just as badly as they appeared to want her. Who was she to argue? She found herself smiling up at him and lifting her arms to accept his quick kiss.

“I’ll have to think about it,” she grumbled as she pulled away from him, not missing the smiles that both men flashed at her defiance.

Alex leaned forward and gently picked her up into his arms. “You do that, sweetheart,” he answered gruffly as he held her tightly within his arms. “Think good and hard about how you’re going to welcome us into your sweet body and scream our names as we push you from one orgasm to another.”

Nikki gasped at the image that flashed in her mind of the three of them together in the big bed behind them. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she couldn’t stop the picture from burning into her brain. Immediate need slammed through her, and she couldn’t prevent the moan that escaped her. When she opened her eyes she saw Butler standing in front of them, his body pinning hers against Alex’s.

Butler leaned in and sniffed her neck, opening his mouth and biting down gently on her shoulder, pulling another groan from her. Alex lifted her slightly so he had access to the other side of her neck and bit down firmly. Nikki reached up and grabbed their heads, pulling slightly on their hair as they increased the pressure on her neck and growls escaped them.

“I can smell your need,” Butler whispered against her face, kissing her cheek lightly. “If we stay here and satisfy you, we’ll never get out of here.”

Alex laughed, leaning forward to kiss Nikki’s temple sweetly. “I could stay here with you forever, sweetheart.”

“We can call Jace and ask for some time off,” Butler suggested. “I’m sure he’ll understand and want us to have our time with Nikki.”

“Hold on,” Nikki told them quickly, stopping them before they could continue with their plans. She pushed out of Alex’s arms gently but firmly until she was standing between them.

Both men looked at her immediately. Their serious expressions immediately softened as they looked down at the soft beauty of their mate.

“You have a job to do,” Nikki told them softly. “Go and do it.”

“No. We want to stay with you,” Alex protested firmly.

“I know,” Nikki told him, lifting her hands to place them gently on each man’s chest. She was immediately calmed by the even beating of their hearts beneath her palms. How was it that they calmed her beyond anything she could ever have imagined with just their physical contact?

“Lucian and Cole can take our patrols for the next few days,” Butler told her softly. “We need the time with you to strengthen our bond, and they could use the experience on the job. They’re barely beyond the age we consider young cubs, and we still need to watch over them, but they’ve proven themselves to be good sentries. Being in charge will be good for them.”

“I agree,” Alex spoke up. “They’ve proven themselves to be good men. I have no doubt that they will be good enforcers.”

Nikki smiled up at both men, appreciating their ability to know their job well, as well as the way they supported the people who worked with them. She could hear the pride of their men in their voices, but it was the concern for the “cubs” that made her smile. They were wonderful protectors and caring men.

“Go and do your jobs,” Nikki told them again, leaning forward and resting against their chests. She smiled as their arms surrounded her immediately. “I’m going to go back to bed and sleep. For some reason, I’m exhausted.” She looked up at both men and winked. “Do you have any idea why that might be?”

She loved the feel of their rumbling laughter against her. She loved the gentle way they held her. She loved the feeling of contentment their embrace gave her.

Pushing away from them gently, she turned and walked back to the bed, pulling back the sheet and comforter and climbing back in to settle against her pillow and pull the covers up to cover her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she gave in to the feeling of total relaxation as she was surrounded by the scents of both men and the softness of the bed.

She vaguely heard the sound of the shower running and the low conversation that Butler and Alex shared. Turning over in bed, she reached for Alex’s pillow and held it to her chest before reaching behind her to pull Butler’s pillow against her back. She melted into the warmth and softness of the bed, struggling to push aside the added sounds of the shower running once again and drawers being opened and closed. Every sound melded together and she was comforted by the normalcy of the morning routine that the men ran through.

She felt the bed shift under the weight of both men as they leaned in and kissed her forehead tenderly. She knew that they spoke softly to her, but she was already asleep and was unable to concentrate on anything except how happy she was for the first time in her life.

* * * *

Nikki awoke suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to get her bearings. She must have quickly fallen back to sleep after Butler and Alexander had left for early morning patrol of the pack land. They had responsibilities, and she was going to make sure they did what they had to do in order to protect the members of Jace Beckett’s pack.

She was not about to be coddled by either man, and she certainly was not going to let anyone in their pack think she needed them to protect her. She had been taking care of herself for years. Hell, she had been taking care of her friends and the people she worked with for years.

Despite her rational understanding of the duties Alex and Butler had, she admitted to herself that she didn’t like being alone in their bed. It felt wrong. Turning, she reached for the empty pillow to her right and pulled it to her face. Doing the same for the vacant pillow on her left, she inhaled deeply, drawing in the scents of her missing men.

She closed her eyes and groaned. Despite her best efforts to refuse to believe that Alex and Butler belonged to her, she still thought of them as hers. Their scents soothed her and gave her a sense of peace and belonging. She was going to have to talk to Laurie about it when she came back—after she kicked her ass for leaving without telling her why she had left, and a double beat down for keeping her phone shut off so she couldn’t reach her.

She pushed the pillows aside with hesitance. She didn’t want to give up their scents. Sitting up in bed, she scrubbed her hands over her face and sighed.

“Get a grip, Nikki,” she muttered to herself. “Get your ass out of bed, take a shower, and get on with your life.”

Scooting to the edge of the very large bed, she sighed with resignation. She would not think about Butler or Alexander. She would take her shower, get dressed, and find someone to take her back to her car. If she could get back to her place by late afternoon, she would have the night to do laundry and still have a couple of days to prepare for the late shift she was scheduled to work that weekend. She had made up her mind not to think about the two men who made her hope for things she was afraid to hope for. She couldn’t hope. Not if she wanted to remain sane. Goodness knows when either man was near her, all sanity and rational thought escaped her.

* * * *

Finally showered and dressed in her freshly laundered clothes, Nikki walked into the kitchen. She was a bit nervous facing the woman she knew would be there.

Alex’s mother Martha was standing at the kitchen stove, cooking bacon and eggs. The enticing smell made Nikki’s mouth water. She almost forgot to be embarrassed by the fact that Martha not only encouraged her son’s mating, but also provided them with medicinal herbs to help her with any intimate pains that resulted.

“Good morning,” Martha greeted her warmly, her happy gaze landing on Nikki immediately.

“Morning,” Nikki answered quickly, blushing despite her resolve not to.

“Have a seat,” Martha told her, indicating the stools that were placed at the island near the sink. “I have breakfast all ready. You must be hungry.”

Nikki’s stomach took that moment to growl hungrily and she laughed out loud at the timing. “I am pretty hungry,” she admitted, sliding onto the nearest stool as Martha placed a plate filled with eggs, bacon, and a toasted bagel on the counter in front of her.

“Orange juice okay, or would you prefer coffee?” Martha asked, turning to take a glass pitcher of juice out of the refrigerator and placing it before her on the island countertop.

“Juice is fine, thank you.” Nikki took the full glass of juice Martha poured for her and sipped at it slowly. “I appreciate you making me something to eat. Thanks also for washing my clothes. ”

“No need to thank me,” Martha brushed aside her gratitude. “I’m so pleased that you’re here. I can already see how happy Alex and Butler are now that you’ve come into their lives.” Martha reached out and held her left hand gently. “Welcome to the family, Nikki,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Nikki put down the fork she had picked up. She didn’t think she could swallow any food past the lump of emotion that was choking her. How she wished she could actually be a part of a loving family. From what she had seen of this family, she knew in her heart that they would be caring and welcoming.

Before she could embarrass herself, the sliding glass door to the deck slid open and an adorable child of about four years old raced inside, followed quickly by Julia. Nikki was happy to see that Julia looked as beautiful as ever. Thankfully, Patrick hadn’t hurt her.

“Hi, Gramma!” the little imp called to her immediately, racing over to her and reaching up her arms so that Martha could lift her and give her a kiss.